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295 results found
  • How turning over soil organic matter benefits crops
    Soil and Nutrition, 01 Dec 2022
    How turning over soil organic matter benefits crops

    One critical function soil organisms perform is breaking up and decomposing soil organic matter, which primarily consists of dead and decaying plant and animal residues, as well as the by-products of living soil biota. This organic matter turnover can benefit crops by improving in-season nitrogen availability and building soil carbon, but can have mixed results on water infiltration and the capacity of the soil to store water.

  • New method a starting point for amelioration decisions
    Soil and Nutrition, 30 Nov 2022
    New method a starting point for amelioration decisions

    A new system is helping with the challenging application and investment decisions made when ameliorating soils. It seeks to find a way around the many complex, non-linear and soil-specific crop responses to soil amelioration.

  • Gauging yield uplift critical when contemplating soil amelioration
    Soil and Nutrition, 29 Nov 2022
    Gauging yield uplift critical when contemplating soil amelioration

    Whether or not soil amelioration will give a good return on investment largely depends on the yield boost. Grain value and amelioration costs are relatively easy to source or calculate. There are several ways growers can gauge yield uplift.

  • Mechanical desiccation a viable mungbean option
    Soil and Nutrition, 28 Nov 2022
    Mechanical desiccation a viable mungbean option

    Normally mungbeans are chemically desiccated using glyphosate as a harvest aid, but swathing or mechanical desiccation could start to be more widely used by mungbean growers following positive research results.

  • Mechanical soil amelioration affects pest, weed distribution
    Soil and Nutrition, 22 Nov 2022
    Mechanical soil amelioration affects pest, weed distribution

    Researchers are investigating how mechanical soil amelioration affects the distribution, populations and long-term survival of nematode pests and fungal pathogens, and how both amelioration and soil-borne pests interact with weeds. Research at sites near Darkan and Yerecoin in Western Australia studied how certain pests and pathogens responded to mechanical soil amelioration.

  • Late frost leads to climate risk rethink
    Soil and Nutrition, 19 Nov 2022
    Late frost leads to climate risk rethink

    When a late September frost wiped out a high-yielding 500-hectare wheat crop just over a decade ago, Parkes grain grower Bruce Watson began to question his climate risks. The next year they decided to plant sorghum. While it is now a profitable and important part of the rotation, there were bumps in the road.

  • Patience a virtue for sorghum start
    Soil and Nutrition, 18 Nov 2022
    Patience a virtue for sorghum start

    Missed winter cropping opportunities or lost crops have increased the focus on summer cropping. Research has shown sorghum can be planted early, but patience is required

  • Diagnosing soil dispersion and transient soil salinity
    Soil and Nutrition, 17 Nov 2022
    Diagnosing soil dispersion and transient soil salinity

    Poorly structured heavy soils are difficult to work and can have multiple constraints to root growth and crop yields. These soils can also suffer from transient salinity, a form of salinity influenced by seasonal rainfall and crop evapotranspiration rather than by groundwater.

  • Rainfall changes cropping plans
    Soil and Nutrition, 16 Nov 2022
    Rainfall changes cropping plans

    For Coonamble grower Tony Single, sorghum is a critical component of his cropping enterprise, increasing its sustainability and profitability. However, well-above-average rainfall over the past 12 months has triggered an increase in sorghum hectares.

  • Project raises the pH outlook for southern soils
    Soil and Nutrition, 15 Oct 2022
    Project raises the pH outlook for southern soils

    A three-year GRDC investment aimed at raising awareness of soil acidification issues in South Australian cropping systems has delivered significant knowledge about acid soil management and treatment. ‘Acid Soils SA’ incorporated a wide range of research into acidification rates, lime movement and effectiveness in modern cropping systems.

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