The overall purpose of the project was to achieve reliable and profitable crop productivity in soils with multiple constraints and to close the gap between farm production and the rainfall-limited crop yield potential in major soil types in Victoria (Vic), New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (Qld) and Western Australia (WA).
Four on-farm field experiments were established to assess the long-term effectiveness of new practices and products to ameliorate multiple soil constraints in representative soil types. The key constraints were dispersive, alkaline poorly structured subsoils in Vic and NSW, dense sodic subsoils in Qld, and low water holding capacity and water repellent sands in WA.
Amendments being tested in this project include custom-made organic matter (OM)-based pellets (e.g. lucerne straw, oaten hay), nutrient-enriched urban green-waste compost, agrisilica, various reactive clays, and sugarcane mill mud/ash. Amendments were placed directly into the subsoil using customised deep rippers, chisel ploughs and other heavy-duty tillage implements.
Data from the project will be made available to Soil CRC Projects 4.3.005 and 4.3.006 to enable data on crop production and water use efficiency (WUE) to be better modelled and described, with potential benefits to yield (yield, reliability of yield, water stress resilience) being weighed against cost of implementation.
The project also has direct engagement with Soil CRC Program 1 to maximise adoption of the project outcomes. The main goal is for maximum adoption of results/techniques to benefit local grower groups, and Australian farmers more broadly.