Basacote Fertiliser for Forestry

Plantation Establishment
Introduction
Basacote controlled release fertilisers have a high quality elastic polymer coating
that ensures controlled nutrient release over a range of periods. Basacote has
been trialled extensively in forestry plantations in Chile and more recently in
Tasmania, where it has shown impressive growth responses. Progressively more
companies are choosing to use it, with over 5000ha planted with Basacote in
Tasmania in the past year alone.
Trials undertaken in Tasmania by Serve-Ag, Forestry Tasmania, and Forest
Enterprises Australia show increased growth rates for Basacote treated trees,
particularly in the first six months of growth. Long term trials in Chile have shown up
to a 10% increase in above ground biomass after 30 months. Whilst this result was
not statistically significant, it does represent a major improvement over traditional
fertiliser treatments due to the much smaller amount of fertiliser required per
seedling (20g per seedling compared with 80-110g/seedling).
Current usage rates are at 20g/tree applied in the hole at planting. Because
Basacote can be placed adjacent to the tree roots at planting with no toxicity risks,
substantial labour savings can be made due to not needing to return to the site to
fertilise later

Advantages of Basacote
Cost effective
In comparison to traditional DAP fertilisation, Basacote can be applied at
planting, so no second pass is required.
Uses much less fertiliser by weight, thus reducing freight and handling
costs.
Basacote is applied at 20g per seedling at planting, while the alternative
product (DAP) is applied at 100 200g per seedling in a separate pass
after planting. Savings are made through reduced application costs,
required labour and savings due to the price of the product itself.
Promotes healthier trees
Trees exhibit a fuller appearance
Trace elements in Basacote overcome micro-nutrient deficiencies and
help trees tolerate stresses
The early spike in growth helps trees overcome weed and browsing
pressure.
The nutrients are available to the new seedling straight away so there is no
transplant shock.
More reliable source of nutrition
Fertiliser in the root zone-is highly available to trees early in growth and is
much less likely for nutrient to be lost to leaching and volatilisation.

Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

Advanced coating
The coating is elastic and resistant to damage and frost.
The rate of nutrient release is dependent on temperature. This correlates
well with plant growth in response to temperature, hence less waste and
better timing of nutrient release
Environmental and health benefits
Slow release properties mean less chance for leaching and nutrient
eutrophication of waterways.
Only fertilising the target plant not the weeds around the tree.
No dust minimises respiratory risk to planting crews.
Small application amounts means less to be carried around the site.
The OH&S benefit of the product is also significant because of the low use
rate. Only 22kg of Basacote is required per hectare opposed to 165kg of
the alternative product, which employers would carry around the plantation.
Meets requirements for new FSC industry accreditation

The coating
Basacote separates itself from other coated fertilisers by its elastic coating material
and advanced coating process. Based in North Western Germany, the production
plant uses a unique continuous coating process with numerous quality control points
that ensures every granule is near-identical with a uniform coating thickness.
The Basacote coating is applied inside coating chambers with granules suspended
by compressed air. The polymer coating is sprayed on the suspended granules, and
as they get coated their weight increases, causing them to fall to the bottom of the
chamber. These heavier granules are transferred to a neighbouring chamber where
the process is repeated. The number of coatings the granule has determines the
rate at which water can absorb through the granule, and the rate at which nutrients
can diffuse out. The advanced coating of Basacote has a good fit for forestry since
the fertiliser has to travel long distances on rough roads and used in highland areas
susceptible to frosts.
Competitor coated fertilisers are coated in a batch process which uses a slurry
system to coat the granules in a setup similar to a cement mixer. The nature of these
inferior coating processes mean that the coating is not homogenous and their coating
formulations mean many are brittle and are broken in transit or in the field by frosts.
Inconsistent and brittle coating can cause seedling mortality due to nutrient dumping.

Basacote

Osmocote

Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

Products available
Basacote Plus
16-3.5-10 (+TE) available in 3, 6, and 9 month release
15-3.5-10 (+TE) available in 12 month release

Basacote P-Max (Coated DAP)

17-18.5-0 (+TE) available in 3, 6 and 9 month release
16-18.5-0 (+TE) available in 12 month release

Basacote Starter
16-11-5 (+TE) available in 9 month release

Nutrient Analysis

Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Basacote
P-Max
%
17.0

Basacote
Plus
%
16.0

Basacote
Starter
%
16.0

(7.4% Nitrate,
8.6% Ammonium)

(16% Nitrate)

(3.5% Nitrate,
12.5%
Ammonium)

18.7

3.5

10.9

DAP
%
18.0
(18%
Ammonium)

20.0
(total P)

2.4% water
soluble

Potassium

10.0

Magnesium

Mg

1.2

5.0
(As KSO4)
0.6

0.8% water
soluble

Sulphur

5.0

2.5

2.20

(4.0% water
soluble)

(2.0% water
soluble)

(total S)

