-
Soil and Nutrition, 05 May 2023
Can you bank nitrogen in Western Australian soils?
Working with 20 growers from GRDC’s National Grower Network, Dr Darren Hughes from Laconik has been investigating the nitrogen banking capacity of Western Australian soils following frosted crops. Unfortunately, it is not a source of nitrogen to be relied upon.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 28 Apr 2023
Mungbeans not picky on nitrogen source but take more than they ‘fix’
Central Queensland research is finding mungbeans use a combination of both soil nitrates and fixed nitrogen to meet their needs and are a net soil nitrate consumer
-
Soil and Nutrition, 17 Apr 2023
Conference fosters nitrogen fixation knowledge
Specialists with a fascination for tiny nitrogen-fixing bacteria met at an Australian conference late 2022 to discuss their latest science findings and how the bacteria are being harnessed and applied for farming systems’ benefit.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 14 Apr 2023
GRDC releases new ‘bible’ to help grain growers get soil management right
Not getting soil management right could be costing some Queensland and New South Wales grain growers more than $1000 per hectare per year in yield losses according to new research.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 11 Apr 2023
$3.5M national project to examine ways to boost soil organic matter
An innovative new $3.5 million farming system project is underway to investigate how Australian grain growers could increase the level of their soil organic matter and return carbon to the soil.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 08 Mar 2023
Soil testing a good idea after relentless wet
With potentially high nutrient losses across the flood-affected GRDC northern region, plus a couple of years of above-average nitrogen removal by crops, soil testing is a good option to help assess soil nitrogen levels ahead of the coming winter crop
-
Soil and Nutrition, 02 Mar 2023
Calculating the nitrogen benefit from legume crops
Declining soil organic nitrogen and recent increases in nitrogen fertiliser prices have focused attention on the potential value of legume crops as a nitrogen source. The value of legume nitrogen benefits can be significant at over $200 per hectare when urea prices are $1200 per tonne.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 01 Mar 2023
Solving the mysteries of plant protein composition
A new study is looking at the impact of nitrogen application timing, not just on total grain protein in wheat, but also on protein composition. Nitrogen recycling in the leaves and grain and genetic variation in current varieties may also play a role in final protein composition.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 28 Feb 2023
Learning to machine better nitrogen decisions
Field trials have demonstrated that a machine learning model can make better nitrogen fertiliser recommendations than agronomic models, but, surprisingly, the one critical element of success was the on-farm trial strips that enabled the model to get the range of data it needed to calibrate itself.
-
Soil and Nutrition, 27 Feb 2023
Fertiliser decisions are critical after a big season
For growers lucky enough to have reaped the rewards of good conditions in 2022, nitrogen supply can be a limiting factor going into the next season. It is important to ‘take a look under the hood’ and make sure the nutritional engine in each paddock has everything it needs to hum to perfection in 2023.