Improving organic amendment use in Australian vegetable production

Organic amendments (OAs) are used in many Australian agricultural production systems although the potential nutrient supply from these OAs is often not properly accounted for.

Farmer tools (calculators) will support more efficient fertilizer use in the vegetable industry by modelling the release of nutrients from OAs with field validation in commercial vegetable cropping. Calculator optimised fertilizer programs are being compared to current commercial practice in terms of crop yield, quality and nitrous oxide emissions. The calculator will provide farmers with a tool to develop more efficient nutrient application programs ultimately providing both economic and environmental benefits.