Canegrowers SugarSmart

NutriFert Australia Wholly Australian owned company and Queensland based Specialists in Soil Health, Plant Nutrition and Fertiliser Efficiency Supply Technical Services and Key Products development and supply into high value cropping systems Internal Research and Development capabilities World wide linkages into emerging Plant Nutrition advances

Nutrient Efficiency Nutrifert programs are developed with a key focus on increasing nutrient efficiency. Products aimed to improve both the soils and plants ability to retain and utilize nutrients. This approach will deliver better returns per unit of fertilizer applied while reducing the impact of vital crop

nutrients being leached into the environment

Key Distribution Partner

• A balanced single pass fertiliser and soil amendment designed as an all-in-one application in sugarcane.

• sugarSmart™ delivers your key N-P-K-S elements plus the proven benefits of available silicon, carbon and calcium.

• Applying sugarSmart™ will address the deficiencies in pH, Soil Organic Carbon and Available Silicon found in our typical sugarcane soils.

• Blends based on current practice products eg CK140s / Nitra K s / 151OR

• Full prescription blends based on soil testing (AgSmart Service)

SINGLE PASS FERTILISER + SOIL AMENDMENT

Prescription Blends to suit soil requirements and yield targets


Typical Analysis (%) N P K S Ca Mg Fe Mn Si Organic Carbon

Organic Matter Humic Acid

Sugar Smart Ratooner # 1 15.09 1.30 11.89 2.48 5.85 0.32 0.20 0.03 4.20 2.61 4.50 3.50

Sugar Smart Ratooner # 2 16.13 1.89 10.46 2.03 5.85 0.32 0.20 0.03 4.20 2.61 4.50 3.50

The sugarSmart™ ratooner applied at 1000kg/ha delivers the equivalent of…

650 kg/ha N:P:K:S base fert2 tonne/ha* Liming Agent1 tonne/ha* Calcium Silicate 15 tonne/ha*^ Composted Manure

… all in one single pass!• Approximate • ^ Humic Acid Equivalent

Key Components of Sugar Smart Blends

N-P-K-S granules (plus trace elements if required)

base nutrition for the crop

OZCAL Liming Agent granules (local production)

superfine agricultural Lime less than 100 microns

97 % naturalising value and equivalent to 25% standard Liming rates

Amorsil MAX granules (local production)

High concentration of Plant Available Silicon

Nutrient and water absorption propertiesSoil structure improvement

Humisol SG granules (local production)

Highly concentrated Humic Acid

Effectively raises soil Organic Carbon levels1 kilograms equivalent to 30 tonnes manure


Nutrifert Sugar Products

N – P – K - S

Trace Elements

Organic Carbon

Silicon

Lime

Humic Acid

Sugarcane – improved silicon nutrition has been shown to:

• Increase the vigour and growth (darker green foliage) of cane (Ayres, 1965)

• Increase in plant height and weight, stem diameter and number of millable stalks

• Reduce lodging

• Increase sugar yield (Berthelsen et al, 2003; Ayres, 1965)

• Increase the plant’s tolerance to cold conditions (Savant et al, 1999)

• Increase tolerance to drought (Savant et al, 1999)

• Increase water economy by reducing leaf transpiration (Savant et al, 1999)

• Alleviate frost damage (Hodson and Sangster, 2002)

• Reduce leaf freckling (Elawad et al, 1982)

• Reduce sugarcane rust and sugarcane ringspot (Matichenkov and Calvert, 2002)

• Reduce toxicity of elements such as Mn, Fe and Al to roots

• Neutralise soil acidity (for silicate application) with a beneficial effect on microbial activity and the

• release of organically bound N, P and S

• Improve P nutrition (availability and solubility) (Berthelsen et al, 2003)



Figure 1: demonstrates that as the amount of Si taken up by the sugarcane increases, so does the yield of millable stalks.

Figure 1: From Berthelsen et al (2003): Correlation of cane yield (t/ha) of the first ratoon crop against the concentration of Si (%) in the TVD (top visible dewlap) leaf collected at approximately 7 months.

Sugarcane – Liming Efficiency

Nutrient availability with soil pH

Conventional price Liming once per crop cycle – large particle sizing and release over 3-6 months


- Granulated super fine lime- < 75 micron particle size- Highly reactive- Low dose rates- Blends with NPKS fertilisers


Fertiliser blend components and effect on soil acidity


Fertiliser Reaction Speed Effect pH

Sulphate Ammonia rapid very acid

Urea rapid slight acid

MAP rapid acid

DAP rapid acid

Muriate Potash rapid neutral

Sulphate Potash rapid neutral

Sulphur slow acid


Acidic Zone

NH4 converts to NO3

releases H+

Acidification Zone

Acidic Zone

Acidic Zone



Plant

Plant

Rat 1

Rat 4Rat 3Rat 2Rat 1

Rat 2 Rat 3 Rat 4

Rat 5

Rat 5

pH 5.5

pH 5.5

Conventional Lime program

sugarSmart Lime program

Sugarcane – Organic Carbon

Organic carbon is essential in all soils for• Nutrient retention• Water holding• Chelating micronutrients• Organic root growth hormones

Traditional organic carbon sources are composts / manures / green crops etcHowever little to no Organic Carbon remains after microbial breakdown due to metabolism in the soil hence organic carbon levels are not improved

Humisol SG is a high concentration if Humic Acid which are highly stable organic carbon molecules that have developed over eons of time prior to coal formation and are extremely resilient and stable.

Humic SG has been shown to increase soil organic carbon levels

1 kg Humic SG is equivalent to 30 tonnes manures in organic carbon supply


Sugarcane – Organic Carbon


Plant Rat 1 Rat 2 Rat 3 Rat 4 Rat 5

Soil Organic Carbon build programs

0.5%

2.0%

1.5%

1.0%

Soil

Org

anic

Car

bon 2.5%

Optimal

Compost/Manure Humisol SG

- 70 % plus organic matter- CEC > 50 meq/100g- High stable humic & fulvic acids- Improved nutrient and water holding abilities- Root growth hormones

Collection of soil test by trained staff

Chain protection sample integrity

Analysis of sample and reporting

Interpretation (6 easy steps)

Prescription blend NPKS + soil health components

Documents

Canegrowers SugarSmart