Boron

0.05

0.02

0.010

Copper

Cu

0.025

0.05

0.050

Iron

Fe

0.7

0.4

0.270

Manganese

Mn

0.035

0.06

0.060

Molybdenum

Mo

0.025

0.015

0.015

Zinc

Zn

0.04

0.02

0.015

0.15% soluble
Iron as chelate
of EDTA

Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

E.g. Comparative nutrient amounts

Percentage composition (grams applied per tree in row below)
FERT

DAP

BAS
PLUS
6M/9M

Rate

Mg

Ca

Cu

Fe

Mn

Mo

Zn

18

20

18

20

16

3.5

10

1.2

0.02

0.05

0.4

0.06

0.015

0.02

3.2

0.7

2.0

0.24

1.0

0.004

0.01

0.0
8

0.012

0.002

0.002

100g

20g

Long-term Chilean trials suggest that using these comparatively low rates of fertiliser
do not come at a yield cost, rather the Basacote treated trees exhibit an increased
rate of growth. The results would suggest that the majority of the nutrients used in
the traditional treatments are unutilised or lost.
Trials undertaken in Tasmania compliment the trends found in the Chilean trials.
Summaries of trials undertaken so far are included in the following pages.

Costs
The current standard rate for Basacote is 20g per tree applied in the hole at
planting. This rate was originally determined in initial trials in Chile to be cost-equal
to their traditional treatment. Cost comparison is as follows (as at 1/4/2011):
Basacote
Approx $3720/tonne
=7.4c/tree @ 20g/tree
=$81.40/ha @1100trees/ha

DAP
~$790/tonne
=7.9c/tree @100g/tree
=$86.90/ha @1100 trees/ha

There difference in cost savings for materials has declined recently in comparison to
previous years due to a decline in the price of DAP. The cost saving is quite
substantial when considering that a second pass in not required, thus labour costs
are also significantly reduced.

Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

Trial Results
Tasmania
In early trials undertaken in Tasmania, Basacote application rates were based on
those used in Chile at a rate of 10g per tree. Results from these trials found that
Basacote significantly increased growth over the traditional DAP treatment in the
first six months (figure 1), however after 6 months they would lose their oomph with
the DAP treatments tending to catching up to the Basacote treatments (figure 2, 3).
Given these findings the application rate for Basacote in Australia has now been
increased to 20g per tree, which has substantially sustained the growth of Basacote
treated plants in recent trials (figure 4)
Early Trial Results

Figure 1: Height of P.Radiata at Saddleback plantation (TAS) after 6 months.

Treatments appended by the same letter are not statistically significant (p<0.001)

Figure 2: Basal area growth (m2/ha) at 18

months
at
Springfield
site
SF167A.
Treatments appended by the same letter are
not statistically significant (p<0.001)

Figure 3: Basal are growth (m2/ha) at 18

month at Lisle site LI129B.
Treatments
appended by the same letter are not
significantly different (p<0.001)

Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

Recent Trial Results

160

ab
140

bc

120

cd

Height (cm)

100
80
60
40
20
0
P-Max 12m@10g

P-Max 12M

P-Max9m/Bas9m

Starter 9M

P-Max9m@10g P-Max12m/Bas9m
P-Max
9M
P-Max 12M/Bas 9M

Bas9m@20g

Bas 9M

DAP @100g
DAP
@ 100g

Figure 4: Average height (cm) of Eucalyptus Nitens trees for different fertiliser treatments
(Basacote application rates of 20g) taken 12 months after planting from three sites at Takone,
TAS.

Chile
Basacote treated trees showed a pronounced increase in growth in the early stages
of the trees life (7 months after planting). By 30 months all treatments were at
similar heights. Visually however the Basacote treated trees showed up to a 10%
increase in biomass over the other treatments.
Treatment

Basacote
6M
Basacote
9M
Control

Dose
Av.
Av.
(g/tree) Height Diameter
(cm)
(mm)
7.5
125.5
23.4
7.0

121.8

22.7

110

105.3

20.3

Table 1: Effect of Basacote Plus 6M and

9M on the height and the trunk diameter
of E.nitens, 7 months after planting

Figure 5: Chilean trial results after

30 months. Traditional Chile mix is a
3-14.4-2.5 NPK blend

Results Summary
Overall the trial results to date are very positive, and demonstrate that Basacote in
most cases has equal to, if not greater growth over traditionally fertilised trees.
Considering that fertilising costs can be reduced and early growth increased,
Basacote is a very good option to use in establishment programs.
Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry

For more information contact:

Darrell Clark
Northern Region/Forestry Industrial Business Manager
PO Box 214,
Longford TAS 7301
Mob: 0419 329 704
Ph: (03) 63 91 4651 Fax: (03) 6391 3156
Ricky Blake
Coastal Regional Manager / Forestry Business Support
30 Short Street
Ulverstone, TAS 7315
rblake@serve-ag.com.au
Mob: 0408 145 374
Ph: (03) 64 90 8500 Fax: (03) 6425 4811
www.serve-ag.com.au

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Serve-Ag Pty Ltd | Basacote Fertiliser in Forestry