Residual values of zinc sulfate and acidifying (elemental) sulfur for rice on the alkaline Cununurra soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

1986 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 591 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL Chapman ◽  
KM Cellier
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Zinc Sulfate ◽  
Elemental Sulfur ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Zn Deficiency ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Irrigation Area ◽  
Residual Values ◽  
Extractable Zn

The residual values of zinc sulfate and acidifying (elemental) sulfur (S) for rice on Cununurra clay were investigated at Kimberley Research Station, near Kununurra in the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia. Successive crops were grown on 2 sites showing different degrees of zinc (Zn) deficiency according to visual symptoms. Despite the marked response to Zn fertiliser shown by the first crop of IR665-24-1 rice on the more deficient site (previously fallow for 12 months) there was no significant yield response to applied Zn in the third crop. On the less Zn deficient site (previously under weeds for several years), IR661-1-170-1-3 rice showed no response to Zn fertiliser although transient symptoms occurred in the first and second crops. Continuous cropping per se apparently reduced the severity of Zn deficiency on both sites, thus negating attempts to estimate the residual value of Zn fertiliser. The 2 sites were not distinguishable by the EDTAammonium carbonate soil test for Zn. Extractable Zn increased with increasing level of Zn fertiliser, but plant response was not related to extractable Zn. Application of elemental S (1-4 t ha-1) had no effect on extractable Zn levels before sowing of rice. Increased rice yields due to acidifying S were confirmed, but the residual effects did not extend beyond the fourth crop. In each of the 3 seasons following S application, the yield of IR661-1-170-1-3 increased by 0.3-0.6 t ha-1 but, at current prices, the use of S as a soil ameliorant for rice in the Ord Irrigation Area would be uneconomic.

Effect of sulphur, sulphuric acid and gypsum on the yield of rice on the Cununurra soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

1980 ◽  
Vol 20 (107) ◽  
pp. 724 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Sulphuric Acid ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Flooded Soil ◽  
Irrigation Area

A field experiment was conducted at Kimberley Research Station near Kununurra, Western Australia, to compare elemental sulphur, sulphuric acid and gypsum as soil ameliorants for drill-sown rice on the Cununurra clay of the Ord Irrigation Area. The application of sulphur (0.5-4 t ha-1) and concentrated sulphuric acid (800-1 600 1 ha-1) to Cununurra clay temporarily decreased soil pH, improved seedling establishment and increased the mean grain yield of Bluebonnet 50 and IR661-1-170-1-3 rice from 4.27 to 5.32 t ha-1. Plant growth during the first 6 weeks was better and the transient iron chlorosis, which often develops after permanent flooding, was largely eliminated. Gypsum (1-4 t ha-1) had no significant effect on soil pH, seedling establishment, early growth or grain yield. Mean pH of the flooded soil (0-5 cm) one month after permanent flooding was 6.60, 6.56, 6.07 and 5.52 in the untreatad, gypsum, sulphur and sulphuric acid plots, respectively. Mean grain yield increased linearly as the pH of the flooded soil (0-5 cm) one month after permanent flooding decreased over the range of 6.5-5.5. The pH values of air dried soil samples takgn at 3, 6, 9 and 11 weeks after sowing and determined at the saturation moisture content fell by 0.5 to 2 units after the addition of sulphur and sulphuric acid. The decrease in pH at 3 weeks after the application of 800 l ha-1 sulphuric acid was five times greater than that due to an equivalent amount of elemsntal sulphur, but the effect of the acid was short-lived. Calcium and magnesium concentrations in the saturation extracts of the air-dried soil samples taken at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing were increased by the application of sulphur and gypsum. All ameliorants increased the nitrogen concentration in the plant tops at 3 weeks after sowing but only sulphur and sulphuric acid increased phosphorus, potassium, manganese, zinc or iron concentrations at one or more sampling dates.

