Report on Improving Sandy Soils at Coomandook

Rebecca Tonkin, Rural Solutions SA

The Coomandook Ag Bureau (CAB) and Coorong-Tatiara LAP are very interested in ways to improve the
sandy soils in the area around Coomandook. There are 2 main problems:

 Water repellence at the surface leads to poor crop establishment and ground cover, reducing
productivity and increasing wind erosion risk.
 Poor nutrient holding capacity in the subsoil reduces crop growth and productivity, leading to
low ground cover, higher erosion risk and low nutrient efficiency of applied fertiliser.

The area does not have much clay of good quality that can be economically accessed to use for clay
spreading, and soils often are too deep or too rocky to delve.

The CAB consulted with Rural Solutions SA and came up with a potential project to look at ways to
overcome the problems of non-wetting sands and poor nutrient holding capacity, without using normal
clay addition. Methods include inverting (moldboard ploughing), spading, adding organic matter to the
soil, deep incorporation of organic matter/fertilizer, using wetting agents, and seeding in existing
furrows.

A site for the project has been selected, and soil samples have been taken and sent for analysis. A
meeting has been held with a trial committee, and the basic trial plan has been designed according to
scientific principles. Contractors and suppliers have been contacted for trial work. We are now about to
peg out the trial site and commence the soil modification part of the trial in the next few weeks, so that
this is complete before seeding begins.

*** Updated Trial Report 26/7/13***

The trials have all had the organic matter and fertilizer added as necessary, and a field day was held on
June 20th to demonstrate the use of the spader and mouldboard plough while incorporating the organic
matter into the plots. The spray applications have been made on the wetter trials, and all trials have
been seeded. The crop has emerged and is at early tillering stage (as of 26/7/13), there are visible
growth differences in plots without OM/fertilizer vs. plots with added nutrition.

*** Update 13/8/13***

Emergence counts were taken 9/8/13. No sig diff between treatments in actual numbers, difference is
visual between treatments in growth, tillering & height, leaf area etc. This will be measured at anthesis
with DM cuts & stem counts.

Crop was also monitored at LAP visit 12/8/13, differences are visible between treatments. The entire
area is Mn deficient and should be sprayed with a Cu, Zn Mn mix this week.
Main Trial Plan – Soil Mod & OM
F1 - Soil Mods F2 - Additives Blocks (Reps)
Control Pig Manure Aged (10 t/ha) 4 approx plot size - depends on machinery width, but 10m x 50m
Spader PM Composted (10 t/ha) buffers between plots = 0
MB Vetch Hay (~5 t/ha) buffers between blocks 10 m
Cereal Straw (~5 t/ha)
Silage (~5 t/ha) allow 10m width per plot, and buffer will be included.
Fert 1 (base + 45 kg/ha DAP * 3)
Fert 2 (base + 90 kg/ha DAP * 3)
Fert 3 (base + 22.5 kg/ha * 2)
Tarac TPR (20 t/ha) 2 spader runs = ~ 8m
Control (Nil) 6 MB runs = ~ 9.9m, 5 MB runs = ~ 8.25

Assume plot area 10m x 50m

area = 500 m2 info sheets on pig manure content say that aged pig manure is worth ~ 0.8% P and similar amounts of N.
= 5% of 1ha 10 t/ha pig manure = ~ 80 units of P and 80 Units of N
Plus other amounts of other nutrients. We are analysing all OM additives for nutrient content.
10 t/ha = 500 kg/plot

1 t/ha = 50 kg/plot

Block
PLOT A B C D Width Total
1 Spader + Vetch MB + CPM MB + Fert 1 Spader + CPM 10 10
2 MB + Cereal Spader + CPM Spader + Fert 2 Control + Fert 3 10 20
3 Spader + Control MB + Fert 3 MB + APM MB + Control 10 30
4 Spader + Cereal MB + Vetch MB + Cereal Control + Control 10 40
5 Spader + TPR Control + Fert 3 MB + Vetch MB + APM 10 50
6 MB + Fert 2 MB + Fert 2 Spader + APM MB + Vetch 10 60
7 Spader + Silage Spader + Vetch Spader + Fert 1 Spader + Cereal 10 70
8 MB + Silage Control + APM MB + Fert 3 MB + CPM 10 80
9 Spader + Fert 1 Spader + Fert 1 MB + Control Spader + Silage 10 90
10 Control + CPM MB + Silage Spader + Cereal Spader + Fert 2 10 100
11 Spader + Fert 2 Spader + Cereal Control + Control MB + Cereal 10 110
12 Spader + Fert 3 Spader + Fert 2 Control + Cereal MB + Fert 3 10 120
13 Control + Cereal Spader + Silage MB + Silage Spader + APM 10 130
14 MB + APM MB + TPR Spader + CPM MB + Silage 10 140
15 Spader + CPM Control + CPM MB + CPM MB + Fert 2 10 150
16 Control + Silage Spader + TPR Control + Fert 3 Control + APM 10 160
17 Control + APM Spader + APM Control + APM MB + TPR 10 170
18 Control + Control MB + Fert 1 MB + TPR Control + Fert 2 10 180
19 Spader + CPM *(2nd) Control + CPM Control + CPM Control + CPM 10 190
20 MB + TPR Control + TPR Control + TPR Control + Cereal 10 200
21 MB + CPM Control + Silage Control + Cereal Control + CPM 10 210
22 Control + Fert 2 Control + Silage Control + Fert 1 Control + TPR 10 220
23 Control + TPR MB + APM Spader + TPR Spader + Fert 1 10 230
24 MB + Fert 3 MB + Cereal Spader + Silage Spader + TPR 10 240
25 Control + Fert 1 Control + Fert 2 Spader + Vetch Spader + Control 10 250
26 MB + Control Control + Control MB + Fert 2 MB + Fert 1 10 260
27 Control + Vetch Control + Vetch Spader + Fert 3 Spader + Vetch 10 270
28 Control + Fert 3 Control + Fert 1 Control + Vetch Spader + Fert 3 10 280
29 MB + Vetch MB + Control Spader + Control Control + Fert 1 10 290
30 MB + Fert 1 Spader + Fert 3 Control + Fert 2 Control + Vetch 10 300
31 Spader + APM Spader + Control Spare Control + Silage 10 310
32 Spare Spare Spare Spare 10 320
60 (50+10) 60 (50+10) 60 (50+10) 60 (50+10) 240
Wetter Trial Plan
In-Furrow Trial Plan

F1 - Wetter F2 - Rates
Control 2
BW-NWS 3
BW-FB 4
Crystals Control
Block
Plot A B C
1 FB-2 CRY-3 CRY-2 8 8
2 CRY-2 NWS-4 Control 8 16
3 NWS-4 NWS-3 CRY-3 8 24
4 NWS-3 NWS-2 NWS-3 8 32
5 CRY-4 FB-3 FB-4 8 40
6 FB-4 FB-4 FB-2 8 48
7 FB-3 Control CRY-4 8 56
8 CRY-3 CRY-2 FB-3 8 64
9 NWS-2 CRY-4 NWS-2 8 72
10 Control FB-2 NWS-4 8 80

80 80 80