Potato production is one of the most cost-intensive areas of agricultural production. On fertilizers alone, growers spend an average of $300–500 per hectare. Or rather, they used to, as fertilizer prices continue to rise sharply. So what are farmers supposed to do? Without fertilizers, there is no yield, but at current prices, it is difficult to avoid crossing the threshold of profitability. The team at Biotech LTD LLC (Boryspil District, Kyiv Region) shared its experience of optimizing fertilizer costs.
“Potatoes are our strategic crop,” says Oleh Bykin, Senior Agronomist at Biotech LTD LLC, watching a self-propelled Grimme harvester dig up the last potato field of the season. “Every year, we allocate around 500 hectares to potatoes: 200 hectares for seed production in Chernihiv Region and 300 hectares for ware potatoes, including potatoes grown for chip production.”
As with this field, the company takes a tailored approach to the rest of its land bank, which covers approximately 2,500 hectares.
As with the rest of its land bank (approximately 2,500 hectares), the company has developed a tailored approach to this field.
“We are not focused on expanding acreage — we focus on productivity from every hectare,” emphasizes the Senior Agronomist at Biotech LTD LLC. “This requires the right technology, especially when it comes to fertilizers: selecting the right products, applying them at the right time, and using the right application method.”
The company implements this approach based on the results of comprehensive field agro-diagnostics conducted by AgriLab across all of its fields several years ago. Unlike conventional soil analysis, agro-diagnostics covers not only soil sampling and agrochemical analysis, but also agrophysical, weather and climatic, and technological assessments of the field. This provides a clear understanding of the effective yield potential of each field, the critical factors limiting it, and what needs to be done to address them. Most importantly, it determines what to apply, how much, when, and how in order to maximize profit from every hectare.
“We had conducted point-based soil analyses before, but AgriLab was the first to carry out a comprehensive analysis across all of our fields: first across our land in Boryspil District, and the following year in Chernihiv Region as well,” recalls Oleh Bykin. “The results gave us a clear understanding of the situation across our fields. They also enabled us to plan fertilizer applications precisely for each crop in the rotation. We know which fertilizer we need, exactly where to apply it, and in what quantity. Overall, having information about the potential of each field and fertilizer recommendations is, first and foremost, about optimizing fertilizer application.”
Before the analysis was conducted, the farm used a single fertilization system for all fields planted with a particular crop. In other words, the same fertilizer rate was applied across all fields to achieve the same target yield, regardless of whether a particular field was actually capable of delivering it.
“Now we develop a fertilization system for each individual field, based on its actual potential,” emphasizes Oleh. “Our plan is to move toward more detailed application, targeting specific nutrient management zones within individual fields. However, variable-rate fertilization requires some upgrades to our technical capabilities. Overall, a proper soil analysis — with the right sampling approach, a broad range of soil elements and properties analyzed, and precise recommendations — delivers much more value than it costs. It allows us to use resources wisely not only today, but well into the future. That is probably its most important benefit.”
The fertilization system developed based on agro-diagnostics enables the farm to achieve higher yields without unnecessary costs. This approach is also more cost-effective, as agro-diagnostics can optimize resource use by up to 30% on average. Another important advantage is that agro-diagnostics only needs to be conducted once to develop a clear fertilization strategy for the next three to four years.
“We had conducted point-based soil analyses before, but AgriLab was the first to carry out a comprehensive analysis across all of the farm’s fields: first across all our land in Boryspil District, and the following year in Chernihiv Region as well,” recalls Oleh Bykin. “The results gave us a clear understanding of the conditions across our fields. In addition, we were able to precisely plan fertilizer applications for each crop in the rotation. We know which fertilizer to apply, exactly where to apply it, and in what quantity. Overall, having information about the potential of each field and fertilizer recommendations is, first and foremost, about optimizing fertilizer application.”
