Controlled Release Fertiliser in Horticulture AusVeg May 2013 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Andrew Olley

National Agronomy Services Manager

Controlled Release Fertiliser in Horticulture AusVeg May 2013

Nutrient delivery via fertilisers into Horticultural crops is

• ften poorly converted through to crop yield and quality

A number of factors have influence over nutrient efficiency such as

• Loss Mechanisms after application
• Timing applications
• Labour and capital constraints for delivery
• Weather events
• Antagonism between competing nutrients
• Choice of nutrient form

Science and field experience of growers / advisors have developed fertiliser strategies to supply crops with their nutrient needs with improved efficiencies. Such practices include:

• Spilt applications of granular products
• Nutrient delivered through irrigation “Fertigation”
• Foliar and liquid soil applications
• Nutrient formulation changes
• Monitoring nutrient status SAP, Leaf, Solute testing

These advances have greatly improved the supply of nutrient to crops. However this is most often achieved by excess nutrient supply to try ensure the crop is not yield limited by nutrient. In many instances 100 % or greater of key nutrients

• ver the actual crop requirements are applied with the

following effects

• Increased spend on fertiliser
• Capital intensive delivery systems
• Labour intensive management systems
• High cost nutrient formulations

Field crop production operation at tighter margins and high risk has not allowed the uptake of technologies in nutrient delivery used in higher value plant production systems. Amenity Horticulture “Nursery & Turf Industries” with higher margins have been able to develop sophisticated nutrient products

• Slow Release chemistry

Protected Cropping industry reliance on high density production which comes at a higher capital costs developed exact nutrient delivery systems

• Hydroponic nutrient formulation

Slow Release fertiliser products offer the potential to field producers however limitations to commercial adoption have been:

• High manufacturing cost per kg nutrient supplied
• Freight costs to import from overseas
• Fixed N:P:K analysis not suited to local conditions
• Nutrient release rate dominated by soil temperature

hence complex process to select right product and release rate through the year

• Low availability in the market from supply companies

Impact fertilisers were contacted by Everris BV in early 2012 to distribute a commercially available nutrient delivery technology that has been extensively used commercial agriculture. Investigation of the technology on offer and its use in

• verseas fertiliser markets revealed a solution to

increase fertiliser use efficiency for crop production in Australia was available.

Polymer coating Elemental sulphur coating Urea, MOP, SOP core

Controlled Release Granule Technology

N 39 Urea K 43 MOP Immersed in water for 10 weeks

“Slow Release Coatings”

Laboratory Data, Everris BV. Netherlands

Laboratory Data, Everris BV. Netherlands

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 20 40 60 80 Time (days) N release (%) 15°C 25°C 35°C

38:0:0:13 Agrocote N 38

Controlled Release Technology

Polymer coating Elemental sulphur coating Urea, MOP, SOP core

Technology

• Crystalline 8 member ring
• Brittle at room temperature
• Forms cracks permeable to moisture
• Release less temperature sensitive

Agrocote N39 Release Curve

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Time (days) T o ta l N i tr o g e n r e l e a s e (k g s ) 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 D a i l y N i tr o g e n r e l e a s e (k g s ) . . Total N release kgs N release kgs per day

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Agrocote N39 Release Curve 200 kgs - 78 kgs N

80 % 90 %

Agrocote N38 Release Curve

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 Time (days) T o ta l N i tr o g e n r e l e a s e (k g s ) 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 D a i l y N i tr o g e n r e l e a s e (k g s ) . . Total N Release kgs kgs N per day

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Agrocote N38 Release Curve 200 kgs - 76 kgs N

50 % 65 % 80 %

Agrocote Blend Release Curves

Nitrogen 100 kgs / ha

• Custom Nitrogen release curves can be created with blends

30 % Agrocote N 70 % Urea N 50 % Agrocote N 50 % Urea N 70 % Agrocote N 30 % Urea N

Compatibilities

Highly compatible with existing fertiliser components MAP DAP ZincStar MES10 Urea SOA Compounds MOP SOP HiMag (MgS04) MgO TSP SSP Zinc Copper Boron

Conventional Potato Fertiliser Program

Nitrogen Root zone Nitrogen Applications Crop Daily N N Applied

Controlled Release Potato Fertiliser Program

Nitrogen Root zone Nitrogen Applications Crop Daily N Conv N Applied

Nitrogen Losses in Crops

• Volatilization

Urea ammonia gas losses from surface application

• Denitrification

Nitrogen losses in water-logged soils

• Leaching

Nutrient movement of Nitrate below the crop root zone

The three main losses of applied N & K to the crop are greatly reduced Agrocote only losses N & K while conditions favoring loss occur. The proportion of Total N & K loss is small. Hence the efficiency of nutrient uptake by the crop is greatly improved. Polymer and Sulphur coating control N release rate

Volatilization Leaching De Nitrification

Potassium Products

MOP and SOP available Controlled release greatly decreases the Salt Index of MOP and hence can be used on higher EC soils and Irrigation water. High seed safety due to coating on MOP Potassium releases over a 4 month period

Conductivity of MOP versus Agrocote MOP

Agrocote in Potatoes

Conventional Fertiliser Program: Planting Blend: 10:6:12:15 at 1000 kg/ha Side-dress 1: 23:0:20: 10 at 150 kg/ha Side-dress 2: 23: 0:20:10 at 150 kg/ha Side-dress 3: 18:0:25:12 at 150 kg/ha Side-dress 4: 12:0:30:15 at 150 kg/ha Total Nutrient Applied kgs/ha N 210 P 60 K 266

Agrocote in Potatoes

Agrocote Fertiliser Program: Agrocote Planting Blend: 14: 6:19:9 at 950 kgs / ha 36 % total N as CR Nitrogen 50 % total K as CR Potassium Total Nutrient Applied kgs/ha N 153 P 60 K 178 Equivalent Nutrient Program (based on Agrocote efficiency 0.5) N 209 P 60 K 267

• Conventional: 400 kg N, 50 kg P, 546 kg K /ha/yr

Agromaster: 200 kg N, 27 kg P, 243 kg K

• Reduced N and K rates to 50% and 44%, respectively
• Reduced from 12 to 3 applications per year

Overseas Experience Bananas Central America

Overseas Experience Pineapple Central America

• Conventional:

–Monthly N&K side dressed for 3 months –Foliar NPK for 8 months –Total rate 780 kg N, 27 kg P, 530 kg K/ha

• Agromaster:

–Single Agromaster 2wks after planting (100% coated N&K) –Replaces 3 side-dressings and 1 foliar application –Rate reduction:

• 55% of first 4 applications
• 85% of N and K overall

Summary Key Advantages to growers & industry

• Improved nutrient use efficiency
• Less freight, handling and application costs
• Reduces potential nutrient gaps in crop growth
• Increased quality through consistent crop nutrition
• Greatly reduced nutrient losses on and off farm
• Addition to all common fertiliser blends as a

component

• Nitrogen and Potassium Controlled Release
• Negates the need for high capital delivery systems
• Commercially available, trained resellers