With increased pressure on the Irish farming community to move to more sustainable farming practices we look at why farmers should consider an alternative fertiliser option. We have developed Terra as an alternative to untreated inorganic fertiliser.
What is Terra?
Terra is a sustainable fertilisers solution that facilitates a 25% reduction in Nitrogen (N) application on farm. It is a granular product from Target Fertilisers includes a biostimulant called PSI® 362. This stimulates the nitrate transponders in the plant to take up more of the free N in the soil, therefore facilitating a reduction in N application.
How do I introduce Terra fertilisers on my farm?
The physical characteristics of Terra fertilisers are the same as any other of our fertiliser products. It has the same density, spreading ability and high quality. So, implementing Terra is as straight forward or a simple swap. For example, TerraCAN + S can be swapped directly for CAN or CAN + S. Terra can be used for the duration of the fertiliser spreading season. Instead of spreading the Teagasc recommended 100 units of N, you can now achieve the same results by applying 80 units of N using the Terra product range.
Terra (PSI® 362 treated) products compared to standard untreated products
| Terra Product | Untreated Product |
| 22N + 4S + 4Mg
(TerraCAN + S) |
27N + 4S (SuperCAN) |
| 22N + 5K + 2S + 3Mg
(Terra 15 + S) |
15N + 4P + 12K + 23S + 2Mg |
| 20N + 2P + 12K + 2S
(TerraCUT + S) |
24N + 2.5P + 10K + 2S |
N = Nitrogen, P = Phosphorous, K = Potassium, S = Sulphur, Mg = Magnesium
Trial work
We have carried out a number of trials on the Terra product range. In the first trial we looked at the average daily grass growth rate using TerraCAN + S (treated) and SuperCAN + S (untreated).
Trial 1: Grazing Trial May – August 2021
Trial 1
There were 147 units of N applied in the form of SuperCAN and 111 units of N applied in the form of TerraCAN, this is a 24.5% reduction in N applied. TerraCAN produced 59 Kg DM/ha/day while SuperCAN produced 62 Kg DM/ha/day.
Trial 2: Grass Silage Trials 2021
Trial 2
In a grass silage trial carried out across 5 farms, we compared TerraCUT + S (20N 2P 12K 2S) to Target CUT + S (24N 2.5P 10K 2S). The average application rate across the 5 farms was 3.2 bags/acre for both products. The average yield over the 5 farms in the trial was 4,068 kg DM/ha for TerraCUT + S and 4,086 kg DM/ha in case of Target CUT + S. Despite the lower N application using the TerraCut + S the grass DM yield on each farm is similar.
Economic and environmental advantage
The Terra range of fertilisers is an on-farm cost neutral solution. The cost of the addition of the bio-stimulant to the Terra range is offset by the reduction in the level of N added to the product. When compared to straight N and high N compounds, the Terra products, with 25% less N, have shown similar yields. This presents a wonderful opportunity to meet climate change targets by lowering N application while maintaining high output by using the Terra range.
To browse our Terra range of products click here
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