• All Projects [1]
• Current Projects [2]
• Concluded Projects [3]
• Relevant Publications [4]

Research Program Manager: Dr Gamini Keerthisinghe
email: keerthisinghe@aciar.gov.au [5]

ACIAR's Soil Management and Crop Nutrition program focuses on projects designed in the context of a systems approach to conservation agriculture. This requires research on the adaptation to local conditions of established interventions in tillage and water management, nutrient management, and choice of crop rotations. Many projects are designed as short time to impact projects by inclusion of NGOs as partners, the integration of socio-economic skills in project teams, and where possible, alignment with government extension and implementation programs. In better endowed regions the emphasis is on reducing costs of production and minimising environmental impact through more efficient use of water and other inputs. In more marginal regions the emphasis will be on improving livelihoods through raising yields and the development of labour efficient production systems.

All Projects

FOG/1983/063 [6] - Shrub legumes

FOG/1984/071 [7] - Forage and plant nutrition coordination

FOG/1985/027 [8] - South east Asian and south Pacific forage research program

FOG/1985/060 [9] - Improvement of forage productivity in plantation crops

FOG/1986/019 [10] - Forage shrub production from saline and/or sodic soils in Pakistan

FOG/1986/021 [11] - Red soils:China

FOG/1988/036 [12] - Production and utilisation of shrub legumes in the tropics

FOG/1989/025 [13] - Forage development of the red soils south central China

LWR2/1987/035 [14] - Improvement of dryland crop and forage production in the semi- arid tropics

LWR2/1988/029 [15] - Biological nitrogen fixation by soybeans in rotation with rice

LWR2/1989/040 [16] - Use of inhibitors to improve the efficiency of urea as a nitrogen fertilizer

LWR2/1991/001 [17] - Diagnosis and correction of mineral nutrient disorders of root crops in the Pacific

LWR2/1991/002 [18] - Nutrient management in rainfed cropping systems

LWR2/1991/013 [19] - Integration of forages with plantation crops for sustainable ruminant production

LWR2/1992/009 [20] - Conservation and zone tillage research for dryland farming

LWR2/1992/010 [21] - Management of legume nitrogen fixation for rainfed cereal production in Pakistan, Nepal, Vietnam and Australia

LWR2/1992/020 [22] - Development and evaluation of sustainable production systems for steeplands

LWR2/1992/101 [23] - Determination of a methodology for measuring the impact of land degradation in Botswana on crop and livestock productivity

LWR2/1993/103 [24] - Production, quality control and use of legume inoculants

LWR2/1993/722 [25] - Assessment of efficiency of farming systems on vertisols and sloping lands using a framework for evaluation of sustainable land management (FELSM)

LWR2/1993/723 [26] - Management of legume nitrogen for increased cereal production-research planning/coordination meeting,seminars and training workshop.

LWR2/1994/004 [27] - Integrated water management in pumped irrigation systems in the Red River delta of Vietnam

LWR2/1994/032 [28] - Nutrient and irrigation management for sustainable rice-wheat cropping systems in Bangladesh and Australia

LWR2/1994/035 [29] - Tools and indicators for planning sustainable soil management on semi-arid farms and watersheds

LWR2/1994/048 [30] - Carbon dynamics, nutrient cycling and the sustainability of cropping and pasture systems

LWR2/1994/125 [31] - Transfer of technology on sulfur nutrition to crops in China

LWR2/1994/721 [32] - Analysis of nitrogen and starch in tropical rice crops using NIR Spectroscopy

LWR2/1995/710 [33] - Developing high nitrogen fixing variants of chickpea and pigeonpea for a range of environments

LWR2/1995/711 [34] - Improving the efficiency and predictability of biological inhibitors to reduce nitrogen losses and enhance flooded rice productivity

LWR2/1995/712 [35] - On farm testing of promiscuous cultivars and use of ureide techniques to evaluate nitrogen fixation and yield potential of soybean in moist savanna zones in West Africa

LWR2/1996/049 [36] - System modelling at ICRISAT: Increasing the effectiveness of research on agricultural resource management in the semi-arid tropics by combining cropping systems simulation with farming systems research

LWR2/1996/080 [37] - Increasing crop production through biological control of soil-borne root diseases

LWR2/1996/143 [38] - Sustainable mechanised dryland grain production

LWR2/1996/162 [39] - Correction of nutritional disorders of tropical root crops in Papua New Guinea and North Queensland

LWR2/1996/163 [40] - Enhanced resource-use planning for tropical woodland agroecosystems

LWR2/1996/215 [41] - Capturing the benefits of seasonal climate forecasts in agricultural management

LWR2/1996/216 [42] - Application of physically-based methodology for erosion prediction at IBSRAM-ASIALAND sites

LWR2/1996/217 [43] - Microbial bio-fertilisers for sustainable and environmentally sound crop production in Vietnam and Australia

LWR2/1996/260 [44] - Global Mountain Initiative on sustainable mountain agriculture and natural resources: Analysis of land degradation issues in the HKH region - Phase 1

LWR2/1997/038 [45] - Risk management in southern African maize systems

LWR2/1997/062 [46] - Sustainable grain legume-cereal production systems through management of nitrogen fixation

LWR2/1998/027 [47] - Increasing yields and nitrogen fixation of soybean, groundnut and mungbean in Vietnam through rhizobial inoculation

