In this episode of the Mallee Sustainable Farming ‘Farm Talk’ podcast, PIRSA’s Dr Amanda Schapel shares insights from the long-running, collaborative, Soil CRC sandy soil project.
The project investigated how clay and organic amendments can improve the productivity and resilience of sandy soils through literature reviews, pot trials and long-term multi-site field research.
Amanda explains why sandy soils can behave so differently depending on factors such as depth to clay, grain size and rainfall environment, while also outlining the multiple constraints often present in sandy systems, including compaction, acidity, water repellence, and poor nutrient and water-holding capacity.
Drawing on a review of 89 projects and 270 treatments, the episode explores how organic amendments can rapidly improve deep sandy soils, although benefits may decline after several years, while subsoil clay provides a slower but more persistent productivity response. Amanda also discusses the performance of novel amendments including bentonite, zeolite and compost products, highlighting the importance of matching amendments to specific soil constraints and balancing long-term benefits with cost-effectiveness.
This link will take you to Mallee Sustainable Farming’s website.
This podcast episode was supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils (Soil CRC).
