Making money out of Zonal Management

LEARN ABOUT ZONAL MANAGEMENT IN THE RIVERINE PLAINS

Riverine Plains previously identified variation in important soil parameters within paddocks. Other work had also determined how this information could be brought together with yield maps and other spatial data to delineate management zones within paddocks. At the time this project was developed, most farmers were yet to adopt this technique on a commercial scale. Consequently, a project was designed to delineate and ground truth management zones in paddocks in the Riverine Plains and then investigate options to manage these zones more appropriately, according to their own unique characteristics.  

Paddocks at three sites across the Riverine Plains were selected as project paddocks. Broadly speaking the sites were  at Yarrawonga, Vic (“Grand View” – Inchbold), Burrumbuttock, NSW (“Yaralla” – I’Anson) and Urana, NSW (“Bogandillan” –Hamilton). 

Key messages  

Through a series of trials, the project found that:

• Zones can be initially delineated (boundaries mapped) by using EM38 survey
• Check zones from EM38 surveys using other tools which include yield maps, paddock elevation maps and historical (farmer) knowledge
• Once zones are delineated soil test in zones
• Use soil test decisions to write input prescriptions
• Deep Soil Nitrogen (DSN) and crop monitor in zones
• Test strips are a good approach to testing the profitability of variable rates
• Yield map! Yield map! Yield map!