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.

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Effect of breeding for lowered cadmium concentrations in chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) on foliar micronutrient concentrations

Jim R Crush & Lily Ouyamg, AgResearch Ruakura, Hamilton, Greig Cousins, PGGWrightson Seeds, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North
Completed October 2019

Introduction

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is being used increasingly as a summer livestock feed option. It has been shown to take up soil cadmium (Cd) into the leaf, and there is heritable variation in leaf Cd concentrations. The plant growth rate and Cd concentration are not linked which means it is possible to breed for vigorous chicory growth with reduced foliar Cd. There is no information available on the effects of selection of chicory for leaf Cd on the concentrations of micronutrients that are important for plant or animal health. This report examines the concentrations of essential trace elements: iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), selenium (Se) and iodine (I), measured in chicory plants previously selected for either high or low foliar Cd, and progeny lines from crossings within the high and low Cd populations.

The study was jointly commissioned by the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and the Ministry of Primary Industries.

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

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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.

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Phosphorus Use Guidance Note

23 September 2020

New Phosphorus Use Guidance Note that clearly explains why we need to manage phosphorus losses and why we need to build on the international principles of the '4 Rs' for good management of nutrients.

Overseer FM now includes the beneficial effects of Plantain

9 September 2020

Through a comprehensive research programme -- Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) -- OverseerFM has been updated to include the diuretic response in animals as a result of consuming plantain.

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