The aim of the Soil Acidification Project is to increase awareness of soil acidification and its affect on productivity, and to promote practices to ameliorate and reduce the likelihood of soil acidification.
Focus
The Soil Acidification Project will focus on increasing graziers in the Waterhouse/Tomahawk and Fingal farming areas about soil acidification in agriculture. Among the key objectives is the adoption of improved practices through on-farm demonstrations, and recommendations for adaptive management and expansion of the program in future years.
Soil acidification trial sites are set up throughout northern Tasmania.
Pasture cover at one of the trial sites prior to application.
Value
Managing soil acidity in Tasmanian permanent pasture systems is challenging due to a shallow (10cm) soil testing depth and low neutralising value of commonly used lime. Low soil pH in agricultural systems leads to a range of issues including aluminium toxicity, lockup of certain minerals, and impaired performance of soil biological function such as legumes that fail to form effective rhizobia symbiosis. These issues lead to poor performance, particularly shallow-rooted pastures with low resilience in dry seasons.
Delivery
The Soil Acidification Project extension approach for the grazing sector is to include:
The project focuses on increasing graziers' knowledge of soil acidification in agriculture.
This project is supported by NRM North, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
This project is supported by NRM North, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
Return to the Land Program.
Tackling high priority weeds that affect agriculture and the environment.
Increasing target farmers' understanding of hillslope erosion.
Improving carbon flow into the soil in cropping systems and pasture.
Providing important core agricultural services within the NRM North region.
Supporting landholders to protect remnant vegetation and plant diverse native species.