Mallee long-term trial questions phosphorus this year

摘要

The Victorian Mallee Birchip Cropping Groups long-term phosphorus trial began in 2003 when farmers wanted to know which rate of phosphorus fertiliser was the most profitable, especially after the drought in 2002. Since the trial started, the Group's Simon Craig says the region has experienced several years of below average rainfall. This has resulted in reduced crop performance and low grain yields. But what has it done to soil phosphorus levels? With only marginal responses to phosphorus fertiliserduring the years of this study, the question remains: which is the most profitable P rate to use in the southern Mallee?