Fertilizer Placement

By optimising fertilizer placement in relation to plant roots farmers can:  

• Assist nutrient access of plant roots during the growth period. This is achieved by banding nutrients at various depths in the soil where plant roots can use them throughout the growing season.  
• Ensure an adequate distance between the placement of the plant seed and the fertilizer granules to minimise "fertilizer burn" – a drying effect caused by the fertilizer robbing moisture from the seedling.  
• Reduce waste by optimising the amount of fertilizer placed in the root zone. Broadcasting fertilizers is considered inefficient as it reduces the plant roots accessibility to the fertilizer.  
• Mix trace elements (such as copper and zinc) into the soil. Trace elements are immobile in soil and need to be distributed thoroughly throughout the plant root zone in order to be available to plant roots.