Abstract
THE MANAGEMENT of nitrogen (N) fertiliser is important to the Australian sugar industry, as it has significant production and environmental consequences that need to be balanced in N management recommendations. This paper reports results from 12 on-farm experiments established from Mossman to Broadwater in 2003 or 2004 to examine the concept of replacing N lost from a field through harvested cane and environmental processes as a way of determining N fertiliser needs. This N replacement concept was compared with the farmers’ current N management and, at seven sites, a lower rate of N fertiliser. In general, yields were similar and profitability (assessed by partial gross margins) higher in the N replacement than the current N management. At only one site in one year was yield with the farmers’ N management significantly higher than with N replacement. CCS was little affected by N treatment. Trends in soil mineral N through time at the sites differed more between sites than between treatments, and suggested that yields in the N replacement treatments were not being sustained by ‘mining’ N from the soil. Yields with low N were little different from the other treatments, although there was some evidence of depletion of soil N at two sites with this treatment. The surplus of N, i.e. the difference between N applied and that lost through crop harvest (and trash burning at some sites), was estimated to be 85% lower in the N replacement treatment than with farmers’ current N management, indicating a potentially much reduced environmental impact of this management system. The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Sugarcane yields under N replacement were similar to those under current N management.
Verbatim
e0“In general, yields were similar and profitability (assessed by partial gross margins) higher in the N replacement than the current N management”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
Profitability was higher under N replacement than under current N management.
Verbatim
e0“In general, yields were similar and profitability (assessed by partial gross margins) higher in the N replacement than the current N management”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
At one site in one year, yield with farmers’ N management was significantly higher than with N replacement.
Verbatim
e1“At only one site in one year was yield with the farmers’ N management significantly higher than with N replacement”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
CCS was little affected by N treatment.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e2“CCS was little affected by N treatment”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
Yields with low N were little different from the other treatments.
Verbatim
e3“Yields with low N were little different from the other treatments, although there was some evidence of depletion of soil N at two sites with this treatment”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
Low N showed some evidence of soil N depletion at two sites.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e3“Yields with low N were little different from the other treatments, although there was some evidence of depletion of soil N at two sites with this treatment”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
The N surplus was estimated to be 85% lower under N replacement than under farmers’ current N management.
Verbatim
e4“The surplus of N, i.e. the difference between N applied and that lost through crop harvest (and trash burning at some sites), was estimated to be 85% lower in the N replacement treatment than with farmers’ current N management”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
Trends in soil mineral N differed more between sites than between treatments.
Verbatim
e5“Trends in soil mineral N through time at the sites differed more between sites than between treatments”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
Yields under N replacement were not sustained by mining N from the soil.
Verbatim
e6“suggested that yields in the N replacement treatments were not being sustained by ‘mining’ N from the soil”
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
Claim · model-written summary
N replacement may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane.
Verbatim
e7“The results to date provide the first field evidence that the N replacement concept may be an economically and environmentally sustainable innovation in N management for sugarcane production”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · yield · Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane)Results differ
18 papers in the same direction as this paper · 118 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- positive
133 papers more in this group
See all 137 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.