791-028 Fertiliser Management & Precision Farm

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Agricultural Chemistry III or Soil and Water Resource Management

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

The objectives of this subject are to enable students to: appreciate the role and direction of the fertiliser industry in Australia; compare fertiliser use overseas with Australian practices; evaluate strategies to maintain or improve soil fertility; gain an understanding of nutrient budgets and maintenance inputs; gain exposure to the hardware and software used in precision farming; understand how precision farming could impact on Australian farming; interpret soil test reports and make fertiliser recommendations.

Issues that will be covered include: declining soil fertility and its impact on yields and quality will be analysed form a productivity and environmental view; a review of current fertiliser practices in Australia and overseas; methods of determining nutrient requirements for crops and pastures; nutrient budgeting and strategies to improve fertiliser use efficiency; assessment of potential environmental problems associated with fertiliser usage; including nutrient leeching and run-off, soil salinity and soil acidification; critical appraisal of alternatives to high input farming including low input farming, organic and alternative farming; equipment used in precision farming and fertiliser application.

Assessment

Class participation (50%), assignment (25%), class presentation (25%).