Soil Science Commons^™

Identification And Classification Of “New” Semi-Arid Soils From The Pilbara Wa With Potential Additions To The Australian Soil Classification, Henry Smolinski, Dennis Van Gool

The State of Soil Science in WA

As part of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) Transforming Agriculture in the Pilbara (TAP) project, a land assessment of the region was conducted to identify areas with potential for irrigated agriculture. The morphology of the dominant soils is described together with their chemical and physical properties.

The All New Australian Soil Classification, Noel R. Schoknecht

The State of Soil Science in WA

An upgraded 3rd Edition of the ASC will be published in 2020. The most significant change will be the incorporation of a new soil Order - the Arenosols (deep sandy soils) improving its relevance to Western Australian soils. Another planned improvement is providing the classification for free in a number of formats – including the web, a downloadable print-ready pdf and an e-publication – all available on the Soil Science Australia website.

Variable Aluminium Toxicity And Root Distribution In Acidic Soil Profiles, Paul Damon, Gaus Azam, Craig Scanlan, Chris Gazey

The State of Soil Science in WA

Subsoil acidity currently affects two thirds of the arable soils in the WA wheatbelt. At acidic soil pH, aluminium (Al) is solubilised from the solid phase into soil solution, creating a direct and localised toxicity to plant roots. Aluminium toxicity to plant roots constrains crop productivity by reducing root proliferation through soil, and inhibiting the capacity of roots to tolerate other constraints, such as compaction. Ongoing acidification of the subsoil is a direct artefact of the productive farming systems that are required to feed our world’s growing appetite for grain and livestock products.

Influence Of Lime And Crop Rotation On Soil Nitrogen, Dry Matter Production And Microbial Biomass; A Field Trial, Merredin, Wa, Manujla Premaratne, Daniel V. Murphy, Craig Scanlan, Frances C. Hoyle

The State of Soil Science in WA

Nitrogen (N) fertilisers are applied to the soil to meet crop N demands. A large proportion of Western Australian (WA) cropping soils are acidic, decreasing access to plant available nutrients. Application of lime is generally the most effective means of ameliorating increasing soil acidity.

Vacuum Drying Soil Samples Is A Low-Temperature Alternative To Conventional Oven Drying When Determining Soil Water Repellence, Enoch Wong, Philip R. Ward, Matthias Leopold, Daniel V. Murphy, Louise Barton

The State of Soil Science in WA

Here we investigated a low-temperature (20˚C) soil drying technique to generate soil water contents equivalent to those achieved by conventional oven drying (105˚C). The effect of drying temperature, plus aeration status (oxic or anoxic), on SWR was also investigated.

Soil Exchangeable Cations Increase Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency And Microbial Growth In Acidic Soils, Emilia Horn

The State of Soil Science in WA

Microbial growth and function is influenced by the properties of the surrounding soil where surface chemistry mediates interactions between individual organisms and their local microenvironment. We hypothesised that the addition of exchangeable base cations, necessary for microbial biochemical function, will increase microbial growth in acidic soils.

Bacterial Processes Associated With Soil C And N Following Application Of Compost And Manure To Dairy Pasture At The Beginning And End Of The Growing Season, Lynette Abbott, Bede Mikan, Zakaria Solaiman, Anjani Weersekara, Sanja Schwab, Ian Waite, Sasha Jenkins

The State of Soil Science in WA

This study investigated the impact of dairy manure and compost on bacterial community composition and functional diversity in a dairy pasture in south-western Australia.

Translating Soils Information Into Better Land Planning Decisions: An Example From The Peel-Harvey Catchment Western Australia, Heather M. Percy, Andrew Del Marco, Tom Lerner, Brett Flugge

The State of Soil Science in WA

State planning policy for the Peel-Harvey coastal plain catchment requires decision makers to consider land suitability when assessing proposals for intensive agriculture including for horticulture. This information is not accessible or easily understood by land use planners. We will describe how we translated this information into a model Local Planning Policy (LPP) for the Peel-Harvey.

