Soil health and nutrient management

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://elibrary2.sugarresearch.com.au/handle/11079/13842

Research outcomes: Soil health is improved with a resulting positive impact on the environment and yield growth. Improved reputation and relationship between industry and environmental groups.

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1998 - 199912010 - 20111

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Precision agriculture

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    Sugar Research and Development Corporation final report Project CTA013 Spatial analysis of the impact of land use on nutrient loads within the Herbert River Catchment
    (1998) Johnson, A; Walker, D; Wood, A
    This Project arose out of concerns for the apparent increase in nutrient and sediment contaminant loads in Queensland coastal waters since European settlement (e.g. DEAP Report, 1992). At the time of Project inception, the origins of this increase had yet to be defined and quantified, however, the sugarcane industry was considered to be a likely contributor because of the large (and increasing) areas of sugarcane involved and the relatively high fertiliser inputs per unit area. There was, therefore, a need to develop practical tools to integrate existing information and spatially model, at the catchment scale, nutrient and sediment losses from agricultural land. It was the Project teams’ intention to provide tools to analyse important issues/questions relating to the sustainable management of existing and potential sugarcane lands of the Herbert River catchment. In response, four core areas of R&D were undertaken. These were: 1. Data collection and integration; 2. Spatial analysis of the impacts of land use and management practices on water quality; 3. Tools for decision support; and 4. Building stakeholder capacity.
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    SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report SECMAPPER (Soil Electrical Conductivity Mapper): mapping soil electrical conductivity patterns below trash blankets and stubble
    (2011) Di Bella, LP; McDonnell, P; Pace, A
    The SRDC funded Grower Group SECMAPPER (Soil Electrical Conductivity Mapper) project has modified an existing VERIS 3100 soil mapping system to map bare soil blocks through to blocks with thick trash and stubble residue layers. As a part of the project the Grower Group also investigated the following: Opportunities to map soil differences with a cane block; Compare the modified VERIS 3100 (SECMAPPER) electrical conductivity readings with the standard VERIS 3100 unit; Identifying potential saline and sodic soils within a cane block through the use of the VERIS 3100 unit; Compare two soil mapping systems being the VERIS 3100 and EM38 systems. The EMMIT (Electro-Magnetic Mapping in Trash) Grower Group consisted of growers from the Herbert and Burdekin cane growing regions. The Grower Group gave the growers the opportunity to network and work together on the advancement of electrical conductivity (EC) mapping and precision agricultural activities in each district. The grower group was supported by technical support personnel from the following agencies: Herbert Cane Productivity Services Limited (HCPSL), Ag Data Solutions, Farmacist, BSES Limited, Terrain NRM and Soil Horizons. The Grower Group would also like to thank SRDC and Rabobank for providing financial assistance to the project. The SRDC funded BPS001 project and this project have progressed the development and use of soil mapping systems like the VERIS 3100 system in the Australian cane industry. There are now significant areas in the Central, Burdekin and Herbert cane growing regions now being mapped utilising these systems; as a part of precision agricultural systems being adopted in the Australian industry.