Soil Science Commons^™

Designing Soil Covers For Ecological Restoration Of Mine Waste, Lucy Commander, Luis Merino-Martin, Peter Golos, Carole Elliott, Jason Stevens, Ben Miller

The State of Soil Science in WA

Iron-ore mining is a major industry in Western Australia. The process of iron-ore extraction results in waste rock which may be backfilled into the pit void or discarded to form ‘waste rock dumps’ and fines, a by-product of crushing iron-ore. Resource companies have a legal and social responsibility to restore waste-rock dumps using local species. However, waste material may not be ideal for plant growth. Hence, as well as gaining an understanding of soil chemical and physical properties of waste materials, it is important to understand the plants interactions with the soil, especially in the early stages of restoration, such …

Efficacy Of A Phosphate Bio-Mineral Fertilizer Varied With P Concentration And P Solubility, Salmabi Assainar, Lynette Abbott, Paul Storer, Kadambot Siddique, Zakaria Solaiman

The State of Soil Science in WA

Bio-mineral fertilizers are gaining increasing attention in cropping systems. Phosphorus (P) use efficiency for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from bio-mineral fertilizers is not well studied. We investigated the efficiency of a bio-mineral fertilizer (rock mineral fertilizer inoculated with a multispecies microbial inoculant and augmented with different phosphorus sources of varying concentration) under both glasshouse and field conditions.

Engineering In Situ Soil And Plant Microbiomes To Improve Agricultural Productivity, Falko Mathes, Fiona Mcdonald, Peter Keating

The State of Soil Science in WA

The world’s population is predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050 thus increasing crop production on current agricultural land to meet the rising demand for food is paramount. Farmers routinely manage both plant and soil nutrition to increase crop yields. However, active management of in situ soil and plant microbiomes to improve productivity is uncommon. Here, we present a patented technology aiming to reliably engineer soil and plant microbiomes to increase crop production. Bioprime is a ferment of molasses that can be applied as seed coating, or as foliar and soil spray.

Humic Acid Coated Phosphatic Fertilizers Enhance Growth, Yield And Phosphorus Uptake Of Maize Crop In Alkaline Soil, Muhammed Shafi, Muhammed Sharif, Dost Muhammed, Ahmed Khan, Farmanullah Khan, Mehran Ali, Zakaria Solaiman

The State of Soil Science in WA

Phosphorus availability to crop is one of the major causes of poor crop production worldwide. Effect of inorganic phosphorus (P) fertiliser sources, i.e., nitro phosphate (NP), di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and single superphosphate (SSP) coated with different humic acid levels on crop production and P utilization efficiency (PUE) of maize was studied.

Impact Of Lime And Gypsum On Wheat Yield, Soil And Solution Properties In The Short And Long Term, Geoff Anderson, Shahab Pathan, David Hall, Rajesh Sharma, James Easton

The State of Soil Science in WA

No abstract provided.

Yield Response To Deep Ripping Of Canola, Wheat And Barley On Soils With Multiple Constraints, Shahab Pathan, David Hall, Tony Murfit

The State of Soil Science in WA

Yellow Tenosols (yellow deep sand) in the Western Australian grainbelt often have multiple constraints to crop production, which include non-wetting, subsoil compaction and acidity. As a result of these multiple limitations these soils have been considered poor cropping soils with estimated costs in lost production exceeding $200/ha. A systems approach to managing these soils has been developed to improve crop production, which includes a winter fallow, limesand application and deep tillage in late winter and seeding canola in the following autumn.

Impact Of Lime And Gypsum On Wheat Yield, Soil And Solution Properties In The Short And Long Term, Geoff Anderson, Shahab Pathan, David Hall, Rajesh Sharma, James Easton

The State of Soil Science in WA

Subsoil aluminium (Al) toxicity or soils with AlCaCl2 content > 2.5 mg Al kg-1 in the soil layers below 10 cm is a significant problem in south Western Australia. Both lime and gypsum can be used to treat subsoils Al toxicity because these products decrease the toxic effect of soil Al leading to an increase in crop grain yields. In this presentation, results are reported from three field lime by gypsum rate experiments located in the east of Merredin.

Influence Of Lime And Crop Rotation On Soil Nitrogen, Dry Matter Production And Microbial Biomass; A Field Trial, Merredin, Wa, Manjula 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. Meanwhile, legumes are grown rotationally with cereals to increase plant-available soil N levels. We used a field experiment at Merredin, WA (Latitude -31.483347; Longitude 118.219093) to measure the influence of historic lime application and crop rotation on soil N availability and microbial biomass carbon (MBC).

Microalgae And Phototrophic Purple Bacteria For Nutrient Recovery From Agri-Industrial Effluents; Influences On Plant Growth, Rhizosphere Bacteria, And Putative C & N Cycling Genes, Somayeh Zarezadeh, Bede S. Mickan, Sasah Jenkins, Tim Hulsen, Hossein Raihi, Navid R. Moheiman

The State of Soil Science in WA

Microalgae (MA) and purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) have the ability to remove and recover nutrients from digestate (anaerobic digestion effluent) and pre-settled pig manure that can be utilized as a bio-fertilizer. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of biologically recovered nutrients from MA and PPB in relation to plant growth and soil biological processes involved in nitrogen & carbon cycling.

