On the 16th and 17th of June the RDO extension team met up in Narrabri to discuss the outcomes of this years N use trials and discuss the way forward.

The results from the 2014/15 trial again showed that there was no benefit to yield in the over use of N, that excess N is not maintained in the soil and that leaf and petiole testing provided a good indicator of inseason N use and whether the crop needs more.

To date we’ve been looking mainly at in season split N aplpications, but hope to include upfront as a treatment for the year ahead. What is encouraging is that there is a clear change in attitude amongst many of the farmers we have been working with. This has been demonstrated through a greater willingness to undertake leaf and petiole testing and a reduction in total N use on some farms.

The plan is to get this years results out to industry quicker, but in the meantime the results of the 2013/14 trial are summarised in this Spotlight article