Effects of zinc and iron fertilizers on a disorder in rice on the calcareous soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (85) ◽  
pp. 290 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL Chapman ◽  
CAP Boundy
Keyword(s):  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Zinc Sulphate ◽  
Ferrous Sulphate ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Calcareous Soils ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Irrigation Area ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Best Fit

A field experiment was conducted at Kimberley Research Station near Kununurra, Western Australia to study the effects of urea and ammonium sulphate fertilizers, previous cropping history and method of sowing on the incidence of a long-standing disorder in rice on the calcareous soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, and to determine whether the disorder could be ameliorated by means of zinc and iron fertilizers. Symptoms of the disorder resembling those of zinc deficiency appeared within four weeks after seedling emergence in plots not treated with zinc. The mean concentration of zinc in the tops of affected plants sampled at 2, 7 and 11 weeks was 18 p.p.m. The combination of fallow land, urea and water-sowing resulted in the most severe symptoms. Where 20 kg Zn ha-1 was applied as zinc sulphate, the zinc concentration in the plant tops averaged 66 p.p.m. over the three sampling dates, and zinc deficiency symptoms did not develop. Other symptoms resembling those of iron deficiency also occurred, especially when the level of applied zinc was 20 kg ha-1. The application of both zinc sulphate and ferrous sulphate fertilizers resulted in a significant increase in the grain yield of IR665-24-1 rice. Overall there was no response to zinc sulphate above the level of 10 kg zinc ha-1. The curve of best fit for the overall response to ferrous sulphate was parabolic with a maximum near 240 kg ha-1 ferrous sulphate. The mean yield from plots that received three foliar sprays of 0.1 per cent ferrous sulphate was not significantly different from that of plots fertilized with 200 kg ha-1 ferrous sulphate. There was no significant interaction between zinc and iron.

Soil and tissue tests to predict pasture yield responses to applications of potassium fertiliser in high-rainfall areas of south-western Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. A. Bolland ◽  
W. J. Cox ◽  
B. J. Codling
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Relative Yield ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Test Procedures ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Yield Responses

Dairy and beef pastures in the high (>800 mm annual average) rainfall areas of south-western Australia, based on subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) and annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum), grow on acidic to neutral deep (>40 cm) sands, up to 40 cm sand over loam or clay, or where loam or clay occur at the surface. Potassium deficiency is common, particularly for the sandy soils, requiring regular applications of fertiliser potassium for profitable pasture production. A large study was undertaken to assess 6 soil-test procedures, and tissue testing of dried herbage, as predictors of when fertiliser potassium was required for these pastures. The 100 field experiments, each conducted for 1 year, measured dried-herbage production separately for clover and ryegrass in response to applied fertiliser potassium (potassium chloride). Significant (P<0.05) increases in yield to applied potassium (yield response) were obtained in 42 experiments for clover and 6 experiments for ryegrass, indicating that grass roots were more able to access potassium from the soil than clover roots. When percentage of the maximum (relative) yield was related to soil-test potassium values for the top 10 cm of soil, the best relationships were obtained for the exchangeable (1 mol/L NH4Cl) and Colwell (0.5 mol/L NaHCO3-extracted) soil-test procedures for potassium. Both procedures accounted for about 42% of the variation for clover, 15% for ryegrass, and 32% for clover + grass. The Colwell procedure for the top 10 cm of soil is now the standard soil-test method for potassium used in Western Australia. No increases in clover yields to applied potassium were obtained for Colwell potassium at >100 mg/kg soil. There was always a clover-yield increase to applied potassium for Colwell potassium at <30 mg/kg soil. Corresponding potassium concentrations for ryegrass were >50 and <30 mg/kg soil. At potassium concentrations 30–100 mg/kg soil for clover and 30–50 mg/kg soil for ryegrass, the Colwell procedure did not reliably predict yield response, because from nil to large yield responses to applied potassium occurred. The Colwell procedure appears to extract the most labile potassium in the soil, including soluble potassium in soil solution and potassium balancing negative charge sites on soil constituents. In some soils, Colwell potassium was low indicating deficiency, yet plant roots may have accessed potassum deeper in the soil profile. Where the Colwell procedure does not reliably predict soil potassium status, tissue testing may help. The relationship between relative yield and tissue-test potassium varied markedly for different harvests in each year of the experiments, and for different experiments. For clover, the concentration of potassium in dried herbage that was related to 90% of the maximum, potassium non-limiting yield (critical potassium) was at the concentration of about 15 g/kg dried herbage for plants up to 8 weeks old, and at <10 g/kg dried herbage for plants older than 10–12 weeks. For ryegrass, there were insufficient data to provide reliable estimates of critical potassium.

