Department of Agriculture and Food development officer Greg Shea, described farmers who limed their paddocks as being kind to their children, given the long-term nature of that soil treatment, with trial results showing that responses to lime usually occur four to five years after application.
The WANTFA trial at Cunderdin involved applying four tonnes a hectare of lime and incorporating some plots with a small rotary hoe, although it was not believed that a broadacre equivalent of the hoe was available.
The trial involved hoeing the selected plots to a depth of 12cm, a process that produces extra benefits if it reaches a compaction layer in the soil.
Subsoil acidity often occurs in a distinct layer, generally 15-35cm, so when this layer is fixed, the crop roots can then grow down to their full potential.
Because of the high rates of lime needed, it is an expensive product by the time it reaches the paddock, so gaining an earlier return from this investment makes liming a more attractive option.
