Journal articles on the topic 'Agriculture Management South Australia'
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1
Schoknecht, Noel. "Report card on sustainable natural-resource use in the agricultural regions of Western Australia." Soil Research 53, no. 6 (2015): 695. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr14267.
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A ‘Report Card’, which summarises the current knowledge of the status and trend in land condition in the agricultural areas of the south-west of Western Australia, was published in 2013 by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. The Report Card draws on best available evidence from government and industry on the current condition and trend of 10 soil- and water-related natural resource themes relevant to agriculture, and discusses the implications of these results for the agricultural industries. The report also discusses the three main factors driving the performance of the land, namely climate, land characteristics and land management. The first two factors are largely out of the control of land managers, but in a drying and warming climate of the agricultural areas of Western Australia, land-management practices need to be able to respond to these changing conditions. The paper briefly explains the methodologies used to assess the seven soil-related themes in the Report Card and summarises the major findings. The results indicate that, for soils, the situation and outlook for our natural resources is mixed. Although there has been progress in some areas, such as managing wind and water erosion, the status and trend in many indicators of resource condition, such as soil acidity, soil compaction and water repellence, are adverse. The predicted growth in global demand for food and fibre brings many opportunities to the Western Australian agri-food sector but also challenges, especially in light of the Report Card findings. One of these challenges is our need to achieve agricultural productivity growth while ensuring our natural resources are healthy and resilient.
2
Jayasuriya, R. T. "Modelling the economic impact of environmental flows for regulated rivers in New South Wales, Australia." Water Science and Technology 48, no. 7 (October 1, 2003): 157–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0436.
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The management of water resources across Australia is undergoing fundamental reform in line with the priorities identified by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 1994. This includes reforms to the specification of property rights, the way the resource is shared between the environment, irrigators and other users, charges for water use and the operational management of the river systems. In New South Wales (NSW), a series of water sharing plans (WSPs) is being developed for each water source in the State including regulated rivers, unregulated rivers and groundwater aquifers. These plans, which are the mechanisms by which COAG reforms are being implemented, are being developed by community-based water management committees (WMCs). The role of the WMCs is to develop a plan that achieves a balance between environmental, economic and social outcomes. NSW Agriculture has assisted a number of WMCs by quantifying the economic impact of proposed WSP options on the irrigation community. This paper outlines the approach taken by NSW Agriculture to quantifying economic impacts on irrigators in regulated catchments and provides results of case studies in the Lachlan River Catchment which is heavily developed for irrigation.
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Bai, M., S. Muir, D. Rowell, J. Hill, D. Chen, T. Naylor, F. Phillips, T. Denmead, D. Griffiths, and R. Edis. "Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions from a beef feedlot system in south-east Australia during summer conditions." Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2009 (April 2009): 20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1752756200028593.
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Feedlot management systems for beef cattle are becoming a more common practice in Australia reflecting opportunities to ensure quality of product whilst maintaining cost efficiencies within production. However, feedlot systems have been identified as point sources of greenhouse gases emissions (GGE: methane, nitrous oxide and the indirect greenhouse gas ammonia). It has been estimated that feedlot systems contribute 3.5% of total direct methane emissions (Alford et al. 2006), and 30% of total emissions from livestock wastes. Furthermore, approximately 1% of total N2O emissions from agriculture are attributed to livestock. This paper reports methane, N2O and NH3 emissions from an Australian feedlot system managed under summer climatic conditions. It compares actual measured emissions with estimated from three recognised models used by national governments to estimate total GGE per annum from livestock agriculture.
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Clarke, C. J., R. J. George, R. W. Bell, and T. J. Hatton. "Dryland salinity in south-western Australia: its origins, remedies, and future research directions." Soil Research 40, no. 1 (2002): 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr01028.
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Replacement of deep-rooted, perennial native vegetation with shallow-rooted, annual agricultural plants has resulted in increased recharge causing shallow saline water tables leading to dryland salinity and loss of agricultural production. Restoring the vegetation by regeneration or replanting lowers water levels locally but field evidence and computer modelling suggests this needs to be widespread for regional effects, which conflicts with the future of conventional agriculture. Alley farming allows agriculture to be continued in the bays between the rows, but needs as much perennial, preferably deep-rooted, vegetation as possible in the bays to achieve the required recharge reductions. Where the asset to be preserved is valuable and a means of safe saline effluent disposal exists, pumps and drains will be part of any salinity management system, but where these conditions are not met they will be of limited use on an economic basis. To limit the spread of dryland salinity substantial change in farming systems is required and farmers need assurance that the recommended strategies will have the desired effect. Computer modelling is the only timely way to do this. An operationally simple 1-dimensional model already exists, and a 2-dimensional one is under development and testing. Three-dimensional modelling is also probably required to support strategic, intensive interventions. computer modelling, revegetation, engineering, perennial.
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Nevard, Timothy D., Donald C. Franklin, Ian Leiper, George Archibald, and Stephen T. Garnett. "Agriculture, brolgas and Australian sarus cranes on the Atherton Tablelands, Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 25, no. 4 (2019): 377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc18081.
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Flocks of brolgas (Antigone rubicunda) and Australian sarus cranes (A. antigone gillae) congregate in cropping areas of the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland, Australia, during the non-breeding months of May to December each year and sometimes come into conflict with farmers. The central part of the region has been declared a Key Biodiversity Area, largely because it is the only well known non-breeding area for the Australian sarus crane. We investigated spatial and temporal patterns of use of this landscape for foraging by the two species to determine how they might be affected by changes in cropping. Abundances of the species were positively correlated with each other over both time and space. Sarus cranes were nevertheless markedly more abundant on the fertile volcanic soils of the central Tablelands, whilst brolgas were more abundant on a variety of soils in outlying cropping areas close to roost sites, especially in the south-west of the region. Both species used a wide variety of crops and pastures but occurred at highest densities on ploughed land and areas from which crops (especially maize) had been harvested. In addition, brolgas were also strongly associated with early-stage winter cereals with volunteer peanuts from the previous crop. We conclude that maize and peanut crops are important as foraging sites for both species during the non-breeding season, a situation that requires management in the interest of both cranes and farmers, especially as cropping patterns intensify and agricultural technology changes. However, we also note that flocking on the Atherton Tablelands indicates that brolgas and sarus cranes are likely to be adaptable to change and able to take advantage of newly created cropping areas.
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Turner, NC. "Crop production on duplex soils: an introduction." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 32, no. 7 (1992): 797. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9920797.
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Duplex or texture-contrast soils occur over about 60% of the agricultural areas of south-west Western Australia. Annual crops of wheat, barley, oats, and lupins predominate on these soils, grown in rotation with annual pastures. The climate is characterised by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Crop production is restricted to the winter and spring and is limited by waterlogging in the wet winter months and by water shortage during grain filling in spring. Research on crop production on duplex soils has been undertaken for the past 8 years by a collaborative team from the CSIRO Dryland Crops andyoils Program and the Western Australian Department of Agriculture. This research has been focussed on 3 sites at which processes limiting crop production on duplex soils have been highlighted. This special issue was initiated to summarise that research and to put it in its regional and national perspective. Additionally, opportunity was taken to compare and contrast experiences both within Western Australia and throughout Australia, and to draw out management options for crop production on duplex soils.
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Michael, Damian R., David B. Lindenmayer, Mason Crane, Christopher MacGregor, Rebecca Montague-Drake, and Lachlan McBurney. "Reptilia, Murray catchment, New South Wales, south-eastern Australia." Check List 7, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 025. http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/7.1.25.
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Two large-scale, long-term biodiversity monitoring programs examining vertebrate responses to habitat fragmentation and landscape change in agricultural landscapes are taking place in the Murray Catchment Management Area of New South Wales, south-eastern Australia. Field surveys involve counting reptiles under a range of management conditions and across a broad range of vegetation types in two bioregions, the South-western Slopes of New South Wales and the Riverina. We list reptiles recorded during surveys conducted between 2002 and 2009. We include additional species recorded between 1997 and 2009 from a conservation reserve. Thirty-nine species from nine families were recorded. The list will be useful for workers interested in reptile zoogeographical distributions and habitat associations as well as those interested in the biodiversity value of remnant vegetation and tree plantings in fragmented agricultural landscapes.
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Davis, Naomi E., Ami Bennett, David M. Forsyth, David M. J. S. Bowman, Edward C. Lefroy, Samuel W. Wood, Andrew P. Woolnough, Peter West, Jordan O. Hampton, and Christopher N. Johnson. "A systematic review of the impacts and management of introduced deer (family Cervidae) in Australia." Wildlife Research 43, no. 6 (2016): 515. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr16148.
