Soil Management

Despite there being evidence of compaction and loss of soil structure in the A1 horizon, the soil profile holds a reasonable amount of readily available moisture at 42 mm, and a substantial plant available water content at 110 mm. This indicates that irrigation should be easily able to maintain moisture and avoiding moisture stress. In relation to irrigation, the refill point for the A1 horizon is between 28 % (50 kPa) to 25 % (100 kPa) soil moisture. The nutrient retention capacity of the soil is lower than expected, small and often application of fertilizer will be required to avoid nutrients leaching below the root zone. Low surface soil carbon levels indicate, management should consider approaches to improve the carbon levels and structure of the A1 horizon including; greater application of plant residues to the tree mound, use of living mulches, grass clippings, mulches and composts. If required, these soils are highly suited to installation of subsoil drains, due to the good drainable porosity, functional hydraulic conductivity and lack of subsoil sodicity.

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