Soil Science Commons^™

Bulletin No 3861 - Kimberley Research Station - Progress Report 1972, J. R. Mcalpine, R. H. Gunn, P. Jakobsen, R. Wetselaar, J. J. Basinski, N. J. Thomson, A. G. L. Wilson, D. H. Mackenzie, A. J. Millington, D. F. Beech, P. C. Owen, B. G. Williams, C. G. Blunt, A. Mcr Holm

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

The systematic investigations of the potential of the Ord area for irrigated farming began during the Second World War when the possibilities of damming the river were first examined, initial soil survey was carried out, and agricultural experiments started. The Kimberley Research Station was established on its present site in 1945. A year later the State and Commonwealth Governments agreed to finance and operate the Station jointly, with CSIRO and the Western Australian Department of Agriculture being responsible for research.

The construction of the main dam designed to store 5,675 million m" ( 4.6 million acre feet) was completed in …

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.

Promising Results On West Kimberley Pindan Country, A L. Payne

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

IN the 22 to 28 inch rainfall belt of the West Kimberley area of Western Australia are extensive areas of what is locally known as "pindan" country.

The term "pindan" refers to a light red or yellow sandy soil type supporting scattered Eucalypts, sparse-dense wattle scrub and grasses such as curly spinifex, ribbon grass and native sorghum.

Lupins In Western Australia. 2. Cultivation Methods, John Sylvester Gladstones

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

While lupins are by and large plants of lighter and less fertile soils, important differences exist among them in their soil preferences.

There may also be some differences in climatic requirements. Present knowledge of these differences is summarized in the Table below.

A Soil And Vegetation Inventory And Analysis Of Three Nebraska Sandhills Range Sites, Donald F. Burzlaff

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

This study was undertaken to inventory the soils and vegetation of certain areas of the Sandhills and to seek edaphic characteristics that may be the limiting factor in the distribution of various plant species. Information of this nature will permit formulation of more accurate management practices because of a refinement in delineation of range sites.

Potassium Deficiency In Medium Rainfall Areas, William John Toms

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

IT is well known that potassic fertilisers must be used for the successful growth of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) on many soils in the higher rainfall districts of Western Australia.

Recent investigations have shown that some soils in medium rainfall districts are also too low in potassium to grow healthy subterranean clover pastures.

Healthy Pastures, F E. Ryan

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

IN sweeping away forests to make room for pastures we have taken on the responsibility of maintaining these areas in a condition suitable for the growth of pasture plants.

This is done by a choice of suitable species, fertilising, cultivating, drainage, control of grazing and by weed and insect control.

Microorganisms And Soil Structure, T. M. Mccalla, F. A. Haskins

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

SUMMARY

Good stable soil structure is valuable for promoting the growth of plants and micro-organisms by permitting enhanced aeration and water penetration and by decreasing erosion under some conditions.

Micro-organisms influence water percolation through the soil. They may plug up soil pores with byproducts of growth and reduce water percolation. On the other hand, if a soil containing a large amount of microbial products is stirred and allowed to dry, then the percolation may be high.

Micro-organisms are involved in stabilizing soil structure by their products of decomposition and their cellular binding material, such as mycelia. Microorganisms differ greatly in …

Microorganisms And Soil Structure, T. M. Mccalla

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

SUMMARY

Laboratory tests were made to determine the effectiveness of different compounds and microbial groups in increasing the stability of Peorian loess lumps against the action of falling water drops. The influence of these on percolation tests in the laboratory was also determined.

Many organic substances-dextrose, sucrose, starch, peptone, cullulose, and gum arabic-did not themselves contribute directly to soil-structure stability, though these substances do furnish energy material for soil microorganisms, which can convert them readily into either microbial tissue or decomposition products that increase soil-structure stability. Lignin, proteins, oils, fats, waxes, resin, and paraffin increased the stability of lumps of …