Soil Hub – Soil Pits

Soil Pit Overview
Walpeup soils are formed from ancient coastal dune systems formed more than five million years ago when the ocean was retreating from the Murray Basin. The soil pit was dug on an east-west trending dune. The soil is free draining, composed of layers of sand and sandy loam with clay content increasing below 90 cm. These soils are naturally low in organic carbon, have poor nutrient fertility and are prone to compaction.

Soil strength and compaction are major constraints in these soils. Subsurface layers should be monitored for increasing acidity as farming systems continue to focus on continuous cropping, increased nitrogen fertiliser use and increased grain yields. A band of moderate acidity sits at 10-20 cm depth, while subsoil below 60 cm is alkaline. Soil nutrition is poor, with soil tests clearly indicating low organic carbon, marginal sulphur levels, and copper deficiency.

Soil Pit Overview
Kooloonong soils are formed from ancient coastal dune systems formed more than five million years ago. The soil pit was dug on an east-west trending dune. The soil profile is composed of a sandy layer to 30 cm overlaying sandy loam soil, where the colour becomes increasingly red with depth. The soil surface is low in organic carbon and clay content, and while it is not water repellent, it is highly acidic (4.45 pH CaCl ).

Subsurface layers should be monitored for increasing acidity as farming systems continue to focus  n continuous cropping, increased nitrogen fertiliser use and increased grain yields. Below 15 cm the soil strength rapidly increases, and the subsoil becomes severely alkaline. High soil strength and alkaline soils create a challenging environment for plant  oot growth and water extraction, reducing yield potential.