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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New published research relating to sustainable primary production

The Fertiliser Association is proud to support new research and peer reviewed publications on matters relating to sustainable primary production.

As a long-term supporter of PhD projects, we're pleased to see the publication of research undertaken by two Massey University students that the Association has supported through their studies.

Gere Thangavelautham recently completed his PhD research investigating the 'Impact of phosphate fertiliser derived fluorine on soil microbiology and white clover'. His research has now been published at can be read here: Fluorine and white clover: Assessing fluorine's impact on Rhizobium leguminosarum

It provides information about accumulation of soil fluorine, investigating the levels at which available fluorine may impact on the function of important soil microbes such as rhizobium, which helps make atmospheric nitrogen available to plants.

The findings are that negative effects of soil fluorine on microorganisms are not observed unless levels are many times higher than the typical levels found in our agricultural soils across New Zealand.

Find out more about Gere's research here.

Another student, Nilusha Ubeynarayana, has recently published information about differences in uptake of the element cadmium from soil, and its movement within the forage plants chicory and plantain. It analyses cadmium uptake from root to shoot!

Read it here: Effect of soil cadmium on root organic acid secretion by forage crop

Food standards set limits on cadmium in primary produce to protect human health. This new publication explains that for these animal forage species, the varieties which secrete different organic acids from their roots, will result in different levels of cadmium uptake. Understanding these mechanisms helps with breeding and selection programmes of these forage plants to reduce cadmium levels in agricultural produce and ultimately, the food chain.

Find out more about Nilusha's research here.

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.

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