Management of the major chemical soil constraints affecting yields in the grain growing region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia – a review

Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 765 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Page ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
J. B. Wehr ◽  
Y. P. Dang ◽  
P. M. Kopittke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Multiple Constraints ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Soil Constraints ◽  
Growing Region

In the grain growing region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, crop production occurs predominantly under semiarid, rainfed conditions. Vertosols dominate the soils used and many are prone to structural problems. In this region, providing that crop nutrition is adequate, optimising yield is largely dependent on maximising the infiltration, storage and plant use of soil water. Soil constraints such as sodicity, salinity, acidity, subsoil compaction and surface sealing can limit these processes, leading to high yield losses. This review examines management options to treat these constraints, focusing on management where multiple constraints exist, and where these occur in the subsoil. The main strategies reviewed include (a) use of gypsum to treat sodicity and lime to treat acidity, which can lead to yield increases of >100% in some circumstances, (b) cultivation or deep ripping to break up compacted sodic layers and surface seals, (c) incorporating soil organic matter to improve conditions for plant growth and (d) selecting species, cultivars and management practices most appropriate for constrained sites. Future research must be directed to improving the profitability of ameliorant use for sodicity by increasing our understanding of how to identify soils responsive to ameliorants, and which combination of ameliorants will be cost effective when sodicity occurs in combination with other constraints. In addition, research needs to target ways to economically apply ameliorants in subsoil environments, and better identify which crop species or cultivars are productive on constrained sites, particularly those with multiple constraints.

Mapping and comparing the distribution of soil carbon under cropping and grazing management practices in Narrabri, north-west New South Wales

Soil Research ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Miklos ◽  
Michael G. Short ◽  
Alex B. McBratney ◽  
Budiman Minasny
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Fine Resolution

The reliable assessment of soil carbon stock is of key importance for soil conservation and mitigation strategies related to reducing atmospheric carbon. Measuring and monitoring soil carbon is complex because carbon pools cycle and rates of carbon sequestration vary across the landscape due to climate, soil type, and management practices. A new methodology has been developed and applied to make an assessment of the distribution of total, organic, and inorganic carbon at a grains research and grazing property in northern New South Wales at a high spatial resolution. In this study, baseline soil carbon maps were created using fine resolution, geo-referenced, proximal sensor data. Coupled with a digital elevation model and secondary terrain attributes, all of the data layers were combined by k-means clustering to develop a stratified random soil sampling scheme for the survey area. Soil samples taken at 0.15-m increments to a depth of 1 m were scanned with a mid-infrared spectrometer, which was calibrated using a proportion of the samples that were analysed in a laboratory for total carbon and inorganic carbon content. This combination of new methodologies and technologies has the potential to provide large volumes of reliable, fine resolution and timely data required to make baseline assessments, mapping, monitoring, and verification possible. This method has the potential to make soil carbon management and trading at the farm-scale possible by quantifying the carbon stock to a depth of 1 m and at a high spatial resolution.

Corrigendum to: Soil indicators and their use by farmers in the Billabong Catchment, southern New South Wales

Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
B. Kelly ◽  
C. Allan ◽  
B. P. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Health Need ◽  
Soil Indicators

'Soil health' programs and projects in Australia's agricultural districts are designed to influence farmers' management behaviours, usually to produce better outcomes for production, conservation, and sustainability. These programs usually examine soil management practices from a soil science perspective, but how soils are understood by farmers, and how that understanding informs their farm management decisions, is poorly documented. The research presented in this paper sought to better understand how dryland farmers in the Billabong catchment of southern New South Wales use soil indicators to inform their management decisions. Thematic content analysis of transcripts of semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with farmers suggest several themes that have implications for soil scientists and other professionals wishing to promote soil health in the dryland farming regions of south-eastern Australia. In particular, all soil indicators, including those related to soil 'health', need to relate to some clear, practical use to farmers if they are to be used in farm decision making. This research highlights a reliance of the participants of this research on agronomists. Reliance on agronomists for soil management decisions may result in increasing loss of connectivity between farmers and their land. If this reflects a wider trend, soil health projects may need to consider where best to direct their capacity-building activities, and/or how to re-empower individual farmers.

