The objective of the project is for growers and advisers in north east Victoria to have an improved understanding of the state of topsoil and subsoil acidity, the limitations to crop profitability it causes, and an improved knowledge of the agronomic and economic benefits of different lime sources, lime quality and incorporation methods.

• Lime incorporation is essential in broadacre cropping soils to optimise benefits
• Farmers in the Riverine Plains should assume that their farm has some degree of subsurface acidification, unless soil test results prove otherwise
• To-date, results from the Best-practice liming trial show that when lime is applied without incorporation, it only impacts pH levels at the surface and does not flow down through the soil profile
• Incorporating lime by sowing changed pH in the top 5cm, with the rate of change depending on the quantity of lime applied
• Shallow discs moved the lime to 15cm, while the Horsch Tiger moved lime to 20cm as targeted
• Farmers should only incorporate lime to the depth that is suitable for that soil, as other soil constraints (eg., sodicity, slaking), seedbed preparation, emergence and trafficability can come into play.