We Made an Average Profit of $90 Per Hectare With Variable-Rate Application"
Reading time — 11 minutes
We Speak with Employees at IMC, a Ukrainian Agricultural Holding, About Our Joint Experiments.
"
Get all new articles straight to your inbox!
OneSoil conducted its largest experiments in 2020 on 50 fields with IMC, one of Ukraine's top-10 largest agricultural companies. It owns around 123,000 ha and cultivates corn, wheat, and sunflower. We planned variable-rate seeding for these crops to determine the right sowing strategy moving forward.
We talked to Bogdan Krivitsky, IMC's Technical Director, and Alexey Misyura, Head of R&D, about how these experiments were conducted and how much they were able to save and make on them.
We talked to Bogdan Krivitsky, IMC's Technical Director, and Alexey Misyura, Head of R&D, about how these experiments were conducted and how much they were able to save and make on them.
Calculate fertilizer and seeding rates
For variable-rate application. Detect productivity zones and create prescription maps for equipment in the OneSoil web app.
OneSoil conducted its largest experiments in 2020 on 50 fields with IMC, one of Ukraine's top-10 largest agricultural companies. It owns around 123,000 ha and cultivates corn, wheat, and sunflower. We planned variable-rate seeding for these crops to determine the right sowing strategy moving forward. We talked to Bogdan Krivitsky, IMC's Technical Director, and Alexey Misyura, Head of R&D, about how these experiments were conducted and how much they were able to save and make on them.
Calculate fertilizer and seeding rates
For variable-rate application. Detect productivity zones and create prescription maps for equipment in the OneSoil web app.
— How did the idea of joint experiments with OneSoil come about?
Alexey: We’ve been planning to try variable-rate seeding and application for a long time, but we didn’t have experience in or knowledge about GIS analytics. We didn’t know how to correctly distribute rates in different areas of the field or create prescription maps. A year and a half ago, Bogdan introduced me to Usevalad Henin (Usevalad is OneSoil’s co-founder, a GIS specialist, and an agricultural chemist who manages all OneSoil field trials), and he offered to help us understand everything.
Bogdan: Usevalad also shared his experience from work done at other farms, so we decided to give it a try. We had all the right equipment for variable-rate application.
Alexey: We’ve been planning to try variable-rate seeding and application for a long time, but we didn’t have experience in or knowledge about GIS analytics. We didn’t know how to correctly distribute rates in different areas of the field or create prescription maps. A year and a half ago, Bogdan introduced me to Usevalad Henin (Usevalad is OneSoil’s co-founder, a GIS specialist, and an agricultural chemist who manages all OneSoil field trials), and he offered to help us understand everything.
Bogdan: Usevalad also shared his experience from work done at other farms, so we decided to give it a try. We had all the right equipment for variable-rate application.
But the biggest value from the experiments with OneSoil was being able to analyze the heterogeneity zones in the field properly.
We need to know that to identify reasons for low productivity and use that information to create the right prescription map for applying seeds and fertilizer.
Alexey (left) heads IMC’s R&D Department and oversees field experiments. Bogdan Krivitsky (right) is IMC’s Technical Director and oversees precision farming technologies at the holding and the Technical Department’s work
Bogdan Krivitsky is IMC’s Technical Director and oversees precision farming technologies at the holding and the Technical Department’s work. Alexey Misyura heads IMC’s R&D Department and oversees field experiments.
— What experiments did you conduct?
Alexey: We experimented with variable-rate seeding for corn, winter wheat, and sunflower, as well as variable-rate nitrogen application. The variable-rate corn seed application experiment alone covered 2,270 hectares; in total, the experiments covered up to 5,000 hectares.
Alexey: We experimented with variable-rate seeding for corn, winter wheat, and sunflower, as well as variable-rate nitrogen application. The variable-rate corn seed application experiment alone covered 2,270 hectares; in total, the experiments covered up to 5,000 hectares.
— Our experience shows that farmers usually try to either reduce expenses or increase yield. What did you guys want to get out of these experiments?
