Pacific Fertiliser can provide competitive phosphate rock products and blends to New Zealand.
The phosphate can be blended with sulphur and other minerals and trace elements to meet your requirements. We can also provide aerial grade blends suitable for aerial spreading.
Products are available in bulk or Bulkbags.
Agricultural production removes plant nutrients; therefore, these must be replaced to sustain production. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are perhaps the two nutrients of greater importance because Australian soils are inherently low in these elements. In the case of P, reactive phosphate rock (RPR) is the most practical fertiliser to replace P in broad-acre organic farming (Penfold 2000). For N, the optimal replacement strategy is legume N2 fixation; however, this process is highly dependent on P nutrition (Donald and Williams 1956). Hence, replacing P is crucial to sustaining productive organic cropping systems.
Phosphate rock (PR) is an allowed input for managing phosphate fertility on organic farms and is potentially suitable for mildly acidic to strongly acidic soils, because acidity is required to breakdown the phosphate rock to release P in a form that is available to plants. However, PR is generally only effective under substantially higher rainfall conditions than occur in the southern cropping regions of Australia, where previous work has sometime found it to be ineffective. In many soils, elemental sulphur (S) is naturally oxidised by soil bacteria to produce acid. Mixing PR with S may thus have a positive role in improving the effectiveness of PR in the southern cropping areas.
Balance
A quality fertiliser should have a balance of all the nutrients needed for optimum plant growth, yield, and quality. Does your fertiliser contain more than N-P-K? Does it include calcium and sulfur? How about trace minerals? If you answered yes, than you are part of the way toward a quality fertiliser. If you said no or don’t know, consider changing to a more balanced fertiliser.
Soluble to Slow-Release
This aspect of fertiliser refers to nutrient availability over time. Most fertilisers are highly soluble, which gives the plant a dose of nutrients early on, but leaves fewer nutrients for later in the growing season. By balancing soluble to slow-release, the plant receives adequate nutrients throughout the growing season. The source of nutrients you use can make a big difference in how those nutrients are distributed over time. Take a look at your nutrient source. MAP, for example, has a lower pH which will allow for a longer feed time in the soil compared to DAP. Potassium from K-mag and Sulfate of Potash will release slower in the soil than 0-0-60 (potassium chloride) because 0-0-60 is very water soluble.
pH
The pH of fertiliser plays an important role in its availability. When a fertiliser has a pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5, the nutrients are more available to the plant with less chance of them becoming tied up in the soil. Also, the lower pH fertiliser helps to make nutrients already in the soil more available to growing plants. This can mean more nutrient release and uptake in the root zone. Do you know the pH of your fertiliser ingredients?
Non-Harmful
A fertiliser should be as gentle as possible on the soil, the roots and the soil microbes. High levels of chloride (found in 0-0-60) and ammonia (found in anhydrous or DAP) can have negative side effects such as causing burn which can harm seedlings and roots. Keeping those negatives to a minimum, plus supplying root and biological stimulants, can have a positive effect on yield.
Pacific Fertilisers custom blended products are formulated with all of the above in mind. PacFert finds and sources ingredients that make a complete balanced fertiliser. We blend soluble and slow-release nutrients, and we look at the pH balance to determine quality and effectiveness when applied to the soil. We can also use humates as a carbon source to hold nutrients in the soil so they can be available all season to the plant. Using the right source and having it available at the right time keeps your costs down and at the same time maximizes your crop’s potential.
BENEFITS OF DIRECT APPLICATION PHOSPHATE ROCK
Organic farming is the fastest growing sector of the global economy. Australia is the largest organic producer globally with 12 million hectares under organic cultivation. Pacific Fertiliser’s organic phosphate fertiliser is environmentally and nutritionally superior to chemical fertilisers and can be used on a wide variety of crops and pastures.
Organic fertilisers based on rock phosphate such as PacFerts’s products offer several advantages over chemically processed soluble fertilisers such as superphosphate.
• Organic fertilisers slowly release nutrients into the soil matching the speed at which the nutrients are being absorbed by the plants.
• Phosphate rock has the ability to restore microelemental and microbial soil balance which in turn leads to less reliance on artificial fertilisers and better crop yields.
• Use of organic phosphate instead of chemically processed phosphate avoids the serious environmental degradation caused by increased concentrations of fertilisers in the ground water, the rivers and the coastal waters. Use of organic phosphate rock reduces the risk of harmful accumulation of nutrients in the soil and reduces soil salinity problems
• Plants grown on organic phosphate rock fertiliser have a better nutritional quality.
• Because of phosphate rock’s unique chemical composition, incorporation of phosphate rock into the soil enhances its biological activity and increases soil carbon (C) accumulation, leading to improved soil fertility and restoration of its physical and chemical properties.
