Harden-Murrumburrah Landcare Group member Adrian Roles (left) and CSIRO’s Mark Glover (right) discussing soil processes on the farm of Matt Ryan
An exciting new project got underway in July when the Harden-Murrumburrah Landcare Group (HMLG) in partnership with Riverina Local Land Services, CSIRO, and environmental consulting company Murrang Earth Sciences held their first meeting on nitrogen dynamics within soil surrounding the Harden Murrumburrah area.
Funded through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme, this exciting initiative brings Harden-Murrumburrah’s best and brightest land managers together with Australia’s internationally renowned research institute, CSIRO, and soil chemistry experts from Murrang Earth Sciences, in order to identify where nitrogen goes and how nitrogen losses can be minimised.
The aim of this project is to understand the fat of nitrogen in farm fertilisers applied to cropping soils in the Murrumburrah Harden area. Soil characteristics such as pH, moisture, structure, texture and organics will also be assessed at the time soils are sampled for nitrogen.
By understanding soil characteristics land managers will be able to identify the productive and non-productive sections of a farm. This will assist allocation of management priorities and investment in farm production. It will also allow land managers to assess the less productive sections of their farm and consider such areas for other uses such as shade and shelter through tree planting.
The project will use sophisticated chemical tags to trace nitrogen through the soil, which will indicate where fertilisers are likely wasted in Harden-Murrumburrah landscapes and where more can be added for increased productivity.
CSIRO Soil Science Principal Research Scientist, Dr Ben Macdonald said it’s an exciting and important area of research for Australian agriculture.
“We know that up to 50% of nitrogen applied to soils as fertilisers can be lost as gas before it’s used by crops. We also know that under the right soil conditions, these losses can be reduced to less than 5%. This research aims to understand what these conditions are across a range of soil types in the Harden-Murrumburrah area.”
CSIRO Soil Research Officer Mark Glover was impressed by Harden-Murrumburrah Landcare Group’s enthusiasm and support, as well as the potential benefits this research might bring.
“Water is the limiting factor in dry-land agriculture so understanding what soil type holds the most water is critical to a grower’s decision making process,” he said.
Director of Murrang Earth Services Sciences, Dr Julia Jasonsmith said she is really pleased that such a great group of people are working together on applied agricultural practice.
“These sorts of collaborations are critical if we are to get scientific knowledge to the farmers on the ground who need it most and scientists to be working on problems where they are needed the most.”
This project is a pilot study which hopes to herald bigger and more ambitious research in the area.
All enquiries regarding the project should be forwarded to Louise Hufton on 6386 3954 or louise.hufton@lls.nsw.gov.au.
