Every great potato crop starts long before the planter rolls in to the field – it starts with accurate, actionable soil data. The soil beneath your feet and a crop’s root system, is more than “nutrient numbers on a report”; it’s a dynamic system that determines how well plants access and use both the resources available and that you put in. With unpredictable seasons and rising fertiliser and input costs, farmers need soil insights that go far beyond standard tests.
Traditional soil tests typically report pH and a handful of basic nutrient extractant values – phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and then you’re left with RB209 tables to look up fertiliser requirements. Your crop’s performance depends on and many complex interactions with other nutrients, soil minerals and organic materials. It also depends on its ability to develop a healthy root system and access both water and air. Unfortunately, RB209 is born of simpler times and simply doesn’t consider or capture these complexities.
That’s where tools like the OptiYield® system make a real difference. OptiYield begins with an advanced soil analysis that goes well beyond the basics. Instead of just knowing what’s present in the soil, OptiYield models availability along with how much of each nutrient your crop can actually access at each key growth stages. It examines interactions between 12 nutrients and 10 other key soil factors and that influence not only available levels but also nutrient release rates and uptake.
Once the data is captured, OptiYield’s decision-support software integrates soil results with crop-specific growth models. The system produces a field-by-field nutrient plan tailored to your potato variety, soil type and yield goals. Rather than “apply X units of N, P, K”, you get recommendations on which nutrients matter when and in what form, helping maximise uptake efficiency and minimise waste.
The system has been used extensively in trials and on farms over the last ten years, the results have consistently shown a 10-25% increase in marketable yield while also reducing overall inputs.
Better soil data allows more informed decisions to be made from balanced nutrition to timing foliar feeds and biostimulants. Better timed interventions drive stronger yields, more consistent tuber size and improved crop resilience. Where other tests show numbers, OptiYield turns soil data into a roadmap for success.
Click here to order your OptiYield soil sampling kit today