Input Technology – Seeding & Planting

Vertical rate – the third dimension!

GPS systems, yield mapping and advances in input application technology are all part of the variable rate precision agriculture revolution that has transformed the two dimensional face of the farming landscape. According to soil researcher Michael Eyres, general manager of Injekta Field Systems, the next step is to use these powerful tools, in conjunction with decades of soil science and some new sub-soil application technology, to add a third dimension: vertical rate; a concept he believes will change the face of agriculture.

Soil variability is a fact of farming life. Walking across a paddock can reveal sandy rises, loamy flats, stony outcrops and areas of heavy clay that often require different management approaches, with the soil characteristics at least as important as the surface features.
Most growers are well aware of variable rate technologies but ‘vertical rate’ is just as important for farm decision making, according to Michael Eyres.
Michael, general manager of Injekta Field Systems, suggests that digging through the soil surface, preferably with a backhoe, will reveal another dimension of variability, with typically a surface layer of soil relatively high in organic matter on top of a denser layer with less organic matter and higher pH. If we keep digging, he says, we may notice soil layers that are quite different in texture, clay percentage, bulk density, pH and nutrient values.
These variations in characteristics can pose significant challenges for growers and their crops, many of which Michael believes can be addressed using fluid inputs.

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Thanks to www.santfa.com.au for providing the story