Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Nature Conservation In The Western Australian Wheatbelt, Max Abensperg-Traun

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

Growing concern about the survival of flora and fauna in the Western Australian wheatbelt prompted CSIRO scientists to start a long-term study to moniter trends in populations. Max Abensperg-Traun and his colleagues reportt on their findings so far.

Benchmarks For The Rangelands : Mapping And Assessing Country Types In The Outback, Hugh Pringle, Alan Payne

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

Rangeland surveys map and describe the outback to help evaluate whether current land uses are appropriate and to highlighe areas with potential form other land uses.

The information can also be used to help minimise adverse environmental impacts, restore damaged areas and better use natural recourses in a sustainable fashion.

Hugh Pringle and Alan Payne outline the survey program which has been in progress for a number of years.

Storm : [Wind Erosion In The Great Southern], Dan Carter

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

On Thursday 11 May 1995, a low pressure system with central barometric pressure of 990 hPa formed of south-western Australia. This depression directed gale force winds over the South-West Land Division for some seven hours.

Dan Carter reports on the widespread damage to soils and property, and management practices that would have reduced the problem.

Rock Phosphates Are Poor Fertilizers For Non-Leaching Soils In South-Western Australia, Michael D A Bolland, Bob Gilkes

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

Field experiments conducted on our non leachng soils from 1975 to 1988 have consistently shown that rock phosphates, compared with freshly applied superphosphate each year, are a relatively ineffective fertilizer in the year of application and in the years after application.

Erosion Potential Of Phomopsis-Resistant Lupins, D J. Carter, Paul Findlater

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

During lupin harvesting, up to 20 per cent of the grain remains on the ground. This non-harvested or pilt grain is a valuable feed for sheep during early summer because the pods, leaf and stem generally provide little nutrient in the stubnbles. In addition, the more efficient the weed control, the less valuable are the stubbles.

The disease lupinosis caused by Phomopsis leptostromiformis restricts the amount of grazing from the lupin stubbles, and hence the risk of wind-erosion of stubble paddocks.

However, the introduction of lupin varieties moderately resistant to Phomopsis and with reduced potential to cause lupinosis means that …

The Effect On Farm Profit Of Conserving Stubble To Prevent Wind Erosion, A D. Bathgate

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

Over-grazing of stubbles is a major cause of winf erosion on WesternAustralian farms. Stubble contributes to the 'roughness' of the paddock; as the roughness is reduced, the risk of winf erosion is increased.

The risk of lupinosis in sheep has previously reduced the likelihood of lupin stubble being over grazed, but the development of Gungurru, a phomopsis-resistent variety of lupin, has increased the potential for over-grazing and hence the probability of wind erosion.

This article describes the economic benefit (or cost) of conserving stubble at the conservation standards.

Frost Injury To Wheat, S P. Loss

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

Frost injury has not been a major concern to the Western Australian wheat industry despite causing spectacular but irregular crop losses on some farms.

The development of suitable herbicides, direct drilling technology and the adoption of early flowering varieties in the late 1970s and early 1980s led to wheat crops being sown and flowering earlier than previously. This resulted in an increase in the incidence of frost damage.

Research into frost indicates that most wheat producers face low to moderate risks of yield loss caused by frost. However, individual farms in particular years can suffer devestating widespread losses. Grost injury …

Mogumber Drainage Works Succeed, L K. Lenane

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

The loss of arable farmland from soil erosion, waterlogging and salinity is a severe problem on some Western Australian farms.

When the arable land comprises only 40 per cent of the total area within the Mogumber Soil Conservation District, this loss is a real cause for concern. So too is the resulting damage to roads, siltation of railway culverts, and deaths of roadside trees from rising saline watertables.

However, drainage, contour and other works undertaken by the Mogumber Soil Conservation District have halted this degredation. Badly eroded areas that were fenced off now have a satisfactory ground cover. A wheat …

Residual Values Of Australian Rock Phosphates, Michael D A Bolland

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

For years superphosphate has been the cheapest, convenient and most effective way of supplying phosphorus to newly cleared soils in Western Australia's South-West that are acutely deficient in phosphorus. However its effectiveness as a phosphorus source falls markedly after application. Regular applications are needed to maintaine profitable pastures and crops on these soils.

