Miller Magazine Issue: 125 May 2020

89 ARTICLE MILLER / MAY 2020 increase yield and thereby increase their productivity and profitability by applying nitrogen fertilizer into those zones in the field where the protein is low. Till now farmers have been able to measure yield but not protein. The CropScan 3300H On Combine NIR Grain Analyser provides the prote- in layer necessary to understand the availability and uptake of nitrogen across the field. WHAT IS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OF INCREASING YIELD IN CEREAL CROPS AROUND THE WORLD? In Australia the average yield in cereal crops is 1.7T/ha while the yield potential is 3.4T/ha. Therefore the yield gap is 1.7T/ha. Australia produces around 25 million tonne of wheat and 6 million tonne of barley per year depending on droughts. Reducing the yield gap to zero over a period of time would double production and revenues for farmers. Table 1 shows the potential economic impact of reducing the yield gap to zero over a period of time. The world production of cereal grains is approximately 880,000,000 Tonne. Not all countries have such low avera- ge yield as Australia. Across the world, the yield for wheat crops varies from approximately 2T/ha to 8.7T/ha where as the yield potential should be approximately 4T/ha. If 30% of the world’s grain production has a yield of 2T/ha, then the yield gap, i.e., the difference between the yield potenti- al and the actual yield, would be 264,000,000 tonne. This is the potential increase in the tonnage of grain that could be realised by the correct of application of nitrogen fertilizer. At a value of A$300/Tonne, the potential increase in crop va- lue is A$79.2 billion. Another way of looking at this figure; this is the loss in crop value experienced by farmers around the world each year. How can the Protein/Nitrogen/Yield Balance be used to Close the Yield Gap? A recent trial by a farmer in Esperance, Western Australia, showed that 100 litres of Flexi-N Liquid Fertilizer increased yield in wheat by 0.6Tonne. He also showed that the Protein also increased by 0.9% per 100L of Flexi-N added. The farmer has been using the CropScan 3000H On Combine Grain Analyser, Next Instruments, Sydney, NSW, to measure protein in wheat on his 5 New Holland CR Se- ries combines since 2016. The CropScan measures the grain using Near Infrared Transmission technology on a sample of grain taken off the clean grain elevator every 6-10 seconds as the grains are harvested. The Protein and Moisture data is displayed inside the cabin in the form of real-time Field Maps and tables. By combining the protein and yield collected off the com- bine, a Protein/Yield Correlation Quadrant map can be ge- nerated. This map shows four Performance Zones across the field: Reduction in Yield Gap Current Value @$300/T Yield Gap1 40% Yield Gap 30% Yield Gap 20% Yield Gap 10% Yield Gap 0% Wheat Tonnage 25MTonne 30MTonne 35MTonne 40MTonne 45MTonne 50MTonne Wheat Value, $billion A$7.5 A$9.0 A$10.5 A$12.0 A$13.5 A$15.0 Barley Tonnage 6MTonne Barley Value $billion A$1.8 A$2.16 A$2.52 A$2.88 A$3.24 A$3.6 Total Increase T 31MTonne 6.2MTonne 12.4MTonne 18.6MTonne 24.8MTonne 31MTonne Total Increase Value $billion A$9.3 A$2.0 A$3.7 A$5.6 A$7.4 $9.3