• Organic phosphate rock is a source of several nutrients other than P. Rock phosphates are usually applied to replenish soil P status, but phosphate rock also provides other nutrients not present in soluble fertilisers. Application of organic phosphate has a potential trigger effect on plant growth and crop yields as a result not only of phosphorus release but also because of phosphate rock’s effect on increasing exchangeable calcium (Ca) and reducing aluminium saturation.
• Phosphate rocks for direct application can be more efficient than artificial fertilizers in terms of phosphorus (P) recovery by pants under certain conditions. Based on the unit cost of P, natural phosphate rock is usually the cheapest.
• Phosphate rocks are natural minerals requiring no metallurgical processing. Their direct application avoids production of polluting wastes such as phosphor-gypsum and greenhouse gases, thus resulting in energy conservation and protein environment.
Pacific Fertiliser also produces other organic compliant natural mineral fertilisers and soil conditioners.
Note: Soft Rock Phosphate does not contain soluble phosphate, therefore the phosphate availability is a function of acid soil conditions and/or active soil biology, i.e. soft rock phosphate becomes available rapidly in acidic soils. In alkaline soils, it should be combined with REGYP compost, humates, microbial agents. Application rates are generally in the range of 500kg to 1500kg per hectare (Ha).
Pacific Fertiliser’s aerial grade phosphate rock RPR210 is a granular 2-10mm product that will be available in 2014.
The product provides minimal dust and very flowable properties, suitable for aerial applications.
The phosphorous is then released into the soil over a few years providing good long term returns with minimal applications when applied correctly.
PacFert can also blend this with prilled gypsum and/or prilled lime for a one pass application.
Pacific Fertiliser sells various types of organic soil amendment products.
These include:
– Ag Lime (calcium source and pH adjustment)
– Gypsum (source of calcium and sulphur)
– Soft Rock Phosphate (source phosphorous and calcium with some pH adjustment)
– Dolomite (source of calcium and magnesium with pH adjustment)
– Guano
– Fish meal
– RPR Reactive Phosphate Rock
– Fishmeal
– Sulphate of Potash (SOP)
– Muriate of Potash (MOP)
– Kieserite (Magnesium sulphate)
– Magnesium Oxide
– Magnesium Carbonate
– Humates (brown coal fines)
– Liquid fulvic and humic acid
– Blends of the above products and trace elements
PacFert does not have organic certification for its products, but because they are natural minerals mined from the ground they are deemed organic. Any processing by Pacific Fertiliser is to grind, classify or package the products for agricultural applications, which means the natural products are still suitable for organic applications/farms.
RPR-GYP is a blend of both Pacific Fertiliser’s RPR2 Phosphate Rock and sub 2mm Mined Gypsum products, that provide an organic alternative to ordinary “super”.
Unlike conventional acidified fertilisers, RPR-GYP provides a slow release source of plant-available phosphate, as well as calcium and sulphur needed for plant growth and healthy
soils.
All the products used in RPR-GYP are mined in Australia and are of the highest quality, ensuring you get a superior result, whilst supporting a local business.
General Specifications 80/20:
• Total P – 7.2%
• Calcium – 22.3%
• Sulphur – 4.5%
We can do any blend ratio and also add in elemental sulphur to increase the dissolution of the RPR and the sulphur content.
DPI NSW Research in 2006
In conventional broad acre agriculture, plant available soil phosphorous (P) is usually maintained with P fertiliser like superphosphate. In similar organic agricultural systems such fertilisers are unacceptable inputs so P is often deficient for crop and pasture production on organic farms. A survey of organic farms in south-eastern Australia in 2005 reported available soil phosphate (Olsen P) levels that were frequently less than 6mgP/kg which indicated deficiencies. Improved P management, including developing a fertiliser that would suit organic farming regulations, is required to sustain and increase production on these farms. Reactive rock phosphate (RPR) and elemental sulphur (S) are natural products, suitable for organic use.
Field and pot experiments were done to measure the impact of ground RPR and co-treatment of RPR with finely ground S, on available soil phosphate, plant dry matter and P concentration. Under dryland farming conditions in this region of southern Australia (<600 mm rainfall, soil organic carbon <3%), co-treatment of RPR with S was necessary to increase Olsen P. The higher values of Olsen P were generally associated with increased plant dry matter, together with higher P concentration in the dry matter. The amount of S required was less the more acidic the soil, but greater than that reported as being effective in higher rainfall situations (>1000 mm) and higher soil organic carbon (11%).
It was deduced that the S is probably required to overcome the constraint on the dissolution of RPR resulting from frequent periods of low soil moisture. It was concluded that for the south-eastern cropping zone, co-treatment of ground-reactive rock phosphate with finely ground elemental S at rations (RPR:S) of at least 2:1, depending on soil pH, is required for effective use of RPR even in strongly acidic soils. It was recommended that organic farmers may recover soil P fertility by applying RPR+ fertiliser to their most acidic paddocks, postponing soil liming and managing the paddocks to conserve soil moisture.
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/areas/productivity/farming-systems/scientific-outputs/2006/1018