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Deer are among the world’s most successful invasive mammals and can have substantial deleterious impacts on natural and agricultural ecosystems. Six species have established wild populations in Australia, and the distributions and abundances of some species are increasing. Approaches to managing wild deer in Australia are diverse and complex, with some populations managed as ‘game’ and others as ‘pests’. Implementation of cost-effective management strategies that account for this complexity is hindered by a lack of knowledge of the nature, extent and severity of deer impacts. To clarify the knowledge base and identify research needs, we conducted a systematic review of the impacts and management of wild deer in Australia. Most wild deer are in south-eastern Australia, but bioclimatic analysis suggested that four species are well suited to the tropical and subtropical climates of northern Australia. Deer could potentially occupy most of the continent, including parts of the arid interior. The most significant impacts are likely to occur through direct effects of herbivory, with potentially cascading indirect effects on fauna and ecosystem processes. However, evidence of impacts in Australia is largely observational, and few studies have experimentally partitioned the impacts of deer from those of sympatric native and other introduced herbivores. Furthermore, there has been little rigorous testing of the efficacy of deer management in Australia, and our understanding of the deer ecology required to guide deer management is limited. We identified the following six priority research areas: (i) identifying long-term changes in plant communities caused by deer; (ii) understanding interactions with other fauna; (iii) measuring impacts on water quality; (iv) assessing economic impacts on agriculture (including as disease vectors); (v) evaluating efficacy of management for mitigating deer impacts; and (vi) quantifying changes in distribution and abundance. Addressing these knowledge gaps will assist the development and prioritisation of cost-effective management strategies and help increase stakeholder support for managing the impacts of deer on Australian ecosystems.
9
Humphries, A. W., X. G. Zhang, K. S. McDonald, R. A. Latta, and G. C. Auricht. "Persistence of diverse lucerne (Medicago sativa sspp.) germplasm under farmer management across a range of soil types in southern Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59, no. 2 (2008): 139. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar07037.
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The persistence of a diverse group of lucerne (Medicago sativa sspp.) germplasm was evaluated under farmer management across a range of acidic and neutral-alkaline soils at 8 sites in South and Western Australia. Dryland field trials were sown in parallel with commercial lucerne paddocks being grown in rotation with cereal crops, remaining unfenced and under management by the farmer for the life of the stand. The combined differences in soil type, grazing management, and low rainfall contributed to large differences in average lucerne persistence between sites in South Australia and Western Australia. After 3 years, plant frequency (a measure of plant density used to monitor persistence) averaged 17% (at least 17 plants/m2) on the strongly acidic soils in Western Australia and 30% on the neutral-alkaline soils in South Australia (at least 30 plants/m2). Differences in persistence were attributed to the combined stresses of soil pH, drought conditions, and grazing management. Genetic correlation analyses between sites failed to show any clear patterns in the performance of entries at each site, except for a high correlation between 2 South Australian sites in close proximity. Highly winter-active germplasm was less persistent than other winter activity groups, but was higher yielding when assessed in an additional trial at Katanning, WA. Highly winter-active lucerne (class 9–10) should continue to be recommended for short (2–4 year) phases in rotation with cereals, and winter-active groups (6–8) should be recommend for longer (4–7 year) phases in rotations. The results of this evaluation are also being used to identify broadly adapted, elite genotypes in the breeding of new lucerne cultivars for the southern Australian cropping districts.
10
Cousin, Jarrad. "Forest Fragmentation: Wildlife and Management Implications." Pacific Conservation Biology 6, no. 3 (2000): 273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc000273.
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Fragmentation of natural ecosystems occurs throughout the world due to processes such as agriculture, forestry, mining and urbanization. Much of the wheatbelt regions of south-west and eastern Australia face major problems relating to the decline and extinction of resident flora and fauna. Much of the problem relates to the lack of knowledge of the processes and consequences of fragmentation. By the time problems have been addressed, damage to the ecosystems are often irreparable. In North America, much of the forested regions of the Pacific Northwest have also experienced broad-scale fragmentation of the natural forested ecosystems through extensive silvicultural practices.
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Dodson, John R., and Stuart D. Mooney. "An assessment of historic human impact on south-eastern Australian environmental systems, using late Holocene rates of environmental change." Australian Journal of Botany 50, no. 4 (2002): 455. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt01031.
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The late Holocene of south-eastern Australia was typified by stable climate, vegetation and sedimentary regimes, in relative equilibrium with Aboriginal land use and fire management. The arrival of Europeans, with the associated vegetation clearance, introduction of exotic plants and animals, notably for grazing and agriculture and a change in fire regimes, resulted in changes in vegetation and sedimentary patterns. Impacts varied in type and magnitude through the region and evidence of impacts that is preserved varies with sedimentary setting. Here we take a number of proxy measures of vegetation change, fire history, erosion and weathering from six sediment sections across south-eastern Australia and use an index to measure overall rate of change. This shows that the vegetation and environmental systems of south-eastern Australia have been very sensitive to human impact following European settlement.
12
Ree, Rodney van der. "The population ecology of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) within a network of remnant linear habitats." Wildlife Research 29, no. 4 (2002): 329. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr01095.
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The geographic range of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) in south-eastern Australia largely corresponds with fertile soils highly suited for agriculture. As a consequence of extensive clearing for agriculture, the conservation of P. norfolcensis in south-eastern Australia is now reliant on a mosaic of many fragmented and isolated patches of woodland and forest. In this study, I investigated the population dynamics of P. norfolcensis in an agricultural landscape where most remnant woodland occurs as linear strips along roadsides, unused road reserves and watercourses. A total of 251 gliders were trapped 1343 times within the linear habitats between December 1996 and November 1998. Gliders were resident within the linear strips at 0.95–1.54 individuals ha–1, a density equal to, or greater than, that recorded elsewhere for the species in continuous forest. All adult females were reproductively active and the mean natality rate was 1.9 young per adult female per year. Overall, the population age-structure appeared to be stable. While currently supporting a stable, high-density population, the long-term viability of these remnants as habitat is not assured because roadside reserves are narrow, easily fragmented and subjected to a host of deleterious processes causing ongoing habitat loss and degradation.
13
Hobbs, Richard J. "Landscapes, ecology and wildlife management in highly modified environments - an Australian perspective." Wildlife Research 32, no. 5 (2005): 389. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr03037.
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Landscapes in southern Australia have been extensively modified by a variety of human activities, predominantly agriculture and urban development. Over much of the area, native vegetation has been replaced with agriculture or buildings and infrastructure. A continuum exists from areas that remain largely intact, but are modified in some way (e.g. forests managed for timber production), to areas where the remaining native vegetation is fragmented to varying degrees. Habitat management will vary across this continuum, depending on the degree of habitat loss and isolation. In areas outside the main zones of agricultural and urban development, the process of habitat loss and fragmentation is less in evidence. Here, instead, the landscapes remain apparently structurally intact, in that the native vegetation is not actually removed. However, these landscapes have also, in many cases, been significantly modified, particularly by pastoralism and related activities, to the extent that their value as habitat is impaired. Declining habitat value in northern landscapes may lead to the same types of functional fragmentation as found in the south. An examination of the differences and similarities between southern and northern landscapes can highlight what can be learned from the southern experience which may be of value in savanna landscapes. In both cases, the importance of considering impacts in relation to species-specific responses needs to be emphasised.
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Scott, B. J., A. M. Ridley, and M. K. Conyers. "Management of soil acidity in long-term pastures of south-eastern Australia: a review." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 40, no. 8 (2000): 1173. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea00014.
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Acidification of non arable soils under long-term pasture presents a major agricultural problem in the high rainfall areas (≥600 mm/year) of central and southern New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria. Some of these soils were already strongly acid to depth before agriculture. Evidence suggests that persistence of pasture species tolerant of acidic soils is being affected adversely on a number of severely acidic soils. Acidification processes are well understood but the capacity for grazing enterprises to pay for amendment by lime application is a major constraint in long-term pasture areas. In addition, soil acidification is likely to have substantial off-site effects on water quantity and quality and as a result, on dryland salinity. However, there is a paucity of scientific evidence to link soil acidity and dryland salinity in this way. Production from a grazing enterprise can be maintained by selecting plants for tolerance of acidity, surface application of lime or a combination of both. Responses by subterranean clover, lucerne and perennial grass (mainly phalaris and cocksfoot)-based pastures to incorporated lime are reported, but there is limited evidence of responses to surface applied lime. The movement of the lime effect into the soil from surface application is suggested as a major factor in controlling lime responses by plants. There is a need for more confidence in the benefits of topdressed lime in non arable soils before producers are likely to adopt the practice. High subsurface acidity in many soils is a major limitation to the range of species that can be grown. In the longer term, the use of lime may remove constraints on the use of productive species such as lucerne. Other options for acidic soils where slope is less than 10% are for the grazing system to be modified or intensified, or for crop or horticultural production. Costs of lime could be justified through more profitable enterprises than traditional grazing operations. Low input systems based on native grasses are intrinsically appealing, however, this is only possible where a premium is paid for such produce (such as super fine wool). Forestry is an option where suitable land and infrastructure are present and should slow soil acidification and minimise off-site impacts. Land retirement may be a useful option for some parts of the landscape that contribute disproportionately to environmental problems. Private and government funded land retirement may have a role to play.
