Only available to DecipherAg Plus users
DecipherAg displays Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) using paddock nutrient application rates and standard removal rates based on the crops yield.
NUE is expressed as a percentage and can be used as an indication of how well a crop or pasture has taken up the nutrients applied.
The International Fertiliser Association provides the following guidelines. Low output/input ratios, below 50%, often reflect risks of nutrient losses to the environment, while high ratios, above 100%, reflect soil nutrient mining practices that reduce soil fertility if practiced over several years. Both cases are unsustainable. The nutrient output/input ratio is generally considered close to the optimum around 60-90%, depending on the farming system and the crops cultivated.
Note: The nutrient use efficiency tool supports crop types: Wheat, Barley, Canola, Lupins /pulse, Oats grain, Oats hay, Sub Clover and Ryegrass. The nutrients available are Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus and Sulfur. Nitrogen fixed by legumes, and nutrients made available through mineralisation are not included in calculations. If a paddock is not displaying a colour, it is either an ineligible crop type or doesn’t have the required approved actuals.
Removal rates
The kg of nutrient removed per tonne of production, used for this tool are detailed below
Table 1. Kg of nutrient removed in one tonne of production
Crop | N | P | K | S |
Wheat | 18.5 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1 |
Barley | 16 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1 |
Oats Grain | 18.5 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1 |
Oaten Hay | 14 | 1.2 | 12 | 1.1 |
Lupins/Pulse Crop | 45 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
Canola | 32 | 5.5 | 7 | 3.8 |
Sub. Clover | 40 | 2.9 | 17 | 3 |
Ryegrass | 35 | 4.5 | 25 | 3 |
Equation
NUE = (Yield (kg/ha) x Nutrient removed in grain (kg/kg)) / Nutrient Applied (kg/ha) x 100
Actuals
To be able to view the NUE review tool, you need to have approved your actuals, specifically Crop types, Product applications and yield at a paddock level.
What are actuals? | DecipherAg Help Center (intercom.help)
How do I record farm actuals in DecipherAg? | DecipherAg Help Center (intercom.help)
To view your NUE:
Select 'Review' on the left-hand menu - Select 'Insights'
Select the NUE tab.
Select the season
Select the Nutrient
Filter by Farm
On the map, each paddock will be coloured based on its nutrient use efficiency percentage, within the range of 0-> 150%.
Hover on a paddock to see
Nutrient – Units of application, removal and percentage balance for each macro nutrient
Product – Fertiliser applications including product, rate, paddock and yield
History – last 5 years of history and 3 year rolling average
In the top right of the screen is the summary for each crop (of the selected year) for the selected nutrient. This allows you to compare values between crops. To adjust the selected nutrient, use the left hand side menu selection.
Hover on the column for each crop to see the different NUE values for each paddock within a crop and nutrient.
You can expand/collapse that window by selecting the arrows on the top right of the box.
