Author: Alisa Bryce
36 results found:-
Diagnosing soil dispersion and transient soil salinity
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2022-11-17T09:00:00+11:00Poorly 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.
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Growers work to mitigate problematic heavy soils
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2022-08-23T09:00:00+10:00Heavy-textured soils in the low-rainfall areas of Western Australia’s eastern grainbelt are challenging for cropping. These soils often come with a host of associated constraints that present physical and chemical challenges for crops, including high pH, high density, poor stability, sodicity, salinity and boron toxicity. Current GRDC and DPIRD projects are doing some good proof-of-concept work, particularly re-engineering the soil profile to tackle multiple interacting soil constraints.
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Rock-busting and rolling boosts yields in difficult country
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2022-03-11T09:00:00+11:00With the advent of rock-crushing machines, growers can now break up most surface and shallow subsurface rocks, turning previously unusable country into arable paddocks and boosting yields. Machines work like a wood plane or cheese grater, cracking and peeling the rock.
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Fertiliser profitability
Author: Alisa Bryce & Wayne Pluske, 2022-02-19T09:00:00+11:00Fertiliser cost and fertiliser profitability are different. Fertiliser cost is obvious; whereas fertiliser profitability is rarely assessed.
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Mechanical soil amelioration shifts balance for crop nutrition
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2022-01-25T09:00:00+11:00Soil amelioration creates a more favourable environment for crop roots, which means better root systems can access previously unavailable nutrients. This balance between a greater need for nutrients and improved access to soil nutrient stocks might explain why in the short term at least, pre and post-amelioration responses to fertiliser do not differ much on soils with reasonable nutrient status.
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How to prioritise soil constraint amelioration
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2022-01-22T09:00:00+11:00The choice of strategy for soil amelioration depends on each grower's budget, equipment and experience with the various processes. Some ameliorations are largely variable costs (wetters, moisture retainers) but others, especially tillage ameliorations such as deep ripping and soil mixing, can require considerable capital investment.
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Guidance systems a plus for on and edge-row sowing
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2022-01-13T09:00:00+11:00On and edge-row sowing can improve crop establishment on non-wetting soils, especially for canola. Sowing on or very near to last year’s crop row lets the crop access old root channels. Water infiltrates more easily into these ‘preferred pathways’ than the surrounding repellent soil, giving the crop a better chance of establishing.
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Assessing the profitability of soil amelioration
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2021-12-20T09:00:00+11:00Calculate the likely profitability of realistic soil amelioration options before starting. Consider how much of a yield boost is needed to recover costs and how long this will take.
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Test methods a concern with soil aluminium
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2021-09-20T09:00:00+10:00Aluminium toxicity brought on by acidic soil conditions impairs crop root growth and yield. New research is shedding light on using different laboratory methods to measure aluminium in different soil types, as well as the impact of aluminium on root growth.
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Research compares alternative lime sources
Author: Alisa Bryce and Wayne Pluske, 2021-09-15T09:00:00+10:00In glasshouse research, limesand and dolomite have outperformed alternative liming products to raise soil pH and improve crop root growth. Lime is also more effective when mixed into the acidic soil layer.