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Hurst, Thomas, and Paul I. Boon. "Agricultural weeds and coastal saltmarsh in south-eastern Australia: an insurmountable problem?" Australian Journal of Botany 64, no. 4 (2016): 308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt16027.
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It is often assumed that saline coastal wetlands experience environmental conditions so severe that they are largely immune to invasion by exotic plant species. The belief is implicit in many older reviews of threats to mangroves and coastal saltmarshes, where a limited range of vascular plant taxa, often focussing on *Spartina, (throughout the paper an asterisk denotes an introduced (exotic) species as per Carr 2012) have been invoked as the major species of concern. Even though the weed flora of southern Australia is derived largely from agriculture and horticulture, neither of which includes many species tolerant of waterlogged, variably saline environments, a recent assessment of Victorian saline coastal wetlands indicated that exotic plants were the third-most pervasive threat, after land ‘reclamation’ and grazing. Tall wheat grass, *Lophopyrum ponticum (Podp.) A.Love., is one of the most severe and widely distributed weeds of saline coastal wetlands in south-eastern Australia. It is promoted by the agricultural extension arm of the Victorian government as a salt-tolerant pasture grass; however, its broad ecological amplitude and robust life form make it a most serious invader of upper saltmarsh in Victoria. We assessed the effectiveness of different control measures, including slashing and herbicides, for the management of *L. ponticum infestations (and their side effects on saltmarsh communities) in the Western Port region of Victoria. A nominally monocot-specific herbicide widely used to control *Spartina, Fluazifop-P, was ineffective in controlling *L. ponticum. The broad-spectrum systemic herbicide glyphosate was more effective in controlling *L. ponticum, but had undesirable impacts on native plant species. Controlling weeds in coastal wetlands using available herbicides for use near coastal waterways would seem to remain problematic.
16
Leschber, R. "International Report: Sludge management and related legislation." Water Science and Technology 46, no. 4-5 (August 1, 2002): 367–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2002.0627.
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This report comprises the present sludge management practices with special view to agricultural utilization in the European Union and some accessing countries in eastern Europe in comparison with countries from Asia, the United States of America, South Africa and Australia. Information is given on the respective legislation and on future trends.
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Mogoutnov, Alena, and Jackie Venning. "Remnant tree decline in agricultural regions of South Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 20, no. 4 (2014): 366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc140366.
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Agricultural landscapes in southern Australia were once dominated by temperate eucalypt woodlands of which only fragmented patches and scattered trees in paddocks remain. This study focuses on the decline of scattered trees in the Mount Lofty Ranges and South East agricultural regions of South Australia. A combination of digitized aerial photography and satellite imagery was used to extend a previous assessment of decline undertaken in the early 1980s and increase the period over which decline was assessed to 58–72 years. A total of 17 049 scattered trees were counted from the earliest time period assessed over 11 sites of which 6 185 trees were lost by 2008 — a 36 % decline. Recruitment of 2 179 trees during this period was evident. Imagery indicates that clearing for agricultural intensification is the primary cause of the decline. A range of management options and policy settings are required to reverse the decline notwithstanding the challenges of implementation at a landscape scale across privately owned land.
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Dunn, B. W., G. D. Batten, H. G. Beecher, and S. Ciavarella. "The potential of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy for soil analysis — a case study from the Riverine Plain of south-eastern Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 42, no. 5 (2002): 607. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea01172.
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Environmental management in agricultural systems must be maintained while controlling costs and increasing productivity. To obtain a better response from inputs in agriculture, cost-effective soil analysis is needed to enable site-specific applications. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology has the potential to provide a rapid, low-cost analysis enabling within field variability to be identified. NIRS was evaluated for its ability to predict a range of soil properties in the Riverine Plain soils of southern New South Wales. Over 550 topsoil (0-10�cm) and 300 subsoil (40-50 cm) samples from a range of soil types were air dried and ground before scanning with a NIRSystems model 6500 scanning spectrophotometer. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression procedure was used to determine the best correlation (i.e. calibration) between the chemical reference data and spectral data for both topsoil and subsoil samples. A validation set of samples was used to test the predictive ability of NIRS for a number of soil properties. The results demonstrated that NIRS can successfully determine some soil properties in both the topsoil and subsoil. In the topsoil, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable Ca and Mg, pH and Ca : Mg ratio were predicted with a high level of accuracy and organic carbon and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) with an acceptable level of accuracy. In the subsoil, CEC, exchangeable Na, Ca, Mg, ESP, pH and Ca : Mg ratio were all predicted with a high degree of accuracy. The predictive ability of NIRS for many soil constituents may make it suitable for use in agricultural soil assessment for site-specific agriculture in the Riverine Plain soils of southern New South Wales.
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Roper, M. M., S. L. Davies, P. S. Blackwell, D. J. M. Hall, D. M. Bakker, R. Jongepier, and P. R. Ward. "Management options for water-repellent soils in Australian dryland agriculture." Soil Research 53, no. 7 (2015): 786. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr14330.
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Water-repellent (‘non-wetting’) soils are a major constraint to agricultural production in southern and south-west Australia, affecting >10 Mha of arable sandy soils. The major symptom is dry patches of surface soil, even after substantial rainfall, directly affecting agricultural production through uneven crop and pasture germination, and reduced nutrient availability. In addition, staggered weed germination impedes effective weed control, and delayed crop and pasture germination increases the risk of wind erosion. Water repellency is caused by waxy organic compounds derived from the breakdown of organic matter mostly of plant origin. It is more prevalent in soils with a sandy surface texture; their low particle surface area : volume ratio means that a smaller amount of waxy organic compounds can effectively cover a greater proportion of the particle surface area than in a fine-textured soil. Water repellency commonly occurs in sandy duplex soils (Sodosols and Chromosols) and deep sandy soils (Tenosols) but can also occur in Calcarosols, Kurosols and Podosols that have a sandy surface texture. Severity of water repellency has intensified in some areas with the adoption of no-till farming, which leads to the accumulation of soil organic matter (and hence waxy compounds) at the soil surface. Growers have also noticed worsening repellency after ‘dry’ or early sowing when break-of-season rains have been unreliable. Management strategies for water repellency fall into three categories: (i) amelioration, the properties of surface soils are changed; (ii) mitigation, water repellency is managed to allow crop and pasture production; (iii) avoidance, severely affected or poorly producing areas are removed from annual production and sown to perennial forage. Amelioration techniques include claying, deep cultivation with tools such as rotary spaders, or one-off soil inversion with mouldboard ploughs. These techniques can be expensive, but produce substantial, long-lasting benefits. However, they carry significant environmental risks if not adopted correctly. Mitigation strategies include furrow-seeding, application of wetting agents (surfactants), no-till with stubble retention, on-row seeding, and stimulating natural microbial degradation of waxy compounds. These are much cheaper than amelioration strategies, but have smaller and sometimes inconsistent impacts on crop production. For any given farm, economic analysis suggests that small patches of water repellency might best be ameliorated, but large areas should be treated initially with mitigation strategies. Further research is required to determine the long-term impacts of cultivation treatments, seeding systems and chemical and biological amendments on the expression and management of water repellency in an agricultural context.
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Williams, M. L., A. J. Boulton, M. Hyde, A. J. Kinnear, and C. D. Cockshell. "ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SEISMIC OPERATIONS IN THE OTWAY BASIN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA." APPEA Journal 34, no. 1 (1994): 741. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj93054.
