WHEN spending big on soil amelioration, every pass of the ripper counts. That’s why the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s National Grower Network project, Optimising Soil Amelioration in Typical Mallee Soils, set out to answer a big question: how do we get the most bang for our buck when deep ripping?
Last year, the Mallee Sustainable Farming trial site at Copeville, South Australia, saw UniSA’s Chris Saunders, and Frontier Farming Systems, set up a ripping trial to compare different tyne configurations. At the time there were no yield results – just force measurements, fuel use data, and some promising visual differences between treatments. Now, with harvest done and dusted, the results are in – and it’s worth talking about.
The setup
The trial compared:
- Standard ripping.
- High-efficiency ripping (lower draft, wider spacing, less steel).
- Maximum loosening setups.
- Ripping with inclusion plates.
- And a commercial Bednar ripper as a farmer practice comparison.
Each setup was measured for its power requirements, soil loosening impact, and most importantly – its effect on barley yield in a tough, low rainfall year.
What did we learn?
The control plots (no ripping) came in at around 0.73t/ha. From there:
- Standard ripping jumped to 1.36t/ha.
- High-efficiency ripping pushed yields up to 1.51t/ha.
- Maximum-loosening ripping delivered 1.49t/ha.
- The Bednar ripper increased yield to 1.2t/ha.
- Ripping with inclusion plates stole the show, reaching 1.71t/ha.
Inclusion plates clearly made a difference in this deep-sand paddock, where non-wetting soils were a known issue.
It’s not just about yield – it’s about ROI
When Frontier Farming Systems crunched the numbers on partial gross margins, the high-efficiency ripper came out on top. It delivered the best return per hectare when factoring in fuel, labour, and machinery costs.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Standard ripping: +$66/ha.
- Maximum loosening: +$82/ha.
- High-efficiency ripping: +$109/ha.
The key takeaway? If you can get the same, or better yield from a ripping setup that uses less power and fewer tines – you’re ahead.
Key messages for growers
- Smarter tine setup might get the same result as a bigger tractor, without the extra capital spend.
- Dry seasons still respond. Even in low rainfall, the ripping treatments made a clear difference in yield.
- Inclusion plates are worth watching. They’re not widely available yet, but in deep sand, they can be a game-changer.
