CCC macadamia nutrient research published in DPI grower guides

The Clean Coastal Catchments (CCC) Research project’s latest findings on macadamia crop nutrient replacement values have been published in two new Department of Primary Industries grower guides:

This CCC research project has helped to develop information that will deliver more targeted nutrition to different macadamia varieties while supporting healthy nut crops.

More efficient and targeted fertiliser use means less nutrients are likely to wash off orchards into coastal waterways. Efficient fertiliser use also benefits growers through lower production costs.

“Efficient fertiliser use relies on getting the key pillars of integrated orchard management right,” explained Jeremy Bright.

“For example, if a key pillar such as orchard drainage is broken, fertilisers applied to the orchard may be washed away through poorly managed water flows after rainfall.”

“However, if the drainage management pillar is repaired, there is a better chance for the crop nutrient replacement values to match the actual needs of the orchard, as the applied nutrition will stay in place. This should lead to a more efficient nutrient delivery program and reduced fertiliser use.”

The CCC crop nutrient replacement information summarised in the new DPI grower guides, complements the Integrated Orchard Management (IOM) recommendations also contained in these publications.

The Macadamia growers guide – Part 1 provides a framework for building a healthy orchard using soil and tree monitoring to support decisions about:

correcting soil pH
building organic matter
implementing effective drainage
replacing nutrients and correcting imbalances

The Macadamia growers guide – Part 2 offers more detailed advice on:

refining orchard foundation practices
making more use of monitoring information
investigating the causes of nutrient disorders in trees
managing nutrition and soil health
increasing fertility and productivity over the life of the orchard

The DPI Macadamia grower guides have been produced and published with funding from the Hort Innovation Macadamia Fund as part of the ‘Macadamia digital growers guide’ (MC19001) project.

The next step for CCC macadamia researchers is to investigate whether enhancing soil health through the addition of soil amendments such as woodchips, composts, and manures can reduce chemical fertiliser inputs.

The CCC Research project is funded through the NSW Government’s Marine Estate Management Strategy. The ten-year Strategy was developed by the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority to coordinate the management of the marine estate.