FACTS Northern Ireland - Basis

Aim
MODULE 7 - APPLICATION OF FERTILISERS
To ensure awareness of the economic and environmental importance of accurate spreading of fertilisers
and of the requirements for achieving accuracy.
7.1 Competence
Candidates should be able to advise on the correct use of spreaders for solid and fluid fertilisers and
organic nutrient sources to ensure accurate and efficient spreading of nutrients.
7.2 Performance Criteria
Candidates must be able to:
• identify spreader types and appreciate the principles of their maintenance, calibration and effective
operation
• understand the economic and environmental consequences of inaccurate nutrient spreading /
application
7.3 Essential Knowledge and Skills
Candidates must have the ability to:
• demonstrate awareness of the separate (but combinable) effects of applying the wrong rate of
nutrients and of uneven spreading on crop yield, profitability and the environment
• demonstrate awareness of the need to avoid nutrient application to non-crop areas, especially field
margins and water courses
• demonstrate the ability to identify the different types of spreader and to describe the principles of
their operation
• demonstrate awareness of the main wearing parts in spreaders that will affect application rate or
evenness of spreading
• demonstrate an understanding of the principles of spreader calibration for correct application rate
• demonstrate an understanding of the use of tray tests for evenness of spreading
• demonstrate an ability to identify a fertiliser type and to select appropriate spreader settings from an
instruction book
• demonstrate an understanding of how to calculate an application rate at a variety of bout widths and
forward speeds
• demonstrate awareness of the effect fertiliser quality can have on spreader performance and of
appropriate fertiliser quality assessment schemes
5% of total time
24