The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence require to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy holistically all of the requirements of the performance criteria and required skills and knowledge and include achievement of the following:

identify environmental parameters at risk

assess magnitude of risk and establish likelihood

assess potential impact on environmental parameters and assign severity rating

develop soil fertility report and fertiliser recommendation with consideration of environmental stewardship principles

communicate recommendation with customer, including methods of assessing outcomes of recommendation

develop a nutrient management plan

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency requires the application of work practices under work conditions. Selection and use of resources for some worksites may differ due to the regional or enterprise circumstances.

Method of assessment

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the AHC10 Training Package and can be assessed holistically with other units

Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge

Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills

Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access, interpret and apply the required knowledge

Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process

Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances

Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency

The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate

Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English

Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment

Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role

Guidance information for assessment

To ensure consistency of performance, competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.

Required skills include:

Ability to:

calculate areas, ratios, proportions and application rates

assign probability and severity of identified risks

communicate with work team members, supervisors, contractors and suppliers

estimate treatment and product requirements, material sizes and quantities

interpret manufacturer and plant nutrition program specifications

interpret specifications

store and retrieve information and reports

understand labels and symbols

use paper-based or computer software interpretation system to integrate information and results from multiple sources and produce recommendation reports that are easily implemented

use pro forma reporting, analysis and work procedure documents

Required knowledge includes:

Knowledge of:

soil and water sampling techniques to adapt activities and instructions to a range of environmental contexts

environmental implications for environment of soil amendment and fertiliser use, that may include nutrient mining, run-off, nutrient loading of soil and water, toxicity, noise and dust

food safety issues relating to the use of fertilisers and soil ameliorants

law of the minimum and importance of nutrient interactions

methods and pathways of nutrient uptake by plants and loss from soil

nutrient cycling and its practical relevance to specific plants and soils encountered in local area, including role of soil biology

nutrients required by plants grown within enterprise and effects of nutrient deficiency and toxicity on individual plant species and varieties

relationship between soil characteristics and the availability of nutrients, including macro and micro elements, to plants

single nutrient and complete fertiliser products encountered in local area, including physical attributes, nutrient analysis, solubility, salt index, application rates and costs, and appropriate application techniques and equipment

soil amendments commonly used to treat local soil problems

techniques for interpreting laboratory results and making fertiliser and amendment recommendations

techniques to assess effects of fertiliser and amendment recommendations on soil, plants and water

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Fertiliser and soil ameliorant environmental stewardship involves:

commitment to actions in line with their effect on the overall environmental outcome as distinct from just the effects of individual components

duty of care for the environmental effects of fertiliser and soil ameliorants that goes beyond a person’s direct area of responsibility

A nutrient management plan consists of:

consideration of environmental risks and their priority (likelihood/consequence)

management options to address risks

process for ongoing monitoring and management of plant nutrition and soil fertility program

strategies to maintain soil fertility and product quantity and quality

understanding of nutrient requirements of region, farm or paddock

Environmentally significant features may include:

biological properties of soil and applied organic products such as:

beneficial macro and microorganisms

disease potential

chemical properties of soil such as:

acid/alkaline (pH) balance

carbonate content

cations

nutrient content such as nitrogen

organic matter

phosphorus

potassium

salinity

sulphur

trace elements

physical properties of soil such as:

colour

depth of root zone and plant available water

soil stability

structure

texture

water-holding capacity

climatic features such as:

annual diurnal temperature patterns

annual precipitation

prevailing winds

rainfall intensity

seasonal and annual rainfall pattern

wind strength

fertilisers that are inorganic or organic solids

fertilisers that are fluids applied directly to soil or to plant via foliar sprays such as:

liquefied gases

solutions

suspensions

location of major water bodies and underground water sources

native vegetation in vicinity of proposed plant nutrition or soil fertility program

nitrogen input from leguminous green manure crops or leguminous pastures

properties of fertilisers and soil ameliorants that are environmentally significant such as:

chemical composition

impurity concentration

nutrient content

particle size

particle size distribution

solubility

slope and aspect

soil ameliorants such as gypsum

liming products including:

dolomite

mixtures of lime and magnesium oxide

any by-product used to change soil acid/alkaline (pH) balance or soil calcium level

biosolids, animal manures and compost

surface water drainage patterns

Agronomic and operational activities associated with environmental risks may include:

agronomic activities such as:

crop/pasture production at levels that deplete soil nutrients or adversely affect soil health

form of nutrient

growth of legume species

nutrient placement

rate of nutrient applied

timing of nutrient application

operational activities such as:

clean-up of spills

application and disposal of animal manures

fertiliser application activities including:

application as solid or fluid products

application in irrigation water

broadcast or band application

direct injection of anhydrous ammonia

siting of permanent and temporary fertiliser/ amendment storage

storage and handling on farm

Environmental risk categories include:

blow (airborne losses)

leach (nutrient leaching or change in chemical composition through the soil profile)

load (nutrient loading in soil, water, air or food)

mine (mining soil nutrient by non-maintenance rate strategies)

run-off (nutrient transport in surface water)

An adviser may evaluate and prioritise environmental risks and impacts based on:

environmental consequence

likelihood of occurrence

Management options appropriate in managing environmental risks may include:

activities directly related to fertiliser use such as:

changing product

method of application

rate applied

timing

broader range of agricultural management options such as:

changing cultivation practices

land use planning

rotation management

Nutrient management tools used to monitor the effectiveness of decisions may include:

nutrient budgeting

paddock record keeping

soil, plant tissue and water analysis

yield maps

Monitoring results consulted to improve efficiency and effectiveness of plant nutrition and soil fertility programs may include:

monitoring results after implementation of recommendations such as:

nutrient and water use efficiency data, including:

changes to nutrient and water use efficiency after implementation of recommendations

changes to production requirements

environmental changes

Aspects of fertiliser transport, handling and storage that may raise awareness of environmental issues include:

issues contained in industry codes of practice such as:

Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia

Australian Fertiliser Services Association