Soil acidity - crop yield impacts and management in Central Western NSW

2015
CC BY 4.0

Research organisaton
Funding source

Trial details

Researcher(s) John Small (CWFS)
Year(s) 2015
Contributor Central West Farming Systems
Trial location(s) Euabalong West,
Condobolin, NSW
Nymagee, NSW
Tottenham, NSW
Ungarie, NSW
Wirrinya, NSW
Soil acidity - crop yield impacts and management in Central Western NSW locations
Aims

To identify and retest historic pH monitoring sites from previous publically funded projects.

Key messages
  • Soil acidification is a natural process accelerated by high crop yields, fertilizer use and potentially direct drilling and stubble retention. It is an unseen cost of doing business.
  • To maintain a good soil pH profile producers should aim for a pH(CaCl) above 5.0 in the 0-10cm of topsoil or 5.5 if subsoil acidity issues are present. The target in the 10-30cm zone is greater than pH (CaCl) 4.8.
  • Retesting during 2015 of historic soil pH datasets confirms soil profiles continue to acidify.
  • Left unmanaged sub soil acidification is likely to occur in most Central West NSW soils.
  • Liming needs to be thought of as a farm input, like checking and changing the oil in the tractor, (maintaining capital) rather than buying urea (dollars returned per dollar invested).
  • Cost in managing soil pH are easier to quantify than returns.
Lead research organisation Central West Farming Systems
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source GRDC CWF00119
Related program N/A
Acknowledgments
  • The research undertaken as part of this project is made possible by the significant contributions of growers through both trial cooperation and the support of the GRDC. The author would like to thank them for their continued support.
  • I would also like to acknowledge the support of Nick Hill, former CWFS project manager who was responsible for the data collection reported in this paper.

Other trial partners Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop type Other: Not specified
Treatment type(s)
  • Soil Improvement
Trial type
Trial design

Euabalong West 2015

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Condobolin 2015

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Nymagee 2015

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Tottenham 2015

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Ungarie 2015

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Wirrinya 2015

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information
Trial source data and summary not available
Check the trial report PDF for trial results.
Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Euabalong West, Not specified
Condobolin, NSW Not specified
Nymagee, NSW Not specified
Tottenham, NSW Not specified
Ungarie, NSW Not specified
Wirrinya, NSW Not specified
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Euabalong West, Kandosol
Condobolin, NSW Kandosol
Nymagee, NSW Kandosol
Tottenham, NSW Vertosol
Ungarie, NSW Kandosol
Wirrinya, NSW Vertosol
Soil Moisture Source: BOM/ANU
Average amount of water stored in the soil profile during the year, estimated by the OzWALD model-data fusion system.
Year Euabalong West Condobolin NSW Nymagee NSW Tottenham NSW Ungarie NSW Wirrinya NSW
2015 544.3mm217.9mm179.0mm549.7mm544.1mm417.8mm
2014 553.3mm206.0mm185.6mm560.3mm507.9mm396.5mm
2013 556.2mm206.6mm219.3mm535.0mm508.5mm405.2mm
2012 601.3mm243.4mm309.3mm600.3mm530.9mm472.0mm
2011 653.4mm179.2mm283.9mm613.3mm553.9mm479.9mm
2010 642.6mm185.0mm322.3mm644.7mm604.2mm493.3mm
2009 572.2mm73.3mm235.5mm605.4mm574.4mm447.7mm
2008 556.4mm90.9mm224.9mm602.0mm536.1mm447.2mm
2007 530.7mm80.4mm148.0mm571.0mm475.8mm338.2mm
2006 555.6mm119.2mm148.5mm565.5mm496.1mm368.2mm
2005 538.1mm154.3mm192.0mm599.9mm545.8mm421.7mm
2004 506.5mm155.8mm188.2mm602.9mm502.8mm396.5mm
2003 503.8mm154.0mm188.1mm554.5mm482.2mm365.9mm
2002 476.4mm162.4mm188.0mm530.9mm435.2mm344.9mm
2001 507.4mm230.3mm238.7mm528.4mm468.7mm363.2mm
2000 502.3mm300.5mm299.9mm514.1mm458.9mm310.0mm
National soil grid Source: CSIRO/TERN
NOTE: National Soil Grid data is aggregated information for background information on the wider area
Actual soil values can vary significantly in a small area and the trial soil tests are the most relevant data where available

Soil properties

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Climate

Derived climate information

No observed climate data available for this trial.
Derived climate data is determined from trial site location and national weather sources.

Euabalong West NSW

Condobolin NSW

Nymagee NSW

Tottenham NSW

Ungarie NSW

Wirrinya NSW

Euabalong West NSW

NOTE: Exact trial site locality unknown - Climate data may not be accurate
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Condobolin NSW

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Nymagee NSW

NOTE: Exact trial site locality unknown - Climate data may not be accurate
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Tottenham NSW

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Ungarie NSW

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Wirrinya NSW

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Some data on this site is sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology

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.

Trial report and links

2015 trial report



Trial last modified: 26-11-2019 15:06pm AEST