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The Department of Mines and Energy, South Australia (DME) contracted Michael Williams and Associates Pty Ltd to audit the environmental management of seismic exploration operations in the South Australian Otway Basin. The audit was carried out in early 1992 and covered petroleum exploration operators and DME environmental management systems. An innovative field sampling technique was developed to compare the environmental impact of two different seismic line clearing techniques. Recovery of native vegetation as measured by vegetation structure was also quantified.The audit found DME to have a dynamic and integrated environmental management system while company systems varied in standard. Wide consultation assisted the audit process.As a result of clearing for agriculture, native vegetation covers only six per cent of the Otway Basin. With the strict limitations to broad-scale vegetation clearance since the mid-1980s and the cessation since 1991, the greatest environmental impact of seismic exploration is the clearance of native vegetation for access by seismic vehicles. Native vegetation structure and associated abiotic variables on seismic lines and adjacent control sites, were subject to a classification and ordination analysis which compared the impact of seismic lines constructed by bulldozer or Hydro-ax (industrial slasher). Post-seismic recovery rates of three different vegetation associations were also determined. This analytical technique permits the effects of seismic line clearance to be compared with the natural variability of specific vegetation associations within a region. In interpreting the results however, there is a confounding effect of line type and year as most of the more recent seismic lines were constructed using a Hydro-ax. Results indicate that Hydro-ax clearing affects vegetation structure less than bulldozing. Most Hydro-ax sites recovered within a few years whereas some sites, bulldozed as early as 1971, particularly tussock grasslands, have not yet recovered.This study provides a significant break-through in the debate about the persistence of seismic impacts on native vegetation. As a rapid preliminary assessment, sampling vegetation structure rather than floristics, provides a cost-effective audit and monitoring technique which can be used by non-specialists in a range of petroleum exploration environments. Any significant structural differences may require more detailed analysis to determine if floristic composition also differed.
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Maelzer, D. A., and M. P. Zalucki. "Long range forecasts of the numbers of Helicoverpa punctigera and H. armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Australia using the Southern Oscillation Index and the Sea Surface Temperature." Bulletin of Entomological Research 90, no. 2 (April 2000): 133–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007485300000249.
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The use of long-term forecasts of pest pressure is central to better pest management. We relate the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) to long-term light-trap catches of the two key moth pests of Australian agriculture, Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren) and H. armigera (Hübner), at Narrabri, New South Wales over 11 years, and for H. punctigera only at Turretfield, South Australia over 22 years. At Narrabri, the size of the first spring generation of both species was significantly correlated with the SOI in certain months, sometimes up to 15 months before the date of trapping. Differences in the SOI and SST between significant months were used to build composite variables in multiple regressions which gave fitted values of the trap catches to less than 25% of the observed values. The regressions suggested that useful forecasts of both species could be made 6–15 months ahead. The influence of the two weather variables on trap catches of H. punctigera at Turretfield were not as strong as at Narrabri, probably because the SOI was not as strongly related to rainfall in southern Australia as it is in eastern Australia. The best fits were again given by multiple regressions with SOI plus SST variables, to within 40% of the observed values. The reliability of both variables as predictors of moth numbers may be limited by the lack of stability in the SOI-rainfall correlation over the historical record. As no other data set is available to test the regressions, they can only be tested by future use. The use of long-term forecasts in pest management is discussed, and preliminary analyses of other long sets of insect numbers suggest that the Southern Oscillation Index may be a useful predictor of insect numbers in other parts of the world.
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Lee, Tristan, Kyall R. Zenger, Robert L. Close, and David N. Phalen. "Genetic analysis reveals a distinct and highly diverse koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia." Australian Mammalogy 34, no. 1 (2012): 68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am10035.
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Population genetics can reveal otherwise hidden information involving a species’ history in a given region. Koalas were thought to have been virtually exterminated from the Australian state of Victoria during the koala fur trade of the late 1800s. Koalas in the South Gippsland region of Victoria were examined using microsatellite markers to infer population structure and gene flow and to locate a possible remnant gene pool. The results indicate that the South Gippsland koala population had higher genetic diversity (A = 5.97, HO = 0.564) than other published Victorian populations, and was genetically distinct from other koala populations examined. South Gippsland koalas, therefore, may have survived the population reductions of the koala fur trade and now represent a remnant Victorian gene pool that has been largely lost from the remainder of Victoria. This paper illustrates that historic anthropogenic impacts have had little effect on reducing the genetic diversity of a population in the South Gippsland region. However, the South Gippsland population is now subject to threats such as logging and loss of habitat from housing and agriculture expansion. Our results suggest that the South Gippsland koalas require an alternative conservation management program.
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Boyd, WE, and JE Gardiner. "Stooking the Peanuts: Historical Agriculture and the Management of a Dying Seasonal Landscape, North-East New South Wales, Australia." Landscape Research 30, no. 2 (April 2005): 193–220. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01426390500044366.
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Bino, G., R. T. Kingsford, and K. Brandis. "Australia's wetlands – learning from the past to manage for the future." Pacific Conservation Biology 22, no. 2 (2016): 116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc15047.
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Australia has diverse wetlands with multiple threats. We reviewed knowledge about the extent of wetlands, representativeness, impacts and threats to integrity and options for effective conservation. Natural Australian wetlands cover an estimated 33 266 245 ha (4.4%), with 55% palustrine (floodplains and swamps), followed by 31% lakes, 10% estuarine systems, and 5% rivers and creeks. The Lake Eyre (1.1%), Murray–Darling (0.73%), Tanami–Timor Sea Coast (0.71%) and the Carpentaria Coast (0.55%) drainage divisions have more wetlands, also reflected in the distributions among states and territories. Ramsar sites and wetlands in protected areas were generally biased towards the southern continent. Overall representation of mapped wetlands was good for lacustrine (40.6%) and estuarine (34.4%), fair for riverine (16.8%), but inadequate for palustrine (10.8%) wetlands. Within drainage divisions, representation varied considerably, with shortfalls from the Aichi target of 17%. Agriculture, urbanisation, pollution and invasive species have degraded or destroyed wetlands, particularly in the developed south-east, south-west and north-east of the continent. Water resource developments, primarily the building of dams, diversion of water and development of floodplains, seriously threaten Australian wetlands, with all threats exacerbated by climate change impacts of rising sea levels and high temperatures. Management and policy for wetlands is dependent on data on distribution, type and extent of wetlands, a key national constraint. Some States are well advanced (e.g. Queensland) and others lack any comprehensive data on the distribution of wetlands. Mitigation of increasing development (e.g. northern Australia) will be critical for conservation, along with increased representativeness in protected areas and restoration, particularly with environmental flows.
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Webb, Ashley A., Georgina L. Kelly, and Warwick J. Dougherty. "Soil governance in the agricultural landscapes of New South Wales, Australia." International Journal of Rural Law and Policy, no. 1 (March 29, 2015): 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/ijrlp.i1.2015.4169.
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Soil is a valuable natural resource. In the state of New South Wales, Australia, the governance of soil has evolved since Federation in 1901. Following rapid agricultural development, and in the face of widespread soil degradation, the establishment of the Soil Conservation Service marked a turning point in the management of soil. Throughout the 20th century, advances in knowledge were translated into evolving governance frameworks that were largely reactionary but saw progressive reforms such as water pollution legislation and case studies of catchment-scale land and vegetation management. In the 21st century, significant reforms have embedded sustainable use of agricultural soils within catchment- and landscape-scale legislative and institutional frameworks. What is clear, however, is that a multitude of governance strategies and models are utilised in NSW. No single governance model is applicable to all situations because it is necessary to combine elements of several different mechanisms or instruments to achieve the most desired outcomes. Where an industry, such as the sugar industry, has taken ownership of an issue such as acid sulfate soil management, self-regulation has proven to be extremely effective. In the case of co-managing agricultural soils with other landuses, such as mining, petroleum exploration and urban development, regulation, compliance and enforcement mechanisms have been preferred. Institutional arrangements in the form of independent commissioners have also played a role. At the landscape or total catchment level, it is clear that a mix of mechanisms is required. Fundamental, however, to the successful evolution of soil governance is strategic investment in soil research and development that informs the ongoing productive use of agricultural landscapes while preventing land degradation or adverse environmental effects.
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Kay, Geoffrey M., Damian R. Michael, Mason Crane, Sachiko Okada, Christopher MacGregor, Daniel Florance, David Trengove, Lachlan McBurney, David Blair, and David B. Lindenmayer. "A list of reptiles and amphibians from Box Gum Grassy Woodlands in south-eastern Australia." Check List 9, no. 3 (June 1, 2013): 476. http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/9.3.476.
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A large-scale biodiversity monitoring program examining the response of herpetofauna to the Australian Government’s Environmental Stewardship Program is taking place in south-eastern Australia within the critically endangered Box Gum Grassy Woodland vegetation community. Field surveys involve counting reptiles in areas under Environmental Stewardship management. These “Stewardship” areas have been matched with areas managed for primary production (domestic livestock grazing). We list reptiles recorded during surveys conducted between 2010 and 2012. We recorded sixty-nine species from ten families. The list will be useful for workers interested in the zoogeographical distribution of reptiles and amphibians in fragmented agricultural woodland ecosystems.
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Harries, Martin, Ken C. Flower, and Craig A. Scanlan. "Sustainability of nutrient management in grain production systems of south-west Australia." Crop and Pasture Science 72, no. 3 (2021): 197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp20403.
