Sussex wheat grower sees high yield after trimming nitrogen

摘要

David Ellin is cutting back on nitrogen fertiliser without reducing the yield of his winter wheat to help reduce the chance of nitrates leaching from his light, chalky soils.High up on the South Downs, overlooking Shoreham, he is using a liquid urea polymer to save him just over 30kg/ha of nitrogen, which might have ended up in Brighton and Hove's water supply.The West Sussex farm manager is applying this polymer product in May to cut his overall nitrogen use to 169kg/ha, while still keeping his biscuit-making wheat yields at more than lOt/ha. "The yield is similar and the costs are similar, but we are savingmore than 30kg/ha of nitrogen, which could have been leached away," he tells Farmers Weekly.