Revised Teagasc Green Book published – Major and Micro Nutrient Advice for Productive Agricultural Crops – New nutrient advice for grass-clover swards.
Promoting good soil fertility and nutrient management advice for increased farm productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of Teagasc activities. The Teagasc Green Book of Major and Micro Nutrient Advice for Productive Agricultural Crops has been revised this year and provides up to date cutting-edge information for farmers, advisors, agronomists and the wider agricultural industry, backed by the latest research and science.
Teagasc Director, Professor Gerry Boyle said; “Making better use of soil nutrients is good for farm productivity and good for the environment. The Teagasc publication ‘Major and Micro Nutrient Advice for Productive Agricultural Crops’, brings together the latest research and science available, to guide farmers, advisors and agronomists on how to maintain their production through more efficient use of nutrients, while at the same time protecting and enhancing the environment.”
The publication of the revised Teagasc Green Book (5th Edition) includes tables for nitrogen fertiliser advice for different livestock and cropping systems and different levels of productivity (e.g. stocking rates and yield levels) (Sections 12 – 20). This advice supports increased N use efficiency on farms in line with the Teagasc, Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC’s) for reducing greenhouse gas and ammonia gas emissions from agriculture, while also protecting water quality.
According to Dr David Wall, senior researcher on soil fertility and nutrient efficiency at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle; “The revised Teagasc Green Book has been updated with new nutrient advice for grass-clover based on the latest research optimised for Irish conditions. By adopting this nutrient advice on farms and selecting the right fertiliser product or organic manure, and applying it at the right rate and right time in the right place will provide a basis for improving production, profitability and environmental sustainability on Irish farms”.
The revised Teagasc Green Book provides holistic advice for developing sustainable and efficient nutrient management plans on farms and for the use of key nutrient management strategies, including optimising soil fertility and soil pH (sections 6, 7 & 8), low emission slurry spreading (section 9), use of protected-urea N fertiliser sources etc. (section 10) for increasing N use efficiency on farms. This revised advice has been implemented through the sustainable fertiliser planner within the Teagasc Nutrient Management Planning (NMP) On-line system (section 5).
Mark Plunkett, Teagasc Soil & Plant Nutrition specialist said: “The new edition of the Teagasc Green Book will equip farmers and their advisors with the latest nutrient advice and ensure applied nutrients as either organic, or chemical fertilisers, are balanced with the nutrient requirements of the soil and crops being produced. Optimising soil fertility, starting with soil pH is now more important than ever to ensure both the economic and environmental sustainability of farming systems”.
The Teagasc Major and Micro Nutrient Advice for Productive Agricultural Crops is available here Major & micro nutrient advice for productive agricultural crops
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Article from https://www.teagasc.ie/news–events/news/2020/revisedteagascgreenbook.php
