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297 results found
  • Decision-support tools can avoid costly under-fertilising
    Soil and Nutrition, 27 Jan 2025
    Decision-support tools can avoid costly under-fertilising

    Concerns about environmental impacts, cost and crop performance may be leading southern grain growers to under-fertilise, missing out on potential yield gains of up to 40 per cent. Dr Yolanda Plowman, a senior research manager at Birchip Cropping Group, encourages the use of support tools, such as Yield Prophet®, and nitrogen banking to optimise nitrogen use.

  • Precision tillage puts lime where needed
    Soil and Nutrition, 16 Jan 2025
    Precision tillage puts lime where needed

    Accurate deep tillage, lime incorporation and trace elements have added resilience to a NSW family farming business

  • Partnership puts a measure on GHG emissions
    Soil and Nutrition, 15 Jan 2025
    Partnership puts a measure on GHG emissions

    A whole-of-supply-chain partnership is giving growers the know-how to reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil productivity

  • ‘Moonshot’ investment tracks soil amelioration over time and space
    Soil and Nutrition, 19 Dec 2024
    ‘Moonshot’ investment tracks soil amelioration over time and space

    Groundbreaking research in soil profile re-engineering, supported by GRDC and WA DPIRD, aims to tackle the constraints of WA soils by improving their physical and chemical properties to boost crop water use efficiency (WUE) and grain yield. The project combines innovative methods such as deep soil loosening and targeted application of treatments to address soil constraints, and has produced significant yield increases in sandy and duplex soils, though mixed results in heavy soils. Building on this success, the Soil Water and Nutrition (SWAN) collaboration seeks to further improve water and nutrient use efficiency in Western Australia’s grain production.

  • Human endeavour versus soil constraints
    Soil and Nutrition, 17 Dec 2024
    Human endeavour versus soil constraints

    Australian grain growers have a long history of innovation, adapting to challenging, changing climates with practices like conservation tillage, crop rotation and drought-resistant crop variety development. They have also pioneered precision agriculture, using advanced technologies to optimise farming practices. In 2021, grower Cameron Mudge started working with soil scientists Wayne Pluske and Dr Gaus Azam to test innovative soil amelioration techniques on his farm in Western Australia. Despite challenges, their GRDC and DPIRD-supported project aims to improve soil conditions and crop yields, offering potential solutions for the region’s agricultural productivity.

  • Are potassium needs being met?
    Soil and Nutrition, 14 Oct 2024
    Are potassium needs being met?

    Growers in the West Midlands region of Western Australia have identified potassium deficiency as a major issue affecting crop yields, leading to a GRDC National Grower Network-invested project to investigate and address this problem through detailed soil and plant testing.

  • Study evaluates carbon footprint of lime
    Soil and Nutrition, 01 Oct 2024
    Study evaluates carbon footprint of lime

    The research is part of a GRDC investment called Acid Soils Southern Region that aims to provide useful resources to help growers manage acid soils.

  • Amelioration begins the improved soils journey
    Soil and Nutrition, 16 Aug 2024
    Amelioration begins the improved soils journey

    Soil amelioration and continual soil improvement are enabling Jeremy Lush and his father Rodney to improve their farm's sustainability and diversity of crop rotation. He says the importance of providing adequate nutrition to his ameliorated soils is one of most valuable insights he has gained from amelioration research.

  • Double-break crop advantage explored
    Soil and Nutrition, 13 Aug 2024
    Double-break crop advantage explored

    With support from GRDC’s National Grower Network, a team of grower groups led by West Midlands Group has determined that double break crop sequences, such as early sown chickpeas, can yield increased profit as compared to canola-wheat sequences.

  • Amplifying the impact of amelioration
    Soil and Nutrition, 01 Aug 2024
    Amplifying the impact of amelioration

    With the benefits of soil amelioration generally understood, research is now showing how to maintain and build yield and soil health in the years that follow

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