Nitrogen Use Patterns

November 15, 2011

Nitrogen Use Patterns

The application of nitrogen fertiliser on New Zealand farms has settled over the past five years.

In the November edition of Fertiliser Matters, the fertiliser industry’s newsletter, its Technical Director, Dr Philip Mladenov, said that use of nitrogen peaked in the 2004-05 season at 355,000 tonnes but since then has fluctuated between 300,000 and 340,000 tonnes a year.

“Starting in the 1990s nitrogen use in New Zealand increased significantly in order to meet the demands of more intensive farming systems responding to world demand for food.

“While there is still a perception that nitrogen use continues to rise dramatically year on year, use statistics demonstrates this has not been the case over the past five years.

“Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth and an important resource that is used strategically in pastoral agriculture to achieve targeted pasture production to ensure reliable feed supply for livestock.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media