AHDB has issued a £290,000 call for proposals to update nutrient management guidance for cereals and potatoes.
The call follows a comprehensive review of nutrient research over the past seven years to update the Fertiliser Manual (RB209), which will be published by AHDB as the Nutrient Management Guide in May 2017.
The review, delivered by an ADAS-led consortium, identified opportunities for further research to inform future revisions of the guide. Revisions are currently scheduled for 2018 and 2020.
The call (20 December) seeks to address key knowledge gaps in nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) requirements for spring barley and potato crops. These include N and S management in spring malting barley to achieve malting industry specifications and optimisation of nitrogen for different potato determinacy groups.
Further calls are planned on other research opportunities identified during the review.
Sajjad Awan, AHDB resource management scientist, said: “Our wide-ranging review of nutrient research threw up a number of areas for further investigation. While we are currently working on launching our new guide in May, we want to be ahead of the curve by commissioning new work to inform nutrient management guidance in the longer term.
“This new investment will improve our understanding of these important macronutrients and lead to the development of even better guidance so growers can produce crops that fulfil both their yield and quality potential.”
Applications, which may involve one or more organisation and can be for all or part of the available funding, will need to demonstrate a strong programme of knowledge exchange (KE) activity to run alongside the research.
The deadline for submissions is midday on 30 January 2017, further details of the call and information on how to apply are available at www.ahdb.org.uk/about/Procurement.aspx