Bogdan: We wanted to figure out which approach to variable-rate seeding and fertilization would be optimal for our particular fields and increase profitability. There’s this conventional wisdom on the market that you should use fewer seeds and less fertilizer in a low-productivity zone and more in a high-productivity zone. I mean, that’s what we thought, too, but it turned out not to be the case. We also saw that a lot depends on the hybrid or variety used and growing conditions. Variable-rate seeding for the same crop can differ in varying soils and at varying temperatures.
Bogdan: We wanted to figure out which approach to variable-rate seeding and fertilization would be optimal for our particular fields and increase profitability. There’s this conventional wisdom on the market that you should use fewer seeds and less fertilizer in a low-productivity zone and more in a high-productivity zone. I mean, that’s what we thought, too, but it turned out not to be the case. We also saw that a lot depends on the hybrid or variety used and growing conditions. Variable-rate seeding for the same crop can differ in varying soils and at varying temperatures.
Usevalad Henin and Alexey Misyura. During one of the experiments, they decided to break stay-at-home orders and went out to see the cornfields
— In your view, what are the risks with experiments like these?
Bogdan: I can’t say that we risked a lot. I think it’s worth the risk, and we have to give it a try to find the optimal application method for various techniques. It would be a whole other story if we were an independent farm with a run-of-the-mill tractor. For instance, just to be able to do variable-rate seeding on a technical level, we would need to do a lot of work ahead of time, like buying equipment, hiring analysts, setting the numbers, and so on. There would be cause for concern, in that case.
But, as I mentioned earlier, we don’t have any problems with equipment. We use self-driving and sprayer switching control systems that avoid overlapping and apply fertilizer and other materials with rate controllers. Altogether, this allows us to save significant amounts of money.
Bogdan: I can’t say that we risked a lot. I think it’s worth the risk, and we have to give it a try to find the optimal application method for various techniques. It would be a whole other story if we were an independent farm with a run-of-the-mill tractor. For instance, just to be able to do variable-rate seeding on a technical level, we would need to do a lot of work ahead of time, like buying equipment, hiring analysts, setting the numbers, and so on. There would be cause for concern, in that case.
But, as I mentioned earlier, we don’t have any problems with equipment. We use self-driving and sprayer switching control systems that avoid overlapping and apply fertilizer and other materials with rate controllers. Altogether, this allows us to save significant amounts of money.
For example, the sprayer switching control systems can save up to 5% in seeds during application.
This system costs around $ 5,000, but we estimate that it yields a return on investment in a year.
The only thing we were missing was a balanced approach to conducting experiments, which is where OneSoil came in.
The only thing we were missing was a balanced approach to conducting experiments, which is where OneSoil came in.
Work continues year-round in IMC’s fields
— Tell us more about these experiments. Which one was the most successful?
Alexey: I’ll start with the experiment on variable-rate carbamide application for corn. We tested three rates: moderate at 250 kg/ha (our standard rate), as well as high and low, which were +/-125 kg/ha, respectively. In the end, we saw that we need to increase the application rate in high-productivity areas and lower it in low-productivity areas. In our soil and climatic conditions, the rate didn’t have any effect on yield.
Alexey: I’ll start with the experiment on variable-rate carbamide application for corn. We tested three rates: moderate at 250 kg/ha (our standard rate), as well as high and low, which were +/-125 kg/ha, respectively. In the end, we saw that we need to increase the application rate in high-productivity areas and lower it in low-productivity areas. In our soil and climatic conditions, the rate didn’t have any effect on yield.
It turns out that we can take 100 kg of fertilizer from a low-productivity area and apply it towards a high-productivity one. We spend the same amount of money but get a higher yield.
We'll apply the results of this experiment starting next year
After the sunflower and wheat experiments, we concluded that we don’t need variable-rate seeding for these crops. Instead, we can just reduce the standard seeding rate. That’s just what we’ll do next season. We’ll use different rates in just one or two fields to see how that goes.
