Grain production in Australia represents a widely contrasting set of production environments and cropping systems for which fertiliser nitrogen management systems need to be optimised. There are common challenges to meeting the crop nitrogen demand in all these systems that are related to greater cropping intensities, a low frequency of legume species in rotations, and declining soil organic matter, with the net effect being a greater reliance on fertiliser nitrogen inputs to maintain productivity and profitability.
Laboratory and field trials will provide detailed information on nitrogen transformations (mineralization, volatilization, and denitrification) at a dozen sites across Australia to inform the development of new simulation modules in the APSIM model. 15N isotopes will be utilised at all sites over multiple seasons to provide precise estimates of the soil and plant recovery and losses of nitrogen fertilisers in response to management.
Project team
- Professor Peter Grace
- Professor David Rowlings
- Dr Taleta Bailey
- Dr Naoya Takeda
- Mr Rob Kirkby
- Dr Christain Brunk
Project partners
- University of Queensland
- Queensland Department of Primary Industries
- NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
- University of Western Australia
- South Australian Research and Development Institute
- Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
- Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Rural Development
- CSIRO
Project funding
