Do enhanced-efficiency fertilisers reduce nitrogen loss in sugarcane?

The Australian sugarcane industry is under increasing pressure to reduce off-farm nutrient movement into waterways, while needing to maintain commercial crop yields. In the Wet Tropics, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) losses from sugarcane cropping average approximately 17 kg/ha annually, resulting in declining water quality in receiving aquatic ecosystems and coastal environments. New and emerging fertiliser technologies, such as enhanced-efficiency fertilisers (EEF), are purported to reduce the off-site movement of nitrogen (N) and improve N-use efficiency.