Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance ....Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance of nutrient uptake by plants. The effects of the developed method on nutrient use efficiency and leaching loss, and crop yields will be quantified under different soil types and climatic conditions.Read moreRead less
Integrated Carbon Accounting and Information Management Systems. The aim of this project is to integrate environmental science and information technology to enhance carbon accounting management. The project is significant because it will provide for the first time a mechanism by which potential investors in forestry/carbon sequestration programs will be able to acquire online advice on what trees and soil types are most compatible, when and how to plant. This project will provide an interactive ....Integrated Carbon Accounting and Information Management Systems. The aim of this project is to integrate environmental science and information technology to enhance carbon accounting management. The project is significant because it will provide for the first time a mechanism by which potential investors in forestry/carbon sequestration programs will be able to acquire online advice on what trees and soil types are most compatible, when and how to plant. This project will provide an interactive web based program to calculate the environmental and economic value of such an investment, assess current market trends and access to scientists, brokers, current legislation and applicable publications.Read moreRead less
The Sustainable Effluent Irrigation Project - Effects of effluent irrigation on soil sodicity and groundwater quality. The land application of recycled municipal effluent is now regularly practised by a number of local authorities and agencies responsible for centralised collection of wastewater, its treatment and disposal. Treated municipal effluent is often land applied and used to grow hardwood plantations. Hardwood plantations are very effective in producing large amounts of biomass and also ....The Sustainable Effluent Irrigation Project - Effects of effluent irrigation on soil sodicity and groundwater quality. The land application of recycled municipal effluent is now regularly practised by a number of local authorities and agencies responsible for centralised collection of wastewater, its treatment and disposal. Treated municipal effluent is often land applied and used to grow hardwood plantations. Hardwood plantations are very effective in producing large amounts of biomass and also assist agencies in off-setting wastewater treatment and disposal costs associated with advanced wastewater treatment to remove nutrients. This project will examine the effects of effluent irrigation on soil chemistry and groundwater quality at two hardwood plantations in the Hunter Valley, NSW. It is increasingly clear that large-scale reuse schemes, particularly those involving hardwood plantations, must be designed to be sustainable and have no significant impact on soil chemistry (increasing sodicity) and groundwater. This project will develop irrigation regimes for hardwood plantations which will promote soil productivity and optimize effluent application rates for pollutant removal and biomass production.
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Synchronising phosphorus fertilisation with plant phosphorus demand: a tactic to reduce phosphorus transfer from land to water. Phosphorus loss from intensive pasture systems is a major issue internationally due to the pollution and nutrient enrichment of water ways. This study will examine how a strategy of synchronising phosphorus (P) fertiliser to periods of high P demand in ryegrass (Lolium perenne) may be used to improve the efficiency of P uptake and thereby reduce P losses in surface run ....Synchronising phosphorus fertilisation with plant phosphorus demand: a tactic to reduce phosphorus transfer from land to water. Phosphorus loss from intensive pasture systems is a major issue internationally due to the pollution and nutrient enrichment of water ways. This study will examine how a strategy of synchronising phosphorus (P) fertiliser to periods of high P demand in ryegrass (Lolium perenne) may be used to improve the efficiency of P uptake and thereby reduce P losses in surface runoff. Simple models will be used to identify the key risk factors associated with surface P loss in order to improve the sustainability of P fertiliser use in pasture systems.Read moreRead less
Understanding reaction products of granular and fluid P fertilisers in Australian soils: a way to enhance fertiliser efficiency. Despite posing significant challenges for crop P nutrition, alkaline soils are widespread in Australia and their agricultural use accounts for a significant fraction of the crop production nationwide. The benefits of fluid fertilizers over conventional granular products in these soils has been agronomically demonstrated. Knowledge of the behaviour of these products, pr ....Understanding reaction products of granular and fluid P fertilisers in Australian soils: a way to enhance fertiliser efficiency. Despite posing significant challenges for crop P nutrition, alkaline soils are widespread in Australia and their agricultural use accounts for a significant fraction of the crop production nationwide. The benefits of fluid fertilizers over conventional granular products in these soils has been agronomically demonstrated. Knowledge of the behaviour of these products, provided through an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms and reactions occurring, is critical to improve crop productivity. This project aims to study the reactions of fluid and granular fertilizers in soils using advanced spectroscopic and isotopic techniques, in order to provide a scientific basis for improving formulations and effectiveness.Read moreRead less
