Improved nutrient management delivers for sugarcane growers and the environment

Sugarcane growers have saved on average $100 per hectare after participating in the Cane to Creek Project, which was delivered by Sugar Research Australia (SRA) and co-funded by SRA and the Australian Government’s Reef Trust Partnership and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

As well as financial benefits to growers, the program also delivered environmental benefits, achieving a 10 per cent reduction in dissolved inorganic nitrogen runoff and drainage.

Cane to Creek worked with 74 growers in priority catchments in the wet and dry tropics of the Far North Queensland and Herbert regions to build their knowledge on how their nutrient and pesticide management practices affect on-farm productivity and off-farm water quality.

Over two years, until June 2021, Cane to Creek focused on local, specific issues with each grower, addressing their concerns and helping them adopt best practice nutrient and pesticide management.

The Cane to Creek team implemented 40 nutrient demonstrations that showed growers how improved nutrient management led to a reduction in dissolved inorganic nitrogen run-off with no loss to productivity.

The team also demonstrated herbicide efficacy and loss, pesticide placement, irrigation practice and the use of sediment traps to reduce losses from farm, showing growers how to better manage chemicals to reduce pesticide concentrations in run-off.

The improvements in chemical application included using the stewardship framework to enhance their chemical selection, reducing the use of residuals and banding, and applying residuals in zones to only target areas with weeds.

Overall, the improved farming practices meant that growers achieved savings, on average, of $100 per hectare and delivered improved environmental outcomes.