Investigating Links Between Soil Health & Innovative Cropping Systems
Period: 2015-18
Funding Body: Mt Barker Free Range Chicken, Landcare Australia
Funds: $90,000
Project Officers: Wendy Bradshaw, Ken Bailey
Summary
Aim is to identify soil health trends and significant measurers or indicators of soil health – correlated with yield and fertiliser inputs – in five innovative cropping systems located in or close to the service area of the Gillamii Centre. Taking on a holistic approach this project looks at the inter-relation physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil in relation to yield and fertiliser inputs under a range of management regimes will enhance understanding of how to transition to a more biological cropping systems. Summer cropping, pro-tracker seeding equipment, chicken manure recycling, high input are the cropping systems and aims.
Outcome
This project used yield (wheat yield equivalents) as a surrogate or indicator for crop plant health and vigour, and related soil chemical, physical and biological measurers to track soil health trends and patterns for the 2015 to 2017 winter cropping seasons in five different cropping systems. Statistical analyses performed in this project have uncovered a number of significant correlations between chemical and biological measurements of soil with increased yield. The results in this project reinforce the strong link of interactions between the chemical, biological and physical soil processes in maintaining healthy soil.
The biological aspect of the soil health story is highly complex and interwoven with physical and chemical attributes. The resilience and sustainability of soil health is driven by adequate levels of soil organic carbon (SOC). The chicken manure system in this project had the greatest distinction among soil health measurers overall, including very high levels of SOC. Part of the challenge of plant nutrition in a soil health context is how to supply more of the necessary units of N and P in an organic and/or available form that the relevant microbes can better harness to convert into plant available (inorganic) form while building SOC and healthier soil. This may be a key part of the success story for the chicken manure recycling cropping system.
Report
