RB209
🌾 Farm Smarter
Profit isn’t just hard work — it’s smart decisions and strong skills.
🧠 Know your nutrients
Get better crop performance and reduce waste.
💰 Boost profit
Efficient use = more money stays in your business.
🌍 Protect the environment
Reduce pollution and farm sustainably.
📘 Use RB209
Your go-to guide for profitable, responsible farming.
RB209, or the Nutrient Management Guide, is a guide that provides best practices for applying fertilizers and organic materials to crops and grassland in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It’s published by the AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board)
Go to AHDB Website and download resources
RB209 Video Playlist
What is the basis of good practice?
🌱 Nutrient Management – Good Practice (RB209)
Before you even think about spreading fertiliser… stop. Good nutrient management isn’t guesswork — it’s a structured decision-making process.
These 7 steps form the foundation of best practice in RB209. Get these right and you will:
- 💰 Improve fertiliser efficiency and farm profitability
- 🌍 Reduce nutrient losses to air and water
- 🌱 Match nutrients accurately to crop demand
- ✅ Stay compliant with NVZ and environmental rules
Think of this as your pre-spreading checklist — every decision should follow this order, not just “what have we always done?”
👉 Click each section below to build your understanding step by step.
Check your knowledge of the “Basis of Good Practice”…
| Basis | Details (Click to Expand) |
|---|---|
| 1. Obtain Relevant Information | Click to view
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| 2. Yield, Economics & Markets | Click to view
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| 3. Organic Nutrient Supply | Click to view
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| 4. Rate, Method & Timing | Click to view
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| 5. Fertiliser Selection | Click to view
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| 6. Accurate Application | Click to view
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| 7. Record Keeping | Click to view
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See how this works with different crops
🌾 Applying RB209 to Different Crops
Now you understand the basis of good nutrient management, the next step is putting it into practice for individual crops.
RB209 doesn’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach — each crop has different nutrient requirements, timings, and priorities.
Using the same fertiliser plan across all crops? That’s a fast way to waste money and limit yield.
Instead, RB209 provides crop-specific guidance to help you:
- 🌱 Match nutrient inputs to crop demand and growth stage
- 📊 Adjust applications based on soil indices and field conditions
- ⏱️ Time applications for maximum uptake and minimum loss
- 🎯 Achieve both yield and quality targets
Think of the principles you’ve just learned as your foundation — and the crop guidance as how you apply them in real farming situations.
👉 Explore the crop-specific sections below.
🌾Cereals
RB209 gives cereal growers clear nutrient targets for crops like wheat, barley and oats.
- 🌾 Nitrogen: Based on Soil Nitrogen Supply (SNS), expected yield, soil type, and manure history.
- 🧮 Splits: Typically 2–3 splits depending on crop type and timing.
- 🔧 Sulphur: Often required, especially for milling wheat.
- 📉 Avoid over-application: Too much N = lodging + wasted money.
🌱Oilseed Rape
Oilseed rape needs careful N and S management to build an optimum canopy and avoid waste.
- 🌱 Early N: Encourages canopy development—target a Green Area Index (GAI) of 3.5.
- 🌼 Sulphur: Essential; deficiency reduces oil content.
- 📏 Canopy management: Adjust N rate based on spring GAI.
- 🪱 Manures: Use cautiously—excess N increases canopy and lodging risk.
🥬Vegetables
Different veg crops have different nutrient appetites. RB209 breaks them into groups:
- 🥬 Brassicas: Need steady N supply and good Mg availability.
- 🥗 Salads: Require frequent, light applications depending on crop cycle.
- 🧪 Micronutrients: Boron for beet/brassicas; Manganese for many sandy soils.
🥔Potatoes
Potatoes are high-demand crops and need careful management to maximise yield and quality.
- 🌱 Nitrogen: Avoid over-application to prevent delayed maturity and excessive foliage.
- 🧂 Potassium: High K requirement for tuber size and storage quality.
- 💧 Irrigation: Adjust fertiliser to complement water supply.
🍬Sugar Beet
Sugar beet requires precise nutrient management for yield and sugar content.
- 🌱 Nitrogen: Moderate, avoid excessive vegetative growth.
- 🧂 Potassium: Key for sugar accumulation and root strength.
- 💧 Soil Testing: Adjust P and Mg based on previous crop removal and soil indices.
🌿Grassland
RB209 splits grassland into two key systems: grazing and silage.
- 🐄 Grazing: Smaller, more frequent N applications through the season.
- 🌿 Silage: Higher N rates applied ahead of each cut.
- 💩 Slurry integration: Use slurry first, then top up with fertiliser.
- 🧮 Index targets: P & K must be replaced based on offtake—especially in multi-cut systems.
💩Organic Manures
Farmyard manure, slurry and digestate all supply nutrients—RB209 provides standard values and adjustment rules.
- 💩 Nutrient values: Know typical N, P, K contents (e.g., cattle slurry vs pig slurry).
- 🌧️ Timing: Spring applications improve N use efficiency.
- 🛡️ Environmental risks: Avoid spreading before rain or near watercourses.
- ♻️ Credits: RB209 helps you reduce bagged N based on available N from manures.
🧪Soils
- 🧪 Soil Testing: Every 3–5 years for P, K, Mg and pH.
- 📈 Indices: Target Index 2 for P & K; Index 2 for Mg on most soils.
- 🧱 pH: Aim for 6.0 (grass), 6.5 (arable), 7.0 (OSR & beans).
- 🪨 Liming: Apply lime when pH drops below target—RB209 gives rates based on soil type.
Now test your knowledge before order that fertiliser.