Short term effect of some methods for improving soil structure in red-brown earth soils of the northern irrigation areas, Victoria

Abstract

Deep ripping, deep ripping with mixing, adding gypsum or organic matter, and the use of deep rooted plants such as lucerne had some effect in improving the structure of a Lemnos loam profile with a compacted clay subsoil. Measures of plant performance and soil properties showed the effects of mechanical methods and chemical or biological methods were independent of one another. The greatest effect was from the addition of gypsum which changed the balance of the exchangeable cations and substantially increased the aggregation of the soil.