THE DEVELOPMENT OF SITE-SPECIFIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR SUSTAINABLE SUGARCANE PRODUCTION

The Australian sugar industry is under mounting pressure to minimise off-farm losses of nutrients and reduce its overall costs of production. This paper describes an approach to sustainable sugarcane production where soil and nutrient management guidelines are tailored to the specific properties of different soils. On farms where no soil or leaf analysis data are available, the approach has been to assist growers with identification of the different soils on their farms and to provide soil-specific management guidelines. Where soil and/or leaf analyses are available for cane blocks, guidelines have been developed for their interpretation based on a combination of crop yield potential, nutrient replacement and critical soil and leaf nutrient levels. This two-pronged approach is illustrated using examples from the Herbert and Bundaberg districts.