Future proofing vegetable production requires ongoing rapid change in farm practice to meet cost pressures and increasingly stringent demands from regulators and markets for enhanced environmental performance and water quality.
It would not be easy but with support from the MPI Sustainable Farming Fund, industry and regional councils, we went on quite a journey.
LandWISE partnered with growers and our funders to develop and test new production techniques. The project drew on and supplements other research to develop new generation good management practices.
We had four main areas of focus:
- precise nutrient prescription (how much is required)
- precise application (is it going where it is needed when it is needed)
Ensuring the prescribed rate of fertiliser is applied - maximising retention (ensuring leaching is minimised)
- recapturing nitrates that move beyond the root zone (constructed wetlands and wood-chip bioreactors)
Installing a wood-chip bioreactor (Lincoln Agritech image)
We drew on previous LandWISE work including On-Farm Fertiliser Calibration, Arawhata Sediment and Drainage, and other groups’ projects including current research on quick tests for soil nitrate, fluxmeter monitoring of leaching and the use of wood-chip bioreactors to strip nitrate from drainage water.
The research side was supported with considerable extension and training. We were aware that numerous computer based decision support tools have been developed but identified that many growers need considerable support and upskilling to have the knowledge, capability and experience to effectively use them.
This project was funded by the Ministry of Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Fund, Horizons Regional Council, Gisborne District Council, Ballance AgriNutrients, PotatoesNZ, Vegetable Growers and LandWISE.