Control of barnyard grass in rice in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area using 3,4,dichloropropinionanilide

1963 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
EB Boerema
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Barnyard Grass ◽  
Irrigation Area ◽  
Leaf Stage ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Excellent Control ◽  
First 90 Days ◽  
Panicle Weight

Barnyard grass (Echinochloa spp.) is an extremely effective competitor with rice. In two experiments at the Yanco Agricultural Research Station, rice severely infested with barnyard grass produced approximately' 50 per cent less tillers per sq. ft. 90 days after sowing, approximately 50 per cent less panicles at harvest, and 33-55 per cent less yield than rice treated with 3,4-dichloropropionanilide ( DPA ) to control barnyard grass. In untreated plots, barnyard grass absorbed over 60 per cent of the total nitrogen taken up from the s oil by both the weed and rice during the first 90 days of growth. DPA applied at a rate of 4 lb an acre gave excellent control of barnyard grass. In the first experiment, when the grass was in the 1-3 leaf stage, application two or ,four days before irrigation resulted in much less weed surviving than when applied three hours before irrigation. This irrigation was followed by permanent flooding six day later. In the second experiment the grass was in the 4-7 leaf stage. There was no significant difference in kill of weeds between DPA applied at different times and rates. Survival of weeds in all treated plots in both experiments was significantly less than in the untreated plots. Treatment with DPA increased the yield significantly in all cases. Although the amount of grass surviving 90 days after sowing varied somewhat with different times of DPA application, the total yield, number of panicles per sq. ft., and panicle weight of rice, for any of these treatments were not significantly different.

Growth and oil production of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) in the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (85) ◽  
pp. 301 ◽  
Author(s):  
DF Beech
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Oil Yield ◽  
Cymbopogon Citratus ◽  
Irrigation Area ◽  
Effect Of Water

Experiments with irrigated lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) have shown that high oil yields can be obtained in the Ord Irrigation area, Western Australia. The highest oil yield of 419 1 ha-1 over a 360 day period was obtained when the plants were cut at 60 day intervals and at a height of 20 cm. Longer intervals and higher cutting heights gave lower oil yields, although in some cases, fresh and dry matter yields were increased. Studies on the effect of water stress showed that time between irrigations in the dry season should not be more than ten days if oil yields are to be maintained. Wilting of cut lemongrass in the dry season was shown to result in a loss of oil, with losses increasing with the duration of wilting up to 11 hours. Under irrigated conditions, lemongrass removed large quantities of nutrients, particularly potassium. Over the 360 day period, maximum amounts of N, P and K removed were 186, 26 and 384 kg ha-1 respectively.

Nitrogen contributed by grain legumes to rice grown in rotation on the Cununurra soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

1987 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 155 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL Chapman ◽  
RJK Myers
Keyword(s):  
Green Manure ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Green Gram ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Sesbania Cannabina ◽  
Irrigation Area ◽  
Bare Fallow

The uptake of nitrogen (N) by dry season rice following wet season crops of soybean (for grain or green manure), green gram, Sesbania cannabina (a native legume), a cereal (sorghum or dryland rice for grain), or bare fallow, was studied for 3 cropping cycles over 4 years. The work was done on Cununurra clay (0.04% N) at Kimberley Research Station near Kununurra, W.A., in the Ord Irrigation Area. Stubbles were returned to the soil except in the first cycle when (excluding the green manure treatment) all tops were removed from the plots at maturity. There was a 12-month bare fallow period between the first and second cycles. Dry season rice was drill-sown with or without 100 kg ha-1 of N applied as urea at permanent flooding. Soybean, green gram and Sesbania crops accumulated 290-360, 80-130 and 110-180 kg N ha-1, respectively, in the tops at maturity. An average of about 40 kg N ha-1 was present in the stem bases and roots (0-20 cm depth). Estimates of nitrogen fixation based on 15N dilution measurements ranged from 65-72% of total plant N when the legumes were grown after 12 months fallow, to 93-95% when they were grown immediately following dry season rice. Fertiliser N at 25 kg ha-1 applied presowing ('starter' N) had no significant effect on legume N yield at maturity. N returned in leaves, stems and hulls averaged 30, 50 and 80 kg N ha-1 for green gram, soybean and Sesbania, respectively. Rice grain yields and N uptake at maturity were generally highest after Sesbania and lowest after a wet season cereal crop. Differences among treatments were small and related to the quantity of N returned in residues. On average, 11% of the N in the residues was recovered in the tops of the following rice crop. Rice yields increased over the 4-year period, but mean increases were similar for legume and non-legume treatments. The average apparent recovery of N applied as urea to dry season rice at permanent flooding was 76%. The inclusion of a soybean cash crop in the rotation offers the possibility of a marginal reduction in the need for N fertiliser.

