Intense volatility in the European grain markets may offer opportunities to lock in high prices but the cost and scarcity of inputs may well outweigh any potential gains. As growers consider how best to manage fertiliser applications this spring, one thing we can all agree on is that we don’t want to waste one granule or one drop of the precious stuff.
David McLellan, agronomist and head of sales for Omya UK, believes farmers should check they’ve got the basics right. “When did you last check your soil pH?” he asks. “For most arable crops, pH should be at 6.5. Once it drops below that, the availability of nutrients to the plants drops and you won’t get the full benefit of your applied fertilisers. At a pH of 5.5, you’ll be wasting 23% of your nitrogen and potassium and a whopping 52% of your phosphorus”.
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Soil acidity in the UK and Europe is very common, with PAAG data suggesting that more than 40% of arable lands are below the recommended pH level. Macro-nutrients are 100% available to the plant at a soil pH of 6.5. Less than that and soil nitrogen stays in forms that plants find difficult to assimilate or, if transformed too late, are lost through leaching. In acid soils, phosphates are tied up, remaining inaccessible to the plant, and the potassium remains fixed to soil clays.
The latest edition of RB209 published recently now includes advice about pH management with regard to optimal availability of nutrients, stating that insufficient pH management and lack of attention to liming will cause yield losses. Many farmers rely on the application of agricultural lime every four or five years to manage soil pH. The downside of this is that it takes months to correct acidity. For farmers needing to raise pH quickly, the best solution is a granulated product such as Calciprill.
“Maximising nutrient use efficiency this spring is going to be more important than ever,” explains David McLellan. “With fertiliser prices so high, farmers will want to get the most out of each application. Calciprill is made of very fine particles, which have a much larger surface area than agricultural lime, so they dissolve quickly and correct pH within a few weeks. Anyone who is unsure of their pH status would do well to get it tested and correct any deficiencies with an application of Calciprill. Its speed of reactivity means you’ll get the benefit of improved nutrient use efficiency in time to make a difference this spring.”
Calciprill is a granulated product made from ultrafine particles of calcium carbonate. It is low in dust and can be applied alongside granulated fertilisers using standard spreading equipment. As well as correcting soil pH, it provides essential calcium nutrition to the crop, strengthening cell walls and improving resilience to pests and disease. David McLellan concludes, “For optimal yields you need optimal pH. That means maintaining your soil pH annually. You can do this with Calciprill using your own tractor, you don’t have to wait for a contractor to be available. It only takes a fraction of the tonnes per hectare that you would be putting on as standard ag lime every four years.”
