Foliar nutrition survey and management implications for young Blue gum plantations
Specifications
- Client: MBAC Consulting Group
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Scope:
Using standard foliar protocols, foliar sampling was undertaken of E. globulus (Blue gum) plantations throughout Tasmania, Victoria, South-Australia and Western Australia to assess nutritional health of plantations, and to identify which plantations could economically benefit from supplementary fertiliser applications, and those which would not yield a return on investment. Nutritional health was assessed by a number of methods including:
- visual symptomatic analysis
- laboratory analysis
- threshold analysis
- regression analysis
- discussion on importance of plant nutrition
- review of plant nutrition practice
- recommendations for remedial nutrient applications and estimated costs
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Challenge:
Plantations temporarily unmanaged due to liquidation of the management company required evaluation to determine the value of additional investment to maintain and improve investor returns.
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Solution:
Verterra developed a field assessment procedure, supported by laboratory analysis of foliar nutrition, to rapidly and efficiently provide a quantitative assessment of expected plantation response to fertiliser application. The approach merged forest economics into a simple prescription for the plantations assessed. The approach enabled assessment of 126 sampling points over 30 properties and three states in 10 days.
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Benefit to Client:
This study formed part of an expert witness report that provided the client with a rapid assessment of a cross section of the subject plantations, and an overview of overall estate nutritional health to support evaluation of both prior management effectiveness, and potential to economically improve future productivity.
- Market Sector: Renewable resources - agriculture, grazing and forestry
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Capabilities:
- Forest and fodder crops
- General land, water and vegetation technical services
- Project commercial services
- Location: Australia
- Year: 2011