More Profit from Nitrogen - Nitrogen use efficiency indicators for the Australian cotton, sugar, dairy & horticulture industries

This project looked at nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) indicators across the four industries of cotton, dairy, horticulture and sugarcane. Nitrogen is essential for plant growth and is vital in producing high yielding, quality crops, produce and pasture. Calculating the optimum amount to apply is difficult for producers as the N cycle is complex and there are regional uncertainties associated with the contribution of mineralisation in the soil, the decomposition of organic matter that releases N contained in those compounds into forms that are plant-accessible. This project defined NUE and standardised cross-sector terminology. It identified a suite of cross-sector NUE indicators that are relevant to, and can be used to communicate, research findings from the More Profit from Nitrogen Program.