Validating And Extending The National Better Fertiliser Decisions For Pasture Critical Values For Phosphorus, David Rogers, David Weaver, Ron Master, Robert Summers

The State of Soil Science in WA

Viable pasture based grazing systems in south-western Australia have been made possible over much of the landscape through input of nutrients to soils which were impoverished when first cleared. Initial dramatic increases in production stimulated subsequent applications of fertilisers, particularly phosphatic fertilisers, ever since. However, excessive fertiliser application can be tied to environmental impacts including the loss of phosphorus (P) to waterways impacting on water quality.

Legacy Phosphorus – Have We Fallen Asleep At The Wheel?, Simon Clarendon, David Weaver, Robert Summers

The State of Soil Science in WA

Reducing nutrient loss from agricultural landscapes using management practices in Australia has long been advocated to improve water quality. Water quality, i.e. phosphorus (P) concentrations are commonly used to measure the effectiveness of management practices at the paddock level. However, the effectiveness of paddock scale management practices is often not reflected at a catchment scale, in part due to levels of implementation, but also due to the equilibrium effects of legacy P.

Rapid Soil Analytical Techniques For International Agricultural Research And Development, Wendy Vance, Mike Tf Wong, Anthony Ringrose-Voase, Soil And Water Science Office, Cambodian Agricultural Research And Development Institute, Department Of Agricultural Research, Myanmar

The State of Soil Science in WA

Soil analysis is used to assess natural resources and inform management to improve long-term farming profitability. Conventional techniques typically use different methods, equipment, reagents and skills to measure each soil property of interest. The consequence is that a conventional soil laboratory is expensive to set up, maintain and run. These issues result in many countries (and organisations) having to do without a well-functioning conventional soil laboratory. Developments in spectroscopic and potentiometric methods of soil analysis means that these countries need not go without reliable soil analysis.

Soil Classification Based On Spectral And Environmental Variables, Andre Carnieletto Dotto, Raphael A. Viscara Rossel, Jose Am Dematte, Rodnei Rizzo

The State of Soil Science in WA

In the last decades, the volume of soil data collection has increased significantly. Because of that it is now possible to obtain a soil classification using spectral, climate and terrain attributes. The idea was to develop a soil series system, which intends to discriminate soil types according to soil, climate and terrain variables. This new system was called Soil-Environmental Classification.

Black Soldier Fly Technology Can Convert Manure Into Valuable Fertiliser, Sasha Jenkins, Zhuoda Huang, Bede Mikan, Morten Andersen, Luke Wheat, Lynette Abbott

The State of Soil Science in WA

Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) farming provides an alternative low-cost waste management solution for converting agricultural waste into high quality insect meal (BSF larvae as animal feed) and a valuable fertiliser (BSF casting residue or frass).

The aim of this study was to investigate the slow-releasing effect of N after coating the BSF frass with three different fatty acids (lauric, myristic and stearic acid).

Ilime An App For Assessing The Management Of Soil Acidity In Agricultural Systems, James Fisher, Jenni Clausen, Fiona Evans, Chris Gazey

The State of Soil Science in WA

iLIme mobile app is available for download for Apple and Android devices from your preferred app store.

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/apps/ilime

Awareness of soil acidity as a constraint to agricultural production in Western Australia has led to increased use of lime, but rates remain too low to manage existing acidic soil and ongoing acidification. To invest in lime, growers need confidence in likely economic and production responses. This paper describes the development of an acidification calculator, in app form, that was developed with input and feedback to ensure that it would meet the needs and requirements of users.

Extending The Message Of Soil Quality In The Mobile Device Era, Chris Gazey, Frances Hoyle

The State of Soil Science in WA

In this day and age, where everyone is time poor, making information easily and quickly available is paramount. However, with a topic as complex and as multi-dimensional as soil quality, a new approach to packaging information that is evidence-based and relevant to the local environment is required. Apple multimedia digital books provide a platform capable of delivering layers of information on mobile devices.

