Abstract
Research conducted by the Yield Decline Joint Venture has shown that productivity of the current sugarcane farming system can be increased significantly by soil fumigation or breaking the current monoculture. Associated with these treatments have been decreases in the numbers of cane-specific pathogens and, in most cases, an increase in beneficial biota. It has been suggested that these changes to soil biota are responsible for at least part of the recorded increases in productivity, and that the responses are mediated via improved root health. This paper examines the effect of fumigation and break treatments, from YDJV experimental sites in Queensland, Australia, on availability of essential nutrients in the soil, the relative changes in nutrient concentrations in the plant and total crop nutrient uptake. In the case of nitrogen, the increased demand associated with the growth responses has been at least partly met by treatments causing higher concentrations of mineral nitrogen in the soil solution. However, treatments have had little or no effect on the concentrations and availability of other nutrients (e.g. P, K and Si) in the soil, and increased plant uptake is attributed to an increased root surface area and a more thorough exploitation of the soil volume, i.e. a more functional root system. We propose that the ability to maintain or increase concentrations of nutrients like potassium and silicon in plant biomass may provide an index of root system functionality.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Soil fumigation significantly increased sugarcane productivity.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“productivity of the current sugarcane farming system can be increased significantly by soil fumigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Breaking monoculture significantly increased sugarcane productivity.
- Taxon
- sugarcanee0
- Treatment
- breaking the current monoculturee0
- Outcome
- productivitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“productivity of the current sugarcane farming system can be increased significantly by soil fumigation or breaking the current monoculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments decreased cane-specific pathogen numbers.
Verbatim
e0“Associated with these treatments have been decreases in the numbers of cane-specific pathogens”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments increased beneficial biota in most cases.
Verbatim
e0“in most cases, an increase in beneficial biota”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments increased mineral nitrogen concentrations in soil solution.
Verbatim
e0“treatments causing higher concentrations of mineral nitrogen in the soil solution”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments had little or no effect on soil concentrations and availability of P, K and Si.
Verbatim
e0“treatments have had little or no effect on the concentrations and availability of other nutrients (e.g. P, K and Si) in the soil”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Increased plant nutrient uptake was attributed to greater root surface area and soil exploitation.
Verbatim
e0“increased plant uptake is attributed to an increased root surface area and a more thorough exploitation of the soil volume”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Maintaining or increasing potassium and silicon concentration in plant biomass was proposed as an index of root function.
Verbatim
e0“ability to maintain or increase concentrations of nutrients like potassium and silicon in plant biomass may provide an index of root system functionality”
t0“sugarcane”
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