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Balancing nutrient inputs and exports is essential to maintaining soil fertility in rainfed crop and pasture farming systems. Soil nutrient balances of land used for crop and pasture production in the south-west of Western Australia were assessed through survey data comprising biophysical measurements and farm management records (2010–15) across 184 fields spanning 14 Mha. Key findings were that nitrogen (N) inputs via fertiliser or biological N2 fixation in 60% of fields, and potassium (K) inputs in 90% of fields, were inadequate to balance exports despite increases in fertiliser usage and adjustments to fertiliser inputs based on rotations. Phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) balances were positive in most fields, with only 5% returning losses >5 kg P or 7 kg S/ha. Within each of the three agroecological zones of the survey, fields that had two legume crops (or pastures) in 5 years (i.e. 40% legumes) maintained a positive N balance. At the mean legume inclusion rate observed of 20% a positive partial N budget was still observed for the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) of 2.8 kg N/ha.year, whereas balances were negative within the Central Agricultural Region (CAR) by 7.0 kg N/ha.year, and the Southern Agricultural Region (SAR) by 15.5 kg N/ha.year. Hence, N budgets in the CAR and SAR were negative by the amount of N removed in ~0.5 t wheat grain, and continuation of current practices in CAR and SAR fields will lead to declining soil fertility. Maintenance of N in the NAR was achieved by using amounts of fertiliser N similar to other regions while harvesting less grain. The ratio of fertiliser N to legume-fixed N added to the soil in the NAR was twice that of the other regions. Across all regions, the ratio of fertiliser N to legume-fixed N added to the soil averaged ~4.0:1, a major change from earlier estimates in this region of 1:20 under ley farming systems. The low contribution of legume N was due to the decline in legume inclusion rate (now 20%), the low legume content in pastures, particularly in the NAR, and improved harvest index of lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), the most frequently grown grain legume species. Further quantifications of the effects of changing farming systems on nutrient balances are required to assess the balances more accurately, thereby ensuring that soil fertility is maintained, especially because systems have altered towards more intensive cropping with reduced legume production.
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Mitchell, M. L., M. R. McCaskill, and R. D. Armstrong. "Phosphorus fertiliser management for pastures based on native grasses in south-eastern Australia." Crop and Pasture Science 70, no. 12 (2019): 1044. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp19217.
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Approximately 3.1 Mha (22%) of the agricultural area of south-eastern Australia can be classified as native pasture. There is the assumption that, owing to the widespread occurrence of low-fertility soils in Australia, native grass species do not respond to increased phosphorus (P) fertility. Currently, there are no industry recommendations of target soil-test P values for native-grass-based pastures. This paper reviews the responses of perennial native pasture species endemic to south-eastern Australia to P application in controlled environments, surveys, replicated experiments and paired-paddock trials. Eighty-seven site-years of trial data where different levels of P were applied, conducted over the last two decades, on native-based pastures in south-eastern Australia are reviewed. Data indicate that application of P fertilisers to native grass pastures can increase dry matter (DM) production and maintain pasture stability. However, minimum targets for herbage mass (800 kg DM/ha) and groundcover (80%) are required to ensure persistence of perennial native grasses. Stocking rates also need to match carrying capacity of the pasture. Based on previous research, we recommend target soil-test (Olsen; 0–10 cm) P levels for fertility-tolerant native grass pastures, based on Microlaena stipoides, Rytidosperma caespitosum, R. fulvum, R. richardsonii, R. duttonianum and R. racemosum, of 10–13 mg/kg, whereas for pastures based on fertility-intolerant species such as Themeda triandra, lower levels of <6 mg/kg are required to ensure botanical stability.
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Bailey, P., and J. Comery. "Management of Heliothis punctigera on field peas in south-eastern Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 27, no. 3 (1987): 439. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9870439.
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Cypermethrin was found to be an effective substitute for DDT in controlling Heliothis punctigera in field peas. A single spray of cypermethrin prevented significant damage by larvae to field peas in trials in South Australia and Victoria over 3 seasons. Endosulfan was not as effective as cypermethrin. Bioassays of leaf discs dipped in cypermethrin showed that residues of 0.1 mg a.i. kg-1 caused 50% feeding inhibition, 0.43 mg a.i. kg-1 caused 90% feeding inhibition and concentrations above this caused increasing acute mortality to fourth instar larvae. Residues from field pea crops sprayed at 40 g a.i. fell to 0.43 mg a.i. kg-1 2-3 weeks after application. Two to 3 weeks protection is probably the maximum time for residual activity to be useful because the crop outgrows the sprayed foliage. To ensure that larvae are exposed to the maximum area of treated surface, the spray should be timed to coincide with the appearance of larvae in the crop, rather than spraying at a particular growth stage of the crop.
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Kroon, Frederieke J., and Dean H. Ansell. "A comparison of species assemblages between drainage systems with and without floodgates: implications for coastal floodplain management." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63, no. 11 (November 1, 2006): 2400–2417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f06-134.
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Coastal floodplains provide essential nursery habitat for a large number of fish and prawn species, many of which are commercially and recreationally important. Human activities in coastal floodplains, such as those associated with agriculture and (or) development, can have detrimental impacts on this nursery function. We examined the potential role of flood mitigation structures, in particular tidal floodgates, in depleting estuarine and inshore fisheries stocks in eastern Australia. We compared species assemblages (abundance and biomass) in reference and gated drainage systems in the Clarence River floodplain (New South Wales, Australia) over a 1-year period. We subsequently determined which environmental variables were associated with the observed patterns in species assemblages. Our results show that abundance, biomass, and assemblages of juvenile fishes and invertebrates differed significantly and consistently between drainage systems with and without floodgates. The major environmental variables of concern in systems with floodgates were (i) presence of a floodgate, (ii) elevated concentrations of nutrients, and (iii) abundance of aquatic weeds. We discuss our findings in light of potential strategies to improve coastal floodplain management for fisheries production purposes.
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Watson, Kalynda M. A., Katarina M. Mikac, and Sibylle G. Schwab. "Population Genetics of the Invasive Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, in South-Eastern Australia." Genes 12, no. 5 (May 20, 2021): 786. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/genes12050786.
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The use of genetic information in conservation biology has become more widespread with genetic information more readily available for non-model organisms. It has also been recognized that genetic information from invasive species can inform their management and control. The red fox poses a significant threat to Australian native fauna and the agricultural industry. Despite this, there are few recently published studies investigating the population genetics of foxes in Australia. This study investigated the population genetics of 94 foxes across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of New South Wales, Australia. Diversity Array sequencing technology was used to genotype a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (N = 33,375). Moderate genetic diversity and relatedness were observed across the foxes sampled. Low to moderate levels of inbreeding, high-levels of identity-by-state values, as well as high identity-by-descent values were also found. There was limited evidence for population genetic structure among the foxes across the landscape sampled, supporting the presence of a single population across the study area. This indicates that there may be no barriers hindering fox dispersal across the landscape.
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Gibson, N., K. Brown, and G. Paczkowska. "Temporal changes in threatened ephemeral claypans over annual and decadal timescales in south-west Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 66, no. 8 (2018): 609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt18067.
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The vegetation of the ephemeral claypans of south-west Australia were first described over 100 years ago. Since then they have been almost totally cleared for agriculture and urban development and are currently listed as critically endangered. These claypans have many similarities with ephemeral wetlands found in other Mediterranean climate regions with significant species turnover both within and between claypans and fine scale patterning highly correlated with micro-topography. Although annual variation in species composition was apparent there was also a consistent trend of increasing exotic taxa richness due to higher recruitment rates. This increasing exotic richness is of note, as the major threat to these communities is the invasion by a small number South African taxa, which can establish dense monocultures across these wetlands. Over the last two decades these invasive taxa have spread into 37% of the previously non-invaded quadrats. As remnant size was not a good predictor of their occurrence all remnants should be considered vulnerable. Management of these invasive taxa will be the major conservation issue in these threatened wetlands into the future.
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Bolan, NS, RE White, and MJ Hedley. "A review of the use of phosphate rocks as fertilizers for direct application in Australia and New Zealand." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 30, no. 2 (1990): 297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9900297.