Simulating Australian Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration, Juhwan Lee, Raphael A. Viscarra Rossell

The State of Soil Science in WA

National initiatives to mitigate and adopt to climate change imply the need for enhancing carbon (C) sequestration in soils. Soil process models often render a C baseline hardly representative and its C sequestration potential questionable when initial soil C pools are not accounted. Here we use the soil process model Roth C to simulate site-specific soil C across 4431 sites in Australia. After matching the modelled and measured C pools at initial equilibrium, the model predicted C sequestration potentials in soils, coherent to changes among the pools, in response to soil inputs that represent soil and residue management. We show …

Gravel Is Soil Is Gravel, David Weaver, Ron Master, David Rogers

The State of Soil Science in WA

Around 3.8 M ha of gravelly soil contributes to crop production in south west WA. Soil analysis and glasshouse experiments routinely take place in the absence of the ≥2 mm fraction. Typical processes include sample collection, air drying, and sieving (<2 mm) prior to experimentation or analysis. The ≥2 mm fraction is discarded as it is often considered inert, acting as a soil volume diluent, and problematic for routine chemical analysis when intact because of size and representativeness. However, the literature cites that the ≥2 mm fraction may contribute positively to soil chemical, physical and biological properties.

Evolution Of Ryegrass Resistance To Glyphosate Changes Soil Microbial Diversity 14 Years Continuous Application, Zakaria Solaiman, Abul Hashem, Bede Mikan, Lynette Abbott, Paul Storer, Vivek Bhat, Andrew Whitely

The State of Soil Science in WA

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicides in agriculture. Short-term impacts of glyphosate on soil microbial communities have been reported but long-term effects are rarely studied. There is concern for non-target effects on soil microbial communities with potential to negatively affect soil functions after long-term use of glyphosate. Therefore, our objective was to investigate changes in bacterial community composition following long-term glyphosate application on annual ryegrass.

Soil Nitrogen Storage And Availability To Crops Are Increased By Conservation Agriculture Practices In Rice-Based Cropping Systems In The Eastern Gangetic Plains, Md. Khairal Alam, Richard Bell, M E. Haque, M A. Islam, M A. Kader

The State of Soil Science in WA

On-farm adoption of minimum soil disturbance and increased residue retention will alter nitrogen (N) dynamics in soils and N fertiliser management in the intensive rice–based triple cropping systems of the Eastern Gangetic Plains. However, the consequences of changes in N forms, N mineralisation and N availability for crops in these cropping systems have not been determined.

Dynamics Of Water Use By Wheat And Canola Crops In Compacted, Acidic Sands Treated With Deep Tillage And Lime, Gaus Azam, Chris Gazey, Richard Bowles

The State of Soil Science in WA

Incorporation of agricultural lime by ‘strategic deep tillage’ is one of the quickest methods for managing subsurface soil acidity. Such soil amelioration practice decreases soil resistance by removing compaction and increases soil pH, which allows deep penetration of crop roots, and hence increases the acquisition of soil water from deeper in the soil. As a result of improved soil physical and chemical properties, crop yield also increases and so does the water use efficiency (WUE). Under broadacre cropping conditions, WUE is generally estimated from crop yield and weather data; actual measurement of soil water uptake can lead to more accurate …

Crop Response To Amelioration Of Agricultural Soils Are Mediated By Contraint Combinations And Soil Type, Stephen Davies, Wayne Parker, Giacomo Betti, David Hall, Tom Edwards, Chad Reynolds, Glenn Macdonald

The State of Soil Science in WA

Over the past decade alternative strategic deep tillage approaches have been developed to complement more established soil amelioration methods. Strategic tillage takes the form of a one-off or occasional intervention, implemented to overcome a number of soil and biotic constraints. Deep ripping can effectively remove subsoil hardpans and potentially delve up some subsoil to the surface depending on tine design. Deep soil mixing, using rotary spaders or large disc ploughs, can mix and incorporate topsoil and amendments deeper into the soil profile and reduce topsoil repellence. Soil inversion, using mouldboard, square or one-way disc ploughs, can bury surface-applied amendments, as …

Subsoil Contraints And Their Management: Overview From Five Years Of R&D, David Hall, Yvette Oliver, Shahab Pathan, Karen Holmes, Dennis Van Gool, Geoff Anderson, Jeremy Lemon, Caroline Peek, Liz Petersen, Glenn Macdonald, E G. Barrett-Lennard, Dana Mulvaney, Glen Riethmuller, Edward Arnold Griffin, Phil Ward

The State of Soil Science in WA

Subsoil constraints cost the grains industry more than $1.6b in lost production each year. Diagnosing and mapping subsoil constraints (SSC) was achieved at a shire scale using the DPIRD soils database and historic surveys.