Subsoil manuring (SSM) is the process of placing organic amendments into the upper layers of hostile subsoils in order to improve soil structure, biological activity, water holding capacity, and ultimately, crop yield. Hostile subsoils are described as those that are resistant to root growth. They may be sodic, but a common characteristic is a dense clay layer underlying a lighter textured soil such as silt loam, loam or sand. Such soils are generally referred to as texture contrast or duplex soils. SSM is likely to have the most beneficial impact on soils with a shallow topsoil, generally less than 300 mm in depth.

Sustaining vegetable production with subsoil manuring

Sustaining vegetable production with subsoil manuring