Comparative soil water, pasture production, and crop yields in phase farming systems with lucerne and annual pasture in Western Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Latta ◽  
L. J. Blacklow ◽  
P. S. Cocks
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Oil Content ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Grain Protein ◽  
Pasture Production

Two field experiments in the Great Southern region of Western Australia compared the soil water content under lucerne (Medicago sativa) with subterranean clover (Trifolium subterranean) and annual medic (Medicago polymorpha) over a 2-year period. Lucerne depleted soil water (10–150 cm) between 40 and 100 mm at Borden and 20 and 60 mm at Pingrup compared with annual pasture. There was also less stored soil water after wheat (Triticum aestivum) and canola (Brassica napus) phases which followed the lucerne and annual pasture treatments, 30 and 48 mm after wheat, 49 and 29 mm after canola at Borden and Pingrup, respectively. Lucerne plant densities declined over 2 seasons from 35 to 25 plants/m2 (Borden) and from 56 to 42 plants/m2 (Pingrup), although it produced herbage quantities similar to or greater than clover/medic pastures. The lucerne pasture also had a reduced weed component. Wheat yield at Borden was higher after lucerne (4.7 t/ha) than after annual pasture (4.0 t/ha), whereas at Pingrup yields were similar (2 t/ha) but grain protein was higher (13.7% compared with 12.6%) . There was no yield response to applied nitrogen after lucerne or annual pasture at either site, but it increased grain protein at both sites. There was no pasture treatment effect on canola yield or oil content at Borden (2 t/ha, 46% oil). However, at Pingrup yield was higher (1.5 t/ha compared to 1.3 t/ha) and oil content was similar (41%) following lucerne–wheat. The results show that lucerne provides an opportunity to develop farming systems with greater water-use in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, and that at least 2 crops can be grown after 3 years of lucerne before soil water returns to the level found after annual pasture.

Residual value for wheat of phosphorus from calciphos, Duchess rock phosphate and triple superphosphate on a lateritic soil in south-western Australia

1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 198 ◽  
Author(s):  
MDA Bolland
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Rock Phosphate ◽  
Phosphorus Content ◽  
Lateritic Soil ◽  
Triple Superphosphate ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Rock Phosphates ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
Residual Values ◽  
North Western

The residual values of phosphorus from triple superphosphate and from three rock phosphates were compared in a 4-year field experiment with wheat, grown on a phosphorus deficient lateritic soil in south-western Australia. The three rock phosphate fertilizers were an apatitic rock phosphate originating from the Duchess deposit in north-western Queensland, and calcined (500�C) Christmas Island C-grade ore as a powder and as pellets. Five rates of each fertilizer were applied at the commencement of the experiment and their effectiveness was calculated from data on yield of dried plant tops, grain yield, and bicarbonate soluble phosphorus extracted from the soil. Triple superphosphate was the most effective phosphorus fertilizer initially, but its effectiveness decreased markedly with time. The effectiveness of the three rock phosphates was initially very low, and remained approximately constant for the duration of the experiment. The yield of dried plant tops depended upon their phosphorus content and this relationship was independent of the phosphorus fertilizer used.

Simulating phenology and yield response of canola to sowing date in Western Australia using the APSIM model

2002 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 1155 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Farré ◽  
M. J. Robertson ◽  
G. H. Walton ◽  
S. Asseng
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Sowing Dates ◽  
3.0 T ◽  
Using Data

Canola is a relatively new crop in the Mediterranean environment of Western Australia and growers need information on crop management to maximise profitability. However, local information from field experiments is limited to a few seasons and its interpretation is hampered by seasonal rainfall variability. Under these circumstances, a simulation model can be a useful tool. The APSIM-Canola model was tested using data from Western Australian field experiments. These experiments included different locations, cultivars, and sowing dates. Flowering date was predicted by the model with a root mean squared deviation (RMSD) of 4.7 days. The reduction in the period from sowing to flowering with delay in sowing date was accurately reproduced by the model. Observed yields ranged from 0.1 to 3.2 t/ha and simulated yields from 0.4 to 3.0 t/ha. Yields were predicted with a RMSD of 0.3–0.4 t/ha. The yield reduction with delayed sowing date in the high, medium, and low rainfall region (3.2, 6.1, and 8.6% per week, respectively) was accurately simulated by the model (1.1, 6.7, and 10.3% per week, respectively). It is concluded that the APSIM-Canola model, together with long-term weather data, can be reliably used to quantify yield expectation for different cultivars, sowing dates, and locations in the grainbelt of Western Australia.

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