OPTIMAL FERTILIZER CARRYOVER AND CROP RECYCLING POLICIES FOR A TROPICAL GRAIN CROP

The consequences of carryover for the optimal application of fertilizer are considered using dynamic programming. The conclusions are relevant for the further problem of deciding how many grain crops to harvest from grain sorghum plants grown in a tropical environment. Dynamic programming is also used for solving this problem for the Ord River Valley, and takes account of the interrelations between season and crop cycle number. Data were obtained from investigations conducted in the area.