Adaptation and potential contribution of temperate perennial legumes to the southern Australian wheatbelt: a review

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. Dear ◽  
G. A. Moore ◽  
S. J. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Perennial Legumes ◽  
Herbaceous Perennial ◽  
Pasture Plants

Deep-rooted perennial pasture plants can play an important role in solving the environmental problems of rising watertables, dryland salinity and soil acidification in the wheatbelt of southern Australia. These problems are attributed to the extensive clearing of perennial native vegetation and its replacement with shallow-rooted winter-growing annual crops and pastures. Deep-rooted, herbaceous perennial legumes, particularly lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), are seen as making an increasing contribution in the cropping zones where high rates of symbiotic nitrogen fixation and increased water use are high priorities. This paper reviews the current use and the potential of a range of temperate perennial legumes for the wheatbelt of southern Australia. The genera examined include Medicago, Hedysarum, Trifolium, Onobrychis, Lotus, Galega, Astragalus, Lathyrus, Anthyllis, Psoralea, Dorycnium, Lespedeza and Securigera. There is considerable scope to expand the use of lucerne; however, there is also a need for alternative perennial species to increase biodiversity and to fill niches where lucerne is less suited. Based on current knowledge, the species with the most promise to complement lucerne include sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) and sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) on alkaline soils, strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum L.) in wet or mildly saline niches and Lotus and Dorycnium spp. on waterlogged and/or acid soils.

Comparative water use by Dorycnium hirsutum-, lucerne-, and annual-based pastures in the Western Australian wheatbelt

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay W. Bell ◽  
Megan H. Ryan ◽  
Geoff A. Moore ◽  
Mike A. Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Additional Water ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Successive Maximum ◽  
Western Australian

Dryland salinity in southern Australia has been caused by inadequate water use by annual crops and pastures. The purpose of this study was to compare the water use of annual pastures and Medicago sativa L. (lucerne) with Dorycnium hirsutum (L.) Ser., a potential new perennial forage species. The soil water dynamics under bare ground, annual legume-, lucerne-, and D. hirsutum-based pastures were compared at 2 sites in the low- (Merredin) and medium- (New Norcia) rainfall wheatbelt of Western Australia between September 2002 and February 2005. Soil under D. hirsutum was drier than under annual pastures by 8–23 mm in Year 1, 43–57 mm in Year 2, and 81 mm in Year 3. Lucerne used little additional water (<19 mm, n.s.) compared with D. hirsutum and profile soil water content was similar under both species throughout the experiment. At Merredin, annual pastures used water to a depth of 1.0 m, whereas under both D. hirsutum and lucerne in the first 3 years after establishment the successive maximum depth of water use was 1.0, 1.8, and 2.2 m. At New Norcia, additional soil water was extracted by lucerne and D. hirsutum at depths <1.0 m and no difference between treatments was detected below 1.0 m. Biomass of D. hirsutum pasture harvested in autumn contained minimal annual components and was 15–50% of that produced by lucerne- or annual legume-based pastures. D. hirsutum and lucerne plant density declined each summer (25–80%), but D. hirsutum density was lower than lucerne due to poorer establishment. Nonetheless, the comparable water use of lucerne and D. hirsutum suggests that D. hirsutum could make reductions in recharge similar to those of lucerne in the Western Australian wheatbelt.

Ecology of herbaceous perennial legumes: a review of characteristics that may provide management options for the control of salinity and waterlogging in dryland cropping systems

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S . Cocks
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Pasture Legumes ◽  
Dry Areas ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Perennial Legumes

Salinity is a widespread problem caused by an imbalance between rainfall and transpiration in the dryland cropping systems of southern Australia. The need to use more perennials has been identified and this paper examines the possibility of replacing annual with perennial pasture legumes and the germplasm available to do so. While lucerne is already used widely in eastern Australia it has only recently been adopted in the wheat belt of Western Australia. There are doubts about its adaptation to acid soils and to climates where summer rainfall is low and ambient temperatures are high. There is also a need to diversify the species available to reduce the likelihood of invasion by exotic diseases and insects. Several genera are likely to be of value in this respect, although few will be as widely adapted as lucerne. Perennial legumes are found in environments ranging from alpine to desert. Targeted collections of genera from the dry areas, especially where soils are acid, are likely to yield species of value. These may include perennial species of Astragalus, Hedysarum, Lotus, Onobrychis, Psoralea, and Trifolium. Some Australian genera, for example Swainsona, Glycine, and Cullen may also be of value. Most of these genera are from alkaline soils, and the need to cope with acid soils that are often high in free aluminium is seen to limit their use in southern Australia. However, since virtually nothing is known of the ecology and ecophysiology of species from the dry areas, it is possible that through selection and the use of adapted rhizobia, some at least may be of value in Australian conditions. Cropping in rotation with perennial legumes is likely to involve several changes in farming systems. It is impossible to predict their nature but it is essential that we understand what these changes are before the species are widely introduced. Account must also be taken of their ability to use water. It is entirely possible that perennials from dry areas are dormant in summer despite the fact that there is no evidence in the literature to this effect. It was concluded that although lucerne is suitable for phase farming, alternatives to lucerne are needed. They will have to match the water-using and nitrogen-fixing capacities of lucerne, and farming systems will be required that make full use of the new germplasm. Collaboration with institutions in the Mediterranean basin and elsewhere is needed and a beginning has been made in this direction.

