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Press Release
June 15, 2004
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Related Contact:
Jerry Hatfield, Ph.D.
USDA
1-515-294-5723 office
1-515-231-7355
Ted Mayfield
NTech Industries, Inc.
1-707-467-3747 Ex. 111
1-707-272-3173
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Hagie Rig With Greenseeker Optical Sensor Technology Could Help Rescue Midwest Flood-Soaked Corn Crops
Des Moines, Iowa - As farmers scramble to save corn crops from the recent drenching rain, promising technology is available to help.
"Nitrogen applied during preplant has been flushed out by the rain and farmers are looking for ways to replenish soil nutrients," says Shane Williams, sales and service manager for Hagie Manufacturing in Clarion, Iowa. "We are getting calls from all over the Midwest because the equipment farmers normally use for applying nitrogen does not work well with growing corn without causing plant damage." The Hagie rig can side dress corn up to seven feet tall without causing damage. Demand is far outstripping available equipment, according to Williams.
Hagie and NTech Industries, which makes GreenSeeker optical sensors for determining and applying the optimal rate of nitrogen, have combined technologies to test the effectiveness of applying nitrogen after emergence, up to the V10 growth stage (7-feet tall).
During the next two weeks--weather permitting--the Hagie-GreenSeeker technology teams will apply nitrogen in more than 1,200 acres of Illinois and Iowa cornfields to gauge the effectiveness of using remote sensing technology to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and cut nitrate levels in ground water. Helena Chemical, part of a national custom application business with 200 locations, is assisting. "We see this as an opportunity to help our growers utilize this new technology in order to increase yields and reduce per unit costs of production, creating a more efficient and environmentally friendly use of nitrogen inputs," said Mike Fossum, Branch Manager, Helena Chemical in Marshall, Minnesota. The Marshall Branch conducts over 480 comparisons in their Field of Knowledge test plots each year and has been working with Marshall area growers to set up field trials of the new technology.
How It Works
Using a Hagie high clearance applicator with nitrogen toolbar, and the GreenSeeker RT200 system's sensors mounted to "see" the rows, an on-the-go variable rate amount of fertilizer is delivered to maximize NUE. The sensors use infrared and near infrared reflective light to gauge the corn plant's size and color as a measure of health and yield potential. A 30-foot row of non nitrogen-limited corn is used as reference strip to calibrate GreenSeeker to achieve maximum nitrogen use efficiency.
Managing the effort is USDA Plant Physiologist Jerry Hatfield, Ph.D., director of the National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Hatfield will work closely in the field trials with Jason Lawless, agronomist for NTech Industries, the firm that manufactures GreenSeeker, a variable rate control system with a computerized optical sensor.
"I've worked in the remote sensing area for 25 years using a number of tools to measure nitrogen status in plants and improve NUE in corn fields," explained Dr. Hatfield. "But GreenSeeker brings together sensing and controls into one technology that could open a dramatic window of opportunity for side dressing corn plants up to seven feet tall."
In one field trial, the Hagie-GreenSeeker system will be used following the application of manure to even out the levels of nitrogen in the soil and boost crop growth.
Since GreenSeeker is guided by algorithms looking for certain colors of light in making the application decision, Hatfield says tests on hybrid corn with various colors will be checked to see whether the differences in color seen by the human eye might throw off the electronic eye, or if the light wave band really isn't all that different despite the visual color difference.
Another positive outcome from applying nitrogen more efficiently is the potential reduction in nitrates in subsurface ground water and streams. "For cities like Des Moines that uses ground water, considerable resources are required to reduce nitrate levels from 20 ppm to 10 ppm, so the water if safe for human consumption," said Hatfield. "In wheat applications, GreenSeeker reduced nitrogen application up to 90 per cent. The cost implications of improved nitrogen management are significant."
GreenSeeker, hailed by the USDA in 2002 as the best new technology in a century for fertilizing crops, has been used widely in wheat. The first trials in corn were started more than two years ago, resulting in the latest generation of GreenSeeker technology.
About NTech
NTech Industries, headquartered in Ukiah, California, is the world leader in optical sensors for agricultural research, precision fertilizer applications, and weed and pest control for military and civilian uses. The web address is www.ntechindustries.com.
Also see: Optical Sensor Technology Will Be Harnessed In Midwest Corn Fields To Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Cut Nitrates
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