Vultus expands the market with analysis of sugarcane – after successful field studies
The age long quest to get more out of the limited and depreciating resources is a concern for the whole agricultural value chain. Farmers have been reliant on the efficacy of Nitrogen as the primary trigger to gain higher yield for far too long, with the amounts of fertilisers increasing with each growing cycle, contributing to soil degradation.
Vultus analysis tool creates specific recommendations for each part of the field, taking variations into account, resulting in higher yields with less inputs while limiting the carbon footprint of farming practices.
Spend more to gain less?
Fertiliser prices have risen nearly 30% since the start of 2022, following last year’s 80% surge. Soaring prices are driven by a confluence of factors, including surging input costs, supply disruptions caused by sanctions (Belarus and Russia), and export restrictions (China). Urea prices have surpassed their 2008 peaks, while phosphates and potash prices are inching closer to 2008 levels. The war in Ukraine has amplified concerns around fertiliser affordability and availability.
All these factors have resulted in higher costs of everyday consumables, mainly attributed to the top 10 produced crops in the world.
Sugarcane ranks among the ten most grown crops in the world, with over one billion tons harvested yearly. With the broad consensus stating that N-fertiliser can remarkably enhance tillering and thus resulting in an early population with high yield, farmers are applying even dosages of fertilisers, across multiple fertilisation cycles to attain higher yields without accounting for the variability of these fields, which is not only costing them but also adding to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the sugarcane production value chain, which currently stands at 400 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually.
Vultus has been continuously striving to find solutions for sustainable agriculture. With our crop-specific analytics, we wanted to expand our specialities to best cater to the sugarcane crops, to grow more with less while limiting the carbon footprint of agricultural practices.
Successful field studies with sugarcane
India, 2nd and Pakistan, 4th on the table of highest sugarcane producers in the world, provided us with the ideal geography to demonstrate its precision agricultural solutions. Following successful field studies, Vultus is pleased to add sugar cane to the platform.
Our soil organic carbon (SOC) maps provided us with the foundations of the soil and its properties to determine the exact prescriptions required to gain higher yields. For the growing season in several fields, we looked at the historical productivity zones to address the variabilities of these sugarcane fields. With five fertilisation cycles (on average), we could address the irregularities of these fields precisely and address them with our prescription maps.
Sample fields, detailing variabilities.
With a solution in place, we aimed to contribute toward food production gains and formulate real-world results for our crop-specific solutions for the sugarcane, especially targeting.
1- Fertilizer saved (costs)
2- CO2 emissions
3- Yield increase: For sugarcane (sugarcane quality determined based on its sugar content).
Further findings prove that, yes, there are ways that farmers can produce more with less, as shown in the table below (based on the average results).
Can you be part of Vultus revolution and gain higher yields at lower costs?
Yes, you can! Contact us today info@vultus.se to learn more.
