Subsoil constraints- Dandaragan

CSIRO aims to identify the differences in water uptake patterns by crops for constrained (acid and compacted) and ameliorated (limed, ripped, lime and ripped) treatments. To determine if the water patterns and yields in the trials can be estimated (using APSIM) through adjustments of the soil’s root growth (xf).\nLineage: The trial consists of control and 7 different mixing treatments with lime applied at 0, 3and 5 t/ha. Soil water was monitored with FDR probes, which were installed in August 2015 in 3 replicates of the combinations of rip+spaded and untreated mixing with nil product and 5 t/ha lime. In each plot, measurements of pH, soil strength, crop biomass, crop yield, weeds were collected as well as drone images of NDVI over the trial. This data was used to infer effect of acidity and compaction with amelioration strategies on the crop yield and soil water uptake and compare APSIM modelling.