Soil Science Commons^™

Environmental Radiocesium In Subarctic And Arctic Alaska Following Chernobyl, M. Baskaran, J. J. Kelley, A. S. Naidu, D. F. Holleman

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Radiocesium (¹³⁴ Cs and ¹³⁷ Cs) concentrations were measured in soil, plant and wildlife samples from subarctic to arctic Alaska. Concentrations of ¹³⁷ Cs ranged from below detectable or low levels in whale and fish samples to as high as 242 Bq/kg in lichen. For all potential human food items, the radiocesium concentrations measured in this study were below accepted permissible levels for human consumption. Chernobyl-derived radiocesium concentrations ranged from below detectable or low levels in all arctic samples (soil, sediment, lichen, whale, fish and caribou) to 32 Bq/kg in subarctic moss. Therefore the distribution and subsequent deposition of Chernobyl-derived …

Kinetics And Mechanisms Of Atrazine Adsorption And Desorption In Soils Under No-Till And Conventional Management, V. P. Evangelou, W. W. Witt, E. Portig, Mike Barrett

KWRRI Research Reports

Both soils (Maury silt loam and Sadler) exhibited three apparent mechanisms of atrazine adsorption. The first two mechanisms were very rapid (10 minutes) and were assigned to soil-clay surface adsorption reactions via hydrogen bonding. The quantity of atrazine involved in these two reactions for the 0.5 mg/1 solution atrazine varied, depending on the soil, from 67 μg/100 g clay to 219 μg/100 g clay. The reason there were two possible atrazine sinks in this range of atrazine adsorption was believed to be the presence of two types of reactive surfaces, the clay inorganic phase and the organic carbon phase. The …

Determination Of Optimal Timing Of Poultry Waste Disposal By Meteorological, Hydrological, And Water Quality Modeling Techniques, D. R. Edwards, T. C. Daniel

Technical Reports

Approximately one million Mg of broiler litter were generated in conjunction with Arkansas' 1989 broiler production. Common practices for disposal of the waste have the potential to damage the quality of downstream rivers and lakes. This possibility is enhanced due to the concentration of broiler production in areas of the state with shallow soils, steep slopes, and limited suitable disposal area. Since the risk of pollution is greatest immediately following disposal and increases with rainfall depth and intensity, adverse water quality impacts may be mitigated by timing the application to coincide with low probability of surface losses of the nutrients …

The Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of The White River National Wildlife Refuge, Steve W. Chordas Iii, George L. Harp

Technical Reports

The primary purpose of this study was to survey the diversity of the aquatic macroinvertebrates of the White River National Wildlife Refuge (WRNWR). Determining relative abundance and distributional and seasonal patterns were secondary objectives. No comprehensive investigations of the WRNWR aquatic macroinvertebrates had been conducted previously, and it was hypothesized that this relatively undisturbed area may serve as a refugium. Further, this study provides base line data by which management programs can be composed. Thirty sampling stations were established within the WRNWR. Samples were collected from north to south at a basic rate of five stations per month. Revisit collections …

Water Quality As Affected By Pesticides In Rice Production, W. G. Johnson, T. L. Lavy, J. D. Mattice, B. W. Skulman, R. E. Talbert, R. J. Smith

Technical Reports

Studies were conducted to determine the environmental persistence of the rice pesticides triclopyr, 2,4-D, benomyl and quinclorac. Triclopyr half-lives ranged from <7 d to >100 d depending on depth within the soil profile and clay content. Triclopyr persistence increased as depth within the profile increased and clay content increased. The benomyl metabolite MBC was present at greater than 50% of the initial amount after 9 months in the field. In simulated carryover field studies quinclorac exhibited the greatest potential for injury to subsequent rotational crops. Cotton and soybean growth was reduced when planted at four weeks after quinclorac application. The adsorption of triclopyr …

Determination Of The Abient Toxicity Of The Tailwater Of Nimrod Lake, John T. Knight

Technical Reports

The objective of this research was to determine if ambient toxicity exists in the receiving stream below a reservoir in which water from the hypolimnion is released. The Ceriodaphnia 7-day test was utilized to determine if toxicity existed. This test is routinely used in the monitoring of municipal and industrial effluent. It has also been utilized in determining if ambient toxicity exists within receiving streams. Nimrod Lake is a flood control impoundment on the Fourche LaFave River in west central Arkansas. The literature suggest that during stratification the hypolimnetic release contains high levels of iron, manganese, ammonia and sulfide during …

The Association Of Water Quality Parameters, Geological Substrates And Periphyton Community Structure, Richard L. Meyer, Julia Christensen Eichman

Technical Reports

This research was designed to understand the structure of epilithic diatom assemblage of a first-to-third order stream system which has minimal variance in nutrient concentration, but significant differences in geomorphological character. The primary objective was to determine the importance of geological substrate on the structure of the diatom assemblages. The second objective was to examine the effect of flow on these assemblages, and the third part of the research was to develop a seasonal model of temporal and spatial annual succession. The temporal and spatial models represent the effect of seasons, stream order, substrate characteristics, storm events, and periods of …

The Tammin Alcoa Landcare Education Centre, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The town is home of the Tanimin Alcoa Landcare Education Centre. This is an ambitious concept by the Shire of Tammin and the Tammin Action Group to use the whole shire to demonstrate land conservation practices on farms, and to show urban and other communities what Western Australia's farmers are doing to conserve the land and practise sustainable agriculture.

