Riverine Plains Blog

Key Messages

• Stubble retention has many benefits for soil health, can improve soil moisture and help maintain soil organic carbon levels
• Different methods of sowing and equipment result in different thresholds for change in terms of maximum stubble load that can be retained
• If full stubble retention is not feasible due to machinery, weeds or disease constraints, there are other options such as shallow incorporation, slashing straw or cutting short at harvest which can reduce the frequency of burning

Benefits of Stubble Retention

Retaining stubble can reduce the impacts of soil erosion. At least 70 per cent ground cover minimises water erosion risk and 50 per cent ground cover minimises wind erosion risk. Stubble height should be at least one-third of the width of crop rows. In general, the shelter provided by a barrier is approximately three times its height; 10 cm tall stubble will protect the adjacent 30 cm of topsoil. (Source: Managing stubble | General agronomy | Crop production | Grains, pulses and cereals | Crops and horticulture | Agriculture Victoria )

Key Messages:

• Carbon is present in the soil in many different forms.
• Including a pasture phase and pulses/legumes in the cropping rotation is essential to improve soil organic matter and nitrogen levels, promote microbial activity and ultimately increase soil organic carbon. 
• Evaluating management practices to increase soil carbon is necessary to ensure they are economically viable for a farming business.
• Several environmental factors (rainfall, evaporation, solar radiation, and temperature), as well as soil type, nutrient availability and land management influence maximum soil organic carbon storage capacity 

 

What Is Soil Carbon?

Soil carbon can occur in organic and inorganic forms.

Riverine Plains recently hosted a soil health webinar as part of a project supported by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

While the past few growing seasons have been favourable in terms of pricing and production for most Riverine Plains grain farmers, drought is inevitable, and the next drought or dry time might only be around the corner. 

Riverine Plains recently hosted an AgTech webinar as part of a project supported by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.  The webinar aimed to provide a better understanding on how AgTech can be used to assist business decision making and aid on-farm drought preparation.