Smooth sailing for gravel soils research project
A high-tech grains project is closer to developing more efficient and effective mechanisms to measure gravel soil properties, which will assist in optimising fertiliser and lime inputs and boosting crop potential.
Gravel soils are found across 3.45 million hectares of the Western Australian Grainbelt, which affect soil nutrient supply, acidification rates, water flow and compaction.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is collaborating with the University of Western Australia on the Grains Research Flagship project, to develop methods for rapid assessment of gravel soils.
The first of the project’s three components had been completed, to develop an infield method of measuring bulk density (the weight-to-volume ratio), of a soil sample.
Bulk density is a key indicator of soil fertility and compaction in gravel soils and the new mechanism took about one-third of the time to calculate soil bulk density and was more accurate.
A 3D camera scans a soil sampling hole, which is linked to computer software that evaluates the volume of the hole to provide a measurement of the bulk density.
It takes just 30 seconds to scan a sample hole and, depending on the soil type, about five minutes to complete the process of digging the hole, scanning and processing the scanned image.
A 3D camera is also being used in a second component of the project, to measure and classify the type of gravel in a soil sample and the aim is to develop a laboratory technique using a 3D camera to pick out gravel stones from a soil sample and measure their size and distribution.
The results will be married with a predictive model to determine the mineralogy of the sample, based on the stones’ colour, shape and surface roughness.
The team is about two-thirds the way through this research, which should make gravel soil classification cheaper and quicker without loss of accuracy.
Work has also progressed on the third component of the project, to produce a 3D digital image of a soil profile after it has been inverted by tillage.
The measuring device could provide an accurate measurement and visual demonstration of the soil profile, which has not been possible before.
The research is one of a suite of flagship projects to address Western Australian production constraints, which is a part of the department’s Boosting Grains Research and Development initiative.
For more information about this and other flagship projects visit the Boosting Grains Research and Development - Flagship Projects page on the department’s website.
For more information contact Craig Scanlan, Development Officer, Northam on +61 (0)8 9690 2174.