Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 4216 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 196 — Summer 2016 LIFTING MAIZE YIELD WITH NEW MANAGEMENT PRACTICES l  In the 2015–16 season, crop nitrogen uptake and grain yield in a maize trial in northern Victoria increased by applying 75% of the predicted crop nitrogen requirement up-front and 25% in-crop, compared with 40% up-front and 60% in-crop. l  Monitoring of soil moisture is critical to maximise crop production and productivity of key resources such water and nitrogen. l  First-year results suggest that nitrogen uptake and yield benefited from a shorter irrigation deficit than is standard practice in the region. l  Despite the challenges faced at the experimental site, the results suggest that nitrogen and irrigation management strategies can be refined to increase crop nitrogen uptake and grain yield. The management of irrigation and nitrogen fertiliser in high input systems such as irrigated maize can have significant impact on crop nitrogen uptake and grain yield. John Smith1, Sam North², Wendy Quayle³, Damian Jones⁴, Rob Fisher⁴ Don Griffin², Carlos Ballester-Lurbe³, James Brinkhoff³ and John Hornbuckle³ 1 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Yanco 2 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Deniliquin 3 Deakin University Centre for Rural and Regional Futures, Griffith 4 Irrigated Cropping Council, Kerang This article has been adapted from a paper presented at GRDC Grains Research Update, Moama 28 July 2016. THERE needs to be a balance in crop management to ensure crop yields are not limited by insufficient water and nitrogen, while at the same time ensuring there is not over-application of these significant resources, which can contribute to excessive production costs and reduced productivity. QUICK TAKE