Field trials across three key Australian grain growing regions have delivered the most comprehensive trial data to date showing the “significant influence” of nutrient efficiency bio-stimulant Utrisha N® on crop yield.
The three large-scale wheat trials in Corrigan, Esperance (Western Australia) and Cummins (South Australia) were designed and analysed by Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI). AAGI is a collaboration between Curtin University, the University of Adelaide, the University of Queensland and Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC).
Each trial was conducted in approximately six-hectare plots. Treatment of Utrisha N was accompanied with three-to-four levels of nitrogen (from zero to 150 per cent normal treatment) and compared to variable nitrogen treatments alone. Advanced spatial analysis using harvest pixels allowed researchers to isolate treatment impacts from natural soil variation, providing a robust assessment rarely seen in commercial field trials.
The AAGI reports found across all three trials that Utrisha N had a statistically significant impact on crop yield.
“The analysis revealed that level of nitrogen application, the use of Utrisha N and the interaction of the two factors all significantly influence crop yield,” the Corrigin trial report said.
Similar findings were reported following the trials in Esperance and Cummins.
Corteva Agriscience Customer Technology Specialist Justin Mercy said the trials were setting a new standard in research in biologicals.
“We were able to get a level of granularity in these trials that is quite rare, especially in the relatively new field of biologicals,” Justin said.
“Traditional trials might rely on five or six data points. In contrast, these trials analysed between 1604 and 2836 data points, allowing us to separate the effects of varying soil types across the sites. The outcome is a much clearer picture of how Utrisha N performs in the real world.”
Corteva Agriscience Marketing Manager Dan Cornally said the results demonstrated how this innovative, foliar-applied nitrogen-fixing product can contribute to improved nutrient efficiency and productivity in both low- and high-input systems.
“At both the Corrigin and Esperance sites, the addition of Utrisha N resulted in higher median or predicted yield across several nitrogen rates,” Dan said.
Importantly for growers, Dan said it pointed to a positive return on investment. “These three trials were run in a drier than normal season and we saw positive yield results across the nitrogen dose curve in all three.”
These results give us confidence that Utrisha N can be another tool in the shed, especially where late nitrogen application is inefficient or not possible due to weather.”
Justin said the independent design and analysis behind the trials were key to validating Utrisha N’s performance.
Graph showing significant yield increase when Utrisha N was applied with four different nitrogen rates in Esperance, WA.
“Using a clustered linear mixed model approach allows us to account for spatial variation, which is the “gold standard” of farmscale research,” he said.
“We deliberately asked for a more rigorous scientific approach – not just paddock averages but a pixel-level understanding of what’s really happening across soil zones.
“That meant capturing and analysing harvest data at a much higher resolution. Paired data points on the same soil type were compared rather than averaging all the data points and assuming the paddocks soil was uniform across the paddock.”
This article was written by Corteva for Seasons magazine.
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