05/13/2019

Some of our Users are currently dealing with a prolonged lack of rain, which unfortunately will have an impact on expected yields. This problem doesn’t however affect the entire field uniformly. In some cases, it may be a good idea to forgo using fertilizer on the weakest parts of the field, without neglecting the nutritional needs of the rest of the crop. SatAgro Variable Rate Application maps make achieving this easy.

Here’s how you can plan your fertilizing in SatAgro to exclude the worst looking parts of your field:

1. In the “Explorer” tab, choose a satellite image that best shows the variability of your field.

2. Click the “Create precision treatment” button – the app will take you to the VRA map creator, where you will be asked to enter a couple of parameters, including the “Max number of zones” parameter. A more detailed description can be found in the Help article about “Application maps”.

3. Choose the “Directly proportional” scaling strategy – areas with lower Vegetation index values will receive less fertilizer.

4. Specify minimum and maximum fertilizer doses – if you don’t want to use fertilizer at all on some parts of the field, set a minimum value of zero.

5. Now for the key parameter – Minimum of vegetation, at the bottom right of the “Dose scaling” section. This value regulates which parts of the field end up in the lowest dose zone. Change the default value to adjust how much of the field doesn’t receive fertilizer.

6. When you’re done, click the “Create” button. You will be shown how the app divided the field. If you want to adjust the zones, click on the “Edit” button and you will be able to change the parameters discussed in the previous steps. If the map suits your needs, click “Download” and put the map to use in your field.

With these simple steps you can react to adverse growing conditions and easily adjust your fertilization strategy. Save fertilizer on the weakest parts of your field, direct your resources where they will make the most difference.