WA growers and industry representatives can now access the latest information about soil organic matter in a new digital publication that was launched last week to coincide with World Soil Day.
The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and SoilsWest – a partnership between The University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) - worked together to publish ‘Soil Quality 3: Soil Organic Matter’.
The Australia-China Joint Research Centre also provided support for the ebook.
The publication is the third in a series of ebooks on Soil Quality for WA and includes current knowledge shared by experts and best practice techniques presented in layers of information, in an easy-to-navigate format.
SoilsWest director and co-author and UWA associate professor Frances Hoyle said the book would appeal to students, growers, consultants and academics alike as it allowed the reader to delve deeper to satisfy their interest.
“This publication is very timely as there is growing interest in soil quality, carbon sequestration and biological function across a range of agricultural and land related activities,” professor Hoyle said.
“This latest ebook discusses the current soil organic matter status in WA’s south western agricultural region; the composition and contribution of organic matter to various soil functions; how best to measure changes in carbon stocks; impact on production and resilience using case studies and video; and provides answers to commonly posed questions.
“It also features short videos from landholders and research scientists about soil organic matter and how this relates to soil function and soil quality.”
GRDC grower relations manager - west Jo Wheeler, who launched the ebook at the Soil Quality Futures soil symposium, said the Soil Quality for WA ebook series was created in response to grower and industry demand for a platform that would enable them to read, listen and view soil management information from any location, including the tractor.
“Topics covered by the ebooks, including those in the pipeline, cover a number of priority areas addressed in the GRDC’s current and previous investments in soil and nutrition management in WA,” Ms Wheeler said.
“A highlight of the book design is that it includes not only research information about soils, but evidence-based industry and landholder perspectives of soil management challenges and solutions.”
DPIRD soil and nutrition portfolio manager Chris Gazey said the Soil Quality ebook series was an excellent series and includes ‘Soil Quality 1: Constraints to Plant Production’ and ‘Soil Quality 2: Integrated Soil Management’, as well as the new ‘Soil Quality 3: Soil Organic Matter’ publication.
“This series will provide a legacy of information generated by the GRDC Soil Constraints West group of projects which cover the areas of soil water repellence, soil acidity, compaction and subsoil constraints, as well other projects like plant nutrition,” Mr Gazey said.
- ‘Soil Quality 3: Soil Organic Matter’ is available on the iBooks store
