Optimizing variable N application to living grass coverage estimated in late autumn or early spring.

Rueda Ayala V. P., Persson T., Harik E.H.C.

Optimizing variable N application to living grass coverage estimated in late autumn or early spring.

In: ECPA 2025 BARCELONA 15th European conference on precision agriculture. 30 June, Publ. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE, Barcelona (ES). 2025, 845-851.

Abstract:

A field experiment was conducted in 2022–2023 and repeated in 2023–2024, estimating plant coverages using digital processing of autumn and spring aerial images to determine fertilizer rates. Three fixed and two variable manure and mineral N rates were applied in early spring and after the first cut. Dry matter yield (DMY) and agronomic efficiency (AE) were evaluated over two seasons. A low or variable N rate based on spring coverage led to DMY and AE comparable to high N rates. Autumn coverage in the second season improved slurry application decisions, offering a valuable tool for grassland management.

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Institutional Repository Agroscope

Institutional Repository Agroscope

Optimizing variable N application to living grass coverage estimated in late autumn or early spring.