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A replicated trial was set up to study the physico-chemical changes following 4 years of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in a commercial processing tomato field near Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. The study also compared the effect of 0 and 150 L ha-1 of the product GYP-FLO injected through the established 4-year-old SDI lines. Soil samples were collected from five different locations around the dripper emitters to assess the cumulative effects of this irrigation method and also the application of GYP-FLO on some soil physico-chemical properties. Water-stable aggregate (WSA), Emerson dispersion, particle size distribution (PSD), electrical conductivity (EC), soil pH, exchangeable cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ and Na+) were measured and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), Ca:Mg ratio and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) were then calculated from these primary data. The results showed that, after 4 years of SDI, there were significant increases in EC (P

This paper reviews available literature on vegetable production systems in Papua New Guinea (PNG), including the role of composted organic matter in sustaining the practice of shifting cultivation. The implications for commercial temperate vegetable production in Central Province (CP), PNG, are discussed, taking into consideration the similarities and differences between CP and the traditional highland vegetable production regions.