Biogeochemical indicators to evaluate pollutant removal efficiency in constructed wetlands

1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Reddy ◽  
E. M. D'Angelo
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Nitrate Removal ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Pollutant Removal ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Wetland Treatment ◽  
Biogeochemical Indicators

Wetlands support several aerobic and anaerobic biogeochemical processes that regulate removal/retention of pollutants, which has encouraged the intentional use of wetlands for pollutant abatement. The purpose of this paper is to present a brief review of key processes regulating pollutant removal and identify potential indicators that can be measured to evaluate treatment efficiency. Carbon and toxic organic compound removal efficiency can be determined by measuring soil or water oxygen demand, microbial biomass, soil Eh and pH. Similarly, nitrate removal can be predicted by dissolved organic C and microbial biomass. Phosphorus retention can be described by the availability of reactive Fe and Al in acid soils and Ca and Mg in alkaline soils. Relationships between soil processes and indicators are useful tools to transfer mechanistic information between diverse types of wetland treatment systems.

Alfalffa,Medicago sativa L., in highly weathered, acid soils

1981 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Bouton ◽  
M. E. Sumner ◽  
J. E. Giddens
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Medicago Sativa L

Preferential nitrate immobilization in alkaline soils

Soil Research ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 737 ◽  
Author(s):  
IJ Rochester ◽  
GA Constable ◽  
DA Macleod
Keyword(s):  
Acid Soil ◽  
Nitrification Inhibitor ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Nitrate Assimilation ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Ammonium Assimilation ◽  
Potassium Nitrate ◽  
Alkaline Soil ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Nitrate Immobilization

The literature pertaining to N immobilization indicates that ammonium is immobilized in preference to nitrate. Our previous research in an alkaline clay soil has indicated substantial immobilization of nitrate. To verify the preference for immobilization of nitrate or ammonium by the microbial biomass in this and other soil types, the immobilization of ammonium and nitrate from applications of ammonium sulfate and potassium nitrate following the addition of cotton crop stubble was monitored in six soils. The preference for ammonium or nitrate immobilization was highly correlated with each soil's pH, C/N ratio and its nitrification capacity. Nitrate was immobilized in preference to ammonium in neutral and alkaline soils; ammonium was preferentially immobilized in acid soils. No assimilation of nitrate (or nitrification) occurred in the most acid soil. Similarly, little assimilation of ammonium occurred in the most alkaline soil. Two physiological pathways, the nitrate assimilation pathway and the ammonium assimilation pathway, appear to operate concurrently; the dominance of one pathway over the other is indicated by soil pH. The addition of a nitrification inhibitor to an alkaline soil enhanced the immobilization of ammonium. Recovery of 15N confirmed that N was not denitrified, but was biologically immobilized. The immobilization of 1 5 ~ and the apparent immobilization of N were similar in magnitude. The identification of preferential nitrate immobilization has profound biological significance for the cycling of N in alkaline soils.

scholarly journals The search for alternative temperate perennial pasture species for low to medium rainfall environments in Tasmania

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 275-279
Author(s):  
E.J. Hall ◽  
R. Reid ◽  
B. Clark ◽  
R. Dent
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Dactylis Glomerata ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Cool Temperate ◽  
Perennial Legume ◽  
Perennial Legumes ◽  
Pasture Plants

In response to the need to find better adapted and more persistent perennial pasture plants for the dryland pastures in the cool-temperate low to medium rainfall (500-700 mm) regions, over 1000 accessions representing 24 species of perennial legumes and 64 species of perennial grasses, were introduced, characterised and evaluated for production and persistence under sheep grazing at sites throughout Tasmania. The work has identified four alternative legume species in Talish Clover (Trifolium tumens). Caucasian Clover (T. ambiguum), Stoloniferous Red Clover (T. pratense var. stoloniferum), Lucerne x Yellow Lucerne Hybrid (Medicago sativa x M.sativa subsp. falcata); and two grass species in Coloured Brome (Bromus coloratus) and Hispanic Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata var hispanica). Keywords: persistence, perennial grass, perennial legume

