In the upcoming agricultural season, the August-Leninogorsk agricultural firm in the Republic of Tatarstan will begin introducing the technology of differentiated application of seeds and fertilizers in the cultivation of major crops. Digital farming methods are actively used in the farms of the management company "August-Agro" and contribute to a more efficient use of available resources. This is of particular relevance against the background of rising world prices for fertilizers.
During the 2022 agricultural season, one of the agricultural firms managed by Avgust-Agro Management Company, Avgust-Leninogorsk, will implement a pilot project for the differentiated application of seeds and fertilizers. In 2021, this method was tested here for the first time in a relatively small area, and based on the results of the tests, it was decided to continue using the technology. Now the area will expand to 17 thousand hectares of spring and winter crops. The fields of the Avgust-Leninogorsk farm were chosen due to the wide variety of soils, where, along with fertile plots, there are often areas with complex terrain.
The starting point is to create variable rate maps. For this purpose, terrain maps, information on water flows, as well as satellite monitoring data, in particular, the history of changes in NDVI, a vegetation index that characterizes the photosynthetic activity of plants and the amount of green mass, are used (while analyzing the dynamics of the last 8–12 years). Based on the index, one can judge how successfully different crops developed in a particular area of the field. Thus, the sown areas are divided into "red", "yellow" and "green" territories, where "red" - the least fertile zones with poor relief, and "green" - the most favorable. Data comparison work is currently not fully automated and is carried out by August-Agro analysts independently, with the involvement of foremen and agronomists who have studied the territory in practice and recommend fertilizer application rates for a particular site.
“In 2021, we have already tested the technology of differentiated application of seeds and fertilizers at the August-Leninogorsk farm. The tests took place on an area of 3 thousand hectares, they were quite successful, - says Mikhail Surovtsev, Deputy General Director for Production of the Management Company "August-Agro". – Using this method, waste of resources can be avoided in rocky or sandy areas, where fertilizers alone cannot solve the problem of fertility and where a multifactorial approach is required. The efficiency of fertilizer application with differentiated application increases due to the redistribution of their volumes to those areas of the fields where their application will give the greatest return in terms of yield.”
To date, the new technology in the agricultural company "August-Leninogorsk" adapt six sowing complexes at once with the possibility of simultaneous application of fertilizers. The equipment is equipped with an autopilot: the machine operator does not need to independently switch the fertilizer and seed consumption rates in the settings, since along with other necessary information, differential application maps created in advance are also loaded into the computer. When the appropriate mode is selected, the planter automatically recognizes exactly where it is located with an error of 5–6 cm and changes the application rate depending on the zone. The technology will be tested on fields with spring wheat, as well as on sunflower, rapeseed and buckwheat. The main part of the experiment relates specifically to fertilizers, however, in some areas, in a similar way - depending on the zone - the consumption of seeds will also change. In addition, with the help of differentiated application technology, winter crops will be fertilized, as well as summer fertilizing.
Another important component of the technology is the analysis of the effectiveness of differentiated application of fertilizers and seeds. A significant part of combines harvesting crops at the agricultural company Avgust-Leninogorsk is planned to be equipped with yield mapping tools that will allow evaluating the results in different zones and, based on them, deciding whether this experience should be scaled up to other farms managed by Avgust-Agro Management Company.
It should be noted that the farms of the management company "August-Agro" are currently generally provided with the necessary fertilizers for the upcoming agricultural season. However, the activities of the company's agricultural companies are initially focused on increasing the efficiency of land use and improving soil fertility in general. For the farms of Avgust-Agro, the No-Till technology has become the key: when it is applied, the soil surface is covered with mulch - crushed plant residues, which, decomposing, increase the productivity of the fields. Unploughed land can also retain more moisture and is better protected from erosion.