AMMONIA GAS AS FERTILISER

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29803, 21 April 1962, Page 7

AMMONIA GAS AS FERTILISER

Anhydrous ammonia, a cheaper form of nitrogen, is being used experimentally at the Sydney University’s McGarvie Smith farm at Badgery’s Creek, outside Sydney. Dr. O. G. Carter, lecturer in agronomy at the. university, said that anhydrous ammonia had taken up two-thirds of the nitrogen market in the United States, where it was only half the cost per lb of other forms of nitrogen. It was not, however, as cheap as this yet in Australia.

The anhydrous ammonia used by the university is held in 1001 b cylinders of the type used for refrigeration and has just recently

been used with sod-sown oats being introduced by a tool bar implement with four tines with rubber tubes down behind the tines to place the gas six inches below the surface.

This paddock is believed to be the first in Australia and possibly in the world where nitrogen in this form has been introduced in the sod. However, last year the university experimented with anhydrous ammonia in a clean seed bed and found that it seemed to give as good results as other forms of nitrogen. It was also introduced into a strip of pasture.

Ease of handling is considered to. be an advantage oi the form. Ultimately it is

hoped that it will be possible to introduce the gas with the sod seeder at the same time as the seed is placed. The university did pioneer wo-k on the development of the sod seeder and Mr F. C Crofts, senior lecturer in agronomy, and Dr. Carter were interested to hear that cereals were being introduced into pastures on town supply farms near Christchurch by this means in the autumn. They recalled the visit to the university of Mr D. J. G'. Davies, of the Department of Agriculture, Christchurch, who conducted trials in Canterbury with sod seeding of cereals after his visit to Australia.