The Fulwood’s have been successfully deep ripping on their property for years but recently they’ve been questioning whether they are going deep enough.

Ty purchased a Heliripper a couple of years ago to get to a depth of 700mm and is now trial ripping at this depth over three different soil types.

The addition of inclusion plates will trial how adding top soil deeper into the soil profile will improve crop yields. Top soil that is more alkaline and rich in organic matter may impact crop nutrient and water use efficiency.

Now that the trial sites have been ripped and seeded, the crops will be monitored for any visual differences throughout the growing season. Yield data will be collected at harvest.

The Fulwood’s trial is just one of Wheatbelt NRM’s Sustainable Industries Trials and Demonstrations being undertaken across the Wheatbelt. The projects have been made possible with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.