{"id":8175,"date":"2023-05-10T00:53:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T00:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/nature-refuge-workshops-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-07-14T05:20:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T05:20:35","slug":"reef-trust-tenders-mario-quagliata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/reef-trust-tenders-mario-quagliata\/","title":{"rendered":"Trials test \u2018sweet spot\u2019 for fertiliser"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/rt4canerow.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” min_height=”500″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” section_id=”donate” el_class=”donate-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][mk_fancy_title font_family=”none” align=”center”]REPEATED TENDER CANE PROGRAM[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”67″][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789112768{padding-right: 36px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_left”][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”15″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-tl”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” el_class=”terrain-title-2″]FINDING THE ‘SWEET SPOT’ FOR FERTILISER[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”60″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”20″ visibility=”visible-nb”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1673847051407{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1689312030774{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Thirty-eight growers from Mareeba to Ingham have trialled changes to their cane-growing practices across 10,000 hectares of land to find the ‘sweet spot’ for productivity and sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n

Changes have ranged from using enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertiliser and applying fertiliser at variable rates to improving soil health through compost production, mill mud application and planting legumes fallow crops. They have also included upgrading soil and yield mapping to better understand each cane block.<\/p>\n

The Wet Tropics Reef Trust IV Repeated Tender program is funded by the Australian Government and delivered by Terrain NRM in partnership with Cairns Canegrowers, Herbert Cane Productivity Services and Tully Canegrowers.<\/p>\n

Hear from Tully grower Mario Quagliata:<\/p>\n

Mario Quagliata \u2013 Tully<\/strong><\/p>\n

The old days of \u201csix bags to the acre\u201d are gone on Mario\u2019s cane farm in the Tully region. Ask him how he\u2019s successfully dropped his rates from 187 to 140kg of inorganic nitrogen per hectare and he\u2019ll tell you he\u2019s been using \u201cwitches brews\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mario has trialled bio-stimulants among a range of other changes, and he credits that with the reversal of an initial drop in yield when the Wet Tropics Reef Trust IV Repeated Tender program began on his land.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first two years it felt like we were going backwards. But last year we saw yield increase that looks to be a combination of very favourable growing conditions and, we\u2019re thinking, a liquid product that supposedly unlocks phosphate in the ground. I\u2019m applying it at the same time as fertiliser and it looks to be giving the cane something to balance out the lower nitrogen input.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mario has also tried seaweed and worm juice as supplements in recent years, with varying results.<\/p>\n

Extending bio-stimulant trial<\/strong><\/p>\n

He\u2019s now looking at extending the current bio-stimulant trial to other parts of the farm. He has 400 hectares under cane with owned and leased land. He\u2019s also adopted semi zonal tillage and legume systems.<\/p>\n

The home farm has a bioreactor which was constructed as part of the Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project – a 10-metre trench between sugarcane paddocks and a nearby drain that is trapping paddock run-off. Water is slowly filtered through woodchips, where bacteria strips it of nitrates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep trying. The funding and assistance helps. We need a few more years to see the results given all the variables, and to see if other products come on board.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789122720{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 34px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_right”][mk_padding_divider size=”206″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1683681645885{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\"\"[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1683681839028{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Helping to reduce financial risks\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Terrain NRM\u2019s Trevor Parker says the Repeated Tenders program has helped growers to reduce the financial risk of determining optimal inorganic nitrogen application rates and, as a result, many farmers have made permanent changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the tropics, with our variable rainfall from season to season, timing fertiliser application and improving fertiliser efficiency to minimise nitrogen losses is a big challenge for the industry,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinancial support provided through the Repeated Tenders program gave growers the confidence to work out their sweet spot for nitrogen application and this has resulted in a collective reduction of 1000 tonnes, which is a good cost saving.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome found they\u2019d gone down too far in terms of its effect on yield, but then they readjusted to rates that were still below their old rates. Others experienced no yield changes. And some growers are now reporting yield increases.<\/p>\n

Matching fertiliser use more closely with crop needs<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been all about working with cane growers to match fertiliser use more closely with crop requirements, leading to the same or better yield and profitability results. A good thing about the program was that growers could choose what actions to take. They also had support from extension officers beyond their cane blocks – in things like improving record-keeping, becoming a BMP-accredited grower if they weren\u2019t already and developing a customised nutrient management plan.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section el_class=”grean-btn-sec” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”47″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_button dimension=”outline” url=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/what-we-do\/biodiversity\/” align=”right” el_class=”green-btn” outline_skin=”custom” outline_active_color=”#175137″ outline_active_text_color=”#ffffff” outline_hover_bg_color=”#175137″ outline_hover_color=”#ffffff”]Read More[\/mk_button][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1-blog” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”105″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” align=”right” el_class=”terrain-title”]RELATED NEWS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][vc_row fullwidth=”true” fullwidth_content=”false” id=”post_grid_filter_1″][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”grid_greate_3″ css=”.vc_custom_1682557110792{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

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