NITROGEN NEXT BOOST

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31772, 31 August 1968, Page 8

NITROGEN NEXT BOOST

Speaking in Parliament recently Mr R. L. G. Talbot, member of Parliament for Ashburton, urged the Government to look into the supply of nitrogenous fertiliser at an economic price.

Mr Talbot said the time had come when it was necessary to look for the means to give another spectacular boost to farm production and he believed the best way to achieve this from both agricultural and pastoral land would be through an economic supply of nitrogenous fertiliser.

In other countries, he said, this had been termed the last available way of increasing acreage.

“The price is very high—up

to about $64 per ton—but if it could be available at between $3O and $4O a ton the whole pattern would change and the demand would snowball.”

In the past, Mr Talbot said, people had been led to believe that clovers fixed nitrogen for no cost and this facilitated high production at very low cost. But his research had shown that this was not altogether correct. Scientists had told him that every pound of nitrogen fixed by clover would require 151 b to 301 b of legume carbohydrates. This meant that every pound of nitrogen fixed represented the energy ration of five to 10 sheep days. Therefore legume nitrogen could not be considered free. And if total pastoral production was reduced so that pastures were grazed to keep the legume in the soil this would be an added cost.