The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) has announced a $9.3 million investment through its Efficient Fertilizer Consortium in 12 research projects on nutrient-use efficiency. The teams — universities, government agencies and industry — are to study how nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers can be used more efficiently while holding yields and cutting losses to the environment.

"Growers need robust, science-backed guidance for practical solutions that improve nutrient use efficiency in real-world conditions that reflect their own farming practices," said Sarah Lyons, FFAR scientific programme manager. Many of the projects combine enhanced-efficiency fertilisers with established practices such as cover cropping and nutrient stewardship; others look at biofertilisers, nutrient movement, placement methods and ways to reduce losses, across soil types, climates and cropping systems. All follow common field-trial guidelines drawn up with academia, government, commodity groups and the fertiliser industry so that results are comparable and credible.

The largest grant, $1,665,571, goes to Sander Bruun at the University of Copenhagen to study how enhanced-efficiency fertilisers and cover crops together can raise nitrogen-use efficiency and productivity in both Europe and North America. Two Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada projects are funded — Craig Drury ($316,635) on fertilisers combined with placement, conservation tillage and cover crops, and Benjamin Ellert ($999,984) on how effectively applied nitrogen moves into the crop — and Ran Erel at Israel's Volcani Institute receives $999,969 for nitrogen and phosphorus technologies in irrigated dryland rotations.

In the United States the awards go to Kansas State (Dorivar Ruiz Diaz, $753,348), Penn State (Charles White, $125,540, biofertilisers under rainfall simulation), Purdue (Daniel Quinn, $844,626, Midwestern corn), the University of Arizona (Pedro Andrade Sanchez, $544,861, nitrogen in irrigated desert soils), the University of Illinois (Andrew Margenot, $768,669, tile-drained corn; John Jones, $843,102, phosphorus runoff and leaching across three Midwestern states), the University of Tennessee (Nutifafa Adotey, $465,332, nitrogen balances in corn–soybean rotations) and Virginia Tech (William Frame, $969,120, southern cropping systems).

Cotton Incorporated is among the crop organisations backing the consortium. "Efficient fertilizer use is an important area of research for Cotton Incorporated because it has implications for both grower profitability and environmental stewardship," said Jesse Daystar, its vice president and chief sustainability officer. The consortium's aim is practical recommendations that let farmers optimise fertiliser use while balancing productivity and environmental goals.

Source: Farms.com