Boris Koev: Good practices in fertilization and sowing from the Terra Globe farm

Boris Koev is an agronomist and at the same time a consultant for the family company Terra Globe. In his role as such, he advises the farm on which new farming practices should be tested and implemented and helps to analyse post-harvest results. Terra Globe's farm is located in the village of Trastenik, Ruse district - an area with highly variable terrain and a variety of soil types. In the summer of 2020, the farm decides to start implementing practices preserving the structure and nutritional capacity of the soil through the sowing of cover crops. Conventional work practices applied so far on the farm have observed strong, erosional processes due to the specifics of the terrain in the surrounding area. The cover crop was removed two weeks before our field visit, and it was prepared for the sowing of corn using a Kverneland DTX subsoiler, which significantly reduced the pre-sowing treatments that were traditionally carried out.

The sowing itself is bred with a high-tech Harvest International planter, suitable for both no-till and conventional sowing, with Precision Planting precision sowing equipment.

”The planter we stopped at Harvest International with Precision Planting technology was able to handle the sowing flawlessly in a field that endured heavy rain just after preparation. The conditions are not perfect, but the sowing is excellent. The technologies integrated into the planter allow us to monitor the moisture and compaction around the seeds at the depth we have set in each row” - shared by Boris Koev

This system allows the detection of the perfect sowing conditions and the adjustment of the planter in real time for optimal seed placement in them. In addition to social germination, important factors in reaching maize potential are uniform sowing and lack of overlap in sowing. These factors reduce the competitive environment of plants with respect to each other during their development in the initial phases, and so each crop has equal access to sunlight and nutrients during its development.

“The farm is transitioning to conservation practices in part of the fields, as is direct sowing, which is now possible with the new Harvest International planter with Precision Planting equipment.”

At the Terra Globe farm, they strive to have direct sowing done in cover crops. The type of cover crops, as well as the fertilization, are selected on the basis of soil analyzes, which they take themselves and send for analysis and preparation of recommendations to the modern laboratory of NIK Agro Service. The main goal is to improve soil structure and biological activity over time, to preserve moisture as much as possible and to create a favorable environment for the development of culture.

“In addition to precise sowing, to achieve good yields in corn, precise fertilization is also important. In our farm, we strive to upgrade every single process. We also use variable fertilization maps for this purpose.” -Boris Koev shares more

On the farm, they use variable fertilization maps based on soil analysis for pre-sowing and stock fertilization, and during the growing season they rely on satellite images and generation of maps for variable fertilization in real time. The GeoScan platform is an excellent assistant to Boris in this regard, since in it he can monitor crops, detect strong and weak zones, and automatically generate maps for nitrogen fertilization. Variable fertilization allows the supply of the corresponding nutrients where it is needed, as well as reducing fertilizer costs in areas where the crop has no development potential.

“For the execution of these maps, we use a Kverneland TL GEOSPREAD mower in combination with a Trimble GFX-750 navigation display. Our fields are characterized by an irregular shape, and the sectional control that the mower has, significantly reduces the overlap, resulting in more precise fertilization and lower fertilizer costs. We have calculated that with this roaster, in relation to conventional roasters,we reduce the fertilizer inputbetween10 and 15%, depending on the shape and stock of the field.”

“This year we will observe crop development through the GeoScan satellite imaging system.”