Latest News and Insights

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.

Matching nitrogen supply with demand is seen by some as the holy grail of enhanced efficiency fertilisers, but I tend to disagree.

Improving the efficiency of nitrogen fertiliser in sugar cane is a challenging task.

Choosing the right nitrogen fertiliser for the right situation can make a big difference in cane yields.

ENTEC® is used by many cane growers to help minimise one of the most significant nitrogen loss pathways in cane – denitrification.

Leaching is the movement of nitrate nitrogen with water beyond the plant root zone. This dreaded drain can happen any time the amount of rainfall or irrigation on the block is more than the soil can hold internally.

In spring, pasture growth rates naturally increase in response to more favourable growing conditions.

Spring is the ideal time for tactical nitrogen applications to maximise pasture production

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers offers a range of high quality fertilisers to Australian vegetable growers, including the high quality Nitrophoska Special® and thousands of fertiliser blends. The question is: which is better?

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.

Winter is a challenging time to maintain adequate pasture growth rates.

Why are cane growers choosing ENTEC to protect their crop’s nitrogen rather than controlled release fertilisers?

Vegetable growers know too well that crop nutrition is a key driver for achieving high yields and maximising returns from every land unit they farm.

We are proud to introduce you to our new mobile sampling service, recently launched in Toowoomba and available to service our customers in Southern Queensland and Northern NSW.

When the cotton has been picked and the season is over, what’s next?

High levels of sulphur removal in hay and grain and significant leaching losses are likely to result in lower soil sulphur levels for many graziers and grain growers across southern Australia in 2017.

There’s a building thirst for knowledge from growers about optimal nitrogen management in upland rice production in this emerging industry.

Banana growers are being encouraged to make sure their fertiliser programs are the best they can be and aligned with Best Management Practice (BMP).

A fertiliser rate review for summer grain crops has identified the optimal rates of nitrogen and phosphorus for most situations.

Grain testing has been available from Nutrient Advantage Laboratory Services for a couple of years now and is becoming increasingly popular with agronomists looking to be more precise with nutrient budgeting.

Dryland cotton growers may be missing out on yield if they plant without phosphorus fertiliser. Applying some fertiliser phosphorus increased dryland cotton yields by as much as 20% in last year’s trial at ‘Colonsay’ on the Darling Downs.

Spring can be a hectic time of year and this often means some beneficial agronomy activities may be dropped in the rush. But this year, while we wait for paddocks to dry out, there is a window of opportunity to get on farm and take some leaf tissue samples. Then, when the paddocks dry out and farmers are busy cutting silage and hay, you’ll be one step ahead, ready to help with some recommendations that will help maximise feed growth for the rest of spring.

There have been reports of patchy emergence and seedling damage in summer crops from the central and western Downs and parts of Northern New South Wales.

A new grain test is available this harvest to put a figure on nutrient removal and help refine fertiliser rates for next season.

Dairy farmers and advisers will soon have a nitrogen fertiliser decision tool that will help determine how much nitrogen to apply to pastures for maximum profitability.

Graziers and grain growers may need to reconsider their phosphorus fertiliser use in consultation with their advisers, according to the latest research presented at the Agronomy Community forums in Hamilton and Wagga Wagga in July.

Australian agronomists were transported to another land when they attended Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ Agronomy Community forums at Hamilton and Wagga Wagga this July.

Switching to liquid nitrogen fertilisers for topdress applications could improve application accuracy and efficiency for grain growers, according to visiting Western Australian farmer and agronomy adviser, Erin Cahill.

Cotton agronomists can choose from a wide variety of pre-plant fertilisers and blends to supply the nutrients needed for the coming crop.

The concept of Carbon Farming, using agricultural practices to either reduce greenhouse gas emissions or store carbon in soil and plants has the potential to add value to the agricultural sector.

As the busy winter crop sowing season winds down on the back of one of the best autumn breaks in the south for several years, it is again time to assess crop nitrogen requirements for the balance of the season.

As growers begin to consider pre-plant and starter fertiliser plans for their sorghum, maize and other summer crops, it is worth remembering why Granulock Z so often ends up in the recommendation.

Fertilisers can be used efficiently if the right balance is struck between nitrogen and phosphorus.

Above average soil temperatures over the past couple of weeks have set up the conditions for manganese toxicity in canola crops.