LWR2/1998/129 [48] - Training program on the principles and practice of sustainable cropping systems

LWR2/1998/131 [49] - Permanent raised beds to improve productivity and control salinity in Pakistan

LWR2/1998/136 [50] - Survey of potential of manure for meeting crop nutrient needs with integrated nutrient management in Madhya Pradesh, India

PN/1982/006 [51] - Methodologies for determining N losses

PN/1982/007 [52] - Nutritional disorders of sorghum

PN/1983/005 [53] - Nitrogen fixation program report

PN/1983/006 [54] - Legume bacteriology

PN/1983/028 [55] - Phosphorus and sulphur efficiency in tropical cropping

PN/1983/029 [56] - Micronutrient requirementsfor biological nitrogen fixation and growth of legumes

PN/1983/066 [57] - Zinc deficiency in vertisols of India and Australia

PN/1985/001 [58] - Azolla anabaena

PN/1985/017 [59] - Improvement of the efficiency of urea fertilisation of rice

PN/1985/030 [60] - Loss of nitrogen fertiliser applied to wheat

PN/1985/073 [61] - Rhizobium nodulating tree legumes

PN/1985/074 [62] - Rhizobium nodulating grain legumes

PN/1985/075 [63] - Rhizobium ecology

PN/1986/003 [64] - Boron and other micronutrients for food legume production

PN/1987/031 [65] - Biological nitrogen fixation in foods and tree legume production systems in the Philippines

PN/1988/000 [66] - Measurement of nitrogen fixation in legume production systems

PN/1988/004 [67] - Sulfur and phosphorus management in tropical cropping systems

SMCN/1998/028 [68] - Diagnosis and correction of nutritional disorders of yams

SMCN/1998/119 [69] - Impact of heavy metals on sustainability of fertilisation and waste recycling in peri-urban and intensive agriculture in south-east Asia

SMCN/1999/003 [70] - Integrated nutrient management in tropical cropping systems: Improved capabilities in modelling and recommendations

SMCN/1999/004 [71] - Improving phosphorus availability in cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa

SMCN/1999/005 [72] - Improved soil management on rainfed vertisols in Nusa Tenggara

SMCN/2000/046 [73] - Overcoming magnesium deficiency in oil palm crops on volcanic ash soils of Papua New Guinea

SMCN/2000/060 [74] - Development of an interactive diagnostic key for sweet potato disorders

SMCN/2000/114 [75] - Evaluating biofumigation for soil-borne disease management in tropical vegetable production

SMCN/2000/173 [76] - Improved fertiliser recommendations and policy for dry regions of southern Africa

SMCN/2001/028 [77] - Development and scaling out of targeted recommendations for smallholder maize systems in Southern Africa through integrating farmer participatory research and simulation modeling (Risk Management Project 2)

SMCN/2001/038 [78] - Management of animal waste to improve the productivity of Pacific farming systems

SMCN/2001/051 [79] - Assessing land suitability for crop diversification in Cambodia and Australia

SMCN/2002/015 [80] - Managing groundwater access in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) Vietnam

SMCN/2002/028 [81] - Stress tolerant wheat and maize for Afghanistan: Seeds of strength

SMCN/2002/033 [82] - Seasonal climate forecasting for better irrigation system management in Lombok

SMCN/2002/073 [83] - Efficient nutrient use in rice production in Vietnam achieved using inoculant biofertilisers

SMCN/2002/085 [84] - Utilising basic soil data for the sustainable management of upland soils in Vietnam and Australia

SMCN/2003/006 [85] - Enhancing agricultural production in the Philippines by sustainable use of shallow groundwater

SMCN/2003/010 [86] - Farmer evaluation and multiplication of sweet potato varieties on the North Coast of PNG

SMCN/2003/011 [87] - Herbicide use strategies and weed management options in Filipino and Australian cropping

SMCN/2003/035 [88] - Improving the utilisation of water and soil resources for tree crop production in coastal areas of Vietnam and New South Wales

SMCN/2004/041 [89] - Productivity and marketing enhancement for peanut in Papua New Guinea and Australia

SMCN/2004/067 [90] - Soil fertility management in the PNG highlands for sweet potato based cropping systems

SMCN/2004/069 [91] - Minimising agricultural pollution to enhance water quality in Laguna de Bay (Philippines) and Mt Lofty Ranges (Australia)

SMCN/2004/071 [92] - Reducing pest and disease impact on yield in selected PNG sweet potato production systems

SMCN/2004/078 [93] - Evaluation and adoption of improved farming practices on soil and water resources, Bohol Island, the Philippines

SMCN/2005/004 [94] - Management of soil fertility for restoring cropping in tsunami-affected areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, Indonesia

SMCN/2005/043 [95] - Analysis of biophysical and socio-economic constraints to soil fertility management in the PNG Highlands

SMCN/2005/075 [96] - Integrated soil and crop management for rehabilitation of vegetable production in the tsunami-affected areas of NAD Province, Indonesia

SMCN/2005/118 [97] - Restoration of annual cropping in tsunami-affected areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, Indonesia

SMCN/2006/013 [98] - Increasing food security and farmer livelihoods through enhanced legume cultivation in the Central Dry Zone of Burma

SMCN/2006/031 [99] - Analysis of nutritional constraints to cocoa production in PNG