Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Changing Land Use On Unproductive Soils, Andrew Blake, Mike Clarke, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

A three year study completed in 2010 examined farming systems in the north-eastern agricultural region and eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia which experienced a succession of variable seasons from 2000. This culminated in severe drought in 2006 and 2007. At that time, farmers experienced labour shortages and declining terms of trade triggered by cost inflation outpacing growth in commodity prices. As a result, farm business equity was eroded as farm debt escalated. This left many farm businesses in a highly vulnerable state. At the time of the study many farmers were facing an uncertain future.

These experiences, coupled with a …

Cockatoo Sands Soil Survey : Assessment Of The Potential Irrigation Areas, Kununurra Area, East Kimberley, Henry Smolinski, Kus Kuswardiyanto, Justin Laycock

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Soil Survey Of The Bettink Dairy Farm, Riverway Road, Northcliffe, Peter J. Tille, Tilwin Westrup

Resource management technical reports

This soil survey of the Bettink dairy farm in Northcliffe, Western Australia aimed to: provide detailed soil descriptions to add to information associated with the environment in which the dairy industry in Western Australia is located; collect soil samples at predetermined standard depths from documented farm locations for nutrient analysis; map soils with similar characteristics based on description and analysis.

Farm Water For The North-Eastern And Eastern Wheatbelt Of Western Australia (Zones 2 And 5), Susan Murphy-White

Resource management technical reports

Large proportions of Western Australia's dryland farms suffer from water supply problems in the form of shortages, poor quality or combinations of these two factors ... A regional study for the North-eastern and Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia was undertaken. The base data used to develop water supply areas included soil type, landscape units, geology, hydrogeology, native vegetation and existing far water resource infrastructure.

Agricultural Sub-Regions Of The Avon River Basin, Paul D. Galloway

Resource management technical reports

This report identifies, describes and locates nine sub-regions within the land cleared for agricultural uses in the Avon River Basin in Western Australia. The sub-regions are: Darling Range; Dale/Upper Avon; Avon Valley; Yealering Lakes; Mortlock; Northern Sandplain; south-east Lakes; Carrabin; Southern Cross. The sub-regions are described in terms of their distinguishing biophysical characteristics of: soils and related original vegetative cover; general topography; surface and sub-surface hyrdological stus; underlying geology; and rainfall and evapotranspiration range. Current dominant land use, economic drivers and land use pressures are identified for each sub-region.

High Water Use Plant Options For The Fitzgerald River Catchment : A Case Study, P L. Hill, Nadene Schiller

Resource management technical reports

This report summarises the outcomes of a project initiated to examine the potential to integrate high water use plant options into existing farm systems to combat rising watertables and reduce salinity and waterlogging. Planting options investigated include commercial trees, perennials, fodder shrubs, annual crops and native grasses. The research uses a new GIS based methodology for undertaking catchment scale land capability analyses.

Modelling Direct Episodic Recharge In The Western Australian Wheatbelt, F Lewis, Cooperative Research Centre For Catchment Hydrology (Australia)

Resource management technical reports

In agricultural regions of Western Australia, salinity is spreading. This is because the area taken up by groundwater discharge is increasing as a result of increased groundwater recharge following the replacement of native vegetation systems by annual crops and pasture species. Attempts to reduce groundwater recharge are now being made as it is hoped that this will decrease the rate of land salinisation. At several sites, average recharge rates have been estimated to be from 2% to 13% of the average annu ter hydrographs from the agricultural regions indicate that at some sites recharge does not occur as small amounts …

The Salinity And Hydrology Of Cranbrook, R Ferdowsian, A T. Ryder

Resource management technical reports

The study area covers the Cranbrook townsite and two catchments that affect it. The Cranbrook Town is located 85 km north-north-west of Albany and it has a population of 320 people (1190 in the Shire; ABS Census 1991).

Cranbrook is experiencing salinity problems. Saline groundwater levels are close to the soil surface and cause deterioration of buildings, roads, infrastructure, death of trees and scalding of land including the sporting ground.

The objective of this study was to define the present salinity status of the Cranbrook Town and develop management strategies to overcome or reduce the severity of salinity.

Evaluation Of Deep, Open Drains In The North Stirling Area, R Ferdowsian, A T. Ryder, J Kelly

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Salinity And Hydrology Of The Wamballup Swamp Catchment, R Ferdowsian, A T. Ryder

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Increasing Plant Water Use To Reduce Salinity : Proceedings Of A Seminar Held At The Esperance Civic Centre 31 July 1996, R J. Short, Greening Western Australia, Soil And Water Conservation Association Of Australia. Western Australian Branch

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Soils Of The Mantinea Loop Ord River Valley East Kimberley Western Australia, N Schoknecht, C Grose

Resource management technical reports

A brief assessment of the soils of 1,186 hectares in the Mantinea Loop, and their suitability for irrigated agriculture, was conducted in June 1994. Four map units based on soil, landform and vegetation were identified. The soils are mainly calcareous brown fine sandy loams. The landform is an alluvial plain, with numerous small depressions and channels caused by the meandering and flooding of the Ord River.

Soils Of The Ivanhoe West Bank East Kimberley Western Australia, C Grose, N Schoknecht

Resource management technical reports

A brief assessment of the soils of 2,064 ha of land on the Ivanhoe West Bank and their suitability for irrigated agriculture was conducted in May-June 1994. Sandy or loamy soils occur on broad levees adjacent to the Ord River, and areas of 'black soil' and 'red soil' plains occur behind these levees. Some areas of the red soil plain and levees are deeply dissected, and occasional active erosion is evident.

Soils Of The Knox Creek Plain East Kimberley Western Australia And Northern Territory, C Grose, Noel Schoknecht

Resource management technical reports

An assessment of the soils and landforms of approximately 12,000 ha in the Knox Creek Plain in Western Australia and the Northern Territory was conducted in May and June 1994. Seventeen map units were identified and their soils, landform and vegetation characteristics were described. Grey or brown cracking clays predominate on the plain, however variable red or brown soils on the coarser alluvium of remnant levees are common in the south and south-east.

Land Capability Assessment For The Wellington-Blackwood Survey, Peter J. Tille

Resource management technical reports

This report has been produced to provide more detail on the land capability assessments presented in the Wellington-Blackwood Land Resources Survey (Tille 1996). In that report, the land capability of each of the soil-landscape subsystems has been summarised with a brief description. Capability ratings are provided here for each of the map units (including subsystem phases) which appear on the two map sheets (Tille et al. 1996) accompanying the Wellington-Blackwood Land Resources Survey.

Soils Of The Weaber Plain, East Kimberley, Western Australia, J C. Dixon

Resource management technical reports

The Weaber Plain, north-east of Kununurra, is one of three "black soil" plains in the Kimberley area of Western Australia. It comprises about 15,000 hectares of irrigable land, part of which is known as Stage 2 of the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA). The area was surveyed in 1977 following a similar survey of the nearby Keep River Plain and preceding a survey of the Ivanhoe Plain, which has since been developed commercially. Map units and soil series used in those reports have also been used for this rep ility in crop selection, preferring high water use crops.

Soils Of The East Beverley Annex Of The Avondale Research Station, Neil Clifton Lantzke

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Kings Park Soil Survey, J A. Bessell-Browne

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

The Soils Of South Carrabin Research Station -Light Land Annex, Henry Smolinski, G G. Scholz

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.