Diagnosis, extent, impacts, and management of subsoil constraints in the northern grains cropping region of Australia

  • Dang, Y. P.
  • Dalal, R.C.
  • Buck, Stuart R.
  • Harms, B.
  • Kelly, R.
  • Hochman, Z.
  • Schwenke, G.D.
  • Biggs, A.J.W.
  • Ferguson, N.J.
  • Norrish, S.
  • Routley, R.
  • McDonald, M.
  • Hall, C.
  • Singh, D.K.
  • Daniells, I.G.
  • Farquharson, R.
  • Manning, W.
  • Speirs, S.
  • Grewal, H.S.
  • Cornish, P.
  • Bodapati, N.
  • Orange, D.
Publication date
January 2010
Language
English

Abstract

Productivity of grain crops grown under dryland conditions in north-eastern Australia depends on efficient use of rainfall and available soil moisture accumulated in the period preceding sowing. However, adverse subsoil conditions including high salinity, sodicity, nutrient imbalances, acidity, alkalinity, and high concentrations of chloride (Cl) and sodium (Na) in many soils of the region restrict ability of crop roots to access this stored water and nutrients. Planning for sustainable cropping systems requires identification of the most limiting constraint and understanding its interaction with other biophysical factors. We found that the primary effect of complex and variable combinations of subsoil constraints was to increase the crop l...

Extracted data

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