Assessing soil water storage

WHY THIS PROJECT IS NEEDED

Water infiltration into soils after rain and the ability of soils to store water can be affected by soil constraints, such as soil acidity and sodicity.

This project aims to improve the understanding of crop access to water and resources by measuring a range of attributes in a soil with constraints in northeast Victoria.

In short: This project is helping to understand soil water storage in soils affected by constraints such as acidity and sodicity, and the soil-water dynamics between crop types.

Project focus

Through the installation of field sensors, the project will quantify changes in soil water attributes (infiltration, storage, drainage, and crop interaction), due to the diagnosis and management of soil constraints at an existing Soil CRC project site at Burramine, Victoria.

This will allow the development of tools that support soil management for increased access to soil water. It will also provide a better understanding of the competition for water and resources that occurs between mixed species cover crops, and the impact on soil water availability for the subsequent crop.