Filed under: Newsletters
BioNutrient Solutions and FARM held a crop tour on 8th October 2009 - focus was on liquid inject systems and products. Following is a summary from BNS from the day – thanks to Helen & Bart
Thanks again to all who attended the recent Crop Tour of the Downs. We enjoyed it and the feedback is you guys did too, and as much as anything else there is real value in simply allowing growers to learn from growers with help from people like us for the structure and technical detail.
The day confirmed that biological farming is about systems management, not just product inputs. It is about nutrition (the what, where and when), minimising disease pressure and maximising beneficial biology in a variety of soil types.
Many thanks must go to our hosts on the day – Robert Smith, Denis Wooldridge and Bill Hoare and to those who were able to attend and contribute to the discussions, it was extremely valuable to have innovators and agronomists represented, the Beesley Boyce fellows, Raffs team and GoFarm from the north. A particular thankyou to Ian Moss from Farm Agronomy & Resource Management for being the primary organiser and his intrinsic involvement in agronomy at each of the farms visited over the last couple of years.
Key principles covered on the day
- We have to assume that moisture will become limiting at some stage during the season, so it is essential to build crops with larger root to leaf ratio’s to sustain them through dry spells.
- This can be achieved using nutrients and biology through liquid injection at planting. Not just Phosphorus and Zinc, but soluble Calcium, all trace elements and triggers for root growth.
- When there is excess Nitrogen in the system, it will push vegetative growth, which creates a need for more Calcium and Potassium during rapid growth. Our soils tend to be able to supply Potassium but SAP testing shows that Calcium does not keep up to the requirement of rapid cell division in leaves.
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- Inadequate Calcium leads to weaker stem strength and susceptibility to lodging.
- Lower pectin levels in the leaf, creates plants with weaker cell wall strength and hence lower resistance to disease. Leaf disease produces an enzyme called pectinase which dissolves pectin in the leaf to produce an entry point. Calcium is essential to increased pectin for defence.
SAP testing can provide information before the end of each stage, thus allowing better management.
Key sap testing results;
There are three stages to the winter cereal cycle;
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- Sap pH is an indicator of plant health. Low pH indicates disease susceptibility and high nitrates increases insect susceptibility. This is our experience in the field and simply reflects the nutrient balance in plant sap flow.
- Nitrogen is overdone early in the crop and under done in latter stages for yield and protein.
- Phosphorous and Zinc have not been a limiting factor in the majority of samples this year, trace elements Boron and Copper have been.
- Sodium and Chloride accumulation in the crop increases with moisture stress and inhibits optimal plant performance. Recognizing and managing for this is essential. CalPac liquid injected at planting or as a foliar has reduced the impact of Sodium in the crop.
Overall, the crops visited have been grown on very little in crop rain and lower than conventional Nitrogen. The common denominator to all was;
Liquid injection of nutrition at planting, including Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Zinc, Calcium and trace elements, ie CerealRS. Remember, for Summer crop we use a specific formulation called Ignition®.
Inclusion of biology in the liquid injection at planting where required;
Eco-N Azotobactor for nitrogen fixation at planting for the cereals,
Rhizobium inoculant for the legumes, ie EasyRhiz
Remidi (Trichoderma) for crown-rot susceptible country.
Use of CalPac as a foliar during periods of rapid growth to consume excess nitrate in the crops and convert to protein. Eg Denis’ wheat and Bill Hoare explained last summers sorghum kicking up more than 1t/ac where CalPac was included in the flowering foliar – as a means of increasing grain weight during fill.
BNSEasyflo – Liquid injection distribution kits
We looked at the planter set-up with Robert Smith and Denis. Each was very different but achieved the goal intended, of no-fuss injection of suspensions. Getting the total water rate lower requires either a finer orifice plate – which is then prone to buildup and blockage – or switching to a gravity system like the Easyflo heads with one large restriction versus a small one per row.
Discussion on water rates concluded that less water in the total mix is better to avoid product settling. Dry sowing cereals with liquids is fine, legumes are more sensitive and we could see the result of high/low rates at Denis’ chickpeas.
Compost
Denis briefly discussed use of compost SolidStart to build soil mineral requirement whilst also adding biology and additional Calcium for higher sodium areas. We are looking to be able to produce bulk compost closer to the Downs in future, with a site at Inglewood coming on-line shortly.
Stubble Digestion
Nothing like challenging the status quo to generate some healthy discussion, and so it was when we suggested looking for opportunities to put the stubble in contact with the soil. Whilst not advocating a return to full tillage or any tillage necessarily, if you can meet your zero-till or erosion and infiltration objectives AND capture the opportunity to convert the energy and nutrients in stubble to plant-available compounds, then a significant benefit results.
Tools like Kelly Discs can be used to aid stubble digestion – so too can the addition of small quantities of nitrogen and/or appropriate biology and food source to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of this process.
| Summary of Products Discussed Planting:
CerealRS – 8-15L/ha liquid injection (Use Ignition in Summer crop) CalPac – 7-10L/ha liquid injection in sodic soils Eco-N – 1-2L/ha liquid injection for non-legume N-fixation EasyRhiz legume inoculant – 1 vial/Tonne Remidi (Trichoderma for crown-rot) – 250g to 1kg/ha depending on severity of pressure and rotation Foliar: CalPac – 7-12L/ha during rapid growth stages ZincPac – 2L/ha with broadleaf herbicides StrengthN – low of 5L/ha up to 50L/ha for nitrogen top ups in crop Cytoprime – 15-20L/ha biology culture for injection and leaf application ahead of disease pressure |
Summer Crop Forecast:
Being a manufacturer of products which are more complex than dissolving nutrient in water has its up sides and down. The positives are that we, and hence you, achieve better crop response and soil performance than from dissolved synthetics. The downsides are that we don’t always have the luxury of un-forecast finished stock on demand without notice… it goes with the territory of innovation. So please help us help you by taking the time to fill out the Indication of Needs following and fax or email back to Helen so you get better outcomes.
