Innovative approaches to managing subsoil acidity in the southern grain region

This project aims to increase awareness of subsoil acidity and to demonstrate effectiveness of innovative technology to ameliorate and/or prevent it’s occurrence on a farm scale. It also aims at increase productivity, profitability and sustainability on farms through the management of subsoil acidity and to study soil processes such as changes of soil chemical, physical and biological properties under vigorous soil amelioration techniques to date over long term. This project aims to:

• Compare the effectiveness of organic and inorganic amendments
• Optimise application rates and depth of promising amendments
• Study the effects of organic and inorganic amendments on movements of surface applied lime
• Find ways to maximise alkalising effects on subsoil acidity and N-use efficiency on Ca(NO3)2 in crops

The small plot and large-scale on-farm experiments will be designed to compare:

• Surface Vs deep liming
• Inorganic (lime) Vs organic amendments
• Innovative materials and methods

Results from the Riverine Plains 2019 research site at Rutherglen and Bungeet  was published in Research for the Riverine Plains, 2020 and is available here: Amelioration of subsoil acidity by subsurface placement of amendments in large-scale trials at Rutherglen and Bungeet (2020)

Results from the 2019 research site at Rutherglen was published in Research for the Riverine Plains, 2020 and is available here: Addressing soil acidity subsurface soil amendments increasing pH and crop yield at Rutherglen (2020)

Results from the 2018 research site at Rutherglen was published in Research for the Riverine Plains, 2019 and is available here: Addressing soil acidity subsurface soil amendments increasing pH and crop yield at Rutherglen (2019)

Results from research conducted at the Rutherglen trial site during 2017 was published in Research for the Riverine Plains, 2018 and is available here: 2018 Addressing soil acidity – Subsurface soil amendments increasing pH.and crop yield at Rutherglen

Further information can be found via the following links to the NSW DPI website

Managing subsoil acidity – project overview.pdf

2-D3-ripping-machine.pdf