Sunflower. It looks good, but our experiments show that variable-rate seeding isn’t necessary
We tested 5 corn hybrids and saw that the lower the FAO maturity index is (below 350), the better the hybrid reacts to variable-rate seeding. If the maturity index is over 350, it probably doesn’t make sense to apply variable-rate seeding; you’re good enough reducing the seeding rate. I should note that these recommendations only work for the soil and climatic conditions that IMC has and for specific hybrids. It could be different at other farms, which is why I recommend that you try these experiments yourselves to determine the right seeding strategy for your fields.
The lower the FAO maturity index is (below 350), the better the hybrid reacts to variable-rate seeding.
Bogdan: I would say that the experiments with corn hybrids were a success. First off, the experiment was pretty large-scale: we included 19 fields covering a total of 2,300 hectares. I think you can trust a sample size that big. Secondly, the experiment results can be put into practice right away. For example, we discovered that hybrid DKC 3939 can be sowed in heterogeneous fields with strongly varying productivity zones.
— How much profit or savings were you able to make as a result of these experiments?
Bogdan: In the corn experiments, we saw an average jump in yield of 0.12 t/ha, and, according to our estimates, we made an average profit of$36 per hectare.
The variable-rate nitrogen application experiments were also cause for celebration. We saw a 0.6 t/ha increase in yield when increasing the carbamide application rate in high-productivity zones, so an average profit of $ 90 per hectare.
Bogdan: In the corn experiments, we saw an average jump in yield of 0.12 t/ha, and, according to our estimates, we made an average profit of$36 per hectare.
The variable-rate nitrogen application experiments were also cause for celebration. We saw a 0.6 t/ha increase in yield when increasing the carbamide application rate in high-productivity zones, so an average profit of $ 90 per hectare.
— How would you rate this experiment? Do you have plans to continue doing similar experiments?
Alexey: In my opinion, experiments like these are important because they let you establish your own optimal crop and hybrid seeding rates. These rates are in really big ranges on seed manufacturers' websites. For example, for corn hybrid DKC 3939, you could recommend using a rate of 65,000 to 75,000 seeds/ha in areas with unstable moisture supply. But that’s just like saying, "I'm exactly 5 to 6 feet tall." It’s the same level of precision.
Alexey: In my opinion, experiments like these are important because they let you establish your own optimal crop and hybrid seeding rates. These rates are in really big ranges on seed manufacturers' websites. For example, for corn hybrid DKC 3939, you could recommend using a rate of 65,000 to 75,000 seeds/ha in areas with unstable moisture supply. But that’s just like saying, "I'm exactly 5 to 6 feet tall." It’s the same level of precision.
That’s why you have to experiment on your own fields to determine the right seeding rate for your farm. Variable-rate seeding experiments with OneSoil help answer that question.
But OneSoil's method for identifying productivity zones isn't just for variable-rate seeding; it can be used to select homogeneous fields for standard experiments. That helps reduce experiments' margins of error due to heterogeneity in fields.
Bogdan: As far as our future plans are concerned, we'll continue working with OneSoil to run experiments this season. We plan to test a few more hybrids and try variable-rate application for plant protection products and fungicides. We'd also like to find out what to do with soil compaction and whether tillage can decrease the negative impact machines passing through the field have on productivity.
Bogdan: As far as our future plans are concerned, we'll continue working with OneSoil to run experiments this season. We plan to test a few more hybrids and try variable-rate application for plant protection products and fungicides. We'd also like to find out what to do with soil compaction and whether tillage can decrease the negative impact machines passing through the field have on productivity.
Interview conducted by Tanya Kovalchuk
If you want to discuss this article and share your own experience, please, join our Telegram community!
Tanya
Want to
conduct an experiment
with OneSoil?
conduct an experiment
with OneSoil?
Try OneSoil Yield now
Any farmer can purchase the program from an agricultural technology dealer in his region. Explore the app's features in a free demo account to take care of any doubts you may have before buying it.
Related Stories