Soil nitrogen management 'critical' for winter crop season

Soil fertility is a natural concern for any rural producer - it is one of the most significant factors driving crop productivity.

It is also, in many cases, out of the hands of farmers, as floods, good seasons and other events can lessen the present of rich nutrients in soil.

This calls for a proactive strategy to manage land where fertility is anything but a constant.

At the recent Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) research update at Goondiwindi, Queensland, soil fertility in northern regions was a hot topic.

Back Paddock Company technical services manager Dr Chris Dowling told those gathered that soil nutrition management would need to be a priority this winter season.

Dr Dowling said that the summer season had not seen soil mineral nitrogen or organic matter reserves replenished.

As a result, he says that northern region farmers could be in for a repeat of the 2012 winter crop.

"This is an indication that the soils aren't able to give and this makes nitrogen management even more critical," he said, in remarks published on the GRDC website on April 10.

So what do farmers need to do? Dr Dowling says they might want to review the 'set and forget' nitrogen strategy.

With legumes a "key part of soil nitrogen management", he would also like to see more area devoted to nitrogen-fixing crops.

"There's been some hint that growers are thinking about planting more legumes this year but in reality the area needs to be up around 20 or 40 per cent of the wheat area on an annual basis to make a difference and we're not getting anywhere near that at this stage."

No matter how rural producers choose to tackle the challenge of soil fertility levels, a comprehensive risk management strategy - including a crop insurance policy - can help them to be better prepared for all outcomes.