I use these nitrate strips
when I have to do an analysis of the water.
I need the analysis on all areas
that are potentially suitable for constructed wetlands.
Typically it is the sandy soils
we have measure the nitrogen levels
before we make the constructed wetlands.
When I use the nitrate strips
I dip them in water for about 1 second.
Then you use the app to film the sample and then
we get an analysis of the nitrogen levels in the water.
It's quick and easy to work with
because I can do the analysis right away.
I don't have to send the sample to SEGES
and wait for a response as it used to be.
What I want with these nitrate strips
is to find out if I'm losing any nitrogen.
Do we lose it upwards or do we lose it downwards
or is it all taken up by the plants.
Nitrogen is fuel for the plants,
so it's not something I want to lose quite a lot of.
If the farmer uses these nitrate strips,
he can get a quick indication of
how his operation is running
and what effect the use of fertilizer
has on his fields and on the drainage water.
The farmer will also be able to see
if his catch crops work and we see a smaller leaching.
I think it is a smart little tool
that is relatively user-friendly
and as a farmer you can easily have it in your toolbox.
The app stores the analyzes in a database
so that they can always be retrieved.
As a farmer, i would like to keep an eye out for
nitrate leaching from my fields
because I am a little tired of being scolded
for nitrate leaching from my fields,
if that is not really the case.
That's why I think it's nice to have these
nitrate strips so you can easily say
that at least it does not come from this field.
I think the tool is very easy to use.
So I imagine that it will be something
that you just use like any other tool on the farm.
You get a quick result on the analysis,
and the app saves the results
so you can see how the nitrate levels develop
over a long period of time.
so the use of this is quite obvious
something of great value to me.
