Plant Health Insights

Augmenting Crop Nutrition with Maritime Kelp-Based Technology

[fa icon="calendar'] 9/02/23 posted in Maritime

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Maritime is a kelp-based product that can be utilised to augment a balanced crop nutrition system. One way it does this is by enhancing a plant's ability to tolerate abiotic stresses such as cold temperatures, dry conditions or salinity from applied fertilisers.

In the example from a greenhouse trial below, the ability of Maritime to assist plants in tolerating drought stress was tested by withdrawing water at the two true-leaf stage from plants grown with either water only (control) or water and Maritime. Compared to the water control, plants grown with the Maritime treatment had a better ability to tolerate acute water stress. 

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Wheat Yield Increase with Basis XC

[fa icon="calendar'] 10/11/21 posted in Wheat, Basis XC

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In a wheat trial harvested earlier this year, utilisation of Basis XC on granular fertiliser led to a wheat yield increase compared to untreated fertiliser.

The wheat variety was Suntop. Basis XC was applied at 2 litres per tonne to Granulock Z fertiliser. Both the treated and untreated fertiliser was applied at 65 kg per hectare.

Frosted conditions were experienced at flowering due to the site elevation. At harvest, wheat grown with the untreated fertiliser yielded 1.65 tonnes/ha while wheat from the Basis XC-treated part of the paddock yielded 2.04 tonnes/ha, a yield increase of +0.39 tonnes/ha. 

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Hear Farmer Stories in Last Stand, a New Film About Agriculture

[fa icon="calendar'] 19/10/21 posted in Foundation LM, Corporate & Community, Basis XC

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During the 2020 growing season, Agricen Australia's sister company in the United States, Agricen, hired a film crew to document the experiences of growers from four different farm operations. The result is Last Stand, a movie that follows some of America's top farmers as they try to grow the highest yields possible in a season full of challenges.

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[Watch] Building the Best Foundation for Horticultural Crops Webinar

[fa icon="calendar'] 5/08/20 posted in Foundation LM, Hort Crops, Webinars

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Our recent webinar, "Building the Best Foundation for Horticultural Crops," is now available to watch online. The webinar discusses agronomic practices that can help enhance horticultural production systems. 

During the webinar, you'll hear from our guest speaker, Dr. Doris Blaesing of RMCG. Dr. Blaesing is a tree physiology and orchard management expert who provides an overview of soil health, root development, nutrient availability and water availability in relation to orchard crop nutrition.

You'll also hear from Dr. Brian Cornelious of Agricen, who explains how Foundation LM can help improve the performance of horticultural crops, including both permanent crops and short-season crops.

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Basis XC Gives VIC Farmer's Crops a Better Start, Year After Year

[fa icon="calendar'] 14/06/20 posted in Forage/Pasture, Basis XC

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In 2017, a Nutrien Ag Solutions customer near Shepparton, Victoria, first tried Basis XC on his starter fertiliser. Today, all of the starter fertiliser on his farm gets treated with Basis XC, a biocatalyst technology that can be applied onto granular fertilisers to enhance nutrient efficiency. 

Our farm has good background nutrition in the soil, so I decided to compare straight DAP at our usual rate of 85kg/ha to DAP treated with Basis XC at 80kg/ha," said the grower, who is a cropper and oaten hay producer. 

By slightly reducing the rate of the Basis XC-treated fertiliser in that initial trial, he felt he could better and more easily compare the two applications dollar for dollar.

Early observations of the trial showed that plants had a bigger root system, with many more finer root hairs, where Basis XC was used on the starter fertiliser. Moreover, these observations were backed up by yield results. 

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Basis XC Enhances MAP Fertiliser Application in Spring Wheat Trial

[fa icon="calendar'] 26/04/20 posted in Wheat, Basis XC

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In this Nutrien Ag Solutions wheat trial, MAP fertiliser was treated with Basis XC to test its ability to influence nutrient availability and uptake from the granular fertiliser application. Basis XC was applied on the MAP fertiliser at 2L/tonne. The treated MAP was then applied in the paddock at the same rate as untreated MAP (30kg/ha).

At harvest, treating MAP with Basis XC led to a wheat yield increase of +108kg/ha compared to untreated fertiliser. 

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Maximising Nutrient Use Efficiency in Cropping & Pasture Systems

[fa icon="calendar'] 15/04/20 posted in Foundation LM, Wheat, Forage/Pasture, Basis XC

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Our latest webinar, "Maximising Nutrient Use Efficiency in Cropping & Pasture Systems of Australia," is now available to watch online.

During this on-demand webinar, you will learn:

  • How fertiliser inputs break down and cycle in the soil after application, including the role played by soil microbiology
  • How efficiently fertiliser inputs are taken up by the crop
  • How two technologies - Basis XC and Foundation LM - can have a positive influence on fertiliser practices and maximise yield potential in agronomic programs
  • Recent results with Basis XC in cropping and pasture trials
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Improving Feed Quality by Increasing Pasture Nutrient Uptake

[fa icon="calendar'] 15/03/20 posted in Plant Health & Nutrition, Forage/Pasture, Basis XC

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Applying Basis XC-treated single superphosphate (SSP) in dryland pasture considerably increased phosphorus and calcium uptake, a winter 2019 trial in the mid-southeast found, leading to improvements in feed quality.

Treated and untreated SSP was applied to dryland pasture, consisting of lucerne and annual grasses established on calcareous sands, prior to the break of the season (mid-April 2019). Tissue and feed quality tests were later taken on the 27th of August.

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Wheat Yield Improvement with Basis XC-Treated Starter Fertiliser

[fa icon="calendar'] 29/01/20 posted in Wheat, Basis XC

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In this wheat trial conducted last season in Murray Bridge, SA, treating MAP starter fertiliser with Basis XC improved wheat yield and showed a positive return on investment for the grower, even under dry conditions. 

Growing season rainfall was under 100 mm. The three treatments that were evaluated were:

  • 65kg/ha MAP
  • 75kg/ha MAP
  • 65kg/ha MAP + Basis XC
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How Do Microbes Affect Nitrogen Use Efficiency?

[fa icon="calendar'] 1/10/19 posted in Foundation LM, Ag Biologicals/Biostimulants, Soil

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Despite best practices, an estimated 40% to 50% of applied nitrogen is unavailable to the crop due to immobilisation by soil microorganisms or loss from the soil through denitrification or leaching. Although some soil microorganisms contribute to this nitrogen loss or immobilisation in the soil, others can enhance the availability or stability of nitrogen in the soil or even improve root growth and physiological functions, all of which can have a positive influence on nitrogen use efficiency. 

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