Profitable, low-emission nitrogen application strategies in Western Australian dryland cropping

Authors

Sud Kharel, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Christophe d'Abbadie, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Amir Abadi Ghadim, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Ross Kingwell, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

10-2024

Conference Title

Adaptive Agronomy for a Resilient Future

Place of Publication

Albany

Disciplines

Agricultural Science | Agronomy and Crop Sciences

Abstract

Purpose/Research Question(s):

Our goal is to find highly profitable, lower-emission nitrogen application approaches for dryland farming in Western Australia.

Method(s)

Simulation modelling is used to analyse gross margins and greenhouse gas emissions for nitrogen strategies in various land use sequences across a range of locations in Western Australia's grainbelt.

Findings

The study’s main finding is that there are preferred nitrogen (N) application strategies that consistently achieve high gross margins in crop production yet ensure emissions are relatively low or moderate. A useful strategy for a farmer is to evaluate the ratio of the price of nitrogen and grain and have a goal for N application that maximises the gross margin. While the gains in gross margins and emission reductions from altering N application strategies may appear small at a paddock level, those changes when replicated over the 9 million hectares of crops in the study region, annually deliver significant improvement. Further, when summed over many years of crop production, these seemingly minor improvements can lead to substantial additional profits and emission savings for the agricultural region. The study also concludes that very high or very low N application rates are inferior strategies. The better options are to apply 50 or 75 kg N/crop ha, depending on the farm location, for economic and environmental reasons.

Implications

Choosing nitrogen application strategies that are both highly profitable and which result in lower emissions throughout the study area can lead to significant economic and environmental advantages.

Recommended Citation

Kharel, S, d'Abbadie, C, Abadi Ghadim, A, and Kingwell, R. (2024), Profitable, low-emission nitrogen application strategies in Western Australian dryland cropping, Adaptive Agronomy for a Resilient Future, Albany.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/conf_papers/263