Water use efficiency is enhanced with optimum nutrition, as crops quickly cover bare soil, reducing evaporative water losses. Sufficient nitrogen availability ensures that the available water supply is converted into growth and maximum yield.

TRY OUR QUIZ: Find out how you can improve your farm's nitrogen fertiliser efficiency

You may think that intensive agriculture would require more water, and that low-input farming would allow you to use less. Actually, it’s the opposite. Water demand per unit of crop produced actually decreases with yield.

Water supplies will fluctuate from year to year, but using a nitrate-based fertiliser solution will ensure your yield is optimised.

Decrease water use by 40%
When increasing nitrogen supply up to the economic optimum, based on 200 field trials.

 

The best choice for dry soils

Drought conditions may cause you and your plants stress, but you can be assured of a higher yield when choosing a nitrate fertiliser. Providing adequate nitrate nutrition will result in fewer losses, higher mobility in the soil, better root growth and more efficient water use in dry conditions.

CAN performs better in dry soils

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More than 80% of nitrogen recovery from the soil with CAN (silty loam/ sandy soil), compared to only 40% with urea. This indicates significantly better N availability in dry soils, even in the deeper layers as compared to urea.

  

Hoping for rain? Nutrient uptake during drought conditions is higher when using Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser.

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Field trials demonstrated higher nitrogen use efficiency when using ammonium nitrate (AN) instead of UAN on wheat. The difference is even more marked under drought conditions (no rain for 23 consecutive days after spreading).

 

Precision tools for water management

If you use an irrigation system on your farm, having access to the best sensor and measurement technology will save you money and produce the best results. Yara has an extensive research and development program that works to optimize nutrition solutions so crops can cope with drought stress, and our technology collects data in real-time so you can optimise the effect of irrigation.

Research shows that fertigation can help you achieve maximum water use efficiency. Yara has developed fertigation recommendations for crops and regions where water and nutrient management is required.

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Answer five questions to see if you can improve your nitrogen fertiliser use efficiency

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Improve your farm's nitrogen fertiliser efficiency

Improve your farm's nitrogen fertiliser efficiency

Improving nitrogen fertiliser efficiency is one way your farm can become more productive, profitable and sustainable. Try our quiz to find out how you can improve your farm's nitrogen fertiliser efficiency.

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Read about improving nutrient efficiency