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Field trials in New Zealand have shown that reactive phosphate rocks (RPRs) can be as effective as soluble P fertilisers, per kg of P applied, on permanent pastures that have a soil pH<6.0 (in water) and a mean annual rainfall >800 mm. Whereas RPRs such as North Carolina, Sechura, Gafsa and Chatham Rise have been evaluated on permanent pastures in New Zealand, most Australian field trials have examined unreactive PRs such as Christmas Island A and C grade, Nauru and Duchess, using annual plant species. Only in recent experiments has an RPR, North Carolina, been examined. Except on the highly leached sands in southern and south-western Australia, both reactive and unreactive PRs have shown a low effectiveness relative to superphosphate. In addition to chemical reactivity, other factors may contribute to the difference in the observed agronomic effectiveness of PRs in Australia and New Zealand. Generally, PRs have been evaluated on soils of lower pH, higher pH buffering capacity (as measured by titratable acidity) and higher P status in New Zealand than in Australia. Rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year on New Zealand pastures than in Australia where the soil surface dries out between rainfall events. Dry conditions reduce the rate at which soil acid diffuses to a PR granule and dissolution products diffuse away. Even when pH and soil moisture are favourable, the release of P from PR is slow and more suited to permanent pasture (i.e. the conditions usually used to evaluate PRs in New Zealand) than to the annual pastures or crops used in most Australian trials. Based on the criteria of soil pH<6.0 and mean annual rainfall >800 mm, it is estimated that the potentially suitable area for RPRs on pasture in New Zealand is about 8 million ha. Extending this analysis to Australia, but excluding the seasonal rainfall areas of northern and south-western Australia, the potentially suitable area is about 13 million ha. In New Zealand, many of the soils in the North and South Islands satisfy both the pH and rainfall criteria. However, suitable areas in Australia are confined mainly to the coastal and tableland areas of New South Wales and eastern Victoria, and within these areas the actual effectiveness of RPR will depend markedly on soil management and the distribution of annual rainfall. Further research on RPR use should be focused on these areas.
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Rayner, Steve. "Rhythms of Prediction in South Australian Water Resource Management." Weather, Climate, and Society 11, no. 2 (February 1, 2019): 277–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/wcas-d-18-0103.1.
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Abstract In the complex institutional and physical infrastructure nexus of South Australia, weather and climate information is highly valued by freshwater managers and users. But different users focus on very different time scales. Recent changes in water rights and technology, driven by the Millennium Drought, enable agricultural users to focus on real-time monitoring and relatively short-term forecasts (3–5 days ahead). A wide range of users make extensive use of the full 7-day weather forecasts and there is awareness of, but not reliance on, seasonal outlooks. These are widely viewed as providing “background” indications and are seldom directly used in decision-making. While concern about climate change is driving scientific research on downscaling climate impact models for the region, there are different views among decision-makers about the usefulness of these for adaptation. All forms of weather and climate information appear to be best integrated into decision-making when incorporated into sector-specific models and decision-support tools alongside other relevant variables. However, there remains something of a mismatch between scientific aspirations to improve the skill of seasonal and long-term climate forecasting and the temporal rhythms of water-resource decision-making.
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Thomsen, D. A., and J. Davies. "Social and cultural dimensions of commercial kangaroo harvest in South Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, no. 10 (2005): 1239. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea03248.
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Kangaroo management is important to the sustainability of Australia’s rangeland landscapes. The commercial harvest of kangaroos assists in reduction of total grazing pressure in the rangelands and provides the potential for supplementary income to pastoralists. Indeed, the commercial kangaroo industry is considered by natural resource scientists as one of the few rural industry development options with potential to provide economic return with minimal environmental impact. While the biology and population ecology of harvested kangaroo species in Australia is the subject of past and present research, the social, institutional and economic issues pertinent to the commercial kangaroo industry are not well understood. Our research is addressing the lack of understanding of social issues around kangaroo management, which are emerging as constraints on industry development. The non-indigenous stakeholders in kangaroo harvest are landholders, regional management authorities, government conservation and primary production agencies, meat processors, marketers and field processors (shooters) and these industry players generally have little understanding of what issues the commercial harvest of kangaroos presents to Aboriginal people. Consequently, the perspectives and aspirations of Aboriginal people regarding the commercial harvest of kangaroos are not well considered in management, industry development and planning. For Aboriginal people, kangaroos have subsistence, economic and cultural values and while these values and perspectives vary between language groups and individuals, there is potential to address indigenous issues by including Aboriginal people in various aspects of kangaroo management. This research also examines the Aboriginal interface with commercial kangaroo harvest, and by working with Aboriginal people and groups is exploring several options for greater industry involvement. The promotion of better understandings between indigenous and non-indigenous people with interests in kangaroo management could promote industry development through the marketing of kangaroo as not only clean and green, but also as a socially just product.
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Baker, Jeanine, and Christopher Preston. "Canola (Brassica napus L.) seedbank declines rapidly in farmer-managed fields in South Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59, no. 8 (2008): 780. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar07436.
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Canola is an important crop in southern Australia, where it is used as part of the crop rotation to manage cereal diseases, improve wheat yields, and assist in integrated weed management programs. The potential release of herbicide-tolerant transgenic cultivars into Australia has raised concerns that volunteer canola may itself become an uncontrollable weed. This study examined the persistence of the canola seedbank in farmer-managed fields in 3 geographical areas of the South Australian cropping region for up to 3.5 years after the last canola crop was grown. In total, 66 fields from minimum- and no-tillage farms were sampled for number of canola seed/m2 and the percentage of those that germinated. ANOVA analysis indicated that time since the last harvest and cultivation method were both significant factors affecting the number of seed/m2 present. Neither time since harvest nor cultivation method was significant for number of germinated canola seeds, although time since harvest approached significance at the 5% level. This demonstrates that the canola seedbank and the number of volunteers decline rapidly in managed cropping systems in southern Australia. Therefore, it is unlikely that herbicide-tolerant canola will become a major weed if volunteers are managed carefully.
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Lattimore, MAE. "Pastures in temperate rice rotations of south-eastern Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 34, no. 7 (1994): 959. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9940959.
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Legume-based pastures have long been an integral part of rice growing in the southern New South Wales irrigation areas and still offer potential to improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of the temperate rice-cropping system.This paper reviews both historical and current aspects of pastures in temperate rice rotations in southern New South Wales and highlights the importance of pastures in sustaining this cropping system as environmental pressures increase. Topics discussed include pasture species and rotations, their role in improving soil fertility and sustainability, the value of pastures in weed control, and their management for maximum profitability.
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Buisine, F., and D. Oemcke. "Seasonal influence of waste stabilisation pond effluent on DAF/F (dissolved air flotation/filtration) process operation." Water Science and Technology 48, no. 2 (July 1, 2003): 357–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0141.
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The Bolivar wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), North of Adelaide, South Australia encompasses the largest waste stabilisation pond (WSP) system in the Southern hemisphere. The wastewater effluent will ultimately be fully reused for agriculture irrigation. A dissolved air flotation/filtration (DAF/F) plant was installed for tertiary treatment downstream of the stabilisation lagoons for supply to the irrigation scheme. Chemical treatment in the form of coagulation and flocculation is required to assist the separation process. The DAF/F plant operation is highly dependent on the raw water algal population. Seasonal variations seem to be the main abiotic factors affecting the algal population growth. Significant doses of chemical can be required to respond to rapid changes of water quality. United Water International is currently assessing the appropriate chemical treatment for short term response, and is also working with Flinders University of South Australia on determining ways to manage the lagoons and to control the water quality feeding the DAF/F plant in the long term. This paper outlines the effect of seasonal variations of WSP effluent quality on the DAF/F process operation, the findings for an adapted chemical treatment, and the eventual possibilities for lagoon management.
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Chauhan, Yashvir S., and Merrill Ryan. "Frost Risk Management in Chickpea Using a Modelling Approach." Agronomy 10, no. 4 (March 26, 2020): 460. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10040460.
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Post-flowering frosts cause appreciable losses to the Australian chickpea industry. The Northern Grains Region (NGR) of Australia, which accounts for nearly 95% of chickpea production in Australia, is frequently subjected to such events. The objective of this study was to map frost risk in chickpea in the NGR and develop strategies to minimise the impacts of such risk. The Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) modelling framework was used to determine spatial and temporal trends in post-flowering frost risk. The NGR could be divided into six broad sub-regions, each delineating locations with similar frost risk. The risk was nearly two to three times greater in the Southern Downs and Darling Downs sub-regions as compared to the Central Queensland Highlands, Dawson Callide, New South Wales, and Northern New South Wales–Western Downs sub-regions. There was an increasing trend in the frequency of frost events in the Southern Downs and New South Wales sub-regions, and a decreasing trend in the Central Queensland Highlands and Dawson Callide sub-regions, consistent with the changing climate of the NGR. In each sub-region, frost risk declined with delayed sowings, but such sowings resulted in simulation of reduced water limited yield potential (unfrosted) as well. The model output was also used to compute 10, 30, 50, and 70% probabilities of the last day of experiencing −3 to 2 °C minimum temperatures and identify the earliest possible sowings that would avoid such temperatures after flowering. Choosing the earliest sowing times with a 30% frost risk could help increase overall yields in environments with high frost risk. Simulations involving genotype x environment x management interactions suggested additional opportunities to minimise frost losses through the adoption of particular cultivars of differing phenology and the use of different agronomy in various environments of the NGR. The study indicates that there is considerable variation in frost risk across the NGR and that manipulating flowering times either through time of sowing or cultivar choice could assist in minimising yield losses in chickpea due to frost.
