Studies on seed pelleting as an aid to legume seed inoculation. 2. Survival of Rhizobium meliloti applied to medic seed sown into dry soil

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (45) ◽  
pp. 455 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Brockwell ◽  
RDB Whalley

Seed of Medicago truncatula and Medicago littoralis, with and without lime pelleting and inoculation, was sown dry into medic-free, Rhizobim meliloti-free soils at 12 sites in the Western Division of New South Wales. At the different sites, periods between 1 and 88 days elapsed before germinating rain fell. Seedling nodulation was used as the index of inoculant survival. Nodulation was variable, but the variation was independent of the time between sowing and germination. Best nodulation occurred in treatments in which peat inoculant was incorporated within a lime pellet around the seed. These treatments were superior to others where broth inoculant was incorporated in the pellet or where peat inoculant was applied externally to pelleted or unpelleted seed. Nodulation was improved by incorporating an increased level of peat inoculant in the pellet. In storage, a very low survival rate was recorded in all treatments except those incorporating peat inoculant within the pellet. The results are discussed in relation to the practicalities of pre-inoculation techniques and of sowing inoculated medic seed into dry seed beds.

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (47) ◽  
pp. 739 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Brockwell ◽  
LJ Phillips

Seed of four legume species with various forms of lime pelleting and inoculation was sown into hot, dry soil at Katherine, Northern Territory, where it lay dormant for 7-9 weeks before germination commenced. Seedling nodulation was used as the index of inoculant survival. Where the seed was sown at a shallow depth, Rhizobium survival was poorer than on seed sown more deeply; this was attributed to the higher temperatures near the soil surface. Rhizobia survived best in those treatments in which peat inoculant was incorporated within the pellet. Rhizobium meliloti applied to Medicago sativa seed showed a high degree of tolerance of the conditions and seedling nodulation exceeded 90 per cent in several instances. Nodulation of Trifolium pratense and T. rueppellianum never exceeded 50 per cent and little nodulation occurred with Lotus pedunculatus. It is concluded that lime-pelleted Medicago seed with peat inoculant incorporated within the pellet can be sown into hot, dry soil with a strong expectation that the inoculant will survive and the seedlings nodulate.


1961 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 630 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Brockwell ◽  
FW Hely

Thirty-three isolates of Rhizobim meliloti were obtained from the brown acid soils of the Macquarie region of New South Wales and their symbiotic behaviour in association with 11 species of Merlicago and three species of Melilotus was investigated in the laboratory. In respect of nodule formation, there were two distinct types of Rhizobiurn and the hosts formed three groups. In respect of nitrogen fixation there were six strain types and seven host, groupings. These host and bacterial groups could be arranged in a series. Several of the strains of rhizobia, and one in particular, were found to fix a high level of nitrogen with a number of hosts, but, except for ;Medicago denticulata Willd. and Melilotus indica (L.) All. which behaved identically in all features of the symbiosis studied, no definit'e groupings on this criterion were apparent in either hosts or bacteria. The possible application of the results to the selection of strains of' Rhizobium meliloti suitable for seed inoculation is discussed.


1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
BH Downing

Examination of data on dietary preferences of sheep, goats and cattle suggests that different grazing systems are desirable for each of the three major woodland types (belah-rosewood, mulga, poplar box) examined. Competition for herbs, frequently palatable to all animal species, indicates that goats and sheep are unsuitable for joint use either in heavily wooded country or where annual herbaceous production is less than 200 kg-ha. Supplementary feeding, fire and judicious stocking are proposed as a strategy for inducing goats to eat a proportion of unpalatable shrubs. The literature provides little helpful information on how rangelands in the Western Division should be managed. No reports are given on comparisons of grazing systems, such as rotational grazing, rotational resting, and continuous grazing. No guidance is given on grazing after burning of the rangeland. Recommendations are generally against the use of goats for control of woody plants, whereas local observation shows this to be an apparently effective practice. The recommendations are mostly based on experimental procedures which, although suitable for detecting animal dietary preferences in the short term, are less appropriate for investigation of the effects of grazing on range condition in the long term. Some suggestions are made towards a different approach for: investigating the effects of grazing by sheep and goats on rangeland condition, and the economic implications of this in terms of animal production.


