International Workshop - Nutrient Stewardship & Next-Generation Fertilisers

Our 2^nd International Workshop on Nutrient Stewardship & Next-Generation Fertilisers (Heron Island 15-19 December 2018) will focus on innovation in fertiliser design and evaluation, nutrient re-purposing from wastes, and green biotechnology.

R&D in these topics have been accelerating since our first workshop in 2016. There is growing interest in repurposing wastes as fertilisers and improving the mechanisms of nutrient delivery to crops. Green biotechnology to engineer nutrient conversions and release, crop and soil beneficials, sorbents and novel bio-materials, and the close monitoring of plant-environment interactions are among the tools explored by researchers and industry.

The workshop will focus on the cutting edge of fertiliser design and advances in the circular nutrient economy without waste and pollution. A great cast of international experts will join local experts, government and industry to discuss innovative approaches, with evidence from laboratory to field experimentation. We will consider the notion of customising fertilisers for particular crops and growth environments and explore opportunities for regional nutrient budgets.

In addition to reducing nutrient pollution, improving domesticated soils remains a major task as 12 million hectares of productive land degrade each year. The carbon market is providing impetus for new practises and products, and has to be backed up with best-practice methodologies. The 2^nd interdisciplinary workshop continues to explores the interface of agriculture, engineering, biotechnology, governance, and business development.

Topics covered include

•    Nutrient supply – rhizosphere processes informing fertiliser design
•    Re-purposing nutrients from waste streams
•    Green biotech and material science for targeted nutrient delivery
•    Beneficial microbes and biostimulants to augment crop performance
•    Crop roots and nutrient physiology

We aim

To a provide a forum for discussion of current  advances and opportunities and enable collaboration for future R&D with view of game changing innovation. In the setting of a Great Barrier Reef coral cay, practitioners, legislators, scientists and philanthropists will join forces to advance the paths towards nutrient stewardship and soil health. Topics include

1. Nutrient supply – from rhizosphere processes to fertiliser design
2. Novel materials for controlling nutrient release
3. Beneficial microbes augmenting soil biology and crop health
4. Biostimulants contributing to crop resilience and performance  
5. Recycling nutrients from waste streams
6. Improving the function of domesticated soils

Registration

Cost per attendee is $1000 ($850 for students). This includes catamaran transfer from Gladstone ($240), 4 nights accommodation in shared rooms ($80/night), full catering ($310) and conference registration ($130). Students are subsidised by our sponsors.

If you planning to stay at the Heron Island resort, please contact the resort directly and make your own arrangements (mention your workshop attendance to receive a 10% discount).

You can take your meals with the workshop attendees which requires payment of registration and meals.

Workshop registration to be announced.

Contact

Professor Susanne Schmidt
Plant Nutrition and Ecophysiology group - School of Agriculture and Food Science
Email: susanne.schmidt@uq.edu.au