Completed projects and reports

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Sugar Research Australia, Sugar Research Development Corporation and BSES reports from completed research projects and papers.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Sodic soils

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    Sodic soils and rising groundwater management in the Burdekin
    (2013) Milla, R
    Sodic soils are a production limiting issue for large areas of the Burdekin region. Saline soils, saline groundwater and rising groundwater tables also have a high possibility to further limit yield potential. Rising groundwater levels are a very serious threat and there is some urgency in being able to efficiently deal with the issue. Many growers and advisors in the region are not well educated about the interaction between all of these factors, as well as the most appropriate management strategies. This project developed structured workshops to build awareness and understanding by growers and advisors in the underlying science of sodic and saline soils and groundwater interaction. It presented and discussed management options for a range of scenarios. The workshop help to identify the best amelioration strategies (gypsum, lime, mill mud) for growers and with gypsum prices increasing significantly (from $100 to $180/T spread over the last few years) the most cost effective solution needs to be adopted to promote more sustainable farming systems. The project assisted the private consultant Roger Shaw to travel to the Burdekin region and share his knowledge on the issues described. These workshops were facilitated by Rob Milla (Burdekin Productivity Services) and attended by 22 technical advisors and 39 growers. The workshops were an excellent opportunity for growers and advisors to increase their knowledge and be able to discuss practical management options with a very experienced consultant. Collective agreement with advisors and growers was that an industry wide (and industry led) approach is required to address the very serious and potentially production limiting issue of rising groundwater and conjunctive use of this high conductivity water with low conductivity channel water.
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    The physiological and growth response of sugarcane to the sodium absorption ratio in flowing solution sand culture
    (1994) Crema, AT
    The growth of sugarcane variety Q117 in sand culture using nutrient solutions with sodium absorption ratios of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30, each with a constant electrical conductivity of 1.5 dS/m was determined under glasshouse conditions. Increasing the SAR of nutrient solutions from 0 to 30 while holding EC and ionic strength constant, was found to have no significant effect on sugarcane grown in coarse sand for 12 weeks. Thus, sugarcane growth was not inhibited by Na+ concentrations up to 12 mM when Ca2+ and mg2+ were each present at 76uM. It can be tentatively concluded from these results that increasing levels of sodium, in the absence of high levels of soluble salts are not toxic to the variety Q117, as long as other major cations are present at concentrations uninhibitative to plant growth. The major growth effect on sugarcane of sodic soils occurs as a result of the physical limitations associated with soil structure deterioration.