Tom Holt
Senior Expert with over 15 years of experience in the fertilizer industry

When spreading with a centrifugal distributor, it is very important to consider the overlap distance in order to ensure an even distribution of fertilizer across the field. This is because the concentration of granules decreases as distance from the spreader increases. The speed of driving also influences the distribution.

Achieve a better yield by accurate application.
Most of the time the effects of uneven fertilizer spreading canot be recognized with pure eyes, therefore they remain undetected. Deviations of 25% are not visible however yield losses are relevant.

A spreading unevenness of more than 30% leads to lodging of cereals and a yield loss of 1 ton per hectare or more.

Uniform distribution depends on even fertilizer output from the disc and overlapping between two passes (out and back) of the broadcasted fertilizer granules.
To test the regularity of fertilizer spreading, the actual dose of fertilizer spread over the projecting distance is measured and the curve of the spreading profile is plotted. Spreading regularity is expressed in coefficient of variation (CV), which quantifies the average deviation of doses applied in relation to the mean dose, and is stated as a percentage. CV, as defined in European Standard 13739 ,is the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean total distribution.

Comparison of CV between prilled AN and L.A.T granular AN 33.5 N

Compared  to prilled products, granular AN from LAT Nitrogen always offers a superior coefficient of variation (CV) at all spreading widths and for all wind speeds.

In windy condition, prilled AN cannot be spread up to 36m with a correct CV. Uneven spreading will lead to yield loss. At 36m, only granular AN offers a superior CV, even in windy conditions.

UK is predominately a windy country, during 'peak application period (march to May). Data shows that on average the UK has only 6 days a month where the wind speed is below 15 km/h.

Those 6 days correspond to the available days to correctly spread prilled AN. Due to its performance in windy conditions, granular AN can be spread an average of 19 days per month during the spreading season giving more flexibility for the farmer.

Volatilisation can affect all fertilizers containing a significant proportion of urea and ammonia nitrogen. Urea and urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN) are highly sensitive to ammonia volatilisation. The nitrogen that escapes into the air is lost and not available for plant nutrition!
This means that nitrogen fertilizers containing nitrate such as those from LAT Nitrogen are more effective!

Ammonia volatilisation adversely affects the environment and the efficiency of the fertilizers used. It is therefore important to select the right form of nitrogen.

Uniform distribution depends on even fertilizer output from the disc and overlapping between two passes (out and back) of the broadcasted fertilizer granules.
To test the regularity of fertilizer spreading, the actual dose of fertilizer spread over the projecting distance is measured and the curve of the spreading profile is plotted. Spreading regularity is expressed in coefficient of variation (CV), which quantifies the average deviation of doses applied in relation to the mean dose, and is stated as a percentage. CV, as defined in European Standard 13739, is the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean total distribution.

The lower the CV, the better the distribution. The quality of fertilizer distribution is expressed as follows:
A CV between 0% and 10% is excellent
A CV between 10% and 15% is good
A CV between 15% and 20% is poor
A CV above 20% is unacceptable

Our facility at Grand Quevilly has undergone huge investment over the last 2 years.  Increasing its production and export capabilities has allowed us to meet the demand throughout Europe for good quality Nitrogen products without compromising product integrity.

Closely situated to the UK market, we have the ability to ship vessels from Grand Quevilly in a quick and efficient manner and have developed and grown strategic relationships in order to ensure continuity of supply to UK growers throughout the year.

We wanted to find out what the best fertilizer type for the UK farming landscape, so we reached out to SCS to get an expert view. Watch the video now to see what we learned.