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Soil and Nutrition, 28 Jan 2021
Overcoming phosphorus stress in south-eastern Australia
Phosphorus fertiliser is one of the most important and often limiting nutrients in agricultural production. A new project is testing the potential to improve crop nutrient uptake by dual banding phosphorus so it is co-located with moisture in the deeper soil layers.
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Soil and Nutrition, 25 Jan 2021
Focus on legume crops’ nitrogen fixation in sandy soils
Growers with sandy soils could improve the ability of legume crops to fix nitrogen by addressing some factors unique to their soil type. Good nodulation is key to ensuring nitrogen fixation takes place; however, one South Australian agronomist and his team believe growers can make a few extra changes to enhance the nitrogen fixation process.
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Soil and Nutrition, 20 Jan 2021
Annual legumes to build soil nitrogen for crops
Establishing vigorous legume pastures to boost nitrogen for the subsequent crop can be challenging in the mixed-farming regions of Australia, but will soon be simpler with new management techniques and improved annual hardseeded pasture legume species.
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Soil and Nutrition, 16 Jan 2021
Optimum soil sampling strategies for the west
The highly variable soils in Western Australia can be prone to over or under-fertilising, but a carefully considered sampling strategy can help resolve this.
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Soil and Nutrition, 15 Jan 2021
GRDC boosts nutrient knowledge
Together with using novel technologies to learn about soil function, a comprehensive approach is being taken by GRDC to upgrade current knowledge and practices to optimise nutrient use efficiency. This includes improving soil sampling, and learning more about fertiliser placement and soil nutrient cycling to inform upgraded fertiliser recommendations.
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Soil and Nutrition, 14 Jan 2021
Cutting-edge technology to investigate root behaviour
The Australian Synchrotron has been enlisted to provide insights into plant root-soil relationships and better inform nutrient management decisions, particularly for constrained soils.
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Soil and Nutrition, 13 Jan 2021
Deep-banding conundrum for deep-rooting traits
Deep-rooting traits may help crops to access water, but with nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium concentrated in either the top few centimetres or in deep bands of fertiliser, how will these rooting traits affect the crop’s ability to access essential nutrients?
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Soil and Nutrition, 10 Jan 2021
Pulse nitrogen boost for acid soils
A suite of improved rhizobia strains that are better adapted to acidic soils are being evaluated for release. Performance of the strains has been shown to be regionally specific and awareness is being raised of management practices that may affect rhizobia nodulation and activity.
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Soil and Nutrition, 22 Dec 2020
Boosting deep-phosphorus availability in vertosols
Deep-banded phosphorus provides a valuable supply of nutrition several years after application, but crop access is often limited by the supply of moisture in the band. Expanding the volume of fertilised soil may offer benefits, but success will depend on fertiliser–soil interactions in target soil types.
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Soil and Nutrition, 19 Dec 2020
Big three nutrients under rigorous study
The combined effects of changing farming practices and climate are driving the need to update nutrient management strategies for crop production in Western Australia. Innovative technologies and new insights into nutrient cycling are set to inform these improved strategies.