| Using liquid fertilisers
in agricultural production is not a new concept. In the US more than
30 per cent of crops — particularly corn and sorghum — are
grown using this type of fertiliser.
Dave Pratt, managing director of Ellis Equipment at Kingaroy, believes
there is a place for liquid fertilisers in Australian agriculture —
especially in the cotton industry.
He says a new generation of high-analysis liquid fertilisers, such as
those produced by Agrichem, can give cotton growers a number of advantages
when injected into the soil by a CDS-John Blue pump.
“These ground-driven fertiliser pumps are universally accepted
in the US,” Dave says.
“And because they work on 100 psi on the pump side and only 20
psi on the outlet side, they give constant, accurate flow without pulsing,”
he says.
“The best thing is they can deliver the new liquid fertilisers
— like Green Acid, which contains 42 per cent nitrogen — right
to where the plant needs it.
“Most of these liquid fertilisers are neutral pH and the nutrients
are in a form that’s readily available to the plant,” he
says.
Dave says they don’t generally have the root burn problems of
granular fertiliser, or the ‘soil sterilisation’ effect
of anhydrous ammonia.
“Another advantage is you can combine fertiliser applications,”
he adds.
“You could side-dress liquid phosphorus with a coulter 50 mm to
one side of where you are planting and at the same time inject starter
fertiliser right on top of the seed through the disc opener.”
Dave says setting up machinery for liquid fertiliser applications is
relatively simple.
“All you need is a tractor with a chemical nose tank that has
been sterilised. The CDS-John Blue liquid fertiliser pump can easily
be retrofitted to any John Deere or Kinze planter.
“Because the pump is driven from the planter, it delivers the
right amount of fertiliser regardless of speed differences,” he
says.
“And the pump is made from stainless steel so liquid fertilisers
won’t corrode it.”
Dave says the accuracy of the system may allow growers to reduce their
fertiliser rates.
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