APSoil - WA Soil Knowledge Base

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Soil attributes
Explore an underground world

Learn about what’s going in soil and why.
Understand soil properties and processes

The Soil attributes section contains information on different topics within soil biology, physics or chemistry. Pages within these topics present an overview of the current state of knowledge, explain the principles and properties of different soil attributes, and highlight insights from research and resources like case studies. Resources are suggested throughout these Pages.
- View all soil attributes
Soil management
Looking after soil for long-term sustainability

Protecting and conserving a critical resource.
Discover and apply best practice soil management

Soil management focuses on practical advice and guidelines to improve soil management. This information discusses how soil management integrates into different farming systems and considers different options that may be available to improve soil quality. Resources are linked throughout Soil Management pages.
- View all Soil management
- Controlled traffic farming
- Strategic tillage
- Soil amendments
- Agricultural lime
- Fertiliser
Soil analysis & testing
Dig deeper with analytical insights and data

Support better decision making and create value with soil monitoring and testing.
Learn how soil testing and monitoring can unlock potential

Soil analysis & testing provides information on how soil attributes and properties are measured and tested, as well as guidance on how to analyse and interpret soil test results and set up soil sampling and monitoring.
- View all Soil analysis and testing
- Soil sampling
- Soil groups
- Testing soil colour
- Testing soil texture
- Testing soil structure
- Testing soil nutrients
- Identifying soil constraints
- Measuring soil organic carbon
- Understanding trial results and on-farm experimentation
Resources
Curated collection of high-quality, evidence-based soil information

The knowledge you need, all in one place.
Explore our collection of videos, case studies, fact sheets, tools, journal articles, links and more.

The Resources section lets user explore and access a curated selection of additional resources for soil information and management. These Resources can be searched, and filtered by topic(s), format, date, and organisation so you can find what you’re looking for, or discover something new.
- Videos
- Case studies
- Fact sheets
- Reports
- Journal articles
- Tools
- External links
- Books
- Ebooks
- View all

Link

Link: Access APSoil

Organisations

APSIM initiative

APSoil is a database of soil water characteristics enabling estimation of Plant Available Water Capacity for individual soils and crops. It covers many cropping regions of Australia and is regularly updated. It is designed for use in simulation modelling and agronomic practice.

APSoil enables the user to:

View individual soil and crop species data in spreadsheet and graphical formats

Develop personal APSoil directories of locally relevant soils
Modify soils to fit local conditions eg sub-soil constraints
Check soil files for APSIM compatibility
Run the APSIM model using soils developed within APSoil

The APSoil database be downloaded and viewed as a Google Earth file.

The website link has further resources on soil water.

Video

A ‘systems’ approach to managing sodic and alkaline soil

Soil management

03:10

A combination of crop choice, water harvesting, gypsum application, maximising soil cover and no livestock, and then maintaining the...

Video

Processes of soil nutrient supply to plant roots

02:36

Professor Richard Bell explains how plant roots take up nutrients from the soil by diffusion, mass flow, and interception.

Nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emissions from dryland cropping soil

Soil management

5 min read

Quantifying the extent and timing of nitrous oxide emissions.

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