Riverine Plains Blog

Key messages:

• canola crops are especially vulnerable to sulfur deficiency
• leaching and high rates of plant removal over the past few years have likely reduced soil sulfur levels
• incremented soil testing to a depth of 60-80cm will identify the quantity and location of sulfur in the soil
• understanding what’s in the ‘bank’ can help farmers make timely and economical fertiliser decisions

Sulfur (S) is an important nutrient for grain crops as it is used in chlorophyll formation and plant development. Canola has a higher requirement than wheat or legume crops for sulfur thanks to its oil and protein production.

Key points

Key Messages

• Pulse crops are under pressure due to current wet conditions and disease
• Brown or green manuring pulse crops may be an option this spring 
• Brown/green manuring can increase soil nitrogen, provide weed control options, help conserve moisture & improve soil structure and improve subsequent crop gross margins.

Perhaps trafficability has created difficulties with fungicide application and disease management has become problematic in your pulse crop. Or maybe specific weed issues have recently come into focus?

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.

Key Messages:

• Nitrogen is a key yield-limiting factor for grain crops 

• Economic yield responses to applied nitrogen can occur until around flag leaf emergence in...