State date: 01/07/2024
Finish date: 30/06/2029
Description
More than 85% of WA grain growers are actively improving their soils and about two-thirds of growers use deep soil tillage strategies, of which most are incorporating lime or gypsum. In addition, around 20% of WA growers regularly use lime or gypsum, without deep tillage.
The SWAN partnership will investigate how deeper soil improvement - known as soil profile re-engineering - coupled with tailored crop nutrition, crop rotation and agronomic management can achieve further gains in water use efficiency and grain production. With the aim of achieving a step-change increase in crop water use efficiency and grain yield.
The initiative will build on 15 years of DPIRD soil improvement research, which shows deep mixing the soil and incorporating lime, gypsum, organic matter or clay improves crop water use efficiency and grain yields up to four-fold.
The project aims to help future-proof WA’s grains industry to support growers adapt to a drying climate and remain internationally competitive, by improving water and nutrient use efficiency to produce more, higher quality grain, profitably.
Project objective
To boost WA grain yields by increasing water use efficiency by more than 10% and improving crop nutrient availability by refining soil re-engineering and agronomy practices.
Overview
The SWAN strategic collaboration comprises three research programs with key deliverables managed by senior DPIRD soils scientists:
- Novel and readily adoptable soil management approaches that overcome soil constraints to increase water use efficiency.
- Program lead: Dr Gaus Azam
- Adoptable paddock-scale machinery and soil amendment options to implement soil profile re-engineering to 80 cm deep or more.
- Diagnostics and analyses on long-term productivity gains and financial returns to guide implementation of, and investment in, soil profile re-engineering strategies.
- Methods to improve water capture and reduce water loss on heavy-textured soils in low rainfall cropping regions.
- Cost effective integrated nutrient management strategies that increase Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE).
- Program lead: Dr Craig Scanlan
- Integrated nutrient management approaches that improve long-term nutrient availability and grain production in cropping systems.
- Management strategies to reduce potassium losses and improve availability of applied potassium in cropping systems for increased grain yield and reduced potassium deficiency in crops.
- New knowledge, resources and adoptable technologies for growers and industry.
- Program lead: Mr Wayne Parker
- Growers and industry provided with soil management strategies and packages that support industry adoption through investment analysis, implementation guidelines and approaches that improve and sustain soil function and productivity.
The collaboration will be overseen by a joint SWAN management committee comprised of DPIRD and GRDC senior research managers. Each of the research programs is managed by a senior DPIRD research scientist. The management committee and program managers are supported by a SWAN collaboration manager and administrator.
An Industry Advisory Group made up of leading Australian growers, consultants and researchers will help advise the strategic collaboration and ensure high impact and relevant industry and scientific outcomes are achieved.
Funding partner:
GRDC
Project code:
DAW2407-001SPX
More information
For more information on the strategic collaboration, please contact SWAN Collaboration Manager DPIRD Principal Soil Research Scientist Dr Stephen Davies at stephen.davies@dpird.wa.gov.au