The book ‘Soil-specific nutrient management guidelines for sugarcane production in the Bundaberg district’ is a 77-page technical report that describes all Bundaberg district sugarcane soils and provides guidelines for their management. The book also contains detailed appendices that explain how to determine soil texture and how to take soil and leaf samples for nutrient analysis.

The book supports the philosophy that knowledge of soils should form the basis for making management decisions on-farm. Soil type influences decisions regarding variety selection, fertiliser application rates and the choice of tillage practices, planting techniques, drainage and irrigation requirements and harvest scheduling.

The soil-specific guidelines presented in this book represent a much more precise way of managing fertiliser inputs than the traditional ‘one size fits all’ approach. It provides a benchmark against which soils and soil analyses can be compared and promotes regular soil and leaf testing to better inform nutrient management decisions.

This book provides best-practice soil and nutrient management for Bundaberg cane growers that will maintain or improve crop yields and soil fertility, provide opportunities for cost reductions and enhance sustainability by minimising possible off-site nutrient movement.

The book was launched at a breakfast meeting at the Old Bundy Tavern in Bundaberg by Paul Neville in March 2008.