After a big jump in supperphosphate prices in the mid 970s, researchers tested the use of Australian rock phosphates as potentially cheaper alternative phosphorus fertilisers to superphosphate. On the none-leaching sands, as this article shows, none of the rock phosphates was as effective for plant growth as …

Algal Problems Of The Estuary, E. P. Hodgkin, P. B. Birch

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

The Peel-Harvey esturine system study began in 1976 because people living near Peel Inlet complained about the accumulation of water weeds and algae on the shores and the smell of hydrogen sulphide (rotton egg gas) that resulted from their decomposition. From 1974 efforts had been made to control this 'algal problem' by raking up the weed with tractors and carting it away. This 'cosmetic activity had little impact on the problem.

The immediate cause was obvious: a carpet of green algae covering about 20square kilometres of the bottom of Peel Inlet. From time to time this 'goat weed' floated to …

The Extension Programme, W K. Russell, G. K. Palmer

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

From the start of the Peel-harvey study in 1976, scientific research and extension have been closely linked. Trials, some involving major drainage works, have been set up on about 30 farms and several field days and seminars have been held.

The Peel-Harvey Study Group anticipates that farmer acceptance of the Department of agriculture's recommendations will reduce the phosphorus input to the estuary by 30 to 40 per cent over the next three to five years. At the same time farmers will benefit from modified cultural practices better suited to the sandy soils of the coastal plain.

Soil Types And Drainage, Eric Bettenay, N. J. Schofield

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

At least 90 per cent of the phosphorus entering the Peel-Harvey estuarine system comes from land cleared for agriculture, most of it from the coastal plain. These soils are naturally deficient on phosphorus and sulfur and this is supplied in superphosphate, which contains about 10 per cent phosphorus and 1 percent sulphur.

However, rain leaches some of this applied phosphorus from the land into drains and rivers which flow into the estuary. In 1981, farmers in the Harvey River-Mayfields Drain catchment lost the equivalent of 1,300 tonnes of superphosphate into the estuary. Between them they have in effect spent $120,000 …

The Soil Phosphorus Store, G S P Ritchie, D. M. Weaver

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

The management of the soil phosphorus store, or 'super bank' to minimise phosphorus leaching losses is a vital part of any strategy to reduce algal pollution of the Peel-Harvey estuary.

Phosphorus can exist in the soil in four main 'pools'. it may occur in the soil solution or in one of the three pools that contain phosphorus in solid forms. This phosphorus can be in compounds (fertilisers, dead plant material); adsorbed (attached) to soil particles such as organic matter, clay and iron oxide; or as constituents of micro-organisms.

Erosion Risks With High Stocking Rates At Kojonup Trial, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

A pasture grazing trial at Kojonup dramatically illustrated the effects of Cyclone Alby. Severe erosion was evident on the heavily stocked plots while the more lightly stocked plots showed little damage.

Contour Cultivation : Cheap Erosion Control, T R. Negus, B. Barrett

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

Although the benefits of contour cultivation are well recognised, it makes cultivation more difficult, particularly if the paddock is split by contour banks and grassed waterways. However, a comparison east of Pingelly indicates that contour cultivation is little more expensive or time-consuming than ordinary cultivation.

The Causes Of Saltland : A Case Study At Esperance, P R. George, S. C. Bull

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

A series of bores on the Esperance Downs Research Station has demonstrated that the groundwater levels change after clearing, and the relatiojnnship between groundwater levels and soil salinity has been emphasised. This pattern of hydrological change leading to soil salinity problems applies widely in the wheatbelt.

Water Movement Through Soil, R A. Nulsen

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

Even a good quality stock water moving to the surface can cause a salinity problem in only a few years.

Landform, Natural Drainage And Salinity, Eric Bettenay

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

An understanding of salt movement in streams and groundwater may lead to better methods of control and prevention of salinity.

The Dryland Salinity Problem In North America, P R. George

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

North america also has a dryland salinity problem although the source is different.

Soil Salinity In Western Australia : A Summary, T C. Stoneman

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

Soil salinity problems have long been recognised in Western Australia. The earliest published explanation in 1924 suggested that removing native vegetation increased stream salinity, and this basic cause has been confirmed by many studies since.