1965 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 981 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Lax ◽  
Turner H Newton

The influence of sex, strain, location, and age of ewe on survival rate to weaning of single-born Merino lambs has been examined in two sets of data: the strain trial, involving five strains run without selection at each of three locations (Cunnamulla, Qld.; Armidale, on the northern tablelands of New South Wales; Deniliquin, in the Riverina area of New South Wales), with six age groups of ewes; and the same five strains later included in selection groups at Armidale with seven age groups of ewes. The strain trial at Armidale ran mainly on native, and the selection groups mainly on improved pastures. Female lambs had a higher survival rate than either castrated or entire males, the differences in lambs weaned per lamb born being 0.03 and 0.04 respectively. No strain differences could be regarded as statistically significant, and neither could the strain x location interaction in the strain trial. Mean survival rates for the strains ranged from 0.673 to 0.786 on the Armidale native and from 0.802 to 0.850 on the Armidale improved pasture, from 0.746 to 0.859 at Cunnamulla, and from 0.838 to 0.894 at Deniliquin. The strains did not rank consistently in the same order. Location had a marked effect on survival rate, the means being 0.744 for the native and 0.824 for the improved pasture at Armidale, 0.810 at Cunnamulla, and 0.868 at Deniliquin. Age of ewe had a marked influence in the poorest environment (Armidale native pasture), survival rate rising with age and later falling sharply. The effect was less marked in the intermediate environments (Armidale improved pasture and Cunnamulla) and negligible at Deniliquin. The patterns at Cunnamulla and Deniliquin are confirmed by data from other experiments on these stations. Survival rate is one component of number of lambs weaned. The other component, number of lambs born, has a higher mean value at Deniliquin than Cunnamulla, but shows a strong association with age of ewe in both environments. Number of lambs born responds rapidly to selection, but no information is yet available concerning the likely response in survival rate. If improvement in environment can raise the survival rate, particularly in the youngest and oldest ewes, then selection for number of lambs born, combined with improved environment, should lead to a marked rise in the number of lambs weaned.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Bowman ◽  
D. M. Hebb ◽  
D. J. Munnich ◽  
J. Brockwell

Summary. Populations of Rhizobium meliloti in self-mulching clay soils (Vertisols) at 48 sites on 27 properties in north-western New South Wales were classified according to number and ability to fix nitrogen with several species of Medicago. Rhizobia were counted using serial dilution, nodulation frequency, plant infection tests. Abilities of the soil populations to fix nitrogen were determined in the laboratory with whole-soil inoculation of Medicago seedlings in test tubes with shoots exposed to the atmosphere and roots within the tubes under bacteriological control, and in the field using a technique based on the natural abundance of 15N in the soil. The majority of soils contained >1000 cells of R. meliloti per gram. The major component of those populations fixed nitrogen with lucerne (Medicago sativa) and some components of some soils also fixed nitrogen with M. polymorpha, M. scutellata, M. littoralis, M. tornata, M. laciniata and Trigonella suavissima. However, a number of soils were located which contained few if any rhizobia effective in nitrogen fixation with M. polymorpha. Overall, the effectiveness of nitrogen fixation of the naturally occurring populations of R. meliloti in association with M. polymorpha, M. scutellata, M. littoralis and M. tornata was only 46% of the effectiveness of standard strains. At one particular site, where 10 lines of annual Medicago spp. were growing experimentally, fixed nitrogen as a proportion of shoot nitrogen averaged only 28%. At that site, there were no effective rhizobia for M. scutellata and it was wholly dependent on the soil as the source of its nitrogen. The results are discussed in relation to the need for a substantial input of legume nitrogen for restoring the natural fertility of self-mulching clay soils in degraded wheat lands of north-western New South Wales. It is suggested that lucerne, or perhaps other perennial Medicago spp., might fill this role better than annual medics such as M. polymorpha and M. scutellata that are more dependent than lucerne on specific strains of R. meliloti to meet their requirements for symbiotic nitrogen fixation.