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Forouzangohar, Mohsen, Neville D. Crossman, Richard J. MacEwan, D. Dugal Wallace, and Lauren T. Bennett. "Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Landscapes: A Spatially Explicit Approach to Support Sustainable Soil Management." Scientific World Journal 2014 (2014): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/483298.
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Soil degradation has been associated with a lack of adequate consideration of soil ecosystem services. We demonstrate a broadly applicable method for mapping changes in the supply of two priority soil ecosystem services to support decisions about sustainable land-use configurations. We used a landscape-scale study area of 302 km2in northern Victoria, south-eastern Australia, which has been cleared for intensive agriculture. Indicators representing priority soil services (soil carbon sequestration and soil water storage) were quantified and mapped under both a current and a future 25-year land-use scenario (the latter including a greater diversity of land uses and increased perennial crops and irrigation). We combined diverse methods, including soil analysis using mid-infrared spectroscopy, soil biophysical modelling, and geostatistical interpolation. Our analysis suggests that the future land-use scenario would increase the landscape-level supply of both services over 25 years. Soil organic carbon content and water storage to 30 cm depth were predicted to increase by about 11% and 22%, respectively. Our service maps revealed the locations of hotspots, as well as potential trade-offs in service supply under new land-use configurations. The study highlights the need to consider diverse land uses in sustainable management of soil services in changing agricultural landscapes.
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Adcock, D., A. M. McNeill, G. K. McDonald, and R. D. Armstrong. "Subsoil constraints to crop production on neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia: a review of current knowledge and management strategies." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47, no. 11 (2007): 1245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea06250.
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Crop yield variability and productivity below potential yield on neutral and alkaline soils in the semiarid Mediterranean-type environments of south-eastern Australia have been attributed, in part, to variable rooting depth and incomplete soil water extraction caused by physical and chemical characteristics of soil horizons below the surface. In this review these characteristics are referred to as subsoil constraints. This document reviews current information concerning subsoil constraints typical of neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia, principally salinity, sodicity, dense soils with high penetration resistance, waterlogging, nutrient deficiencies and ion toxicities. The review focuses on information from Australia (published and unpublished), using overseas data only where no suitable Australian data is available. An assessment of the effectiveness of current management options to address subsoil constraints is provided. These options are broadly grouped into three categories: (i) amelioration strategies, such as deep ripping, gypsum application or the use of polyacrylamides to reduce sodicity and/or bulk density, deep placement of nutrients or organic matter to overcome subsoil nutrient deficiencies or the growing of ‘primer’ crops to naturally ameliorate the soil; (ii) breeding initiatives for increased crop tolerance to toxicities such as salt and boron; and (iii) avoidance through appropriate agronomic or agro-engineering solutions. The review highlights difficulties associated with identifying the impact of any single subsoil constraint to crop production on neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia, given that multiple constraints may be present. Difficulty in clearly ranking the relative effect of particular subsoil constraints on crop production (either between constraints or in relation to other edaphic and biological factors) limits current ability to develop targeted solutions designed to overcome these constraints. Furthermore, it is recognised that the task is complicated by spatial and temporal variability of soil physicochemical properties and nutrient availability, as well as other factors such as disease and drought stress. Nevertheless, knowledge of the relative importance of particular subsoil constraints to crop production, and an assessment of impact on crop productivity, are deemed critical to the development of potential management solutions for these neutral to alkaline soils.
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Hunt, James R. "Winter wheat cultivars in Australian farming systems: a review." Crop and Pasture Science 68, no. 6 (2017): 501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp17173.
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Winter wheat cultivars are defined as those that have an obligate vernalisation requirement that must be met before they will progress from the vegetative to reproductive phase of development i.e. they must experience a true winter before they will flower. Historically, very little breeding effort has been applied to the selection of winter cultivars suited to southern Australia, with the notable exception of the New South Wales Agriculture breeding program based in Wagga and Temora that ran from the 1960s until 2002. A shift by growers to earlier sowing, increased usage of dual-purpose cereals, and research highlighting the whole-farm benefits of winter cultivars to average farm wheat yield has increased grower interest and demand for winter cultivars. Three major wheat breeding companies operating in southern Australia have responded by commencing selection for milling quality winter cultivars, the first of which was released in 2017. Existing research relating to winter wheats in southern Australian farming systems is reviewed here, including interactions with agronomic management, environment and weeds and disease. It is concluded that winter wheats can offer significant production and farming system benefits to growers by allowing earlier establishment, which increases water-limited potential yield (PYw) by ~15% relative to later sown spring wheats, and makes forage available for dual-purpose grazing during vegetative development. Winter wheats sown early require agronomic management different to that of later sown spring wheats, including greater attention to control of grass weeds and certain diseases. There are significant research gaps that will prevent growers from maximising the opportunities from new winter cultivars once they are released. The first of these is a well-defined establishment window for winter cultivars, particularly in medium-low rainfall environments of South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia that have not historically grown them. There is circumstantial evidence that the yield advantage of early established winter wheats over later sown spring wheats is greatest when stored soil water is present at establishment, or the soil profile fills during the growing season. Explicit confirmation of this would allow growers to identify situations where the yield advantage of winter wheats will be maximised. Given the imminent release of several new winter wheat cultivars and the increases in PYw that they embody, it is critical to experimentally define the management and environmental conditions under which performance of these new genotypes are optimised, before their release and availability to growers. Optimising the genotype × environmental × management interactions possible with these cultivars will empower growers to make the best use of the technology and better realise the gains in water limited potential yield possible with these genotypes.
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Pople, A. R., S. C. Cairns, N. Menke, and N. Payne. "Estimating the abundance of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia." Wildlife Research 33, no. 2 (2006): 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr05021.
Full textAbstract:
To provide an estimate of kangaroo numbers for harvest management, a survey was designed for an area of 29 500 km2 encompassing the agricultural and grazing lands of the Braidwood, Cooma, Goulburn, Gundagai and Yass Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB) districts in south-east New South Wales. An aerial survey using a helicopter was considered more efficient than ground survey because of the size of the area, relatively high relief and dense tree cover, and the need for regular monitoring. Tree cover and landscape relief was used to stratify the five RLPB districts into areas of probable high, medium and low kangaroo density. Kangaroo density estimated from helicopter surveys conducted in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales was used to suggest densities and thereby allocate survey effort in each stratum. A survey comprising 735 km of transect line was conducted in winter 2003 with a target precision of 20%. The survey returned an estimate of 286 600 ± 32 300 eastern grey kangaroos for the whole of the proposed south-east New South Wales kangaroo-management zone. In 2004, a trial harvest of slightly less than 15% of this estimate was taken. Success of the trial will be determined by the impact of harvesting on the population’s dynamics, by landholder and industry participation, and by the capacity to monitor population size, harvest offtake and compliance with regulations.
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Snowball, Richard, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Mario Francesco D’Antuono, David Troldahl, Ian Biggs, Callen Thompson, Mark Warmington, Amanda Pearce, and Darshan L. Sharma. "Adaptation of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) to Australian Environments." Agronomy 12, no. 9 (August 26, 2022): 2026. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092026.
Full textAbstract:
Quinoa is being evaluated in cropping systems in many countries outside of its natural range of South America. Very few attempts have been made by farmers or researchers to grow or evaluate quinoa under Australian environments. Given the growing popularity of quinoa with consumers, new commercial opportunities for farmers and international interest in the crop, it was timely to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of quinoa in Australia. Two advanced selections and nine germplasm lines (six of Chilean and three of Bolivian origin) identified in an earlier project were tested in 23 field trials at 14 locations on mainland Australia. Targets included irrigated sites in tropical, Mediterranean, semi-arid and desert climates, and rain-fed sites of south-western Australia with a Mediterranean climate. The field experiments were either a randomised complete block design (RBCD) or a split plot/factorial design with 2–4 replicates, and a linear mixed model was used to compare the treatment lines. Seed yield of quinoa was highest when grown in winter and spring under rain-fed conditions in Geraldton, in spring and summer under irrigation at Bool Lagoon, and summer, autumn and winter under irrigation at Leeton. The highest seed yield achieved was 3 t/ha for a germplasm line from Chile, while the highest yield for a germplasm line from Bolivia was 2.6 t/ha. Advanced selections from Australia yielded well in comparison at most trial sites. Declining seed yield was associated with mean daily temperatures during seed development increasing above 17 °C, mean daily temperatures during flowering declining below 15 °C, and rainfall during seed development under rain-fed conditions falling below 50 mm. Seed produced at Bool Lagoon was the closest in colour to white quinoa imported from Peru; however, it was more than noticeably different. Seed produced at Geraldton and Leeton was significantly larger than from other field sites; however, none were larger than 2 mm in diameter as found in Royal white quinoa from Bolivia. Superior seed colour and seed size were associated with dry conditions at maturity and cool conditions during seed development, respectively. We conclude that quinoa can become a potential crop option for Australian agriculture by exploiting genetic diversity and supplementing with suitable management practices matched to agro-climatic environments. There are reasonable prospects to raise the seed yield potential in areas in all states, especially in the regions where quinoa grew well in our experiments.
