Stubble, stubble, soil and trouble...

In 2016, the Cundare Duverney Landcare Group established a stubble incorporation trial site with the assistance of a Landcare Australia grant. The CCMA's Regional Landcare Facilitator program is a project partner, supporting a series of farm walks and workshops to help the group share learning's from the trial.

During October 2017, local farmers undertook a paddock walk to inspect the established Barley crop looking at the four different stubble treatment sites at Ross and Robyn Alexander's property at Duverney. Soil constraints and issues were  discussed while looking at a soil pit.

The treatments being compared at the trial site are: control, extra nutrients / liquid fertiliser, stubble digesters, incorporation, stubble digesters and biological blend vs stubble burn. Adding extra nutrients (i.e. 5.6kg N, 2.2 kg P and 0.9 S per tonne of stubble) is being trialed to meet the biological demand of the microbial biomass to decompose the stubble.

Stubble digesters are beneficial fungi that aim to promote breakdown of cellulose in stubble to aid its decomposition and improve its digestibility by stock. The biological stimulants blend comprises of a mixture of humates, nutrients and coal dust and is used in conjunction with stubble digesters to promote microbial decomposition of the stubble to reduce burning.