Soil Re-Engineering and Fertiliser Strategies Influence Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Growth in a Deep Soil Column Experiment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-27-2026
Journal Title
Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
Keywords
soil re-engineering, subsoil acidity, lime and clay deep incorporation, barley root development, texture-contrast soils
Disciplines
Natural Resources and Conservation | Plant Sciences | Soil Science
Abstract
Soil acidity, compaction, and low nutrition constrain crop productivity in texture-contrast soils of southern Australia. This study evaluated the effects of soil re-engineering (RE) and fertiliser strategy on root development and early growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown in a strongly acidic Kurosol. Four RE treatments comprising loosened soil profiles with no amendment, clay incorporation (0–40 cm), lime incorporation (0–80 cm), or combined clay (0–40 cm) and lime (0–80 cm) incorporation were combined with three fertiliser strategies: low-rate banded (F1), moderate-rate banded (F2), and high-rate incorporated at 0–80 cm (F3). Barley was grown for 72 days in reconstructed soil columns under semi-controlled conditions. Lime incorporation substantially increased pHCa from 4.3 to 5.4 and decreased aluminium concentrations to near zero. These changes promoted deeper and denser root systems, resulting in 258% greater volumetric root length density and 195% higher shoot biomass than unlimed treatments. Fertiliser strategy influenced crop performance, with F3 producing the greatest shoot biomass, tiller number, root growth and nutrient uptake. Across RE treatments, the F3 strategy generally produced greater shoot growth and nutrient uptake than the lower-rate banded strategies; however, because F3 differed in both nutrient rate and placement, these responses cannot be attributed independently to either factor. Root growth was positively correlated with soil pHCa (r = 0.53) and negatively correlated with aluminium concentration (r = -0.69). These findings demonstrate that lime incorporation into acidic soil profiles is critical for improving root-zone conditions and barley root development in Kurosols, while highlighting the need to optimise fertiliser rate and placement for re-engineered soil profiles.
Recommended Citation
Wickramarachchi, K., Azam, G. Soil Re-Engineering and Fertiliser Strategies Influence Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Growth in a Deep Soil Column Experiment. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-026-03638-2
