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Fertiliser management is an important aspect of growing good forage brassica crops. Every crop has a different requirement, depending on soil fertility and the expected yield response. Systems were developed for forecasting how much fertiliser, and what types, to apply to individual kale and Pasja crops. First, yield responses to fertiliser application were measured in trials in diverse climates and soil fertility conditions. Yield responded strongly to N and P availability, there were few responses to K fertiliser application, and there were no responses to S application. Second, overall responses to the nutrient supply from soil and fertiliser sources were determined in a comprehensive across-trials analysis using the PARJIB model. R-squared values for correlations between actual yields and yields simulated with the PARJIB calibrations were 0.65 and 0.64 for Pasja and kale respectively. Finally, the results were programmed into new software systems (The Kale Calculator and The Pasja Calculator) that deliver a forecast for each crop of the types and amounts of fertiliser that will give the best economic return on the investment in fertiliser. Keywords: The Kale Calculator, The Pasja Calculator, fertiliser application, yield response, PARJIB analysis

Inadequate phosphorus (P) supply at crop establishment can reduce dry matter (DM) accumulation. A field experiment quantified the effects of banded or broadcast P fertiliser (0, 20, 40 or 60 kg P/ha) applied at establishment to moderately fertile soils on growth and development of ‘Regal’ kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala L.) crops. DM yield increased from 8710 to ~11 400 kg/ha by the addition of P fertiliser but was unaffected by the method of P application. The control crops accumulated 630 kg DM/100 degree-day (degree-day-accumulated heat available for crop growth) compared with ~800 kg/100 degree-day for the P-fertilised crops. The yield response to P was caused by an increased rate of development of leaf area index (LAI) and consequently earlier canopy closure that led to higher accumulated radiation interception (RIcum). The maximum LAI for the control crops was 3.80 or 24% lower than for fertilised crops. At the final harvest total RIcum for P-fertilised crops was 22% higher than the 592 MJ/m2 for the control, and this accounted for 80% of their yield differences. Leaf appearance rates were unaffected by P supply, with a common phyllochron of 109 degree-day. There was a consistent relationship between light interception and LAI, with a critical LAI of 3.40, extinction coefficient of 0.90 and radiation-use efficiency of 1.56 g/MJ photosynthetically active radiation. Overall, these results support a starter P application of at least 20 kg P/ha at establishment to maximise yields for kale crops when initial soil Olsen P levels ranged from 9 to 17 mg/kg soil.

Gruner kale showed a linear increase (8.0 kg DM/ha per °Cd) in biomass with sowings on 1 October, 3 November and 1 December producing 23, 19 and 17 t DM/ha (respectively) by the 29 May. Regrowth following mid season defoliation was slow (5.3 kg DM/ha per °Cd) reducing total production (relative to undefoliated) by 7.5 and 5.5 t DM/ha for treatments defoliated on the 29 January and 14 March, respectively. Keyworks: defoliation, kale, quality, regrowth, sowing date, thermal time, yield

Nitrogen (N) supply needs to be closely matched to crop demand to achieve optimum N use efficiency (NUE). Sub-optimal N supply can lead to poor yields, whereas excess N application may cause nitrate leaching and environmental pollution. An experiment with five rates of N: 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 kg ha −1 , was carried out at Lincoln, Canterbury, in New Zealand to define the effects of N supply on growth, N uptake and define how derived NUE may influence nutritive value of fodder beet production. Both dry matter (DM) yield and N uptake increased with N supply, by 39% and 129%, respectively, when 200 kg N ha −1 was applied, compared with the control plots. Leaf area index (LAI) also increased with N supply. However, the control crop did not attain critical LAI (LAI crit ) and those receiving 25 and 50 kg N ha −1 attained LAI crit for only a short period of time compared with crops supplied with ≥100 kg N ha −1 . This meant that they intercepted less radiation and subsequently had lower DM yield than the high N treatments. The specific leaf nitrogen increased 13% to 2.34 g N m −2 leaf when ≥50 kg N ha −1 was applied, compared with the control plots. The NUE decreased by 64% from 93 kg DM kg −1 N for the 25 kg N ha −1 plots compared with the 200 kg N ha −1 plots. Nitrogen rate had no effect on the nutritive value of fodder beet. The results suggest 100 kg N ha −1 was adequate for optimum DM production and N was important for canopy development and subsequent DM accumulation.Keywords: Beta vulgaris L.; critical leaf area index (LAI crit ); nitrogen use efficiency (NUE); uptake efficiency (NupE); utilisation efficiency (NutE); nutritive values and specific leaf nitrogen (SLN)