Reclaiming Sandplain Seeps Planting Trees, Richard George

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Sandplain seeps affect large areas of agricultural land in Western Australia's eastern and northern wheatbelt and in the Great Southern. These seeps are estimated to account for about 10 per cent of dryland salinity in the agricultural area. Research and field observations show that seeps may be cheaply and quickly reclaimed using various types of drains or small blocks of trees (George 1990). This article discusses results of reclamation methods associated with tree planting on sandplain seeps in the eastern wheatbelt.

Regenerating The Rangelands, Adrian Williams, Ron Shepherd

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Parts of Western Australia's rangelands have been degraded by inappropriately high stocking rates, often associated with large numbers of native or feral animals, poor seasonal plant growth, or the ravages of cyclones, floods or fire. Today, most pastoralists are keen to rehabilitate the degradation of the past, as indicated by the proliferation of Land Conservation Districts (LCDs) throughout the pastoral zones.

There is no 'quick fix' to regenerating the rangelands. It may take many years to achieve the desired result.

Unique Co-Operative Landcare Venture In The Avon Catchment, Darrel Brewin, John Collett

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Avon catchment is bustling with landcare activity generated by a unique co-operative venture between farmers, the Department of Agriculture, the National Soil Conservation Program and Alcoa of Australia Ltd. The Avon Catchment Landcare Program was initiated by the Department of Agriculture and Alcoa, in support of the national Decade ofLandcare. The program provides financial, human and technical resources to undertake catchment and farm planning and demonstrations of rehabilitation techniques that tackle soil and water degradation problems. We know that without specially planned landcare programs and substantial changes in land management, land degradation will continue and further losses of agricultural …

Trees And Livestock : A Productive Co-Existence, Richard Moore

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Trees, as part of farming can help to combat land degradation problems and produce a good economic return from timber at the same time. For example, there is now clear evidence that planting trees can help combat salinity by lowering water-table levels. Trees can also substantially improve overall farm productivity by providing shelter for pastures and livestock. The challenge is to find practical and economical methods of integrating trees and farming. A combination of widely-spaced trees and livestock is one promising method. This article describes the benefits of this type of agroforestry to farmers, suitable locations and how to practice …

Land Capability Study For Horticulture In The Swan Valley, J M. Campbell-Clause, Geoff Allan Moore

Land resources series

The Swan Valley is an important agricultural, recreational, tourist and heritage area in which there are a number of competing land uses because of its location close to Perth. The traditional agricultural use, mainly centred around the viticulture industry, has to compete with tourist development, urban encroachment, hobby farms and clay extraction. The major objective of this report was to identify any areas of prime horticultural land which should be retained for that purpose. A land capability study was done using the existing soil series map of the Swan Valley (Pym 1955), which covers most of the Swan Valley Policy …

The Mallee Road Catchment Project, Rachel Siewert, S Abbott, National Soil Conservation Program (Australia), R A. Nulsen

Resource management technical reports

The Mallee Road Sump catchment is a 30,000 ha catchment located immediately south of a major drainage divide in the central southern agricultural region of Western Australia. The catchment has been largely developed for agriculture over the last 25 years and is now showing development of secondary land salinization. Agronomic trials have shown that it is possible to considerably increase plant production in the area and simultaneously reduce recharge to the groundwaters.

An Introduction To The Soils Of The Narrogin Advisory District, T C. Stoneman, Department Of Agriculture And Food, National Soil Conservation Program (Australia)

Bulletins 4000 -

Descriptions, illustrations and notes on eight common soils / compiled by T.C. Stoneman.

An Introduction To The Soils Of The Katanning Advisory District, T C. Stoneman, National Soil Conservation Program (Australia)

Bulletins 4000 -

With descriptions, illustrations and notes on eight common soils.

Variable Quality Of Saltbush Seed Influences Establishment, Stephen Vlahos, Donald Nicholas, Clive Malcolm

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Farmers are using niche seeders to direct-seed saltbushes (Atriplex spp.) cheaply on large areas of salt affected land. While many factors influence successful establishment of these shrubs, fanners can control the quality of the seed they use. Too often, the lack of knowledge of saltbush seed quality has resulted in extremely poor establishment. The importance of seed quality is well recognized in the establishment of grain crops and pastures, but it is often overlooked when farmers buy or select seed of saltbush. If farmers know the quality of the seed they buy, they can make appropriate adjustments to the sowing …

Using Trees To Reclaim Land Lost To Saline Seeps, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Arthur Wright

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The National Soil Conservation Program (NSCP) has tapped the vigorous community support for landcare initiatives through its demonstration sites for reclaiming sandplain seeps in the Western Australian wheatbelt. The demonstrations, which use tree plantations to reclaim seeps, began in 1989. The sites are being keenly monitored by participating farmers and members of land conservation districts (LCDs).