Feeding the world’s growing population

New Zealand’s reputation as a quality food producer is growing.

Optimising food production

Over the next 50 years farmers around the world will need to produce more food than has been grown over the past 10,000 years.

Best use from a limited resource

Fertiliser helps farmers produce food efficiently by replenishing the soil. But fertiliser needs to be used responsibly.

Responsible and sustainable nutrient management

The Fertiliser Association invests in research and tools to ensure farm profitability while minimising nutrient losses to the environment.

The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand promotes and encourages responsible and scientifically-based nutrient management.

Read more

Review reveals no notable difference between fertiliser application methods

There are no significant differences between pasture production achieved using urea applied as a fine particle when compared to a granular form, a recent review has shown.

Led by Jeff Morton and commissioned by the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand, the review critically examined the results from 22 fertiliser trials, mostly conducted in New Zealand, from as far back as 1954.

“We were seeking to find out whether fine particle application fertilisers (FPA) are more effective than solid granular fertilisers in producing pasture dry matter,” says Jeff. “This was in response to the recent resurgence in FPA, especially in Southland – a method that has been touted as having agronomic and environmental advantages over other fertilisers.”

Granular fertiliser is solid, whereas FPA – an application method largely unique to New Zealand – involves grinding the urea, mixing it with water and applying it as slurry. FPA has been claimed to achieve a 40-50% higher conversion of nitrogen (N) to pasture dry matter than granular urea. This has been attributed to factors such as a more even distribution and the potential for FPA to absorb N directly through foliage, thereby minimising soil losses.

“In the research literature we mostly found no statistically significant difference in pasture dry matter yield when fertilisers were applied in these two different ways,” says Jeff. “We also looked at the literature on liquid fertilisers – where the urea is ground and dissolved in water – and found no difference there either.”

While two trials showed FPA to work better than granular fertiliser, both studies used mini plots or glasshouse pots, with higher rates of nitrogen. “Our explanation of why it was better in this method of experimentation compared with field trials was that they were pouring a lot of liquid onto a very small area of leaf so it wasn’t similar to what would happen in the field.”

Other field trials which showed some extra benefit when using FPA did not have any statistical analysis to support the results.

“Overall, there is insufficient experimental evidence to support the application of fertilisers in the FPA form over the traditional granular form. “

Economic and environmental comparisons between fertiliser types were outside the scope of the review.

The full research report has been published in the New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research.


The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and Dairy NZ funded development of the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme (NMACP). This industry-wide certification aims to ensure that advisers have the learning, experience and capability to give sound nutrient advice.

Find out more

27 March 2024

FANZ is dedicated to funding research and developing New Zealand’s agricultural research capability by supporting PhD research such as the work of Massey University student Nicola Wilson who is undertaking research on ‘What Hot Water Extractable Carbon and Nitrogen can tell us about changes in labile soil Carbon and Nitrogen.’

1 March 2024

The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand recently updated its Fertiliser Use on New Zealand Dairy Farms booklet to ensure farmers get the best value from fertiliser applied and to align the advice with the Code of Practice for Fertiliser Nutrient Management.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Stay in touch with the latest fertiliser industry news and research

Sign up

MoST Content Management V3.0.8634