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Environment

Nutrient Management

Nitrogen and other nutrients are vital to optimise crop productivity. However nitrogen applied as fertilisers and manures can be leached from the soil before the crop has had the chance to use it and potentially pollute watercourses. HGCA funds several projects to better assess the amount and timing of nitrogen application to maximise plant use efficiency and reduce the amount leached:

Improving nutrient usage and preventing over-fertilisation

• Improving plant nutrient uptake
• Better assessment of crop nutrient requirement
• Optimum dosage and timing

Crop Management: Rising to the Nitrogen Challenge
Dr Keith Goulding's presentation provides an update on progress with revision of RB209, Defra's fertiliser recommendations.  It was delivered at the HGCA Milling Wheat Conference 2008. Click here for video, mp3 or PDF of the presentation.

Current projects

• RD-2004-3084 Optimising fertiliser nitrogen levels for modern cereal crops
• RD-2004-2979 Genetic Reduction of Energy use and Emissions of Nitrogen in cereal production GREEN grain (LK0959)
• RD-2004-3116 Breeding oilseed rape with a low requirement for nitrogen fertiliser
• RD-2007-3375 Soil and grain nitrogen analysis to provide up to date Scottish data to aid revision of N fertiliser guidelines (details will be available soon)
• RD-2007-3425 Establishing best practice for SNS estimation (details will be available soon)
• RD-2006-3291 Improving cereal production by adjusting plant growth regulator inputs and the timings of nitrogen applications based on measurements of crop canopy characteristics

Completed projects

• Research Review No 63 (RD-2006-3346) Gap analysis of research needs relating to nitrogen and phosphate management in cereals and oilseeds

Reducing pollution

• Manipulation of the grain nutritional composition reducing readily available nitrogen present in manure.

Current projects

• RD-2005-3180 Reduction in Diffuse Pollution of Poultry Operations through Selection of Wheat Cultivars of High and Consistent Nutritional Quality. (LK 0980)
• RD-2005-3167 Development and evaluation of low-phytate wheat germplasm to reduce diffuse phosphate pollution from pig and poultry production units (SAPPIO00311) [0973a]