Beta-testing the Adapt-N Tool in On-farm Strip Trials

The Adapt-N^(R) program provides N fertilizer recommendations adjusted to the spring rainfall and temperature conditions of the current season, using high-resolution weather data, a sophisticated computer model, and field-specific information on soil properties and soil and crop management. The objectives of this project are to validate the Adapt-N tool for on-farm use and promote greater grower adoption of Adapt-N as part of their tool kit for adaptive N management, focused on rate and timing of fertilizer application. The main hypothesis is that the Adapt-N tool provides more accurate estimates of the current season’s optimum N rate than conventional methods and tools. In 2011 and 2012, on-farm strip trials compared corn yields with Adapt-N recommended rates to those with growers' conventional N management.

Adapt-N increased profit in 80% of the 56 trials in New York, and in 75% of the 28 trials in Iowa. Profit increases were due primarily to reduced fertilizer application rates, owing to dry conditions in those two years. These results are documented in Better Crops with Plant Food 2013, Issue #4. In contrast, the wet conditions of the 2013 growing season proved to be a good opportunity for Adapt-N to demonstrate its value in identifying where large N losses needed to be corrected to prevent deficiencies and support high yields. As documented in Case Study 7.4-4 for the IPNI 4R Plant Nutrition Manual, growers increased yields by 23 to 30 bu/A using 20 to 40 lb/A more N, thus increasing profit by US$90 to US$120/A.

In 2014, Cornell University formed a partnership with Agronomic Technology Corporation to commercialize Adapt-N (see http://adapt-n.cals.cornell.edu/). The agreement allows continued access to the model for researchers, while providing an opportunity to expand commercial use of the tool by providing return to investors. Its use has been growing among crop consultants in New York, in the DelMarVa peninsula, and in others parts of the U.S. Corn Belt. Further field testing activities are planned for the 2015 growing season.