How to increase the yield on farmlands by 50 percent? Scientists of the Kazakh Agro-Technical University know about it. They have developed a unique precision farming project. Aerating fertilizer is a unique innovation for domestic farmers. Thanks to state support, in 2018, inventors received a grant in the amount of 240 million tenge through the Science Foundation. These funds were used to purchase equipment and launch a small production.
“Seifullin Kazakh Agro-Technical University was suggested as a scientific and methodological center for the introduction of elements of precision farming, as part of the digitalization of the agro-industrial complex. In April, we took soil samples from nine pilot farms in Northern and Central Kazakhstan, which are grain-sowing regions. 90 percent of the fields have a low content of both nitrogen and phosphorus. Many fields have increased density, and therefore, at the request of the farmers, we developed our idea and created a aerating-fertilizer,” said Project Manager Sayakhat Nukeshev.
According to the developers, with the help of this technique, up to 50 hectares of land can be fertilized per day. Lack of nutrients, soil compaction, a decrease in the quality of agricultural products - these problems can be easily solved with the help of this product. Farmers from neighboring countries are already interested in the product
“There is a demand. The main task is to provide the domestic market. If the fallow field is fertilized once, then it may not be fertilized for 4-5 years. This allows for saving of fertilizers by combining several methods such as deep tillage and the differentiation of fertilizers. Due to the differentiation of fertilizers, it is possible to save up to 50 percent of them,” added Nukeshev.
“In 2019, fields in Osakarovka district of Karagandy region gave a yield of 50 centners per hectare. This is a historical record throughout Kazakhstan. This particularly arid year, it is precisely those fields that have been cultivated with this method that give a yield of 2-3 centners more than the fields cultivated using conventional method,” noted Kairat Aituganov, Chairperson of Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical University.
According to scientists, today the state pays due attention to the development and commercialization of scientific projects in the field of agriculture. Thus, the ideas of Kazakh developers make a significant contribution to the development of the country's economy.
Translation by Galiya Khassenkhanova and Saule Mukhamejanova