Web tool for fertiliser use avoids money down the drain

Sugarcane farmers have a new tool to stop money going down the drain, with an on-line tool that helps plan and manage fertiliser application and stop fertilisers going off site – SafeGauge for Nutrients in Sugarcane.

Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef Dr Steven Miles said SafeGauge was funded by the Reef Water Quality program in the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) and developed in partnership between EHP, the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI) and the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture at the University of Southern Queensland.

“SafeGauge is an easy-to-use tool to help farmers understand how fertilisers might move off-site,” Dr Miles said.

“Stopping fertiliser getting into our waterways saves farmers money, is good for productivity and good for the environment. The tool can also assist those growers participating in the industry-led Smartcane Best Management Practice program,” he said.

DSITI Principal Scientist Phil Moody developed the tool, and features in a YouTube clip introducing SafeGauge to cane farmers at http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/tools-farmers/#tools

“SafeGauge uses information about the soil type, rainfall patterns and other climate factors for the area to determine the risk of fertiliser loss based on those factors,” Dr Moody said.

“Cane farmers can use a nutrient calculator, like NutriCalc, to work out the right amount of fertiliser to apply to meet the crops needs, then use SafeGauge to help work out which fertiliser product to use and when to apply it to reduce losses.

“The user sees the result presented like a car speedometer – it estimates whether the farmer is facing a low, medium or high risk of loss based on the time of year, and helps them understand how effectively the fertiliser might do its job to nourish the crop,” he said.

The 2013 Scientific Consensus Statement reported that a significant proportion of the total dissolved inorganic nitrogen load reaching the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from human activity was from fertiliser applications in sugarcane growing areas.

Sugar Research Australia’s Executive Manager, Technology, Dr Peter Allsopp, said SafeGauge was a great complementary option accessible through its nutrient rate calculator, NutriCalc.

“SafeGauge was successfully field-tested late last year. SRA is currently showcasing the product in cane-growing areas alongside NutriCalc and the industry-endorsed Six Easy Steps method of nutrient management,” Dr Allsopp said.

“Farmers want the fertiliser to get into the plants where it can do the best for productivity and can’t escape through gaseous losses to the atmosphere, leached into the groundwater, or washed away in runoff,” he said.

ENDS

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