Managing acid soils through effective rotations
Managing Acid Soils Through Efficient Rotations, known as MASTER, is a long-term agronomic experiment that commenced in 1992. It was designed to develop and demonstrate a sustainable agricultural system that is economically viable and environmentally effective to manage the highly acid soils in the high rainfall region (550–800 mm) of southeastern Australia.
Project objectives
- To test whether perennial systems are less acidifying than annual systems.
- To ameliorate subsoil acidity by topdressing lime.
- To demonstrate the crop, pasture and animal responses to lime.
- To assess the economics of lime use
Details of the experimental design are available here
Project findings
The factsheets here were produced explaining this work.
Earthworm numbers and microbial carbon
Nitrate leaching and deep drainage
