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Chatham rock phosphate use would improve water quality by dramatically reducing farm run-off, says CRP
Chatham rock phosphate use would improve water quality by dramatically reducing farm run-o...
About this update from Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\nChatham rock phosphate use would improve water quality by dramatically reducing farm run-off, says CRP\n\n/* Style Definitions */\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCanada NewsWire\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct. 24, 2017\n\n\n\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct. 24, 2017 /CNW/ - Chatham Rock Phosphate (NZ: CRP, TSX.V: NZP) (\"CRP\" or \"the Company\") this week advised that improved water quality will result from the use by farmers of Chatham rock phosphate. \n\nFertiliser run-off into waterways can be dramatically reduced, without any loss of production, by using naturally occurring reactive phosphate rock (RPR), according to Chatham Rock Phosphate chief executive Chris Castle.\n\nMr. Castle said scientific studies over many years have shown RPR offers strong environmental benefits.\n\nStudies comparing the use of RPR and superphosphate on farmland show that, when applied directly, RPR is both a very effective sustained-release fertiliser and not susceptible to run-off.\n\nCRP holds New Zealand's only material source of RPR.\n\nThe findings of the studies – some going back decades – are supported by Dr. Bert Quin, probably New Zealand's pre-eminent expert on the use of different phosphate rocks as phosphate fertilisers. Dr. Quin designed and coordinated New Zealand's 'National Series' of RPR vs superphosphate field trials while working as a senior government agricultural research scientist during the 1980s.\n\nDr. Quin believes phosphate nutrient continues to enter waterways from agricultural land mainly because we use predominantly water-soluble types of chemically-manufactured phosphate fertiliser, especially single superphosphate ('super'), which supplies phosphorus (P) and sulphate-sulphur.\n\n\"Super is prone to run-off of applied phosphorus into waterways during run-off events in the first 8-10 weeks after application, entering streams, rivers and lakes, and causing eutrophication in the form of excessive water-weed growth and algal blooms,\" says Dr. Quin. \"It can even be leached right through soils with low phosphorus retention such as those in Northland a...