There are a range of machinery options that can provide different levels of lime incorporation such as spading. However, research to date on rotary spaders has shown soil/amendment mixing is not uniform due to the cyclical process, and the mixing quality reduces significantly at faster speed (Ucgul et al. 2019). This trial aimed to understand how the uniformity of soil-lime mixing by spading affected crop response and soil pH. 

• In the fourth trial season lentil grain yield benefits were observed from spading and lime treatments. Addition of lime (2200 kg/ha or 6600 kg/ha) and mixing with low, medium or high uniformity were the highest yielding treatments ranging from 3.36 to 3.69 t/ha.
• Lime rate and spading have had variable response on NDVI across four years. 
• In the first three years of the trial plant establishment has generally not been affected by lime rate, spading uniformity or deep ripping.
• Lentil tissue tests in year four revealed increased Mo levels (>0.3 mg/kg) in treatments where lime was applied.
• Soil samples taken in 2022 showed both the high and low uniformity treatments plus lime have increased soil pH compared to the control. The high uniformity has had the greatest impact on soil pH across the 5 to 30 cm sampling depths.