One of the Most EXCITING strategies to
come out of OSU Soil Fertility and Biosystems-Ag Engineering.

The NUE Website's RCS page http://nue.okstate.edu/Index_RI.htm

Ramp application Pictures

See pictures (at the bottom of the Page)  of the Ramps at maturity. 
Taken June-26-07 Lahoma and Hennessey.  Both locations planted to Overley.
Notice the Lodging at the higher rates.

Click on the image above to see the RCS Picture Library.

This Technology allows producers or crop consultants to give a very accurate
Top-Dress N recommendation!!!
A Nitrogen Rate can be determined, in multiple crops, with or without the use of a sensor!!!!!
This is a very VISUAL method that is catching on like a wild fire.

I personally really like this because if you know where the ramp starts you can walk it off at Top-dress time and
fairly easily determine the right top-dress rate with your OWN EYES.  Or you can take a sensor out and it will give you
two rates one calculated by the N-Rich strip and Farmer Practice method and one rate with is just the rate with the
highest NDVI values. Pictures of the Sensor output below.

 
This is a picture of the ramp at EFAW at flowering, of course it is too late to fertilize but this pic is a great example of how you can pick the
right rate just by looking at greenness and plant height.

    Clink on the thumbnail to see the same ramp at the time you would normally apply top-dress.

Number of Ramps out:
Wheat:
The first year of the ramp in wheat (2006-2007 crop year) was amazing with only two applicators Clint Mack and
David Zavodney put out over 560 ramps across the state of Ok, from Miami to Altus to Burlington. This along with the 2000
plus N Rich Strips represents a service area of 200,000+ acres.  With a minimum saving of 10$ per acre, well
you can do the math.
                Map of the Wheat Ramps 

Corn:
Estimated number for 2007
            40 ramps (From Boise City to Miami)
Cotton:
Estimated number for 2007
            20 ramps (From Guymon to Altus)
Bermudagrass: (Bob Woods Primary Applicator, NE OK.)
Estimated number for 2007
            10 ramps
           

   Green Seeker Sensor Output.

NDVI Values are given on this line.

This line gives the Predicted Yield Potentials

This last line gives the Prescribed N rates.
(the middle value has been removed.)

As a note, Normally the Ramp value would be the rate that you
would not go above, while the SBNRC rate is the rate that you would not
want to go below.  This give the producer a range of rates to choose from.



 

Ramps at the Lahoma research station.  6-26-07.  Lodging occurred at the 75lb rate



Ramps at Hennessey, Lodging occurred at a higher rate, have not measured them off yet so do not know the
exact rate, best estimation is approx 150+ lbs N ac.

Ramps in Sorghum

One more exciting point is that THREE producers have made their own Ramp applicators.
I have more pictures and contact info for these guys if anyone is interested.

Jason Lawles (Hyrdo Ok.), Graduated with his MS in Soil Fert. in 2005.
I believe Jason will start or currently is making these commercially.

Brent Rendel (Miami, Ok)  PowerPoint Presentation

Curtis and Levi Johnson (Halena, Ok).  The J² Ramper  PowerPoint Presentation
I think this is especially inovative for use in No-Till Fields.