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Press Release
February 10, 2003
GreenSeeker® Variable Top Dress System Promises Farmers Increased Yields and Profits, Less Environmental Impact
Applies Fertilizer As Needed; Answer to Gulf Hypoxia Problem, Says OSU Professor
Tulare, Calif. - NTech Industries today unveiled The GreenSeeker variable rate fertilizer system, which promises farmers increased yield and profits, in Booth A18 at World Ag Expo.
Wheat farmers can expect to add $10-$12 per acre to the bottom line with NTech new computerized GreenSeeker variable rate fertilizer system, NTech President John Mayfield said. A new software program is available for use on corn, and a cotton version will be released later this year.
"The GreenSeeker was used to top dress 10 fields, from 90 to 160 acres, including two co-op fields," said Kenneth Failes, agronomist for the 200-member Burlington Co-op in Burlington, Oklahoma. "We saw increased yields of four and nine bushels in our fields. That means a significant return in dollars to the farmer. I think there definitely is a place for GreenSeeker in wheat growing country."
Developed in partnership with Oklahoma State University (OSU), the system uses a sophisticated optical sensor and microprocessor-driven spray system that analyzes plant needs and delivers the optimal amount of fertilizer, on a two-foot-square basis, in real time without GPS or field mapping. Current precision agricultural spray systems involve time-consuming GPS-guided, acre-by-acre field mapping and wasteful broadcast spraying, according to NTech's Mayfield, who added:
"GreenSeeker sensors give plants a physical, write a prescription and deliver the optimal amount of fertilizer as the spray rig travels across the field. It delivers less where less is needed and more where more is needed to realize full crop yield potential."
"Conventional inputs of nitrogen based on yield goals (historical averages) have been a 'good' guide for farmers to use in planning fertilizer rates," explained Gordon Johnson, Ph.D., Regents Professor and nutrient management specialist in the division of agriculture at Oklahoma State University. "However, this approach, on average, results in two-thirds of the fertilizer being lost to the environment from the soil-plant system. Only one-third is accounted for in the harvested crop."
"NTech's GreenSeeker technology will increase nitrogen use efficiency by about 80 to 90 per cent, reducing the amount lost to the environment from current figures of 65 per cent to only 10 to 20 per cent," said Johnson. "This is truly a remarkable achievement and could potentially eliminate the hypoxia problem in the Gulf of Mexico over a few years time."
Since the optical sensor uses artificial light, the variable rate system works for both day and night spraying. Using it at night will reduce fertilizer volatility and wind drift.
NTech's first generation product, WeedSeeker®, which applies herbicides in precise amounts only where weeds exist, has been in the market for seven years and is being used widely by farmers, the U.S. military, state transportation agencies and local governments to reduce weed control costs and lessen the amount of herbicide released into the environment.
NTech Industries, headquartered in Ukiah, California, is the world leader in optical sensors for agricultural research, precision fertilizer applications, and weed and pest control for military and civilian uses. NTech products represent break-through technology with important revenue generation and environmental benefits.
Information on the company and its products are available on the Internet at www.ntechindustries.com.
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