The free book and CD kit, titled Managing South Coast Sandplain Soils to Yield Potential, includes latest research findings and case studies from sandplain farmers from Condingup to Albany.

The resources are the culmination of a five-year project in response to calls by the Gibson Lupin Group for more scientific information to shed light on limited yield improvements on sandplain soils.

Gibson farmer Nils Blumann, one of the instigators of the project, said the book and CD were useful resources which farmers would welcome.

“This information will help south coast sandplain famers to better understand what is going on below the soil surface,” Mr Blumann said.

The department initiative, partly funded through GRDC, is targeted to provide support for farmers looking to adopt new management practices to reach production potential in areas affected by declining yields.

This resource will complement the recently announced WA grains initiative ‘Bridging the Yield Gap’, which is focused on driving yield improvements in the higher rainfall area.

Esperance-based department senior research officer David Hall said the sandplain offered some interesting challenges for cropping enterprises.

“Soil constraints such as compaction, non-wetting, acidification and low organic carbon levels result in yields which often don’t reflect the amounts of rainfall received along the south coast,” Mr Hall said.

He said while considerable progress had been made to improve the physical, chemical and biological fertility of sandplain soils, they were still prone to degradation.

“Sandplain soils are not as forgiving as many other soils, simply due to their age, chemistry and coarse texture,” he said. “To improve their composition and prevent degradation requires a deep understanding of the soil resource.”