Description:
Common mechanical soil amelioration techniques lead to various degrees of soil mixing, creating a changed soil profile. These actions also mix and redistribute the living components of soil, but little is known about how these amelioration practices change diversity, distribution and long-term survival of the soil's biology including soilborne pathogens, nematodes and weed seeds.
Soilborne pathogens and plant parasitic nematodes are major constraints to WA grain production and as growers increasingly employ mechanical soil amelioration, it is vital to understand what is likely to happen to the soils biology in the process to make the most of potential soil profile changes.
This project aims to identify deep tillage techniques that best alleviate common soilborne disease, plant parasitic nematode and weed issues in soil types where these biological constraints commonly cause yield loss.
It involves large scale trials at Williams, Muresk, Yerecoin and Darkan in paddocks significantly impacted by soilborne disease and nematode pests, as well as physical and chemical constraints for which mechanical amelioration is commonly undertaken.
Rotations utilising crops less susceptible to soilborne disease and nematode pest constraints plays a role in successful management of infested paddocks. As part of the project, four crops common in WA cropping sequences, each with varied resistance to soilborne disease issues present, were grown at the Williams site in the seasons prior to amelioration. Researchers then assessed changes and potential interactions in soil biology, chemistry, and the soil profile's physical properties in the seasons directly post amelioration.
While the Williams site was the main trial for this project, it also used Muresk, Yerecoin and Darkan sites for soil health (biology). Those sites form part of another project, co-funded by GRDC, looking at increasing farming system profitability and longevity following soil amelioration.
All the sites (Williams, Muresk, Yerecoin and Darkan) used roughly the same deep soil tillage techniques and had the same soilborne disease, nematode pests and weeds.
By the end of the project, growers with grain production constraints from abiotic soils, soil diseases, and nematodes pests will have information for effective deep soil amelioration mitigation.
Funding source:
RfR
Project code:
SPP03-2018/19