Anastasia Borovkova, Omia Ural LLC, Agribusiness Development Manager
Potatoes have long become a strategic crop in our country, which is grown in almost all regions of Russia, and the changes in the life of the whole society in connection with the pandemic have once again confirmed the need for "second bread" for people. It is no coincidence that Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), announced that 2021 will be the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, so that raise awareness of the importance of these products for nutrition, food security and health.
Despite this, in Russia there is a tendency to reduce the area of cultivation. According to Rosstat, the area of potato cultivation in the industrial sector of potato growing in Russia in 2020 in farms of all categories amounted to 280,9 thousand hectares, which is 8,0% (24,4 thousand hectares) less than in 2019. Over 5 years, they decreased by 22,1% (by 79,7 thousand hectares), over 10 years by - 21,5% (by 77,0 thousand hectares). The yield, on the other hand, has been steadily growing and has increased over the past 10 years from 13,6 t / ha to 24,4 t / ha. This became possible due to an increase in the culture of agricultural technology on farms, including due to the growth in the use of mineral fertilizers.
At the moment, domestic producers produce over 60 types of fertilizers. In 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the purchase of mineral fertilizers is projected at the level of 4 million tons of fuel oil, which is 14% more than last year.
However, not always adding more is better, since there are limiting conditions for the effective use of fertilizers and this, first of all, is the low acidity of the soil, which significantly reduces the level of absorption of nutrients by plants (Table 1).
Table 1
Nutrient absorption rate depending on soil pH
pH | 4,5 | 5 | 5,5 | 6 | 6,5 |
N | 30 | 43 | 77 | 89 | 100 |
P2O5 | 23 | 31 | 48 | 52 | 100 |
K2O | 33 | 52 | 77 | 100 | 100 |
Source: Omia White book
In such conditions, not only the agronomic efficiency of fertilizer application is lost, but also economic losses. Let us calculate, using the example of table potatoes, what losses per hectare are expected at pH 5,5 and the average zonal dose of N120 P100 K240.
The calculation is carried out according to the formula:
fertilizer cost | Х | fertilizer dose | Х | (100 - assimilability at a given pH) | = | losses in rubles / ha |
Nitrogen (ammonium nitrate)
Losses in rubles / ha = 13000 * 0,296 * (100-77) = 885,0 rubles / ha
Phosphorus (ammophos)
Losses in rubles / ha = 26450 * 0,192 * (100-48) = 2640,7 rubles / ha
Potassium (as potassium chloride)
Losses in rubles / ha = 18000 * 0,4 * (100-80) = 1440 rubles / ha
Total: 4965,7 rubles / ha
In the calculation, we do not take into account the losses from a lack of calcium nutrition on acidic soils, which are expressed in a shortage of crops and in a deterioration in the quality of tubers: a greater susceptibility to injury during harvesting, hollowness and voids of tubers, cracking, weak skin, etc., but all this significantly affects the cost of finished products.
There is a way out - this is the liming of soils, which is now receiving much attention at the state level. The problems of traditional liming are known to everyone: high application rates (5-10 t / ha) make this method laborious and expensive, the application processability and uniformity of distribution are low, the maximum effect is observed after two years and then sharply decreases, the quality of the existing lime materials is also poor.
A new product has appeared on the Russian market that can quickly and efficiently solve the problem. This is Omya Calcipril® - calcium fertilizer for nutrition and soil reclamation in a convenient granular form. Ultra-fine particles with high activity effectively regulate pH and lead to quick response of crops. Alone or in combination with other Omya fertilizers Calcipril® applied before sowing, at sowing or on vegetative plants. It can be used after traditional liming, before the onset of the effect of lime, as a fast-acting fertilizer that changes the pH in 3-4 weeks after application, and after the onset of the effect, as a supporting agent.
The main advantages:
Low application rates from 250 to 1000 kg / ha
Ensuring maximum absorption and use of key fertilizers
Neutralization of large areas thanks to the large contact surface
Improving the structure of the soil, its porosity and water resistance
Reducing the content of toxic forms of aluminum in the soil
Easy to apply with standard spreaders.
Thus, the use of modern methods of regulation of soil acidity and nutritional regime for potatoes will contribute to a sustainable increase in yield and product quality.
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