Photo credit: FREEPIK
Polish arable farmers widely use computer programs that calculate the nutrient balance (N, P, K) on the field, and prepare fertilization plans in accordance with the principles of sustainable mineral management. Examples of fertiliser advisory applications software are Macrobil, NawSald, etc. Such tools include mineral, natural and organic fertilisers and support farmers with their proper fertilizer management and making a decision on carbon farming and eco-schemes.
One step further is the use of satellite data to follow up their crops. SatAgro is an online platform designed for farms specialised in arable crop production which is also available in a mobile version (Android). Farmers using SatAgro can monitor their crops, implement precision farming techniques (for fertilisation, sowing and plant protection), keep records, collect and analyse a variety of spatial field data (yield maps, results of electromagnetic soil scanning, meteorological data, etc). The main source of information provided is the normalized difference vegetation index NDVI which is calculated on the basis of satellite images (observations from NASA, ESA and private operators) and quantifies the crop health and density. With its help, farmers receive information about the condition of the crops, as well as their differentiation in space and time what allows to adapt the dosage of fertilizers and plant protection products to the needs of individual field zones