PUDAMA brings precision fertiliser placement to maize

Higher yields from lower inputs is the name of the game with PUDAMA - a fertiliser placement system jointly developed by Kverneland and the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, Germany.

Available for the Optima maize drill with SX sowing units, PUDAMA uses around 25% less fertiliser than traditional maize sowing systems, while maintaining 100% of the yield compared to continuously applied fertiliser.

The key is to meter-out the precise amount of fertiliser for each seed at exactly the right time, and at high forward speeds. With fertiliser within easy reach of the seed, uptake is improved, and there is less chance of fertiliser being washed out or under-utilised.

The precise dose of fertiliser is then pushed into the ground by a jet of air, with the seed placed directly above it.

This season, Kverneland will be running a series of replicated field scale trials at several sites in the UK, to support the effectiveness of PUDAMA

Did you know that all Kverneland equipment now comes as standard with a two-year warranty?

Extending across all implements but excluding self-propelled feeders and self-propelled sprayers, the warranty contributes to a lower cost of ownership and includes ploughs, drills, cultivators, mowers, rakes, tedders, ROC mergers, fertiliser spreaders, mounted and trailed sprayers, plus precision farming products including Tellus control boxes.

Kverneland Siloking feeders can already be specified with an additional two-year parts-based warranty, available at extra cost at the time of ordering, to enhance the one-year parts and labour warranty supplied as standard.

“PUDAMA has been developed to increase the efficiency of fertiliser use when drilling,” explains Kverneland seeding specialist Graham Owen. “PUDAMA can place a more concentrated amount directly under the seed than conventional fertiliser placement, and this equates to a 25% reduction in DAP use, without yield penalty.”

“And as each maize seed germinates, having a concentrated amount of fertiliser beneath the roots will improve access and encourage uptake, getting every plant off to a stronger start.”

PUDAMA is triggered by a pulse from each of the Optima SX’s sowing units. As the seed reaches a predetermined point on the sowing heart, fertiliser discharge is triggered.

“We’ll be using an 8-row trailed Optima TF profi equipped with PUDAMA , and comparing it to maize grown with conventional fertiliser placement, at different rates,” explains Graham. “By weighing yields from each trial plot area, we can directly compare the effectiveness of this new system to maize that is grown with conventionally placed DAP.”