Investigation Of The Common Mycorrhizal Network Concept: Plant Growth Responses In Simulated Intercropping Of A Legume And Grass Under Water Stress, Bede S. Mickan, Miranda Hart, Zakaira Solaiman, Kadambot H.M. Siddique, Sasha Jenkins, Lynette K. Adams

The State of Soil Science in WA

It is widely claimed that the common mycorrhizal network (CMN) plays a significant role in facilitated transfer of nutrients between plants. This experiment investigated the role of a common mycorrhizal network between a C3 legume and a C4 grass under nutrient and water-limited conditions.

A Fast And Inexpensive Molecular Biological Assay To Assess Soil Health, Fiona Mcdonald, Falko Mathes, Peter Keating

The State of Soil Science in WA

Soil health and biology is capturing public imagination due to its significance in organic and regenerative agriculture and its role in mitigating climate change (a location for potential carbon sequestration). Programs centred on soil health are supported by farmers and funding bodies such as the Soil Biology Initiative (Grains Research and Development Corporation), the National Landcare Program, and the Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils. Additionally, global businesses are diverting resources into understanding soil and crop microbiomes to develop novel technologies that increase soil health and crop productivity to commercialise a variety of products including soil amendments (e.g. sea …

Samphires (Tecticornia Species) For Dryland Salinity Management In Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Samphire is the common name for native plants from the genus Tecticornia (synonym Halosarcia). Although slower growing than saltbush and bluebush species, samphires have higher tolerance to saline conditions and waterlogging, and are common in waterlogged saline areas of south-west Western Australia.

Samphire is not a desirable grazing species.

Tall Wheatgrass (Thinopyrum Ponticum) For Dryland Salinity Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum) has been widely planted in Western Australia on saline land in the southern agricultural areas, on land that shows signs of salt and is not permanently waterlogged.

The information provided here assumes that tall wheatgrass is being grazed effectively by livestock.

Short And Long Term Effects Of Lime And Gypsum Applications On Acid Soils In A Water-Limited Environment: 3. Soil Solution Chemistry, Geoff Anderson, Shahab Pathan, David Hall, Rajesh Sharma, James Easton

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Aluminum (Al) toxicity imposes a significant limitation to crop production in South Western Australia. This paper examines the impact of surface-applied lime and gypsum on soil solution chemistry in the short term (1 year) and the long-term (10 years) in water limited environments. In the experiments, we measured soil solution chemistry using a paste extract on soil profile samples collected to a depth of 50 cm. We then used the chemical equilibrium model MINTEQ to predict the presence and relative concentrations of Al species that are toxic to root growth (Al associated with Al3+ and AlOH2 or Toxic-Al) and less …

Short And Long Term Effects Of Lime And Gypsum Applications On Acid Soils In A Water-Limited Environment: 2. Soil Chemical Properties, Geoff Anderson, Shahab Pathan, James Easton, David Hall, Rajesh Sharma

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Soil acidity or aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major limitation to crop production. In this paper, we examine the effects of surface-applied lime and gypsum on soil profile chemical properties that affect Al toxicity in short-term (1 year), medium-term (2 years and 8 months) and long-term (10 years) experiments. Sulfate applied to the soil surface as gypsum was leached rapidly to a depth of 40 cm in the short-term despite relatively low amounts (279 mm) of rainfall. In the medium and long-term experiments, 28–54% of the sulfate applied as gypsum was retained in the 0–50 cm soil layer due to …

Soil Management Systems To Overcome Multiple Constraints For Dryland Crops On Deep Sands In A Water Limited Environment On The South Coast Of Western Australia, David J. Hall, Stephen L. Davies, Richard W. Bell, Tom Edwards

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Deep sands on the south coast sandplain of Western Australia (WA) have multiple soil constraints including water repellence, high soil strength, low nutrient levels and subsoil acidity. The aim of the study was to test contrasting methods of managing water repellence and to assess their impacts on one or more soil constraints to crop production. These methods included seeding tyne design (knife point, winged points, paired row), soil wetting agent addition, strategic inversion tillage (rotary spading, mouldboard ploughing to 0.35 m) and clay-rich subsoil addition (170 t ha−1 with incorporation by spading to 0.20 or 0.35 m). Limesand (2 t …

Slow Movement Of Alkali From Surface-Applied Lime Warrants The Introduction Of Strategic Tillage For Rapid Amelioration Of Subsurface Acidity In South-Western Australia, Gaus Azam, Chris Gazey

