Fertiliser Essentials is a deep dive into the importance of fertiliser management to a successful farming enterprise. Whether your primary business is cropping, grazing, or horticulture... there is something for you. Whether you use manufactured or natural fertilisers... there is something for you. And whether you apply fertilisers using a tractor or a drone... there is something for you. Fertiliser Essentials is the quintessential reference work for fertiliser use in Australia in the early 21st Century. Beautifully designed and extensively referenced, it is a must-read for anyone working or interested in modern agriculture. In full colour and 224 pages.
Originally produced in the mid 1990s, Fertiliser Essentials is the fifth edition of this seminal publication. The fifth edition is divided into four sections:
1. Soils and fertilisers
2. Major elements
3. Micronutrients and natural fertilisers
4. Equipment, precision and calculations
The aims of the book are:
· to give land managers a basic knowledge of the principles of fertiliser use
· to show how these principles can be used in growing crops and pastures. The book covers some horticultural and viticultural topics, but these are not dealt with in detail
· to examine the environmental effects of fertilisers
· to briefly introduce alternatives to traditional fertiliser strategies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 1 Soils and fertilisers
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Safety
Chapter 3. Understanding fertiliser terms
Chapter 4. Soil testing
Chapter 5. Healthy soils and nutrient management
Chapter 6. Acid soils and the pH connection
Chapter 7. Plant nutrition
Chapter 8. Possible crop nutrition problems
Part 2 major elements
Chapter 9. The major element Nitrogen
Chapter 10. Nitrogen in pastures
Chapter 11. Nitrogen for crops
Chapter 12. The major element Phosphorus
Chapter 13. Phosphorus for pastures
Chapter 14. Phosphorus for crops
Chapter 15. The major element Potassium
Chapter 16. The major element Sulfur
Part 3 micronutrients and natural fertilisers
Chapter 17. Micronutrients
Chapter 18. The micronutrient Molybdenum
Chapter 19. The micronutrient Boron
Chapter 20. The micronutrient Zinc
Chapter 21. The micronutrient Selenium
Chapter 22. The micronutrient Cobalt
Chapter 23. The micronutrient Copper
Chapter 24. The micronutrient Manganese
Chapter 25. The micronutrient chlorine
Chapter 26. The micronutrient Iron
Chapter 27. Naturally-derived fertilisers
Part 4 equipment, precision and calculations
Chapter 28. Application equipment
Chapter 29. Precision Agriculture
Chapter 30. Calculating fertiliser costs and rates
Chapter 31. Scenarios
Chapter 32. Nutrient program checklist
Glossary
Appendix 1. Managing work health and safety (WHS) risks
Appendix 2. Relative tolerance of various crops and pastures to acid soils
Appendix 3. Relative tolerance of crops and pastures to soil salinity
Appendix 4. Fertiliser manufacturer product card
Appendix 5. Nutrient removal by crops#
Appendix 6 Legume inoculant groups
Appendix 7. Bout width and application rate
Appendix 8. Industry organisations
Appendix 9. Record templates
