Proving that bacteria can work to reduce the amount of applied nitrogen needed in sugar cane has been a 10 year labour of love for Terrain's Ingham-based Manager of Sustainable Industries, John Reghenzani.

"We've discovered that it is possible to use naturally occurring bacteria with sugarcane to supply the majority of the crop's nitrogen requirements from the atmosphere," said John.

"Through field trials we've shown that it is possible to reduce applied nitrogen to about one fifth of current recommended rates if the bacteria can be made to work reliably with sugar cane varieties that respond to the bacteria."

This would mean that the rate of loss of nitrogen from cane lands could then be equivalent to natural rates.

The bacteria needed for this work occur in the rhizosphere (the zone close to the roots) and within the plant itself. They fix gaseous nitrogen and convert it to a form suitable for plants to use, greatly reducing the need to apply artificial forms on nitrogen.

"This is an exciting finding as it offers a potential solution to one of the most serious environmental problems facing coastal agriculture," John said.

Plants need nitrogen to grow and be highly productive, but the problem with applied artificial nitrogen is that it is very soluble and easily leached from the soil.

This is particularly so for the high rainfall zones of far north Queensland, where a measurable higher concentration of nitrate is found in streams below agricultural areas.

Some $300,000 has been secured under Reef Rescue to fund research and development projects. With industry support, funding from the program will help to continue this work, especially analysis to determine soil specific rates of applied nitrogen to encourage functioning of the nitrogen fixing bacteria.

An application has also been made for an Australian Research Council Linkages Grant by Professor Ivan Kennedy of the University of Sydney Sunfix Centre. If successful, the project will focus on the biological aspect of nitrogen fixation. The proposal is supported by Terrain and industry partners Canegrowers, Productivity Services and AgGrow Consulting Pty Ltd.

For more information contact John Reghenzani, Manager Sustainable Industries on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .