CSP00203 - Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the South
Investment
CSP00203 - Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the South
A large gap exists between actual yield and water limited yield potential on sandy soils in the low rainfall cropping zone of south-eastern Australia. This project investigates the potential for the management of constraints to production under these conditions through a combination of mitigation and amelioration strategies. An initial research focus will establish the nature and extent of the constraints, measure the degree to which the problem controls the yield gap between yield attained and yield potential, and develop appropriate and cost-effective management strategies with estimates of return and risk of investment. Using that information the project will develop a framework to support growers with problem sands considering trialling practices to overcome crop water-use constraints.
The framework will help growers:
(i) Identify problem sands;
(ii) Identify the primary constraints to crop water use and their relative impact;
(iii) Identify treatments to address constraints;
(iv) Identify funds, skills and equipment required to trial potential practice changes;
(v) Measure the success of each practice; and
(vi) Identify the most useful timing and extent of implementation on-farm.
- Project start date:
- 30/06/2016
- Project end date:
- 30/11/2023
- Crop type:
-
- All Crops
- Organisation
- CSIRO
- Region:
- South
- Project status
-
Completed
GRDC News
Update papers
- 05 Feb 2024, Strategies to improve crop establishment and yield on repellent sandy soils after amelioration - GRDC
- 08 Aug 2023, Improving crop production outcomes on repellent sands - GRDC
- 13 Feb 2023, The key profit levers for sandy soils amelioration - GRDC
- 06 Feb 2023, The mechanics of high-performance inclusion ripping - GRDC
- 06 Feb 2023, The key profit levers for sandy soils amelioration - GRDC
- 15 Aug 2022, Nutrition management on ameliorated sands - GRDC
- 26 Jul 2022, Strategies to close the yield gap on three water repellent sandy soils in South Australia - GRDC
- 25 Jul 2022, Ameliorating sandy soils to overcome soil constraints and improve profit - GRDC
- 22 Feb 2022, Ameliorating sandy soils to overcome soil constraints and improve profit - GRDC
- 17 Aug 2021, Amelioration strategies to improve crop productivity on sandy soils - GRDC
- 28 Jul 2021, Increasing reliability of lentil production on sandy soils - GRDC
- 14 Jul 2021, Diagnosing constraints is key to cost effective amelioration: Do responses in NSW sands differ from the broader Southern sandy context? - GRDC
- 12 Jul 2021, Improving crop productivity on sands - what is the latest? - GRDC
- 12 Jul 2021, Increasing reliability of lentil production on sandy soils - GRDC
- 08 Feb 2021, Targeted amelioration in Mallee sands to maximise crop water use - GRDC
- 28 Jul 2020, Perils of ripping on sandy soils- what can be learnt from hindsight? - GRDC
- 24 Feb 2020, Deep ripping - where it will work (and where it won’t) - GRDC
- 10 Feb 2020, Seeder-based approaches to reduce the impact of water repellence on crop productivity - GRDC
- 06 Aug 2018, Improving crop productivity and profits on sandy soils - GRDC
- 31 Jul 2018, Improving crop productivity on sands - what is the latest? - GRDC
- 12 Feb 2018, Improving productivity on low fertility (sandy) soils - GRDC
Podcasts
Ameliorating sandy soils to increase production - GRDC
30 Jan 2024In this episode, we speak with some of the experts involved in the project and hear about getting the most...

Improving crop productivity in sandy soils - GRDC
23 Oct 2018Therese McBeath describes the types of intervention being investigated, seasonal timing of interventions and the supply of nutrients to sandy...

Resources
Tyne design and deep ripping efficiency - GRDC
This publication covers findings from Mallee deep sandy soil research that shows the impacts of tyne design and features on the energy efficiency and loosening effectiveness of deep ripping.
Sandy soils of the southern region - GRDC
Across the southern regions of Australia, growers have been observing ‘water left behind’ after growing crops in sandy soils. This poor crop water use is due to several constraints in sandy soils that present challenges for crop production.
Soil inversion by ploughing - GRDC
Different plough technologies can help soil quality issues. This fact sheet looks at ploughing of sandy soils, performance evaluation and management.
Economics of deep ripping - GRDC
Deep ripping loosens soil at depths beyond what traditional cultivation methods achieve. This fact sheet offers advice on how to assess the economic viability of deep ripping on your farm.
Diagnosing Sandy Soil Constraints: Nutrition (South-West) - GRDC
Crop nutrition for sandy soils.
Diagnosing Sandy Soil Constraints Water Repellence and pH (South-West) - GRDC
Measuring constrains on sands to inform management.
Diagnosing Sandy Soil Constraints: High Soil Strength (South-West) - GRDC
Measuring soil strength with a penetrometer. High soil strength can be caused by compaction and/or hard setting, and can severely limit root penetration, preventing access to moisture and nutrients at depth.
Soil Mixing by Spading: National - GRDC
Understanding the process of soil profile mixing with rotary spaders.
Seeding Sandy Soils: National - GRDC
Managing water repellence at seeding: moisture access strategies
Ripping Technology: National - GRDC
Technology considerations for cost-effective subsoil loosening
Soil Wetter: National fact sheet - GRDC
Managing water repellence at seeding: soil wetting agents. Soil water repellence causing patchy and poor crop establishment depends upon seasonal conditions, but wetting agents can mitigate the risks.
Physical Soil Constraints fact sheet - GRDC
The villains of hard subsurface layers in sandy soils.

Paddock Practices: Practical remedies to target challenges of deep ripped soils - GRDC
Some growers experience poor crop establishment after sowing into deep ripped sandy soils, and press wheel design, steel drum rollers and different deep ripper and seeder tyne configurations are being investigated as possible solutions.

Paddock Practices: Chicken litter trials revealing sandy soil constraint improvement - GRDC
High-rate applications of chicken manure are showing positive signs of ameliorating sandy soils in trials on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.