It has been a very wet start to the summer cropping season. Very little nitrogen was applied pre-plant as paddocks were either too wet or inaccessible. This means that more nitrogen than usual may need to be applied in-crop.
There’s a lot to like about the start of the irrigated cotton season – healthy cotton prices, available irrigation water and full soil profiles. As a result, the confidence to invest in ground preparation and pre-plant fertiliser activities has increased.
With very little time left until summer crop planting, it is worth spending some of it to understand how much nitrogen and sulfur is available and where it is in the soil profile. Some data to guide dryland growers.
Once you have your soil test results, you can apply the 4Rs of nutrient management to hone your fertiliser program. Each paddock, rotation and farm will have its own requirements, so generalising is difficult, but this insight can be used as a guide.
Keep nitrogen where the plant needs it in your summer crops for increased production
Many winter crop growers in the north are in the unfortunate position of making an unplanned switch straight to summer cropping due to the ongoing dry conditions.
This quick guide to sorghum nutrition is designed to be read before it rains, because when the rain comes, nothing is going to stand between growers and their planters! But getting these few things right before the planting rush might help avoid some costly mistakes and set the crop on the right path to success.
Would you apply nitrogen to inoculated mungbean crops? Recent research is showing that while it might seem counter intuitive, applying nitrogen fertiliser can improve yields and returns in this fast-growing crop.
To avoid issues in the coming season, it is timely to consider the role of potassium in productive cotton crops and develop appropriate fertiliser strategies.
Many growers are now harvesting summer crops in northern New South Wales and Queensland, after another tough summer cropping season.
Rain has been patchy in the northern cropping region so far, giving only a few growers the opportunity to consider planting early. While waiting for planting rains, Bede O’Mara, subtropical systems agronomist with Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, has put together the following guiding principles to help summer crop growers with crop choices.
New farming systems research on the Darling Downs is working towards finding the impact of cropping rotations, intensity and nutrient strategies on productivity and sustainability.
It has been a promising start to the 2017/18 cotton season, with a number of rain events helping to get crop growth off to a good start. It’s now time to monitor nitrogen levels, manage in-crop fertiliser inputs and maintain crop yield potential. One of the best ways to do this is with a consistent leaf and petiole testing program.
Grain growers across northern New South Wales and Queensland are now experiencing a vastly improved cropping outlook, thanks to good rainfall in October.
New trial data is confirming that nitrogen can improve the performance of mungbean crops for growers seeking to maximise yields and returns.
Cotton and summer crop growers are being warned to take extra care when planting this season, especially if planting dry and then watering up or planting following recent rainfall.
Agronomists working with northern summer crop growers will be familiar with the research of Professor Mike Bell and others to identify the need for deep phosphorus and understand the best ways to supply it.
There’s a lot to like about the start of the season for irrigated cotton growers, with healthy cotton prices and dry soils making the upcoming ground preparation and pre-plant fertiliser work easier. By now, many growers will have either commissioned their adviser to design an appropriate post-harvest soil sampling program, or they may have completed their post-harvest soil testing programs and will soon know of any nutritional deficits.
There’s a building thirst for knowledge from growers about optimal nitrogen management in upland rice production in this emerging industry.
When the cotton has been picked and the season is over, what’s next?
One of the best ways to guide summer crops towards their productive potential is to plan a tissue testing program.
Leaf and petiole sampling is a vital part of any comprehensive fertiliser program for cotton, helping growers to maintain crop yield potential at its peak.
Dryland cotton growers may be missing out on yield if they plant without phosphorus fertiliser.