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Conventional surface-application of agricultural lime takes many years to increase pH deeper in the soil profile, which is a barrier to increased adoption of liming. We conducted a series of experiments to measure the rate of vertical movement of alkali and identify the factors that determine this movement into the subsurface, to evaluate the feasibility of ameliorating acidic subsurface soil using residual (undissolved) lime (CaCO3) at Wongan Hills (30.85°S, 116.74°E) and Merredin (31.48°S, 118.21°E) and to test whether deep tillage and lime incorporation can significantly speed up the amelioration of subsurface soil acidity at Kalannie (30.42°S, 117.29°E). Multiple applications of …

Short And Long Term Effects Of Lime And Gypsum Applications On Acid Soils In A Water-Limited Environment: 1. Grain Yield Response And Nutrient Concentration, Geoff Anderson, Shahab Pathan, James Easton, David Hall, Rajesh Sharma

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Surface (0–10 cm) and subsoil (soil layers below 10 cm) acidity and resulting aluminum (Al) toxicity reduce crop grain yields. In South Western Australia (SWA), these constraints affect 14.2 million hectares or 53% of the agricultural area. Both lime (L, CaCO3) and gypsum (G, CaSO4) application can decrease the toxic effect of Al, leading to an increase in crop grain yields. Within the region, it is unclear if G alone or the combined use of L and G has a role in alleviating soil acidity in SWA, due to low sulfate S (SO4–S) sorption properties of the soil. We present …

Geology, Soils And Climate Of The Margaret River Wine Region, Peter J. Tille, Angela Stuart-Street, Peter S. Gardiner

All other publications

This report is an extract from the broader description and analysis of the Geology, soils and climate of Western Australia's wine regions. It expands on the brief descriptions in the second edition of 'Viticulture' (Coombe & Dry 2004) concerning the soils and landscapes of Western Australia’s main wine growing regions. We have tailored this report extract to the specific needs of the Margaret River wine region. It contains local soil names and soil-landscape zones and systems maps.

The wine industry recognises the importance of giving customers an understanding of the vines’ environment and how that may influence wine character …

Sulfate Sorption Measured By A Buffering Index Over A Range Of Properties Of Soils From South Western Australia, Geoff Anderson

Natural Resources Research Articles

Sulfate sorption by the soil affects the rate of sulfate leaching, which impacts on the availability of soil sulfate for plant uptake. In Australia, plant-available sulfur is measured using 0.25 M KCl heated for 3 h at 40°C to extract soil sulfur (SKCl40). This paper describes a technique referred to as a sulfate buffering index (SBI), which provides a measurement of sulfate sorption. SBI when combined with the estimates of the q and b parameters of the Freundlich equation, can be used to define a sorption curve. The equation is S = acb – q; where S is the …

The Effect Of Soil Ph On Phosphorus Content Of Clover Pasture, David Weaver, Robert Summers, David Rogers, Peta Richards

Resource management technical reports

Testing of pasture soils from 2009 to 2018, as part of DPIRD’s Whole Farm Nutrient Mapping (WFNM) project in the coastal catchments of south-west Western Australia (WA), indicated that soil pH was so low it could be limiting plant access to nutrients. Observations by some farmers who had been involved in the soil testing were that lime application had not increased pasture production, even when pH_Ca (pH measured in calcium chloride) tests indicated that phosphorus (P) should become more available by increasing soil pH. Farmers also wanted to know if they needed to apply more P than soil testing …

Soil Amendment And Soil Testing As Nutrient Reduction Strategies For The Peel Integrated Water Initiative, Robert Summers, Peta Richards, David Weaver, David Rowe

Resource management technical reports

The Transform Peel program focuses on 42 000 hectares (ha) due east of Mandurah called the Peel Food Zone, 75 kilometres (km) south of Perth in the shires of Murray and Serpentine Jarrahdale and includes an assessment of intensified and enclosed agriculture and a business park. The Peel Integrated Water Initiative was developed through Transform Peel to identify water sources and minimise the effect of these projects on water quality by reducing the nutrient loads discharged into the Peel–Harvey Estuarine System, which has been suffering from poor water quality for this reason.

The mineral sand miner MZI Resources Pty Ltd …

Best Practice Soil Sampling To Depth The Key To Enable Growers To Manage Soil Acidity, Stephen Carr

The State of Soil Science in WA

Soil acidity affects approximately 50 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia, predominantly in Western Australia (WA) and New South Wales (State of the Environment 2011 committee). Subsurface acidity below 0.1 m, in particular, is a major land degradation issue throughout the WA wheatbelt. Soil acidification is an inevitable consequence of productive agriculture, largely through the addition of acidifying fertilizers, leaching of nitrates and removal of alkaline plant products.

What Lies Deep Beneath – Acid Sulfate Soil Impacts On Groundwater Resources Used For Irrigation, Brad Degens

The State of Soil Science in WA

Over 17 years have passed since the hazards posed by Acid Sulfate Soils (ASS) were recognised in WA with a catastrophic oxidation event during dewatering of a development in Perth’s northern suburbs. Since then, regional mapping has identified ASS risks lies beneath over 6000 km2 (about half) of the Swan Coastal plain. The risks posed by these soils are mostly to water quality and aquatic ecosystems rather than the directly to soils for agricultural production purposes.

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.