The Government is co-investing in a $22 million programme aimed at significantly reducing agricultural greenhouse gases and nitrate leaching, Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says.
The Government has committed $7.3 million over seven years to the N-Vision NZ programme through the Ministry for Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFFutures) fund, O'Connor said.
Ravensdown is leading the programme and will contribute $11 million cash, with Lincoln University and Plant & Food Research providing research expertise.
Ravensdown and Lincoln University will also contribute in-kind funding to the value of $3.8 million.
The programme focuses on three technology streams, O'Connor said.
• N-Retain - a new nitrification inhibitor technology that will look at new ways to block the biological processes in the soil that lead to nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching.
• N-Test - a new soil test to inform nitrogen fertiliser decisions on pastoral farms, that will help capitalise on the nitrogen already in soil organic matter.
• N-Bio Boost - a fungal bio-inoculant to increase nitrogen use efficiency, which will examine how naturally occurring fungi boost the nitrogen efficiency of plants as another way to future-proof productivity.
"For our future, we need innovative tools and technologies to help farmers reduce nitrogen fertiliser use on pastoral farms while maintaining production and profitability," O'Connor said.
Ravensdown said N-Vision NZ would apply leading-edge science and technology to create tools that farmers could use on-farm.
Importantly, farmers will have options to maintain profitability while minimising the environmental impact of their land use, Ravensdown said.
O'Connor said the products and technologies developed through the N-Vision NZ programme will be made widely available under commercial terms.
"This will ensure that the environmental and economic benefits extend to the whole of New Zealand and not just Ravensdown's customers," he said.
New research harnesses soil fungus for environmental mitigation
N-Bio Boost would harness the power of humble natural strains of soil fungi to increase the efficiency of nitrogen use by plants, Ravensdown general manager of innovation and strategy Mike Manning said.
Lincoln University researchers have discovered natural strains of fungi that reduce the activity of specific microbes, which are involved with nitrogen cycling and losses, Manning said.
Dr Hossein Alizadeh of Lincoln University (left), Professor John Hampton of Lincoln University and GM innovation and strategy Ravensdown Mike Manning examine prills with fungi and coated seed with fungi. Photo / Supplied by Ravensdown
These nitrogen losses could occur as nitrate leaching through the soil, which had a potentially detrimental effect on waterways, and as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas emission, he said.
"Although it occurs naturally in pastoral soils at a relatively low level, the fungi can be applied to soil as either a prill or seed coating.
"Doing so increases the level of the fungi and therefore alters the nitrogen cycle to reduce nitrogen losses."
