Archive: June 2024
New technical fact sheets on soil management
The Soil CRC recently released 28 new fact sheets on priority soil management issues as part of our ‘Building technical capacity for improved soil management’ project. The fact sheets were created by the Soil CRC’s Soil Knowledge Broker, Felicity Harrop, to support a series of Soil CRC webinar...
Meet Muhammad Salik Ali Khan
The Soil CRC is pleased to introduce our newest PhD student, Muhammad Salik Ali Khan, who is based at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. Muhammad was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and home to over 13 million people. “Growing up in a large city, I was intrigued by r...
Building on success: Soil CRC announces eight new projects
The Soil CRC is investing a further $4.1 million in new research with another eight projects approved for delivery over the next three years. Soil CRC CEO Dr Michael Crawford said these projects build on previous Soil CRC research into soil data and performance metrics, novel products and technology...
Program spotlight: New products for soil fertility and function
Program 3 of the Soil CRC is focussed on developing new fertilisers, amendments and delivery mechanisms to enhance soil fertility and function....
The fertiliser value of manures
Professor Terry Rose from Southern Cross University is leading a Soil CRC project to develop recommendations for the use of animal manures and new organic amendment products in managing soil fertility. The aim is to give growers confidence to replace mineral fertiliser inputs fully or partially with...
A bird in the hand and two feet on the soil
An Australian wildlife enthusiast, Soil CRC PhD student Melissa Wales has always been passionate about the natural world. She was known to save insects and other small creatures as a young child and is still a keen fauna advocate. “My fondest memory is working at a pharmacy when my co-workers came...
Program spotlight: Soil performance metrics
Program 2 of the Soil CRC seeks to define the indicators of soil performance, create better tools for on-farm soil measurement and develop better systems for managing soil data. Program Leader Associate Professor Richard Doyle from the University of Tasmania said that farmers need to measure soil pe...
Next-gen soil sensors on the horizon
With the recent completion of the Soil CRC’s ‘Smart soil sensors’ project, we’re one step closer to delivering easy-to-use, field-based senor technology to farmers. Led by Dr Marcus Hardie from the University of Tasmania, the project has successfully developed two new sensing technologies to...
Visualising Australasia’s Soils: extending the soil data federation
The Soil CRC’s Visualising Australasia’s Soils (VAS) project provides an online portal to quality soil data from across Australia and New Zealand. Project Leader Associate Professor Peter Dahlhaus from Federation University Australia said VAS is a dynamic web-based platform where Soil CRC resear...
Sky’s the limit for ‘Lab-on-a-Chip’ creator
Known for his sharp wit and steely determination, Soil CRC PhD student Reuben Mah is a self-proclaimed perfectionist who strives for continuous improvement. His endless curiosity and process-focussed approach were ingrained from an early age. “I was born in Malaysia and raised in a family environm...
Program spotlight: Integrated soil management solutions
Program 4 of the Soil CRC aims to develop cost-effective and sustainable soil management solutions to build more productive and resilient soil. Led by Dr Lukas Van Zwieten from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, the program underpins a dynamic, sustainable, and profitable Australian agricultu...
Food waste solutions for a sustainable future
With a fierce curiosity and a passion for science, it’s not surprising that Novocastrian James O’Connor is on the verge of completing his PhD with the Soil CRC and University of Western Australia. “Even as a child I was curious about the most efficient way to grow a plant,” James said. “I...