Soil management
Eyre Peninsula soils are diverse and strongly influence agricultural productivity, land capability and native vegetation. The region has 15 main soil groups ranging from calcareous soils, hard red-brown soils over alkaline sub-soils, deep loamy textured soils, and deep sands to ironstone soils.
Reducing land degradation is essential to maintain soil health and productivity on Eyre Peninsula, where sandy soils and acidity pose ongoing risks. Improved management practices including maintaining ground cover, no-till farming, applying lime to acidic soils, and using rotational grazing. These practices are critical to prevent erosion and sustain agriculture under increasingly variable climate conditions. Pest plant and animal management is also critical and is addressed in the pest plants and animals priority.
Understanding your soils - resources
- For further information about Eyre Peninsula soils and limitation, Enviro Data SA is a source of useful information.
- Our Land Management Control Policy provides more details on land system descriptions and land management risks; as well as setting out land management principles.
- Knowing your soils South Australia (SA) handbook - information to help landholders assess landscapes, understand soil characteristics, undertake soil sampling and manage soil health and constraints.
- Knowing your soils South Australian Ute Guide – your infield soil testing companion.
- Rapid Assessment of Soil Health manual and scorecard — tools for assessing soil health and identifying constraints.
Soil erosion and groundcover
Soils cleared for agriculture on Eyre Peninsula have a range of management and production limitations including shallow sandy soils, calcareous sandy soils, deep salacious sands and sand over clay. Large areas of these sandy soils - about 550,000 ha - are prone to increased risk of wind erosion due to a number of inherent characteristics which restrict crop germination and growth; and consequently surface cover for protection against wind erosion.
Resources
- Combating erosion caused by extreme weather (case study).
- Emergency measures to curb wind erosion (PIRSA fact sheet).
- Managing soils to avoid wind erosion - guide for Eyre Peninsula land managers.
- Managing soil cover in variable seasons.
- Strategic planning for wind erosion of sand dunes and stock tracking - Poochera case study.
- Guidelines for maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble on upper Eyre Peninsula
Sandy soils
An estimated 19% of land cleared for agriculture on Eyre Peninsula - about 521,000 hectares - has moderate to severe water repellence. Without careful management, these areas can develop a moderate or higher risk of wind erosion.
Clay spreading and delving can encourage crop roots to grow deeper into the soil profile, improving access to moisture, minerals and trace elements. These soil improvement practices can be costly and need to be planned according to individual paddock constraints.
Other work undertaken across Eyre Peninsula has investigated practices including deep ripping, delving, spading and the use of soil ameliorants to manage sandy soils and subsoil constraints.
Resources
- The latest GRDC funded research on Sandy Soils across the Southern Region.
- Modification of sandy soils in broadacre agriculture zones.
- Soil modification on Lower Eyre Peninsula.
- Stabilising degraded sand hills - Mt Damper case study.
- Reclaiming an erosion-prone paddock - Wharminda case study.
- Clay delving after 10 years - Cleve and Rudall case study.
- Sandy soils review covering clay spreading, deep ripping and delving.
- Buckelboo Farm Improvement Group deep ripping trial.
- Managing subsoil constraints - demonstration sites across eastern EP.
The current Sustainable Agriculture Program includes a sandy soils focus and is being delivered by AIR EP, the latest resources and information can be found on the AIR EP Project Page.
Acidity
Soil acidity is a significant issue on Lower and Eastern Eyre Peninsula with more than 186,000 hectares (7%) of agricultural land in the region prone to acidification.
Eyre Peninsula projects have indicated that acidification is occurring faster under current farming practices than historical estimates suggested. Without adequate lime application, a further 509,000 hectares, or 19% of agricultural land, has been identified as being at risk of acidifying over the following 20–50 years.
Managing soil acidity includes monitoring soil pH and applying lime where required. Resources are available on soil acidity mapping, pH monitoring, lime application and local case studies.
Resources
- Ag Excellence Alliance soil acidity maps, case studies, Lime Cheque and calculators.
- Farming Acid Soils Champions workshop project report.
- Eyre Peninsula agricultural soil pH surveillance project report, 2019–2023.
- This Precision soil pH mapping information sheet.
- Lower Eyre Peninsula soil acidity management case study.
Salinity
Dryland salinity affects an estimated 20,400 hectares of Eyre Peninsula. While early Landcare groups made substantial progress in addressing salt scalds and encroaching salinity, saline-affected soils have increased again in recent times.
Mallee seeps are another emerging issue on Eyre Peninsula. They are increasing as a result of modern farming systems, landscape and seasonal factors. Early action can help keep affected land productive and prevent further degradation.
Resources
- Saltland Pastures for South Australia manual.
- Holman family Future Farm Landscapes case study.
- Eyre Peninsula mallee seeps project resources and videos.
- Mallee Sustainable Farming Dry Saline land Decision Tree and Mallee Seeps Decision Tree.