To test the ability of a range of drainage treatments to improve crop yields in soil prone to waterlogging.
Key messages
In a year where waterlogging caused yield penalties all treatments resulted in a yield increase compared to the control.
The raised beds increased yield by almost 200% followed by gravel moles, gravel slots and conventional moles.
On flat waterlogged land, raised beds provided the best yield result but they did have some management issues.
Gravel slots and gravel moles also worked extremely well but the slots were too expensive to install to consider for broadacre use. No commercial scale gravel mole is available at present.
Conventional moles are prone to collapse with Kangaroo Island’s sodic clays.
Lead research organisation
Agriculture Kangaroo Island Incorporated
Host research organisation
N/A
Trial funding source
NLP
Related program
National Landcare Programme
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the trial sponsors:
National Landcare Program through the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board, and
No observed climate data available for this trial. Derived climate data is
determined from trial site location and national weather sources.
MacGillivray SA
NOTE: Exact trial site locality unknown - Climate data may not be accurate
SILO weather estimates sourced from https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/
Jeffrey, S.J., Carter, J.O., Moodie, K.B. and Beswick, A.R. (2001). Using spatial interpolation to
construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data , Environmental Modelling and Software, Vol
16/4, pp 309-330. DOI: 10.1016/S1364-8152(01)00008-1.
