Central Queensland Smart Cropping Centre: Grains

Location and design

This trial is in collaboration with Queensland Department of Primary Industries at the Central Queensland Smart Cropping Centre near Emerald, Central Queensland Highlands Region. The climate is hot, semi-arid and the soil is black cracking clay (Vertosol). Irrigation water is available.

The trial was established in November 2025 and will run until at least March 2028.

The trial has three rates of basalt application (0, 20 and 40 tonnes per hectare in 2025) and 4 replicates. Each plot is 105 metres long x 8 metres wide.

Monitoring

• Yield of the grain crop will be measured.
• Leaching of water and solutes will be measured during the wet season, using ‘drainage flux meters’ installed at 0.6 m depth.
• Soil properties will be measured regularly using soil cores.