From the Nutrient Management module:
Select the relevant Nutrient Management Plan.
Select the Crop Requirements tab.
Work through each section in order. Each section unlocks only after the previous one has been saved. If you go back and change an earlier section, all later sections will be reset.
Grass Management History
Select the option that best describes your field's nitrogen history and reseed status from the Grass Management History dropdown. The available options are:
Option |
1st year reseed after grass or 1 year arable, over 250kg N/ha |
1st year reseed after grass or 1 year arable, 100–250kg N/ha |
1st year reseed after grass or 1 year arable, up to 100kg N/ha |
1st year reseed after 2 or more years arable (last crop potatoes, osr, peas, beans) |
1st year reseed after 2 or more years arable (last crop cereals, sugar beet, linseed) |
1st year reseed after 2 or more years arable (light sand soil) |
Second year grass or older, over 250kg N/ha |
Second year grass or older, 100–250kg N/ha |
Second year grass or older, up to 100kg N/ha |
Second year grass or older, grass/clover sward |
Select Save to confirm your selection.
💡 Your Grass Management History drives the Field SNS (Soil Nitrogen Supply) value calculated in the next section. Choosing the most accurate history is important for a reliable recommendation.
Field SNS (Soil Nitrogen Supply)
The Field SNS value is calculated automatically based on your Grass Management History selection. Review the value shown before proceeding.
The three possible values are:
Low
Moderate
High
N.B. You can override the auto-populated Field SNS if needed, but this will affect the nutrient recommendation returned by the AHDB RB209 API.
Grass Growth Class
Select the Grass Growth Class that best describes your field's growing conditions. Growth class reflects soil type, summer rainfall, and altitude, based on AHDB RB209 Table 3.7.
Class | Description |
1 — Very Poor | Poor soils, low rainfall, or high altitude |
2 — Poor | Below-average growing conditions |
3 — Average | Typical UK grassland conditions |
4 — Good | Favourable soils and rainfall |
5 — Very Good | High-yielding conditions |
💡 If you are unsure which class applies to your field, refer to AHDB RB209 Table 3.7 or consult your agronomist.
Grass Season
Select the Grass Season applicable to your plan:
Option | When to use |
None | No seasonal adjustment required |
Autumn | Planning for an autumn growing season |
Spring | Planning for a spring growing season |
Grass Management
Select how the field will be managed from the Grass Management dropdown. Example options include:
Silage — Field is used solely for silage cuts.
Grazing & Silage — Field is used for a combination of grazing and silage.
N.B. Your Grass Management selection determines which Defoliation Sequences are available in the next section.
Defoliation Sequences and Target DM Yield
Select the Defoliation Sequence that best matches your planned cutting and grazing pattern. Sequences are displayed as short codes — for example: EH, EHH, ES, ESS, G, GG, GGG, EG, EGG, EGGG. The sequences available depend on your chosen Grass Season and Grass Management combination.
For each position in the sequence, enter the Target DM Yield (tonnes/ha) you expect to achieve from that cut or grazing period.
💡 You must enter a Target DM Yield figure for every position in the sequence before you can proceed to the next section.
Previous Grass History
Select the relevant previous grass history for each field.
To view nutrient recommendations
Once all sections are complete and you have selected Calculate and Save, nutrient recommendations are displayed within the Results section of the Crop Requirements tab.
Results show recommendations per defoliation period and include the following columns:
Nutrient
RB209 Recommendation
Manual Adjustments
Manure Supply
Fertiliser Applied
Balance to Apply (kg/ha)
NMax limits for grassland (NVZ fields only)
For fields within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, TELUS Crop Management automatically calculates your NMax (maximum nitrogen limit) and displays it in the NMax tab.
Default NMax limits for grassland are 300 kg N/ha, with the following exceptions:
Grass type | Condition | NMax limit |
Protein/Chlorophyll grass | Non-irrigated land | 500 kg N/ha |
Protein/Chlorophyll grass | Irrigated land | 700 kg N/ha |
📢 If your defoliation sequence is classed as 3 or more silage cuts, an additional +40 kg N/ha is added to your NMax limit. This is shown in the NMax tab with a label of "3+ cuts: +40 kg".
The NMax tab also shows:
Manure Applied — Total crop-available nitrogen from organic manure operations (including biosolids, digestates, and composts) recorded for the season.
Fertiliser — Total nitrogen from manufactured fertiliser operations recorded for the season.
💡 For permanent grassland, NMax calculations are based on the farming year starting 1 January.
NVZ closed periods for grassland
The following NVZ restrictions apply in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. TELUS Crop Management records your operations, but you are responsible for ensuring applications comply with closed period rules.
Manufactured nitrogen fertiliser on grassland:
Must not be applied between 15 September and 15 January.
Exception: up to 80 kg N/ha total may be applied during the closed period; no more than 40 kg N/ha at any one time; no application after 31 October.
High readily-available nitrogen (RAN) organic manures (e.g. slurry, poultry manure) on grassland:
Soil type | Closed period |
Sandy or shallow soils | 1 September to 31 December |
All other soils | 15 October to 31 January |
📢 You must not spread any manufactured fertiliser or organic manure on land that is waterlogged, flooded, snow-covered, or frozen for more than 12 hours in the previous 24 hours.
To generate the Crop Requirements report for a grassland field
You must have already run Calculate and Save in the Crop Requirements tab before the plan will appear in the reporting module.
From the Nutrient Management module:
Select Create Reports.
Select the nutrient management plan that contains your grassland cropping records.
Select Crop Requirements report (or Nutrient Management Audit report if required).
TELUS Crop Management generates a PDF report.
The report displays results in the following structure:
Grassland heading (in alphabetical order alongside any other crop types in the plan)
Cropping record name (in alphanumeric order)
Period number (in sequential order)
Per-nutrient rows: Nutrient | RB209 Recommendation | Adjustments | Manure Supply | Fertiliser Applied | Balance to Apply (kg/ha)