Prescription Fertiliser

• Ensures crop yield is not limited by the under-supply of one or two nutrients – whether that be macro or micro-nutrients
• Prevents ‘locking-up’ of nutrients in response to soil nutrient efficiencies
• Maximises nutrient uptake (eg nitrogen use efficiency, phosphate use efficiency, potash use efficiency)
• Enhances crop quality, resulting in increased marketability of the
  final product 
• Helps mitigate biotic and abiotic crop stress
• Minimises phosphate losses to water via run-off and/or soil erosion
• Reduces losses of nitrogen to the air via ammonia volatilisation and/ or denitrification
• Limits nitrogen losses to water via nitrate leaching
• Can reduce the number of fertiliser passes, thus reducing fuel usage and carbon emissions

A soil analysis is essential for providing the factual information required to build a nutrient programme. Based on the soil results, a prescription fertiliser can be formulated for a crop in order to optimise its potential yields. By matching nutrient supply with crop demand, the appropriate level of nutrients is available to maximise profitability. As well as analysing soil pH along with a measure of plant available phosphorus, potassium and magnesium along with a further 8 nutrients, giving you indepth knowledge of your soil.   Using the soil results enables you to adapt your nutrient inputs to maintain soil indices at target levels and to achieve the best yields for your crop. The interpretation and nutrient prescription should be made by FACTS Qualified Adviser.  

NUTRI-MATCH^® enables farmers to select a nitrogen source which is less likely to be lost to air and/or water, based on risk factors associated with their individual farming system. The UK government NT26 research programme, carried out by ADAS in 2002-2005 showed that ammonia volatilisation losses associated with urea were 24% on average and ranged from 10% to 58% of the nitrogen applied. The research showed urea + NBPT (the source in the research is now branded as SUSTAIN^®) reduced volatilisation losses by 70% on average compared with unprotected urea. Where nitrous oxide emissions are a potential problem, a simple switch from nitrate-based fertiliser to SUSTAIN® reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 73% on average, according to joint research by Teagasc and Agrifood and BioSciences Institute.