Simulation of the effect of chilling injury and nitrogen supply on floret fertility and yield in rice

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 921 ◽  
Author(s):  
DC Godwin ◽  
WS Meyer ◽  
U Singh
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Chilling Injury ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Yields

Evidence exists that night temperatures <18�C immediately preceding flowering in rice crops can adversely affect floret fertility and, hence, yields. It has been suggested that sterility induced by low temperature is also influenced by floodwater depth and nitrogen (N) rate. In southern New South Wales, low night-time temperatures are believed to be a major constraint to the achievement of consistently high yields. The availability of a comprehensive model of rice growth and yield that is sensitive to this constraint would aid the development of better management practices. CERES RICE is a comprehensive model that simulates the phasic development of a rice crop, the growth of its leaves, stems, roots, and panicles, and their response to weather. It also simulates the water and N balances of the crop and the effects of stresses of water and N on the yield-forming processes. The model has been extensively tested in many rice-growing systems in both tropical and temperate environments. However, the original model was unable to simulate the level of chilling injury evident from yield data from southern New South Wales. This paper reports modifications made in the model to simulate these effects and the evaluation of the model in environments of low night temperature. Inclusion of the chilling injury effect greatly improved the accuracy of estimated yields from treatments in an extensive field experiment. However, additional testing with a wider range of data sets is needed to confirm the international applicability of the modifications.

Using abattoir surveillance and producer surveys to investigate the prevalence and current preventative management of Caseous lymphadenitis in Merino flocks in Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 675 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Bush ◽  
R. Barnett ◽  
I. J. Links ◽  
P. A. Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Caseous Lymphadenitis ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Livestock Health

The prevalence of Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in Australia was estimated to be 5.2% using 2009 abattoir surveillance data from all States supplied by Animal Health Australia involving 5029 lines comprising 1 339 463 sheep. This is a decrease from the 26% estimated in a similar study in 1995. There was a significant difference (P < 0.001) in CLA prevalence between all states except Tasmania and Victoria (P = 0.75) with prevalences of 12.8 and 12.9%, respectively. Western Australia recorded the lowest prevalence with 1.0%. The average CLA prevalence for New South Wales was 5.3% and within three surveyed Livestock Health and Pest Authority regions (Tablelands, Central North and Central West) was 2.9, 4.9 and 4.4%, respectively. The attitude of the majority of producers surveyed in these three Livestock Health and Pest Authority areas was that CLA was of little or no significance (75%) but were aware of the need for CLA control with ~68% using 6-in-1 vaccine, though only 39.9% as recommended. It appears that the prolonged use of CLA vaccination has been successful in reducing the prevalence of CLA across Australia and particularly in New South Wales. Further improvements in communication of information on preventative management practices associated with lice control, importance of using an approved vaccination program, plus increasing producers’ awareness of the importance of CLA control, are indicated.

The impact of trampling on feldmark vegetation in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. McDougall ◽  
G. T. Wright
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Cushion Plants ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
The Impact

A popular walking track in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, passes through areas of feldmark vegetation, a windswept community of sparse dwarf shrubs, cushion plants and herbs. The prevailing westerly winds in this area prune the windward edges of the dominant Epacris gunnii shrubs. Layering on the protected side effectively means that the shrubs slowly move across the ridgetops. Twenty-five transects were placed perpendicular to the track in a patch of feldmark north of Mt Kosciuszko. The density of selected species and the total number of species were recorded in quadrats placed in the track centre, track edges and feldmark vegetation at 5 and 10 m from both sides of the track to determine whether the track has interrupted feldmark processes and affected species abundance. The abundance of all species and the number of species per quadrat was lowest in the track centre. Three species (including E. gunnii) were found to be less abundant on the leeward edge of the track than on the windward edge, suggesting that the track has indirectly interfered with feldmark processes. Two of the species were as abundant on track edges as at 5 and 10 m from the track. The area of affected vegetation is currently very small and it may take decades before the effect is obvious to people using the track. Management options for reducing or eliminating the impact are discussed.

Effect of sowing time and nitrogen on rice cultivars of differing growth duration in New South Wales. 1. Yield and yield components

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 933 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Reinke ◽  
LG Lewin ◽  
RL Williams
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Growth Duration ◽  
Sowing Time ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Long Duration

