A NEW app developed by CSIRO will help reduce nitrogen run-off and protect the environmentally sensitive Great Barrier reef.
The app was developed for sugar producers in far north Queensland and will help farmers there manage their fertiliser, in particular nitrogen (N), usage.
By helping ensure optimum N application it will stop excess nitrogen running into local waterways and then out onto the Great Barrier Reef.
CSIRO has said while the concept is currently geared to cane crops due to where they are grown on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range and the sensitivity of the reef to N runoff it could also be adapted for other cropping industries worried about excess N running into local waterways.
Nitrogen runoff is a hot topic in other countries, in particular through Europe where the EU has imposed limits on the amount of N put on certain crops to minimise runoff into waterways.
The free app, named 1622WQ, shows the concentration of nitrogen in local waterways in real time.
It means farmers will have easy access to water quality information and can relate their management practices to water quality in local waterways, for example immediately after it's rained.
CSIRO agricultural scientist and 1622WQ project leader Peter Thorburn said the new app was co-designed with farmers to meet their needs.
"Sugarcane growers told us they wanted quick and easy access to water quality information, so they could find out what's going on with their crops and make better decisions," Dr Thorburn said.
He said it required a stack of technical know-how to allow the info to be recorded and then quickly sent back to the producers.
"The chain of information between the water quality sensors in local waterways and what you see on your phone is complex and requires substantial innovation along the way."
The app shows data on nitrate concentrations from high frequency automatic sensors deployed in selected coastal catchments.
Stephen Calcagno, sugar producer and Cairns region of peak body Canegrowers, said the app would be useful.
"This will be a great tool for farmers to see the impact of their farm management and help them improve their practises and the environment," Mr Calcagno said.
"I look forward to seeing what happens over the coming wet season."
Dr Thorburn said a similar system could be set up in other agricultural regions if there was the demand.
"Sugarcane is the first farming system we've looked at, but we could deploy it in any area where real time water quality data could help inform agricultural practices," he said.