Precision timing and spatial allocation of economic fertilizer application considering suitable field days

摘要

Recent increases in fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, and fuel prices have resulted in increased production cost for farmers. In this paper, a farm level production model that compares uniform and variable rate fertilizer (NPK) application is developed that permits an analysis of the economic performance of fertilizer management regarding profitability. Results show that the advantage of adopting variable rate technology over uniform rate in term of profitability increases as fertilizer price increases. Timing of N application was an important factor in the strategic decision-making as a larger area shifted from an early application closer to the sowing date as fertilizer price increased.