New digital tool: The Field Check on myKWS calculates how much nitrogen our catch crops fix.
Fit4NEXT Field Check
Ideal preparation of fields
The F4N Field Check is the latest application in our myKWS offering. The check determines nitrogen fixation, humus formation and CO₂ binding of our catch crop mixtures directly and quickly.
The period after cereals have been harvested in the summer is a special time for our farmers. How should they prepare their soil for the next crop? Now is the perfect time for our KWS Fit4NEXT (F4N) catch crop mixtures: These genuine all-rounders not only fix valuable nitrogen from the air and soil, but also increase soil humus, bind CO₂ from the air and thus help protect the climate. They offer farmers multiple advantages: They can reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer for the subsequent crop, thereby cutting costs and contributing to more sustainable agriculture. Until now, it was not possible for our customers to determine the biomass yield of catch crops and their constituents. But now there is our new KWS F4N Field Check.
Beginning in 2024, the F4N Field Check will be available to determine the biomass of five of our catch crop mixtures. Biomass denotes the growth of the catch crop that it produces per unit area and which can be analyzed for constituents such as nitrogen and carbon. Catch crops are not normally harvested, but are left in the fields as green manure. Thanks to the digital tool, their yield and thus their performance can be ascertained quickly and directly for the first time.
“The first milestone.”
Markus Molthan
Better planning without going near the field
After the catch crop mixtures have been sown, farmers can plot their fields in myKWS and only need to enter a few additional parameters such as the sowing time or tilling. Taking into account the field-specific parameters, the F4N Field Check uses satellite data and a specially developed model to calculate how much nitrogen and CO₂ fixation has taken place and what contribution the catch crop mixture makes to humus formation in the long term. Backed by these results, farmers can plan their crop rotations and use of fertilizer for the subsequent crop better and more efficiently – without having to set foot in the field.
“With the F4N Field Check we’ve developed, we’re not only bringing our KWS F4N catch crop mixtures and their full potential more into the focus of farmers, but also setting the first milestone in the entire international catch crop market in this form,” states Markus Molthan, Product Manager Special Crops and Organic Seeds. “In this way, we deliver fast and digital support for our customers, as well as linking our portfolio across all crops within KWS and further expanding our consulting expertise – true to our SP31 goals of greater sustainability and Connected Seeds.” |
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
