Growers survey – we want to hear from you!
The Acid Soils SA team are inviting South Australian growers and advisers to share their insights into how they manage acid soils.
The results will be used to inform our communication and extension outputs for GRDC Acid Soils SA project. This survey will take around 5 minutes to complete and all answers are confidential.
As a thank you for participating, all completed surveys will go into the draw to win a $100 Coles Myer gift card. To be eligible please complete the survey by May 31 2021.
Dedicated website helps SA growers address acid soils
SA growers have access to a 'one-stop-shop' website to assist the management of acid soils.
The websites, Acid Soils SA, provides access to a range of tools and resources to help diagnose acid soils, select lime sources, map soil pH and understand the latest research.
Primary Industries and Regions SA- Rural Solutions Principal Consultant, Brian Hughes, says incorporating the latest research, recommendations and hands-on knowledge from a range of program partners, the site will be a valuable source of new information on lime movement in no-till systems and soil acidity management.
"Subsurface soil acidity and stratification are emerging as serious constraints to crop production."
“The Department for Environment and Water estimates that over 4 million hectares of the State’s cropping land is either already acidic or prone to acidification,” he says. “The rate, depth and intensity of acidification can vary by soil type, texture, moisture and carbon content. It is seldom uniform, even within a single paddock. “Under no-till systems, traditional testing of the 0-10 centimeter layer can also lead to misdiagnosis of acidity issues like stratification.”
Mr Hughes says by visiting Acid Soils SA, growers can adopt better soil pH testing methods, understand the various factors driving acidification in their soils and plan an effective liming program to maintain an optimum soil pH.
The resources on offer include lime and soil acidity calculators, soil pH mapping information, factsheets, case studies and technical presentations.