Soil health and nutrient management

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A reference booklet for canegrowers on the nutrition and fertilizing of sugarcane for different soil types
(2003) Wood, AW; Schroeder, BL; Stewart, RL; Roth, CH
A wide range of different soils are used for sugarcane production in the Herbert River district. An understanding of these differences both at district and farm levels will ensure that nutrient management reflects this diversity and enables profitable and sustainable sugarcane production. The Australian sugar industry has used a generalised, industry-wide set of fertiliser recommendations with no specific guidelines for different regions, climatic conditions or soil types. This booklet is a first attempt to produce specific management guidelines for all of the different soil types used for sugarcane production in a cane area. Twenty four different soil types have been identified in the sugarcane production area of the Herbert and have been mapped at a scale of 1:5000, which is appropriate for soil-specific management recommendations to be delivered at block level. Growers can currently access soil maps of their farms through Herbert Cane productivity Services Ltd. and plans are in place to provide all growers with the capability of printing their own soil maps. In the booklet each soil type is described in terms of its appearance, where it occurs in the landscape, and its chemical and physical properties. Guidelines for the management of nutrients, tillage, drainage and irrigation and the minimisation of environmental risks are provided for each soil type. These guidelines have been developed using research results from a companion SRDC funded project, BSS232 “Improved nutrient management in the Australian Sugar Industry”. The soil booklet produced in this project is likely to be the first of a number of regional soil management publications that are likely to be produced for the Australian Sugar Industry. The booklet is intended for use by cane growers and their advisers, and where possible the information is presented in as non-technical way as possible. This approach is particularly appropriate for the current situation of the sugar industry with continuing low sugar prices, the need to reduce production costs together with mounting environmental pressures which demand demonstration of responsible soil and nutrient management. The guidelines in this booklet are aimed at providing best practice soil and nutrient management for Herbert growers that will not only maintain or improve crop yields and soil fertility but will also provide opportunities for cost reduction whilst enhancing sustainability and delivering better environmental outcomes.
Review of sodic soils research in the Queensland sugar industry
(1995) Cox, AZ; Ham, GJ; McMahon, GG
Increasing levels of sodium on the clay, in the absence of high levels of soluble salts, are not believed to be toxic to the cane plant. Any adverse effect on crop production is through deterioration of the soil structure (Crema, 1994). Under wet conditions, increased clay dispersion accompanies increasing exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). This is associated with sealing and crusting in surface soils and dense subsurface clays which resist penetration of roots. Even if water does penetrate the surface, it is held very strongly in the very small pores formed in the dispersed soil. It is difficult for roots to withdraw this moisture. The end result of sodicity is similar to that of salinity, water stress. Both infiltration and water storage are adversely affected. Reclamation of sodic soils can be achieved by application of gypsum or lime to promote replacement of sodium on the clay particles by calcium, and hence improve soil structure. Research work indicates that sugarcane yields on sodic soils with ESP less than 25 can be improved by up to 20% with the application of gypsum 10t/ha (Ham etal., 1995). Improvements in yield can also be achieved by improving surface and subsurface drainage to promote leaching of displaced sodium salts from the soil profile. Reduction of natural slope from 0.49% to 0.07% has also improved sugarcane yield by 24% over the crop cycle (Ham etal.,1995). Research has developed ways of increasing production on sodic soils. With the expansion of the cane industry into marginal areas there has been associated extension campaign, concentrating on farm planning and demonstrating the benefits of applied gypsum (Ham etal., 1995). A good example of this is the Burdekin where the BSES program on sodic soils is estimated to have resulted in an extra 26,000 tonnes of cane to the Burdekin district in 1994 alone with a gross value to the industry of $1.02m.

Soil health and nutrient management

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