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Croft, DB. "Sustainable use of wildlife in western New South Wales: Possibilities and problems." Rangeland Journal 22, no. 1 (2000): 88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj0000088.
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Sustainable use of wildlife has become equated with exploitation of animal products (meat, skin or feathers) and/or removal of wild progenitors into the pet trade. This consumption of the wildlife is therefore largely ex situ and so removes nutrients and energy from the rangelands. Demand for lethal or a removal action is often driven by the severity of the perceived conflict between the wildlife and other enterprises, especially agriculture, rather than for the resulting products. Such uses also raise community concerns about humane treatment of animals and a valuing of the natural heritage. Wildlife-based tourism, as part of the valuable and growing nature-based or ecotourism industry in Australia, is an in situ use that may be a more ecologically sustainable and economically twble option for use of rangeland wildlife. This paper examines these possibilities and their problems with a focus on the commercial kangaroo industry and the use of arid-zone mammals, birds and reptiles for pets. It provides new evidence that wildlife-tourism based on free-living kangaroos in the rangelands is both feasible and in demand. This industry should be given advocacy in the on-going debate on the management and future of the rangelands. Key words: kangaroos, wildlife management, wildlife tourism, game harvesting
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Stewart, Hugh T. L., Digby H. Race, Allan L. Curtis, and Andrew J. K. Stewart. "A case study of socio-economic returns from farm forestry and agriculture in south-east Australia during 1993–2007." Forest Policy and Economics 13, no. 5 (June 2011): 390–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2011.03.004.
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Dalal, R. C., and K. Y. Chan. "Soil organic matter in rainfed cropping systems of the Australian cereal belt." Soil Research 39, no. 3 (2001): 435. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr99042.
Full textAbstract:
The Australian cereal belt stretches as an arc from north-eastern Australia to south-western Australia (24˚S–40˚S and 125˚E–147˚E), with mean annual temperatures from 14˚C (temperate) to 26˚C (subtropical), and with annual rainfall ranging from 250 mm to 1500 mm. The predominant soil types of the cereal belt include Chromosols, Kandosols, Sodosols, and Vertosols, with significant areas of Ferrosols, Kurosols, Podosols, and Dermosols, covering approximately 20 Mha of arable cropping and 21 Mha of ley pastures. Cultivation and cropping has led to a substantial loss of soil organic matter (SOM) from the Australian cereal belt; the long-term SOM loss often exceeds 60% from the top 0–0.1 m depth after 50 years of cereal cropping. Loss of labile components of SOM such as sand-size or particulate SOM, microbial biomass, and mineralisable nitrogen has been even higher, thus resulting in greater loss in soil productivity than that assessed from the loss of total SOM alone. Since SOM is heterogeneous in nature, the significance and functions of its various components are ambiguous. It is essential that the relationship between levels of total SOM or its identif iable components and the most affected soil properties be established and then quantif ied before the concentrations or amounts of SOM and/or its components can be used as a performance indicator. There is also a need for experimentally verifiable soil organic C pools in modelling the dynamics and management of SOM. Furthermore, the interaction of environmental pollutants added to soil, soil microbial biodiversity, and SOM is poorly understood and therefore requires further study. Biophysically appropriate and cost-effective management practices for cereal cropping lands are required for restoring and maintaining organic matter for sustainable agriculture and restoration of degraded lands. The additional benefit of SOM restoration will be an increase in the long-term greenhouse C sink, which has the potentialto reduce greenhouse emissions by about 50 Mt CO2 equivalents/year over a 20-year period, although current improved agricultural practices can only sequester an estimated 23% of the potential soil C sink.
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Mutze, GJ. "Mouse Plagues in South Australian Cereal-Growing Areas .1. Occurrence and Distribution of Plagues From 1900 to 1984." Wildlife Research 16, no. 6 (1989): 677. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9890677.
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Information on the occurrence and distribution of plagues of house mice, Mus domesticus, in South Australia was obtained from scientific literature, agricultural reports, rural and suburban newspapers, and personal observations. In all, 580 separate reports from the cereal-growing areas of South Australia in 20 years between 1900 and 1984 were collated to determine the extent of each plague. Some plagues were widespread, affecting nearly all 22 000 km2 of the cereal-growing areas; others were restricted to specific areas or isolated sites. Maps showing the extent and relative severity of mouse infestations are presented for 20 years between 1904 and 1984.
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Cochrane, HR, G. Scholz, and AME Vanvreswyk. "Sodic soils in Western Australia." Soil Research 32, no. 3 (1994): 359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr9940359.
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Sodic soils are common throughout Western Australia, particularly in the south-west agricultural area where they occur mainly as duplex or gradational profiles. Soils with sodic properties are dominant in 26% of the state; saline-sodic sediments and soils in intermittent streams, lakes and estuarine plains occupy a further 5%. Sodic soils are moderately common throughout the south and western portion of the rangeland areas (38% of the state). The south-west coastal sands and the desert and rangeland soils to the north and east of the state are rarely sodic. Although sodicity has been recognized as a discrete problem in W.A. soils since the 1920s, the extent and severity of sodicity has been satisfactorily described only for small areas of the state and most land managers are unaware of the role sodicity plays in limiting the productivity of their soils. Sodicity is implicated in a diversity of problems for both agricultural and non-agricultural uses of Western Australian soils. Subsoil impermeability is probably the most widespread of these, but no comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the influence of exchangeable sodium on subsoil properties has been undertaken. Topsoil sodicity is much less extensive but can severely restrict land productivity, particularly on sandy loam and finer textured soils which set hard when dry. The physical behaviour of Western Australian topsoils cannot usefully be predicted from measurements of exchangeable sodium alone because soils differ so greatly in their response to changing exchangeable sodium. Some remain structurally stable at ESP values >15 while others are so 'sodium-sensitive' that they exhibit highly dispersive behaviour at ESP values as low as 2%. Land values over much of the dryland farming and pastoral areas of W.A. do not justify sustained use of amendments which would reduce soil exchangeable sodium contents. Efficient management of sodic soils in these areas must rely on the prevention of degradation and the use of biological and physical means to maintain adequate soil physical properties. Effective restoration of degraded sodic soils, however, often does require application of inorganic amendments in combination with tillage to initiate structural recovery. Sodicity is currently not considered to be a problem at any of the three main irrigation areas in W.A., but all have sodic soil within their potentially irrigable lands, which may limit their future expansion.
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Macdonald, Lynne M., Tim Herrmann, and Jeffrey A. Baldock. "Combining management based indices with environmental parameters to explain regional variation in soil carbon under dryland cropping in South Australia." Soil Research 51, no. 8 (2013): 738. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr13156.
Full textAbstract:
Identifying drivers of variation in soil organic carbon (OC) at a regional scale is often hampered by a lack of historical management information. Focusing on red-brown-earth soils (Chromosol) under dryland agriculture in the Mid-North and Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, our aims were 2-fold: (i) to provide a baseline of soil OC stocks (0.3 m) and OC fractions (mid-infrared predictions of particulate, humus, and resistant OC in 0.1 m samples) in cropping and crop-pasture systems; and (ii) to evaluate whether the inclusion of management-based indices could assist in explaining regional-level variation in OC stocks and fractions. Soil OC stocks in both regions varied ~20 Mg ha–1, with higher OC stocks in the Mid-North (38 Mg ha–1) than the Eyre Peninsula (29.1 Mg ha–1). The humus OC fraction was the dominant fraction, while the particulate OC was the most variable. Environmental variables only partially explained soil OC variability, with vapour pressure deficit (VPD) offering the greatest potential and likely acting as an integrator of temperature and moisture on plant growth and decomposition processes. Differences between broad-scale cropping and crop–pasture systems were limited. In the Mid-North, variability in soil OC stocks and fractions was high, and could not be explained by environmental or management variables. Higher soil OC concentrations (0.1 m) in the Eyre Peninsula cropping than crop–pasture soils were largely accounted for in the particulate OC fraction and are therefore unlikely to represent a long-term stable OC pool. Use of the management data in index format added some explanatory power to the variability in OC stocks over the main environmental variables (VPD, slope) within the Eyre Peninsula cropping soils only. In the wider context, the management data were useful in interpreting differences between regional findings and highlighted difficulties in using uninformed, broad-scale management categories.