This trial aimed to determine the best rate and placement of soil wetters for growers to mitigate nonwetting effects and achieve the best possible crop emergence without mechanical disturbance of nonwetting forest gravel soils.

The two most significant results were obtained in the 2020 season. Placement of wetting agent in the subsoil closer to the seed achieved significantly better germination and early plant biomass than
wetter applied on the furrow above ground. Secondly, the seed placement in relation to last season’s
furrow had a more significant effect on canola germination and early vigour than the wetting agent
treatments. Canola planted on or near last year's furrow had a significantly higher ground cover
percentage than canola planted inter-row, regardless of a wetting agent treatment was applied or not. Despite observing differences in canola germination and early vigour in 2020, there were no
significant differences measured in grain yields indicating the canola could compensate for lower plant numbers in some treatments.
In 2021, wheat was grown over the 2020 canola plots with the grower's standard agronomic package. No new wetter treatments were added so that we could determine if there was any residual benefit in the second year from the wetting agents applied in 2020. Satellite imagery was collected to analyse NDVI at different times during the 2021 growing season, but no significant differences were detected. There were no significant yield differences in 2021 between any treatments applied in 2020. This result confirms the recommendation that soil wetters be used every year on responsive soils. The 2021 season was exceptionally wet, and the expression of non-wetting was likely very low.