1978 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
J.R. Anderson ◽  
PA Bruyn

A framework is suggested and explored for examining the influence of economic factors on changes in productivity and stability in the Western Division of New South Wales. The conclusion is reached that, excepting for an extraordinary peak of productivity around 1890, productivity continues to move up and down in a manner as unstable as ever. Economic factors seemingly play no clear role in influencing changes in productivity and only a slight and ambiguous role in influencing changes in stability.


1985 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
L Davies

The Hassall Report was based on an economic survey of 150 landholders throughout the Western Division of New South Wales for the financial years 197711978, 197811979 and 1979/1980. The survey used taxation records, however. some attitudinal informa- tion was collected from face to face interviews with landholders. The survey examined the financial performance in relation to the carrying capacity of the property and in relation to five land- scape categories. The survey found that the financial performance of the landscape categorized as "tall dense woodlands with scrub" was significantly poorer than for other landscape categories. The report has been used as a major reference for the recently completed Joint Parliamentary Committee Enquiry into the Western Division of New South Wales and has influenced a number of the economic recommendations in this report. This paper gives a brief summary of the financial results, a comparison of these results to those of other agricultural areas and the major policy recom- mendations made in the report.


1980 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
JC Noble ◽  
AW Smith ◽  
HW Leslie

This article describes the effects of the 1974175 wildfires on the mallee vegetation in the Western Division of New South Wales using two properties as case studies. The management implications arising from these experiences are described in some detail, particularly the potential for some form of management based on periodic prescribed burning to promote herbage productivity and also to reduce any future wildfire hazard. The need for appropriate research to be undertaken in this field is also discussed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
JA Seddon ◽  
SV Briggs

We developed an inventory of all lakes 100 ha or greater in area in the Western Division of New South Wales including information on source of water, salinity, water regime, lake area, and presence of cultivation permits. Number, area and distribution of different categories of lakes were summarised, and the use of lakes for cropping (lakebed cultivation) and water storage were analysed by category of lake. There were 567 lakes 100 ha or larger in area in the Western Division. The majority of these were mainly dry (includes dry lakes) (56%) or filled intermittently (40%), usually from river flooding. Just under 5% of lakes were perennial. Water regimes in most perennial lakes were controlled by local structures. Seventy lakes had lakebed cultivation permits. Twenty per cent of fresh lakes that filled from a river, rather than from local rainfall, in the Western Division of New South Wales were cultivated (i.e. cropped). Eighty per cent of fresh, riverine lakes larger than 2000 ha which flood and dry intermittently were cultivated. Lakebed cropping in the Western Division of New South Wales has focused on large, fresh, lakes which fill intermittently from rivers. Use of lakes as water storages has also focused on large, fresh lakes. Conservation strategies are recommended for large, fresh lakes that flood intermittently from a river, and are not cropped or used as water storages. These strategies should be directed towards developing voluntary conservation agreements with landholders. Key words: lakes, cropping, GIS, water regimes, conservation


2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Kerin

A comprehensive review of the Western Division of New South Wales was carried out in 1998/99. The review addressed economic, environmental and social issues in New South Wales' rangelands. Six commissioned studies examined these issues in more detail. The recommendations of the review centred on streamlining administrative procedures, including Acts and regulations, addressing integrated natural resource management from a regional perspective by involving leaseholders and relevant stakeholders as representative of the broader community. It was seen as essential that scientific research and expertise, and technological advances in knowledge, be utilised by decision makers in coming to more coordinated land management decisions.


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