New South Wales rice crops commonly take >180 days from sowing to harvest, and a reduction in crop duration is sought to increase the efficiency of rice production. The response of rice cultivars of differing growth duration to sowing time and N application was examined across 2 growing seasons. The highest yields were obtained at early sowing dates in each season. In season 2, the maximum yield of the short-duration cultivar M101 was not significantly different to the long-duration cultivars Calrose, Pelde, and M7, with yields >12 t/ha. However, yield of cv. M101 was significantly less than the long-duration cultivars at an early sowing date in season 1. Analysis of yield components did not clearly indicate the reason for reduced yield of the short duration cultivar. Damage by birds and mice before harvest, exacerbated by early maturity, is a possible cause.Later sowing reduced yields of all cultivars, with the short-duration cultivar-least affected. Optimum N application decreased with delay in sowing. At early sowings there was a positive yield response to increasing N, whereas at the latest sowings in each season the N response was negative for all cultivars. Where the yield response to applied N was positive, the yield component most associated with yield was the number of florets per unit area (r = 0.55). Where the yield response was negative, yield reductions were primarily caused by a reduction in the proportion of filled grains (r = 0.83). Minimum temperatures during the reproductive stage of each cultivar explained only a small amount of the variation in percentage of filled grain. Low minimum temperatures during the reproductive stage were not the sole cause of the reduction in proportion of filled grains of late-sown, high-N plots. The high yield potential of short-duration cultivars in The high yield potential of short-duration cultivars in the New South Wales rice-growing area is clearly demonstrated, as is the value of such cultivars where late sowing is unavoidable.

Issues of size and viability of pastoral holdings in the Western Division of New South Wales.

1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
ND Macleod
Keyword(s):  
Public Involvement ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Future Scenario ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Western Division ◽  
Enterprise Size

Uany pastoral leases in western New South Wales are too small to ensure that viable pastoral enterprisu will persist in the medium to longer term. Apart from attendant welfare problems for leaseholders and their dependants, there is some evidence that this has exacerbated overgrazing problems which creates undesirable and potentially irreversible degradation of vegetation and soil resources. Arguably, the small size problem has sufficiently weakened the economic welfare of many lessees to make private acquisition of additional areas andl or adoption of conservation oriented management practices non-economic. The future scenario is then one of greater public involvement in property adjustment measures; or a growing population of non-viable pastoral enterprises with its attendant efficiency, welfare and resource conservation problems. The paper examines trends in property enterprise size, structure and concentration and the existence and extent of size economies for wool and livestock production in western New South Wales. Several issues are addressed concerning the economic viability of pastoral properties and several public policy prescriptions are presented for addressing the sizehiability problem.

A Community-based Survey of the Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, in the Eden Region of South-eastern New South Wales

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Carol Esson ◽  
Chris Moon ◽  
Murray Ellis ◽  
Alison Matthews
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Regional Survey ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
South Wales

A community-based postal survey (questionnaire and map) was undertaken in the Eden region of south-eastern New South Wales in 1991–92 to help determine the local distribution of koalas and to obtain information on which to base a regional plan of management for koalas. The 1198 replies from the II 600 households in the region represented all parts of the area surveyed. The survey responses suggest that koalas are rare in the Eden region, and that the number of koalas has been constantly low for the last four decades. The records are scattered both chronologically and geographically. National Parks and Nature Reserves have never been the stronghold of local koala populations, and freehold land, particularly farmland, is not a major reservoir of koalas. Most koalas reported were in, or adjacent to, State Forests, particularly Murrah–Berrnagui and Tantawangalo–Glenbog–Yurammie. These areas appear to contain the core of the surviving koala population of the region. An assessment of the vegetation where koalas were sighted indicated that dry forest is the preferred habitat. The once abundant and widespread local koala population of late last century has been reduced by habitat loss and fragmentation to a few small, isolated populations. This regional survey, which was undertaken by use of a carefully constructed questionnaire, revealed an invaluable source of records and contributed 70% of the records in the database used for this study. This study also laid a basis for assessing koala management options in south-eastern New South Wales.

Soil indicators and their use by farmers in the Billabong Catchment, southern New South Wales

Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 234 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kelly ◽  
C. Allan ◽  
B. P. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Health Need ◽  
Soil Indicators

‘Soil health’ programs and projects in Australia’s agricultural districts are designed to influence farmers’ management behaviours, usually to produce better outcomes for production, conservation, and sustainability. These programs usually examine soil management practices from a soil science perspective, but how soils are understood by farmers, and how that understanding informs their farm management decisions, is poorly documented. The research presented in this paper sought to better understand how dryland farmers in the Billabong catchment of southern New South Wales use soil indicators to inform their management decisions. Thematic content analysis of transcripts of semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with farmers suggest several themes that have implications for soil scientists and other professionals wishing to promote soil health in the dryland farming regions of south-eastern Australia. In particular, all soil indicators, including those related to soil ‘health’, need to relate to some clear, practical use to farmers if they are to be used in farm decision making. This research highlights a reliance of the participants of this research on agronomists. Reliance on agronomists for soil management decisions may result in increasing loss of connectivity between farmers and their land. If this reflects a wider trend, soil health projects may need to consider where best to direct their capacity-building activities, and/or how to re-empower individual farmers.

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