Evaluating the uniformity of spading on sandy soils using computer simulation

Authors: Mustafa Ucgul, Chris Saunders, Jack Desbiolles

Research Team: Agricultural Machinery Research and Design Centre, School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia

Funded By: GRDC (project CSP00203)

Project Title: Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the Southern Region

Key Messages

• How uniformly the surface layer is mixed can be used to qualify the spading operation
• Computer simulation is used to better understand the machine factors affecting the spading uniformity
• Faster forward speeds and deeper operating depth lead to less uniform mixing within the spaded profile. Dual passes with the spader can significantly improve uniformity.
• Field research is required to identify which applications (e.g. lime, clay, organic matter, fertiliser, etc.) can benefit from uniform spading in terms of crop response, and when less uniform (= lower cost) spading is adequate for sandy soils.