Mr Sud Kharel1, Mr Christophe d’Abbadie1, Dr Amir Abadi1, Dr Ross Kingwell1,2,3
1Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Perth, Australia, 2AEGIC, 3University of Western Australia,
Biography:
Sud is a research scientist involved in the 'FutureSheep' and ‘Western Australian Farming Systems (WAFS) projects. WAFS projects primarily concentrate on exploring options for system breaks, determining optimal seeding timing, and identifying management strategies that ensure profitability while minimising GHG emissions. Sud’s role in the FutureSheep project is to investigate the impact of future climate projections on farm economics and what tools, systems and strategies are required to maintain enterprise profitability. Sud has developed the EVALUS model, with support from many DPIRD and industry experts.
Abstract:
Purpose/Research Question(s)
Identify Nitrogen (N) application strategies for dryland farming in Western Australia that are highly profitable whilst producing moderate or low emissions.
Method(s)
Simulation modelling is used to analyse gross margins and emissions for N strategies across various locations in Western Australia's grainbelt. Nitrogen strategies are examined that focus on Gross Margin (GM) maximisation, yield maximisation or that rely on constant rates of N application. Within-season adjusted vs unadjusted strategies were also assessed. A 15-year sequence of seasons combined with price distributions underpinned the application of the Economic Valuation of Alternative Land Use Sequence (EVALUS) model.
Findings
N application strategies that maximised GMs, rather than yield, lowered the emissions by approximately 10%. Adjusting N applications throughout the season led to increased GMs and reduced emissions at all study locations, particularly at higher rainfall locations. In Northampton, adjusting N applied within a season increased the GM by 7% and reduced farm emissions by 2% against within-season unadjusted N application. In simulations, the constant rate of applied N each season resulted in the worst economic performance.
Implications
Choosing a N application strategy that is highly profitable whilst generating lower emissions, can lead to significant economic and environmental advantages across the study region.