Soil properties in relation to the occurrence of grass sickness in horses

1941 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Soil Acidity ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Grass Sickness ◽  
Geological Origin ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Plant ◽  
Range Of Values ◽  
Pasture Plants

Any conclusions drawn from the foregoing results will of course apply only to the necessarily limited range of soils in one county. This range is limited geologically and the Aberdeenshire soils belong largely to the class of light to medium acid soils of low base status. The results for these soils indicate that:(a) The occurrence of grass sickness is not confined to soils of any particular geological origin.(b) The range of textural conditions in the soils examined is a wide one covering loams, sands and peaty types with a few moderately heavy soils. There does not appear to be any relationship between soil texture and the incidence of grass sickness.(c) The soils examined all fall into the class of acid soils and in only a very few—about 5 to 10%—could the addition of lime be considered unnecessary from the general agricultural point of view. As against this there are no striking abnormalities in the ratios of exchangeable or readily soluble cations in the soils, which might serve as a clue to the occurrence of grass sickness. Although little is known of the actual magnesium, manganese and strontium requirements of hay and pasture plants, the range of values covered in the soils examined is sufficiently wide to make it very unlikely that there is any relationship between the incidence of grass sickness and the magnesium, manganese or strontium contents of the soil. In view of the relatively widespread acidity in the soils examined, the possibility of a relationship between the occurrence of grass sickness and soil acidity has to be borne in mind. It would be of value to find out if grass sickness occurs to an appreciable extent on limestone soils, or on soils which have been systematically limed and which have pK values in the neighbourhood of 7.(d) The majority of the soils are, from the general agricultural point of view, somewhat low in readily soluble or available potash and phosphate, but against this about 30% of the soils have satisfactory phosphate contents and about 20% of the ordinary surface soils and 46% of the top 2 in. samples, in which occur the bulk of the plant roots, have satisfactory potash contents. It does not appear likely therefore that the occurrence of grass sickness is to be related directly to the phosphate and potash contents of the soil. As far as reserves of the common plant foods are concerned there is likewise no abnormality which could account for the disease.

Physiological and morphological adaptations of herbaceous perennial legumes allow differential access to sources of varyingly soluble phosphate

2014 ◽  
Vol 154 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiayin Pang ◽  
Jiyun Yang ◽  
Hans Lambers ◽  
Mark Tibbett ◽  
Kadambot H.M. Siddique ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soluble Phosphate ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Perennial Legumes ◽  
Herbaceous Perennial ◽  
Differential Access

Alfalfa,Medicago sativa L., in highly weathered, acid soils

1982 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. O. Brooks ◽  
J. H. Bouton ◽  
M. E. Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Medicago Sativa L

scholarly journals Adsorption/Desorption Patterns of Selenium for Acid and Alkaline Soils of Xerothermic Environments

Environments ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Ioannis Zafeiriou ◽  
Dionisios Gasparatos ◽  
Ioannis Massas
Keyword(s):  
Metal Oxides ◽  
Ammonium Oxalate ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Organic Content ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Surface Complexes ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Soil Organic Content ◽  
Adsorption Desorption

Selenium adsorption/desorption behavior was examined for eight Greek top soils with different properties, aiming to describe the geochemistry of the elements in the selected soils in terms of bioavailability and contamination risk by leaching. Four soils were acid and four alkaline, and metal oxides content greatly differed between the two groups of soils. The concentrations of Se(IV) used for the performed adsorption batch experiments ranged from 1 to 50 mg/L, while the soil to solution ratio was 1 g/0.03 L. Acid soils adsorbed significantly higher amounts of the added Se(IV) than alkaline soils. Freundlich and Langmuir equations adequately described the adsorption of Se(IV) in the studied soils, and the parameters of both isotherms significantly correlated with soil properties. In particular, both KF and qm values significantly positively correlated with ammonium oxalate extractable Fe and with dithionite extractable Al and Mn, suggesting that amorphous Fe oxides and Al and Mn oxides greatly affect exogenous Se(IV) adsorption in the eight soils. These two parameters were also significantly negatively correlated with soil electrical conductivity (EC) values, indicating that increased soluble salts concentration suppresses Se(IV) adsorption. No significant relation between adsorbed Se(IV) and soil organic content was recorded. A weak salt (0.25 M KCl) was used at the same soil to solution ratio to extract the amount of the adsorbed Se(IV) that is easily exchangeable and thus highly available in the soil ecosystem. A much higher Se(IV) desorption from alkaline soils was observed, pointing to the stronger retention of added Se(IV) by the acid soils. This result implies that in acid soils surface complexes on metal oxides may have been formed restricting Se desorption.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document