Craig and Anne Arnott: Family heritage continues to pay dividends
15 November 2017Review of current irrigation technologies
21 November 2017Anhydrous ammonia is a high nitrogen (82%) fertiliser, which is currently widely used in the cotton and grain industries in Australia. It is a product that needs to be handled correctly as there can be OH&S issues. Anhydrous ammonia is applied using specialised equipment, which could be a barrier to use by vegetable growers. Supply locations are focused around grain and cotton production areas. Anhydrous was found to have beneficial effects on soil microbes, nitrifying bacteria and worms. Anhydrous ammonia is converted in the soil initially to ammonium, which can be held in soils and resist leaching.
There was very little research found on the use of anhydrous ammonia in vegetable crops in Australia. AHR reports on an observational trial comparing the use of anhydrous ammonia to calcium nitrate as a source of nitrogen on baby spinach on a commercial farm Cowra, NSW.
The review found there is potential for anhydrous ammonia to be used as a source of nitrogen for vegetable crops but that it was more suited to row crops than crops such as baby leaf, which require more even distribution of nitrogen across the beds.