X

    Please fill your details below to download the PDF.



    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    Become a Member
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    Mallee Sustainable Farming
    • Our Work
      • Soils and nutrition
      • Cereals
      • Break Crops
      • Pastures & Livestock
      • Weeds, Pests & Disease
      • Environment
      • Farming systems
      • Mallee Seeps
    • Projects
    • Media
      • News
      • Press Releases
      • E-updates
      • Field days VIC 
    • Events
    • About MSF
      • Our Organisation
      • Meet The Team
      • Meet The Board
      • Membership
      • Sponsorship
      • David Roget Award for Excellence
        • Guidelines and Call for Applications
        • Hall Fame
        • Winner 2020
      • Annual Reports
      • Twenty One
      • MSF Constitution
    • Virtual Trials
    • Podcast
    • Contact Us
    • Search
    • Menu
    • Publications
      • Research Articles
      • Fact Sheets & Newsletters
      • Annual Reports
      • Other Publications
      • MSF Stubble Guide

    Managing Nutrition in Sandy Soils to Close the Yield Gap

    SA MALLEE Transparent LIGHTTherese McBeath, Bill Davoren, Rick Llewellyn and Willie Shoobridge
    Agriculture, CSIRO, Waite Campus, Adelaide.
    Peer review: Sean Mason, University of Adelaide

    Background
    Sandy soil types of the Northern Mallee often underperform despite good weed management and increased inputs of nitrogen and sulphur. There is still a yield gap that can be addressed, with anecdotal evidence of unused water commonly remaining in the soil at depths of approximately 60cm at harvest. In 2014 we set in place a diagnostic procedure to attempt to identify the production limitations on a poor-performing dune at the MSF site near Loxton. Characterisation of the plant available water capacity allowed us to calculate water use efficiency which suggested that the 2014 plots were operating well below industry benchmarks. Penetration resistance was measured to be greater than the threshold predicted to impede root exploration at 20-45 cm depth, suggesting that compaction might be limiting yield. Replicated harvest test strips on and off of wheel tracks measured at three locations in 2014 showed a significant effect of the wheel track compaction at one location only. The site is alkaline sand and pre-sowing soil tests in 2014 indicated relatively low soil test values for sulphur (S) and zinc (Zn). In-season tissue tests indicated marginal status for nitrogen (N), Zn and copper (Cu) and test strips with additional N showed a positive response. The likely primary limitations to production identified were compaction and nutrition.

    Key messages
    • 40 kg N/ha applied upfront was the best yielding treatment for 2015, with the best protein results where the 40 Kg of N was applied as Urea.
    • We found that 20 kg N/ha applied as a Zn enriched Urea product achieved a yield close to 40 kg N/ha as straight urea and we plan to test this treatment again in 2016.
    • The timing and form of S application did not have any effect in 2015.

    Download the Full Article
    SIGN UP FOR OUR eUPDATE
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    Website by Visual Strategy Design © 2021 Mallee Sustainable Farming Inc
    | Home | Contact | Privacy Policy | Inc # A0036008Z
    Credits
    Testing pre-emergence herbicide options for brome grass on Mallee sand Karoonda Field Day Booklet 2015
    Scroll to top