Do not think this means you are committed, we don’t, it just allows us to avoid the strain of saying no, when with a bit of planning and forecast we can say yes, easy done! Thanks again.
Filed under: Newsletters
ian.farm@bigpond.com, 0428 910 073, ph 07 4691 0077
After quite a few requests, FARM have added a standard consultation option to the agronomy services offered. This service would include a farm visit to develop a field or crop-specific nutrition program and a second visit in-crop to assess crop progress. A small fee applies, dependent on the level of work involved. Please contact Ian to discuss options.
Winter Crop
Oh, but for a little bit of rain at the right time…. Despite the promising start, minimal in-crop rain has again left so many crops struggling to finish. Most exceptions seem to be the crops that had zero or reduced pre-plant N and had some simple root stimulants down the slot at planting – one of the things I love about what I do is that many of the choices that lead to better outcomes are often cheaper also.
What’s your plan for fields after harvest? If chickpeas or other crops are leaving things a little bare for your liking then give some consideration to a millet cover crop – even dry sown can be an option depending on weed expectations. Green plants photosynthesize and create the liquid carbon pathway for building soil organic carbon.
- Ground Cover Issue 67 – March – April 2007, Cover crops – Millet shows its worth as a cover crop
- Short term cover crops increase wheat yields in southern Queensland.
o Cover crops help lift the rain harvest – Trials in the northern region are showing that planting a crop purely for cover delivers valuable benefits
Stubble digestion – lets cover this in more detail next time but keep in mind the opportunity to add and/or feed the saprophytic fungi that can capture the nutrients and energy in your stubble without compromising erosion control and infiltration objectives.
Summer Crop:
Some seed going in for those with irrigation or fortunate enough to have adequate planting moisture. As always at this time of the season, it’s more important to be picking the start of a warm spell rather than watching the calendar.
For those of you on more sodic soils, please try to get some calcium down the slot – ideally as liquid but if that’s not possible then consider Guano if you can handle the lower quality granule.
Liquid Inject
- gives so many more options for fertiliser efficiencies and root stimulants.
- Easier to set up than you first think and 12 row unit less than $1000 if you supply the tank and pump.. More info…
Interesting Stuff:
- FARMERS can expect a period of low fertiliser prices—but then they’ll need to be thinking on their feet as the price rollercoaster starts again
- Almost by definition, increases in soil carbon increase yield and profitability
· Incitec dumps agronomists in bid to win back farmers
· Perennial wheat on the drawing board
· Carbon from the exhaust to the soil
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Most Popular Links
Another requested addition to the newsletter is to keep a few of the most popular links on each newsletter. As some of you are explaining concepts or results to neighbours and friends it is useful to have easy access to this information:
Why synthetic nitrogen is bad for soil carbon
Heavy use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser not only burns away soil carbon, but reduces organic nitrogen levels in the soil and thus increases farmers’ reliance on bought-in fertiliser,. … when NPK fertilisers began to be applied on the plots in the mid-1950s, yields leaped by 140 per cent. … there was an expectation that fertilisation would help the soil build a large reservoir of organic nitrogen, and carbon levels would rise because of massively increased residue incorporation. …Neither of these forecasts proved true, the researchers say. … after half a century of synthetic fertilization that exceeded grain nitrogen removal by 60 to 190 per cent, soil carbon levels … declined substantially under heavy fertiliser applications.
USING ROTATION CROPS TO IMPROVE SOIL QUALITY
There has been no single soil characteristic that we have measured that can explain the cotton yield benefits of growing rotation crops, particularly with legumes. We have observed improved soil structure, nutrient availability and uptake, a more active and larger soil microbial biomass which combine to improve soil health, and enable future crops to be more productive and use inputs more efficiently.
The Importance of Soil Carbon – Ray O’Grady
A review of the decline in soil carbon and its effect on crop yields, soil health and the health and wellbeing of the farming family over the last thirty years, suggests that many have been worshiping the wrong sacred cow and need to change the focus to achieve a more sustainable triple bottom line. … reviews the historic loss of 50-60% of soil carbon and its effects on the physical, chemical and biological aspects of soil health. …. The importance of root exudates in maintaining a balanced soil food web, nutrient cycling, soil health and disease suppression are illustrated. The newly discovered soil ‘super glue’ glomalin maintains up to one third of the carbon in the soil for between 7-40 years. This provides evidence of the benefits of mycorrhizae.
Popular Websites
BioNutrient Solutions design, manufacture and supply a comprehensive range of high quality Biological Fertilisers for agricultural production. Our fertilisers are manufactured locally to maximize your farming potential. Our Carbon Farming Systems® promote soil health and have been developed to support the principle of profitable, sustainable production, maximizing your return on investment (ROI) potential.
Enviroganics® has been manufacturing and marketing premium quality organic fertilisers and soil conditioners since 2001. Our products utilise organic by-products from intensive agricultural facilities to create environmentally sustainable, fully composted, pathogen-free and odourless products for use in a wide range of circumstances.
GRDC – Grains Research & Development Corporation
