Improving the delivery of information on crop K needs

With harvest under way for most WMG members, we continue to supplement our in-field activities with report writing and data analysis. The current activities in the K Extension Project are to collate the results of this year’s stubble, soil, and plant testing and present them back to the host farmers after harvest. Funded by GRDC, the K Extension Project is a three-year project, focused on supporting discussion around potassium management and developing nutrient management strategies that will maximise yield potential.

We recently met with DPIRD Senior Research Scientist Craig Scanlan to discuss our progress in developing our farm potassium budgets. Craig is recognised as an expert in crop nutrition and nutrient cycling and has presented on multiple occasions at WMG events. Craig’s knowledge and insights helped us to better understand the data that has been collected so far, work through the complexities of potassium cycling, and double-check our calculations. For myself (an animal science graduate) it was invaluable to ask questions about how soil moisture, soil compaction or pH could be affecting potassium plant uptake.

The next activities for this project is to transform complex data into accessible, practical knowledge for our host farmers. There is a large dataset associated with this project now, so there are a lot of possibilities for how best to communicate this data. For most, large spreadsheets are not always particularly interesting and exciting to look at, so we are working on a more visual and understandable way to talk about potassium nutrient management, the K Management Triangle. The triangle explores three main points of potassium management: soil testing, plant nutrition and potassium budgeting, and how these interact with each other. Rather than just a large set of numbers on an excel spreadsheet, the triangle should help conversations with producers around these topics more intuitive and hopefully, less boring.

In conversations around crop nutrition, potassium is often eclipsed by nitrogen. This project is looking to create opportunities for growers to delve deeper into their K management strategies. Keep an eye on this space for updates in the K Extension Project in 2024, especially as demonstration and trial sites are set-up for next year. If you are interested in this project, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0459 353 840 or at projects@wmgroup.org.au.   

Melanie Dixon
Mixed Farming Systems Officer, WMG