Riverine Plains Blog

Key messages

• Understanding the scale and depth of soil constraints is key to an effective amelioration program
• Incremental sampling to depth provides more information than traditional 0-10 cm tests
• Seek advice before beginning an amelioration program

Summer and early autumn provides an opportunity for Riverine Plains farmers to treat soil constraints, such as acidity and sodicity, between winter crops.

So, what are the issues to consider?

Grain crops require plenty of nitrogen to deliver good yields, and when soils are nitrogen deficient, adding fertiliser into the system is necessary. 

Soils in the Riverine Plains region can be complex, with constraints segmented across the profile. Soil acidity is a classic example of this, with some soils not being acidic in the topsoil but being profoundly acidic beyond 15cm depth.

While some soils in northeast Victoria and southern NSW are naturally acidic due to their parent material, others are becoming more acidic due to agricultural production. The ongoing use of nitrogen and the export of agricultural produce (which extracts calcium, magnesium and other cations from the soil) all resul t in net soil acidification.