06-April-09
LessN innovation recognised as a scientific breakthrough
Donaghys revolutionary product LessN has been recognised by the South Island Agricultural Field Days Agri Innovation Awards. LessN won the Agri Innovation Class 3 section which is for farm aids and tools/farm inventions.
LessN is a biotechnology product that enhances plants’ ability to process nitrogen. It slashes the amount of urea required in half but can also be utilised to produce more dry matter.
Agri Innovation Award Convenor Richard Westaway says the judges selected LessN because they are acutely aware that in the future farmers will be limited as to the amount of fertiliser they can apply. “LessN is an innovative product that will help farmers meet those restrictions without reducing plant growth or profitability.”
Donaghys Managing Director Jeremy Silva is thrilled with the award. “It reflects the potential LessN offers to farmers and the wider community. It also recognises the years of research and development Donaghys team has put into the product,” which he says has the capacity to become a significant earner for the New Zealand economy.
LessN has been trialled at 42 sites around the country, 11 of which were conducted independently by leading crown research organisations. All the results are available at www.lessn.co.nz.
The studies show LessN can increase dry matter production by 40%, is taken up by the plant rapidly effectively allowing for shorter grazing rotations and reduces the cost of dry matter production by up to 50%. In addition it doesn’t limit clover fixation in the way that over applying solid N fertilisers can.
Because LessN enhances a plant’s ability to absorb N, pasture can respond to an application within a grazing rotation. This means the N is utilised effectively before the animals come in to graze which, in turn, reduces the risk of nitrate leaching from urine patches.”
LessN is mixed in with dissolved urea and applied as a foliar spray. Increasingly, international studies confirm spraying urea is more efficient and it allows plants to absorb nutrients more quickly than spreading urea in granular form.
For more information on Donaghys LessN, click here
