This Landscape South Australia webpage explains soil acidification and its effects on cropping and pasture systems in the higher rainfall regions of South Australia i.e. the Murraylands and Riverland regions. It includes links to reports, factsheets and videos. One video explains how to do a simple pH test in the paddock including where to test the soil and how to use a pH kit. The other video explores using precision agriculture tools in vegetable production. Celia van Sprang explains tools for observing variability (crop sensing, soil sensing, yield mapping and yield forecasting) and ground-truthing the imagery. Mel Fraser discusses using a comprehensive soil survey including in-crop measurements to map the soil variability particularly in dune swale systems. The type of imagery required varies with vegetable types. Research indicates that irrigation practice, variable rate irrigation iand variable rate nutrient inputs important for optimising productivity. She also explains the need to assess the cost of adopting variable rate technology tools and how to manage the constraints to optimise productivity. While these videos are produced for South Australian soils, they may also be relevant to other Australian regions with similar conditions. #
Videos:
How to test your soil in a paddock – Eliza Rieger (Natural resources SAMDB) (2019) [2:45]
Precision agriculture in the vegetable industry – Celia van Sprang (DAF QLD) and Mel Fraser (PIRSA) (2018) [3:42]