Appropriate nutrition is required to sustain high yielding and profitable crops
The importance of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium is well established for growing crops
Sulphur, Magnesium and Sodium are secondary nutrients which can boost yields in many situations
The appropriate use of micronutrients is essential for maximising crop yield and quality
Having a recent soil analysis at hand is the fundamental first step to building a crop nutrition plan.
Organic manures can be a great source of nutrition for crops. In many cases, they will need to be incorporated into the seedbed
Index | Nitrogen (Units/ac) | Phosphorus (Units/ac) | Potassium (Units/ac) | Sulphur (Units/ac) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 128 | 36 | 104 | 20 |
2 | 104 | 28 | 92 | 20 |
3 | 76 | 20 | 80 | 20 |
4 | 48 | 12 | 40 | 20 |
Index | Nitrogen (kg/ha) | Phosphorus (kg/ha) | Potassium (kg/ha) | Sulphur (kg/ha) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 160 | 45 | 130 | 25 |
2 | 130 | 35 | 115 | 25 |
3 | 95 | 25 | 100 | 25 |
4 | 60 | 15 | 50 | 25 |
There is, as yet, no satisfactory Irish laboratory test for N in soils at farm level.
The supply status is categorised into an Index system for grass establishment and tillage crops.
Index 1 | Index 2 | Index 3 | Index 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Previous Crop | |||
Cereals, Maize | Sugar beet Fodder beet Potatoes Mangels Kale Oil seed rape, Peas, Beans | ||
Leys (1-4 years) grazed or cut and grazed. | |||
Swedes removed | Swedes grazed in situ | ||
Vegetables receiving less than 200 kg/ha nitrogen | Vegetables receiving more than 200 kg/ha nitrogen |
Index 1 | Index 2 | Index 3 | Index 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Previous Crop | |||
Any crop sown as the 5th tillage crop following long leys or permanent pasture. | Any crop sown as the 3rd or 4th tillage crop following long leys or permanent pasture. If original long ley or permanent pasture was cut only use Index 1. | Any crop sown as the 1st or 2nd tillage crop following long leys or permanent pasture (see also Index 4). If original long ley or permanent pasture was cut only use Index 2 | Any crop sown as the 1st or 2nd tillage crop following very good long leys or permanent pasture which was grazed only. |