Full Name: GRDC Innovative management solutions to enhance crop productivity in heavy soils in the Southern Region
Funding Body: Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC)
Duration: 2026 – 2030
Project Lead: CSIRO
Background: Heavy soils make up a large proportion of cropping country across the Upper North. While they have the potential to produce excellent yields, they can also present ongoing management challenges due to physical and chemical constraints such as poor structure, low infiltration, hard-setting and waterlogging.
Although significant research has been undertaken on sandy soils in recent years, heavy soils have received comparatively less attention, particularly in lower rainfall environments like the Upper North. This new four-year GRDC project aims to change that by developing practical, cost-effective management strategies that improve crop performance and profitability.
The project will progress promising management strategies through research, validation and large-scale demonstrations under commercial farming conditions. The UNFS demonstration sites will contribute valuable local information on how heavy soil constraints can be managed in the Upper North, helping growers identify practical strategies to improve crop performance, yield and profitability.
Contact: Rachel Trengove, UNFS Program Manager