A CSIRO investigation into the viability of growing cotton in the Burdekin region has recorded significant yield results for ENTEC fertilisers in its trial program in 2013.

Brian Burkhardt at Landmark Gympie has some dairy farmer customers who dabble in using ENTEC Urea.

An annual application of starter phosphorus can make a big difference at harvest, according to the latest trial results from southern New South Wales.

Graziers are being encouraged to tissue test their pastures to check that micronutrient levels are adequate for healthy pasture growth and healthy stock.

The results from seven fertiliser trials conducted in wheat last year in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales indicate a positive correlation between nitrogen application rates and net returns.

Researchers and agronomists committed to excellence in plant nutrition and a future of sustainable cropping met in Townsville for the Agronomy Community Forum in March.

The role of nitrogen in winter crop production is well understood by grain growers.

Grain growers with cereal crops infected by crown rot last year are being encouraged to choose a starter fertiliser with zinc this season.

In recent years, South Australian grain growers have produced some of the largest grain crops in the state’s history.

Lower analysis pasture fertilisers, like SuPerfect, need to be applied at nearly the twice the rate of higher analysis fertilisers to apply a similar amount of phosphorus to the paddock.

Cotton growers can improve the yield potential of this season’s crops by paying close attention to post-emergent nitrogen applications.

Nutrient Advantage® Operating Hours for the 2013 Christmas season.

Incitec Pivot’s Technical Agronomist Bede O’Mara talks about “Improving yield potential by water running nitrogen in cotton”.

Safety is top priority at Nutrient Advantage®, so in September we took a day away to focus on Safety. We thought we would include some tips on Sampling Safety as well.

Nutrient Advantage® is gearing up for a busy peak season in 2014. The simple soil test can help growers get the right information needed for fertiliser decisions. Also included is information about our Opening Hours over the next Christmas season.

Nutrient Advantage® opens its doors for a tour of the “Wet” laboratory and how the yellow sticker remains an important part of our quality control system.

ABSTRACT: Long-term application of phosphorus (P) fertilisers to agricultural soils can lead to in the accumulation of P in soil. Determining the rate of decline in soil P following the cessation of P fertiliser inputs is critical to evaluating the potential for reducing P loss to surface waters.

The vision for the Fertcare Carbon Farming Extension Project is that fertilizer industry sales and advisory staff in providing soil management, plant nutrition and fertilizer advice to farmers, issue guidance which not only drives productivity, profitability and increased nutrient use efficiency, but also integrates relevant considerations on greenhouse gas (GHG) management and storage of carbon into their recommendations.

Graziers are often interested in the opportunities for new phosphorus fertilisers, manures and other alternative sources of nutrition.

EASY N® liquid nitrogen fertiliser can give growers greater flexibility and control over nitrogen management in a whole host of crops including the likes of bananas, maize and potatoes.

Money spent on fertiliser can ultimately increase profitability in the grazing industry, according to a long-term trial conducted by the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries.

A simple change to the form of nitrogen used in cane and banana crops could make a significant difference to your fertiliser program.

Plant Tissue testing is an important tool for determining the nutrient status of plants at a certain point in time. It is best to use them in conjunction with soil tests because even at high soil test levels there is no assurance that a crop is going to take up adequate amounts of nutrients depending on other potential constraints.

Nutrient Advantage’s® is Celebrating 50 years of soil testing with a showcase of the past.

January through to April each year has always been one of the busiest times for Nutrient Advantage® and this year has been no exception. The 2013 Peak season was in fact one of our busiest since 2008 with the February sample volume reaching over 10,000 samples for the month.

Nutrient Advantage is a major provider of soil, plant and water analytical services in Australia. The Nutrient Advantage Laboratory is a 1,400 square meter, state of the art, purpose built facility, equipped to handle in excess of 100,000 samples a year.

Agronomists welcomed the opportunity to discover the latest in plant nutrition research at a series of forums held across eastern Australia recently.

Achieving a high yielding canola crop might start with choosing the latest in hybrid canola varieties, but it doesn’t stop there!

Where can you find more than 700 of Australia’s agronomists sharing information, networking and furthering their understanding of plant nutrition?

SuPerfect® is a tried and true fertiliser supplying balanced nutrition to legume-based pasture systems. The analysis of 8.8% phosphorus, 11% sulphate sulphur and 18% calcium contained in SuPerfect is designed to ensure adequate phosphorus as well as sulphate sulphur is supplied to pastures.

