Download Nitrate leaching mitigation through Spikey®

This research set out to gather data on nitrate leaching in the field, where urine patches were treated separately from the rest of the paddock using Spikey®. Results at the two sites were mixed, with some showing significant improvements in production and leaching losses using a currently available growth hormone. More broadly, the project showed that managing urine patches separately is feasible and that further improvements in both fertilisers and inhibitors can be applied accurately in field situations. The project raises other questions for research around the potential to significantly improve the outcomes from treating urine patches for reducing nitrous oxide and ammonium emissions and reducing nitrate leaching.