The overall aim of the soils research program based at Trangie has been to develop management strategies that maximise the profitability of irrigated cropping by: (i) correcting yield limiting soil physical problems; and (ii) by preventing further problemfrom developing. The work has been carried out on cracking clays and hard-setting red soil is with a strong emphasis on extension of the results to irrigation farmers. This project concentrated on evaluating the hydrological effects of deep ripping, chisel ploughing, mouldboard ploughing, minimum tillage, gypsum, and severa1 rotation crops on a furrow irrigated cracking clay. The subsequent effects upon cotton performance and farm economics were also measured and extended to cotton growers. Similar experiments were carried out on a hard-setting red soil.