General Crop and N Rules for Adapt-N

SEASON START DATES:

• By default, the model simulation starts November 1 of the previous year
• If a manure or N application is made before November 1 but after September 1 of the previous year, the simulation will start on the manure or N application date
• Manure applied or sod terminated before September 1 of the previous year will be counted as a prior season application

CROP RULES:

• If the previous crop was Sod, Grass Hay, Alfalfa, or Mixed Legume Hay, then the corresponding 'Termination Date,' 'Legume Percent' and 'Termination Method' must be defined for that forage-sod crop
• A forage-sod termination date can be specified from the current or prior 2 seasons
• If a sod date is specified for any time this season, then the previous crop has to be listed as sod

MANURE RULES:

• Manure applied later than September 1 of the prior year is considered part of the current season N management
• Up to 3 manure applications can be specified for the current season
• For applications before September 1 of the prior fall, you can only choose Incorporated or Left on Soil Surface as Incorporation Method; applications for the current season have more specific incorporation options available
• If you edit an existing application, the date range is restricted to the calendar year in which the manure application was originally entered
• Historical manure applications can be modeled going back 2 calendar years.  (For example, during the 2023 growing season, manure applications on or after January 1, 2021 will be modeled)

NITROGEN RULES:

• One starter application is allowed
• Any number of non-starter applications are allowed

Additional Irrigation Information

For furrow, sprinkler, or drip irrigation, it's important to remember that water can be lost on the way to the pump, or after it has been pumped onto the field. The water can be lost to evaporation, surface runoff, or percolation below the rootzone of your crop.

Determining how much effective irrigation your crop will receive requires making an estimate of the efficiency factor for your irrigation system. The following suggestions are for estimating efficiency between your pump and the field. Start with the range of factors in the table that correspond to your irrigation method. Then consider your local conditions and choose a value in that range. If the weather is especially warm or windy, your efficiency will be lower. If your soil has a loamy texture water infiltrates more slowly and evenly, so your efficiency will be higher than on a sandier soil.

The application efficiency along with Rate (gal/min), Area (acre), and Time (hours) can be entered into Adapt-N's Irrigation Calculator (click here to download it in Excel).  The calculator will assist you in determining the correct precipitation equivalent to input into Adapt-N as an irrigation event. 

•  Irrigation_Calculator.xlsx (40 KB)