At Nutrient Advantage, we are committed to delivering improved services and benefits to our customers.

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers has expanded its agronomy solutions team in the northern cropping region with the appointment of Bede O’Mara as Technical Agronomist, based in Toowoomba.

When we describe Nutrient Advantage as “much more than just analysing soil tests through our laboratory”, we are of course referring to the broad range of services offered to our customers.

Grain growers can be confident that their efforts to improve crop productivity and maximise yields are not jeopardising their chances to improve soil health, according to the results of a recent review.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig announced in early April that Fertcare was one of 24 successful applicants in the Carbon Farming Futures Extension and Outreach Program.

Fertilisers placed with the seed may cause damage during germination, root or shoot growth. Usually, growers see delayed or staggered emergence, rather than complete failure.

Most grain-growers recognise that they should include broadleaf species in their cropping program to reduce disease incidence for cereals and to improve soil nitrogen (N) fertility.

New research from Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ field trial program in Victoria is showing the importance of applying enough phosphorus to crops, particularly where wheat follows canola.

Long-term use of fertiliser in southern Australia has generally raised the organic and inorganic phosphorus (P) status of soils, although much of this P is not readily available for plant uptake.

Calcium (Ca) is an essential plant nutrient required by animals and plants in relatively large amounts for healthy growth. In addition to its role as one of the macronutrients in plant nutrition, sufficient Ca has a role in maintaining soil physical properties, and in reclaiming sodic soils.

Most plants take up the bulk of their phosphorus requirement early in their life, in the seedling stage of annuals and early regrowth of perennials. While phosphorus is not mobile in soils, it is one of the more mobile nutrients in plants.

The loss of Nitrogen from Urea, through the process of volatilisation is high. Volatilisation is the process where gaseous ammonia is lost from urea as it attracts moisture on the soil surface. A number of factors contribute to this process. Volatilisation losses can be minimised by timing urea applications and by using a fertiliser with a urease inhibitor.

Growers are being encouraged to make soil testing their next priority, with the grain harvest now complete. And it seems advisers have heeded this advice with a large increase in soil samples being received at the Nutrient Advantage laboratory in Werribee.

Potassium (K) is a major plant nutrient required by plants in similar quantities as nitrogen, and in larger amounts than phosphorus.

Potassium (K) is a major plant nutrient required by plants in similar quantities as nitrogen, and in larger amounts than phosphorus.

There is some confusion about the loss mechanisms for nitrogen from cropping systems and strategies for minimising these losses.

How important is the previous rotation in determining the optimum rate of phosphorus for wheat?

What happens to fertiliser once it is applied in the paddock and how much of it is converted to pasture?

An in-depth analysis of a long-term fertiliser experiment at Dahlen, near Horsham, has revealed which nitrogen and phosphorus rates have performed best over the past 15 years.

Unfortunately many agronomists have observed the effects of uneven fertiliser application resulting in areas of poor crop / pasture growth where nutrients have been under applied and areas of very strong growth where fertiliser has been over applied in a regular pattern across a field.

Unfortunately many agronomists have observed the effects of uneven fertiliser application resulting in areas of poor crop / pasture growth where nutrients have been under applied and areas of very strong growth where fertiliser has been over applied in a regular pattern across a field.

Some growers have been forced to replant significant areas of cotton because of fertiliser burn on the seedling roots, after applying either BIG N® or urea.

Soil carbon refers to the total carbon found in soil and it includes both inorganic and organic forms. The following discussion is focused on organic forms because, unlike inorganic forms, the organic amount can be strongly influenced by land management.

The breakdown of urea by a process known as hydrolysis leads to production of ammonia (NH3, a gas) or ammonium (NH4+), a plant nutrient. When urea is topdressed, any NH3 that is produced can be blown away from the site and this leads to poor use of applied nitrogen (N). One way of minimising the risk of NH3 loss is to apply a urease inhibitor with your urea.

The breakdown of urea by a process known as hydrolysis leads to production of ammonia (NH3, a gas) or ammonium (NH4+), a plant nutrient. When urea is topdressed, any NH3 that is produced can be blown away from the site and this leads to poor use of applied nitrogen (N). One way of minimising the risk of NH3 loss is to apply a urease inhibitor with your urea.