Spatial distribution of potential soil constraints affecting nitrogen management in the Wet Tropics : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper
dc.contributor.author | Skocaj, DM | |
dc.contributor.author | Schroeder, BL | |
dc.contributor.author | Hurney, AP | |
dc.contributor.author | Rigby, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Telford, D | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-05-31T06:20:47Z | |
dc.date.available | 2021-05-31T06:20:47Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2019 | |
dc.description.abstract | Position in the landscape and climatic conditions experienced during the growing season, especially following the application of nitrogen (N) fertiliser, has important implications for crop growth, N uptake and N losses. Understanding the spatial distribution of soils where crop growth and responsiveness to applied N may be constrained in wet or dry years will allow growers and advisors to refine N-management strategies. To identify soils where crop growth and responsiveness to applied N may be restricted, a system of grouping soils that better reflected agronomic performance under different climatic conditions was required. The categorisation system considered position in the landscape, N-mineralisation potential, soil water-holding capacity in both wet and dry years, propensity to waterlog in wet years and presence of a water table in wet years. In dry years, waterlogging and the presence of a water table do not impact crop growth to the same extent as moisture availability, and, hence, in dry years, it is more important to categorise soils based on water-holding capacity. The major sugarcane-growing soils in the Tully and South Johnstone mill areas were categorised using this system. This resulted in five soil groups to describe the impact on crop growth and N responsiveness in wet and dry years. Given the application of N fertiliser to ratoon crops predominately occurs around spring, wet years were defined as receiving high spring-summer rainfall, whereas dry years were defined as receiving low spring-summer rainfall. Classifying wet and dry years according to spring-summer rainfall also allows growers and advisors to refer to seasonal climate forecasting indices for guidance on the likelihood of experiencing a wet or dry year. In wet years, the impact on crop growth, responsiveness to applied N and potential for lower N uptake is greatest for soil group five. These soils tend to occur in the lowest positions in the landscape, experience severe waterlogging and a persistent water table. They are also subject to frequent water inundation following extreme rainfall events. The spatial identification of soil constraints will complement the development of whole-of-farm nutrient-management plans in the Wet Tropics region. Knowledge of soil constraints influencing sugarcane growth and responsiveness to N will allow growers and advisors to better identify areas where nutrient-management strategies may require further fine-tuning. This information may also be of value in improving other management decisions including varietal selection and harvest scheduling | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/11079/18218 | |
dc.keywords | Sugarcane soils, nitrogen, waterlogging, Tully, Johnstone | |
dc.publisher | ASSCT | |
dc.relation.ispartofseries | Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, volume 41, 371-379, 2019 | |
dc.subject | Nitrogen | |
dc.subject | Waterlogging | |
dc.subject | Tully | |
dc.subject | Johnstone | |
dc.title | Spatial distribution of potential soil constraints affecting nitrogen management in the Wet Tropics : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper |
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