The perception that nitrogen use by farmers continues to increase rapidly is a misconception, Fert Research technical director Dr Philip Mladenov says.
In the November edition of the fertiliser industry's newsletter, Dr Mladenov said the use of nitrogen peaked in the 2004-05 season at 355,000 tonnes but since then had fluctuated between 300,000 and 340,000 tonnes a year.
Starting in the 1990s, nitrogen use in New Zealand increased significantly in order to meet the demands of more intensive farming systems responding to world demand for food.
While there was still a perception that nitrogen use continued to rise dramatically, statistics demonstrated that had not been the case over the past five years, he said.
The rapid move to nutrient plans by dairy farmers was contributing to changing patterns in the use of phosphate, nitrogen and potassium that started about 2005. The fertiliser industry was extending the use of nutrient management plans to the sheep, beef and arable farming sectors, he said.