Soil Wealth ICP trials smart nutrient management

Cover crops, nutrient use efficiency and crop health were the key topics of discussion at a Soil Wealth ICP demonstration site farm walk at Butler Market Gardens in Skye, Victoria in May.

Butler Market Gardens produces spring onions, herbs and a range of Asian vegetables on a site dominated by sandy loam soils, which – as a result of the intensive cropping regime typical for market gardens – are generally lacking in organic matter and overall soil health and structure.

The Soil Wealth ICP team has been working with the business to trial ways to effectively manage nutrients at the site, and to improve soil nitrogen cycling and organic matter retention. This has included the use of nitrogen-fixing cover crops such as legumes, with a view to ultimately reduce the use of synthetic fertilisers on the farm.

The trial is using plant and soil testing as well as in-field monitoring to understand nutrient uptake and balance and reduce nitrogen losses.

Nutrient management – and the trial’s firm focus on cover crops – are topics which all horticultural growers can benefit from, so take a look at the trial and results and see what translates for your grove. You can find the key takeaways from the farm walk here, along with in-depth findings from the trial in the case study. There’s also a video with additional insights from Butler Market Gardens operations manager Dale Creed and Soil Wealth ICP team member Camilla Humphries here.

The Soil Wealth ICP project (MT22004) is funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable and melon research and development levies and contributions from the Australian Government.