Research Topic – Hybrid Nutrition (73-50/MD2)

OVERVIEW

Three parts to the research

• Nutrition program survey COMPLETED

  • What do NQ hybrid nutrition programs consist of?

• Soil and leaf testing

  • What are the soil and leaf nutrient levels being achieved on NQ pineapple farms?

• Formulation of on-farm nutrition trial

  • Are certain nutrients being applied in excess, or at levels below, crop requirements? Will the optimisation of these nutrition programs result in a reduction in natural flowering and/or increases in shelf life through changes to fruit quality/robustness?

JUSTIFICATION

Discussed at 2023 Pineapple Think Tank

• Weaknesses – fruit quality, lack of agronomic knowledge, high input costs

• Threats – Input costs rising, red tape (reef compliance etc.)

• Solutions – Precision agriculture (soil and leaf testing - fertiliser optimisation)

Discussed at NQ Regional Priority Setting Study Group

• #1 Regional priority is hybrid nutrition (73-50 & MD2)

• Soil and leaf analysis, guidance on leaf sampling protocols, identify appropriate macronutrient levels, possible link between fruit quality and robustness, possible link between nutrition and natural flowering.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this research is to optimise the nutrition programs on NQ pineapple farms. We will achieve this by gaining a better understanding of their nutrition programs, and then discovering what soil and leaf nutrient levels are being achieved with these current practices. This will provide us with the foundations to formulate a relevant on-farm nutrition trial addressing relevant nutrient deficiencies/luxury consumption. The relationship between plant nutrition and natural flowering/fruit robustness will also be quantified.

OUTCOMES

Increase the quality of fruit being produced, optimise crop nutrition inputs, build capacity in agronomic knowledge, reduce input costs, reduce natural flowering, and provision of extension material and nutrient budgeting tools.

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