growers@sgcotton.com.au Roger Tomkins - Greenmount Press

Nutrition
feature…
Nutrition knowledge and
software aids cotton growers
ExTENSIVE plant nutrition knowledge built up by specialist
liquid fertiliser manufacturer SLTEC is now finding its way
into the hands of cotton growers and consultants.
Until now the company’s main focus has been on the
intensive production systems found in various dairy, broadacre,
horticultural and glasshouse environments.
It’s gained a reputation across the south-eastern states for
providing in-depth agronomic advice which complements its
extensive range of liquid fertiliser solutions.
Director Jamie McMaster came to the company with wide
experience in the Australian fertiliser industry. He had also
previously conducted a major global consulting project for
Unilever focusing on sustainable agriculture.
“Right from the beginning I’ve made sure that we have highly
skilled agronomists on the team because in one sense developing
a range of specialised liquid fertiliser is the easy part.
“The really important bit is providing our clients – and their
advisers – with detailed advice on plant nutritional requirements.
They have to apply the right fertiliser at the right times to get the
right results.
“The intensive crops that we have been dealing with require
very careful attention to fertiliser requirements. You really need to
understand the soil and the climate along with the plant and its
nutritional requirements,” he said.
“Cotton is similarly demanding when it comes to plant
nutrition, so it’s been a logical move to apply our knowledge to
cotton growing.
“We’ve been doing quite a bit in the southern part of the
zone for a while now.”
Jamie said SLTEC Fertilizers had established a growing client
base of cotton growers in the Riverina through reseller MIA Rural.
“Roy Hosking covers a very large area from his Griffith base
but we also work through resellers up as far as Gunnedah and a
bit beyond.”
New tool for agronomists
As part of its campaign to provide growers with better advice,
SLTEC recently developed an innovative software package called
Balanced Agronomy.
It’s based on Jamie’s observation that analyses and advice
based on point in time data isn’t very helpful.
“A major part of Balanced Agronomy’s power is its ability to
provide trend analyses. Understanding trends allows you to give
much better advice than when you just look at one lot of data.
“It’s web based, and it’s very quick and flexible. Take the
example of a cotton grower at Forbes — he could be looking at
his trend data while his agronomist and one of our specialists
have the same screen in front of them.
“They could be hundreds of kilometres apart and yet quickly
arrive at a decision on fertiliser application,” Jamie said. “It also
has spraying and fertiliser diary modules, and the data can also
be exported into many other applications.”
SLTEC’s regional sales manager for New South Wales
and Queensland Phil Peterson, said the company’s Balanced
Agronomy software package was readily available to consultants
and growers in the cotton industry.
“We are very happy to work with the industry to share
knowledge on plant nutrition, and to provide them with another
tool in their quest to improve productivity,” he said.
For further information on SLTEC’s specialist cotton fertilisers and Balanced
Agronomy software call Phil Peterson on 0407 317 713 or
email enquiries@sltec.com.au
Jamie McMaster says SLTEC can provide extensive nutritional advice as well as a range of specialised liquid fertilisers.
30 — The Australian Cottongrower August–September 2012