Western Australia
February 25, 2015
Looking over the MySoil web tool at the 2015 WA Agribusiness Crop Updates are David Hall and Mark Sweetingham, of the Department of Agriculture and Food, with Grains Research and Development Corporation Senior Manager, Products and Services, Kyle Thoms.
Grain growers throughout the Wheatbelt now have access to detailed information on the identification, constraints and management of their soils to improve crop production.
MySoil web tool was developed in 2012 by the Department of Agriculture and Food, with the support of the Grains Research and Development Corporation, to help growers identify their soil types based on 15 generic types categorised according to their texture, colour and pH.
The updated version was profiled this week at the 2015 WA Agribusiness Crop Updates.
Department Grains Industry Executive Director Mark Sweetingham said the updated tool included more details and overcame limitations of the initial version by taking into account local differences.
“The tool draws from the department’s soil mapping database from 50,000 sites across the State, including soil chemical and physical data,” Dr Sweetingham said.
“It is important growers are able to accurately identify their soil type in order to understand and effectively manage the soil constraints that limit crop production.”
Project manager David Hall said the department considered feedback from growers and updated the online tool with a significant increase in the number of soils identified, described and rated for potential constraints across the growing regions of the State, from 15 to 73.
“This provides growers with more localised identification of their soil and enables them to make informed decisions about their soil amelioration efforts,” he said.
Sub-soil constraints have been estimated to cost WA growers more than $600 million per year in lost production.
MySoil asks users questions about soil zone, colour, texture, pH and the presence of stones or gravel, to help identify their soils.
When the tool reaches an outcome of the soil type based on the answers provided, it links to a factsheet that describes and illustrates the topsoil and subsoil, and provides information on the soil’s likely properties and constraints, and management options.
MySoil complements the MyCrop suite of tools and is available on the department website agric.wa.gov.au
2015 is International Year of Soils which aims to raise awareness of the impact of sustainable soil management for food production.
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