Salt Encroachment : The 1974 Saltland Survey, C V. Malcolm, R. C. Stoneman

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

It has long been recognised that the clearing of land for agriculture in the south western Australia is followed by the development of saline soils and streams.

In 1955 and again in 1962, in conjunction with the annual statistical returns, farmers in Western Australia were asked to supply estimates of salt-affected land on their properties.

In 1974 a further survey was conducted, in co-operation with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, using questions covering only the basic information. As the information is again available on a Shire basis a direct comparison can be made with the 1962 survey except for some …

Grain Moisture Problems On The South Coast, J A. Parish, G. H. Jones

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

In most West Australian grain growing districts high temperatures and dry weather at grain maturation are ideal for harvesting and enable delivery of grain with acceptable moisture levels. Grain from W.A. is known in world markets as a good quality dry product which is unlikely to deteriorate in storage. However, growers in coastal areas and particularly those south of Narrogin sometimes have trouble harvesting grain below the receival limit of 12 per cent moisture.

Grain Moisture And The Weather : What Can The Records Tell Us?, M W. Perry, P. A. Fievez

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

The expansion of cereal production in areas along the south coast has exposed harvesting problems associated with high grain moisture.

A grain delivery standard of 12 per cent moisture means that, in the absence of grain drying facilities, harvesting times in the field are restricted to those hours when grain moisture falls below this figure.

Grain moisture, however, remains the major problem and for planning purposes, producers require an estimate of the harvesting time available in a given year. This will depend on all the climatic variables which affect grain moisture. These include rainfall and dew which deposit water directly …

Soil And Plant Analysis For Mineral Deficiencies, M D. Carroll

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

Soil and plant analysis (testing) has its supporters and its critics. Some of the differences are resolved if the distinction is made between the concept and the practice. Most people would agree with the concept of soil and plant analysis but the practice, or service offered, in any agricultural situation can be subject to valid criticism.

This article defines some of the principles involved and illustrates some of the problems, to provide a better understanding of the usefulness and the limitations of soil and plant analysis as a diagnostic aid in plant and animal nutrition.

Agriculture And Pollution In Western Australia. Part 1. Background, C V. Malcolm

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

For centuries there has been awareness of pollution but it has received dramatic publicity in recent years.

In Western Australia, provisions for its control are written into the Health Act and many other Acts besides the Environmental Protection Act of 1971.

A number of factors have acted worldwide and locally to increase awareness and concern about pollution, and to justify careful examination of the problems it causes.

Agriculture And Pollution In Western Australia. Part 2. Pollution Problems In W.A, C V. Malcolm

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

In Part I pollution was defined as a reduction in the usefulness of a resource and its significance in relation to resource fragility was discussed. Pollution problems in Western Australia are here considered in broad geographical regions with further subdivision into pollution types.

Growing Plants With Salty Water, C V. Malcolm, S. T. Smith

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

LACK of good quality water in many parts of Western Australia often forces people to use salty water for irrigation and gardening.

This article gives some hints on how to reduce salt damage to plants when salty water must be used for irrigation or gardening.

It includes a table of plants which may be irrigated with water of varying degrees of salinity and lists precautions which should be taken for each group.

Irrigating With Underground Water, T C. Calder

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

MANY farmers in South-West areas are looking to irrigation to increase and diversify farm production, particularly on the sandy coastal plain where irrigation in summer is essential for vegetable, fruit and fodder production.

Control Of Water Resources In W.A, T C. Calder

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

Use of underground and surface water is controlled so that the supplies are available to the general benefit of all domestic, industrial and agricultural users in a particular area.

Water is a valuable resource and its contamination and wastage must be avoided. This article outlines the provisions of the Rights in Water Act which is designed to protect water supplies from undue exploitation, contamination and wastage.

Soil Conservation Land Use, J E. Watson

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

MANY things are blamed for soil erosion—including storms, fires, cost-price squeezes, ploughing downhill and rabbits. But the basic factor is the risk involved in the way the land is used.

It is therefore vital that everyone—not only farmers—should begin their thinking about soil conservation from the land use aspect (of which special practices such as contouring, are a small though spectacular part.)