Links between carbon and nitrogen cycling processes in forest soils: An innovative approach with both NMR and stable isotope techniques. Understanding the critical links between soil carbon and nitrogen cycling processes in forest ecosystems is necessary for developing effective site management to enhance forest productivity and environmental benefits. In the first application of 14N-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to soil humic acid (HA), we have discovered that surprisingly nitrate-N is prese ....Links between carbon and nitrogen cycling processes in forest soils: An innovative approach with both NMR and stable isotope techniques. Understanding the critical links between soil carbon and nitrogen cycling processes in forest ecosystems is necessary for developing effective site management to enhance forest productivity and environmental benefits. In the first application of 14N-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to soil humic acid (HA), we have discovered that surprisingly nitrate-N is present in soil HAs, with the HA-nitrate N extremely sensitive to forest management practices. This project represents the first attempt to integrate the use of advanced NMR and stable isotope techniques to examine both chemical and biological linkages between carbon and nitrogen cycling processes in Australian and US forest ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Role of stubble management in improving soil fertility. In highly-weathered nutrient-poor soils of the south-western Australia, the amount of nutrients in stubble is critical in nutrient cycling as well as in determining optimal amounts of fertilisers to be applied. Stubble management is therefore an integral part of crop fertilisation and nutrient management. We will characterise nutrient cycling in the stubble-soil-crop continuum in a range of cropping situations. Computer modelling will be us ....Role of stubble management in improving soil fertility. In highly-weathered nutrient-poor soils of the south-western Australia, the amount of nutrients in stubble is critical in nutrient cycling as well as in determining optimal amounts of fertilisers to be applied. Stubble management is therefore an integral part of crop fertilisation and nutrient management. We will characterise nutrient cycling in the stubble-soil-crop continuum in a range of cropping situations. Computer modelling will be used to extend applicability of results over space and time. This project will provide the knowledge required for improving fertiliser recommendations to take into account changes in the cropping systems that have occurred in the last 10-20 years.Read moreRead less
Explaining the interactions between drought and fertiliser use efficiency using tracing and imaging techniques. With climate change, Australian agriculture is faced with periods of increasing drought and changing rainfall patterns. At the same time, Australian farmers are faced with increasing costs of fertiliser inputs (their largest variable input cost), yet have little information on how they should change their nutrient management programs to suit the changing climatic conditions. This proje ....Explaining the interactions between drought and fertiliser use efficiency using tracing and imaging techniques. With climate change, Australian agriculture is faced with periods of increasing drought and changing rainfall patterns. At the same time, Australian farmers are faced with increasing costs of fertiliser inputs (their largest variable input cost), yet have little information on how they should change their nutrient management programs to suit the changing climatic conditions. This project aims to determine the effect of drought and rainfall patterns on the efficiency of fertiliser use by crops, through examination of the effects of soil moisture conditions on the interaction between soil and added fertilisers. Read moreRead less
Tracing nitrogen through wet tropical aquifers using stable isotopic signatures, molecular markers and gas emissions. The project aims at enabling land managers to reduce the loss of nitrogen into creeks, rivers and estuaries of the Great Barrier Reef catchments. This will improve the economic and environmental viability of primary production while restoring the quality of aquatic and marine ecosystems. The results will identify parts of the landscape where land management needs to change and ov ....Tracing nitrogen through wet tropical aquifers using stable isotopic signatures, molecular markers and gas emissions. The project aims at enabling land managers to reduce the loss of nitrogen into creeks, rivers and estuaries of the Great Barrier Reef catchments. This will improve the economic and environmental viability of primary production while restoring the quality of aquatic and marine ecosystems. The results will identify parts of the landscape where land management needs to change and over what time scale improvements would be apparent. These outputs address the water quality priorites and targets of the 'Reef Water Quality Protection Plan' of the State and National governments and the 'Far North Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan'.Read moreRead less
Assessment of bentonites as remediating agents for metal contaminated soils using innovative bioavailability reduction technology. The project seeks to carry out research on innovative, economically sustainable risk-based solutions (soil amendments) for metal-contaminated soils and methods for assessing the potential risk/bioavailability of soil bound metals. The work will determine factors affecting the reactivity, mobility and bioavailability of metals in Australian soils and clays and method ....Assessment of bentonites as remediating agents for metal contaminated soils using innovative bioavailability reduction technology. The project seeks to carry out research on innovative, economically sustainable risk-based solutions (soil amendments) for metal-contaminated soils and methods for assessing the potential risk/bioavailability of soil bound metals. The work will determine factors affecting the reactivity, mobility and bioavailability of metals in Australian soils and clays and methods by which these can be controlled. Remediation options, such as natural clay amendments to reduce metal bioavailability, will be assessed against in vivo and in vitro bioavailability assays in order to develop cost effective, risk-based remediation strategies and assessment protocols for urban and rural contaminated soils.Read moreRead less