Cost-effectiveness of combinations of clay spreading and strategic tillage for management of repellent soils: first year results from a site in Moora, Western Australia
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2017
Conference Title
Doing More with Less
Keywords
Soil water repellence, Clay spreading, Tillage, Frost damage.
Disciplines
Agribusiness | Agricultural Science | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Fresh Water Studies | Hydrology | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Soil Science | Water Resource Management
Abstract
Proceedings of the 18th Australian Agronomy Conference
Ballarat, Victoria
24-28 September 2017
Australian Society of Agronomy
Clay spreading is a proven method for the amelioration of water repellent soils but it requires high initial capital investment and the outcomes can be quite variable. A field trial at Moora in Western Australia was established in early 2016 on a water repellent sand in order to identify the most cost-effective combination of clay spreading (at 0,100, 150 and 250 t/ha) and subsequent incorporation methods (off-set discs and rotary spader). Results from the first year of the trial showed that spading, on its own or in combination with claying, was the most effective method for reducing the severity of soil water repellence. Early plant establishment however was not significantly affected by the treatments, explained by a wetter than usual weather at seeding and during early plant growth. Nevertheless, clay spreading in combination with spading produced the highest grain yield, up to 1.5 t/ha above the untreated control. The difference in yields between the treatments was partly explained by frost damage. Clay spreading and, in particular, spading were found to significantly reduce frost induced sterility (FIS). Spading alone (without clay spreading) had the highest return on investment (ROI) in the first year thanks to its relative low cost, efficacy in reducing frost damage and good yield response. The trial will continue to be evaluated for a further three seasons (until 2019) in order to better assess the longevity and cost-effectiveness of all treatments in the medium to long term.
Recommended Citation
Giacomo Betti and Stephen Davies (2017). Cost-effectiveness of combinations of clay spreading and strategic tillage for management of repellent soils: first year results from a site in Moora, Western Australia. In: Doing More with Less. GJ O’Leary, RD Armstrong and L Hafner Eds. Proceedings of the 18th Australian Society of Agronomy Conference, 24 – 28 September 2017, Ballarat, VIC, Australia © 2017. (http://www.agronomyaustraliaproceedings.org/).
