Invitation to quote

Research review:

Offtake values for phosphate and potash in crop materials

Aim

To review available data on offtake values for phosphate and potash for all crops, including grass, forage crops and straw, listed in Nutrient Management Guide (RB209)

Budget

£15,000

Objectives of the review

  1. Identification of novelsources of data. Preliminary assessment suggests that little data is currently available in the public domain, hence, it is deemed imperative to build a consortium containing organisationssuch as members of the Forage Analysis Assurance Group;to obtain forage (fresh and ensiled) analyses;fertiliser or seed companies, for trials data; plant tissue analysis labs, anaerobic digestion industry or their trade associations ( or etc.
  1. Review new data for its robustness and reliability, for example can enough background information on the crop be obtained, e.g. maturity, nutrient applications, potential availability and eventual yield.
  1. Make recommendations for revisions to guidance provided in the Nutrient Management Guide (RB209). The review should be written so that the key findings could directly be incorporated in the next revision of RB209.

Output

The research review should be completed using AHDB’s template and will be published online following completion of the project.

Background

The offtake values presented in Figure 1 and Figure 2 are based on a range of sources of information collected over the various editions of RB209. There are some concerns that these figures may not reflect current offtakes, for example potash offtakes in grass may be higher than presented in the table in Figure 1.

The current recommendations for the crops shown in Figure 1 and 2 are based on these offtake valuesand there is need for a cross-check to ensure these figures are still relevant.

Figure 1: A copy of Table 3.2 from Section 3 of Nutrient Management Guide (RB209)

There is a growing interest in forage crops for both lifting and grazing in-situ so it would be appropriate to check that the offtake values are still appropriate for the main crops and systems used.


Figure 2: A copy of Table 4.11 from Section 4 of Nutrient Management Guide (RB209)

Application procedure

Full proposals should be submitted using the AHDB application form for a research contract available using this link: AHDB Research and KE Application Form - Full Proposal Small.Please email completed forms .

Proposals will be subject to AHDB’s assessment procedure. Any contract awarded will be subject to AHDB’s Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Goods and/or Services.

Guidance can be found here: AHDB Research and KE Application Form - Guidance Notes for Completion of Proposal Forms.

Deadlines for the application procedure

Date / Event
30 October 2017 / Call issued
1st December 2017 / Deadline for receipt of full proposals
15thDecember 2017 / Full proposals evaluated by AHDB
w/c 18 December 2017 / Applicants informed of the final decision
Completion date / 31 March 2018

Questions

If you have a specific question related to this Call please email . As part of the open tender process AHDB cannot discuss specific project details with you before submitting your proposal.

Supporting information

  • Phosphorus and potassium concentrations in silage grass, AIC report, January 2017 (contact AHDB for further information).
  • AHDB Research Review No. 3110149017, June 2016,

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