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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
Coal-ash as a resource for sustainable soil-management in plant production systems. Acidification and salinisation are major causes of land degradation in Australia, costing $1-2 billion to combat. Farmers used 1.9M t of lime and 1.0M t of gypsum to manage their soils in 2000. Power stations annually produce 12M t of coal-ash that have functional characteristics of lime and gypsum and can potentially ameliorate degraded land. Presently only 43% of the ash is used and almost entirely for constr ....Coal-ash as a resource for sustainable soil-management in plant production systems. Acidification and salinisation are major causes of land degradation in Australia, costing $1-2 billion to combat. Farmers used 1.9M t of lime and 1.0M t of gypsum to manage their soils in 2000. Power stations annually produce 12M t of coal-ash that have functional characteristics of lime and gypsum and can potentially ameliorate degraded land. Presently only 43% of the ash is used and almost entirely for construction with the rest going into landfills. This project will determine the sustainable use of coal-ash to improve structure and nutritive properties of the soil and to raise crop yield across several sites in Australia.Read moreRead less
Using modelling to optimise the structure and function of crop root systems for dryland agriculture. The crop root systems are poorly suited to harsh conditions in Australian agriculture, especially as climate is getting drier. Poor water-use efficiency lowers crop yields below the potential yield; moreover, unutilised water and nutrients contribute to environmental problems, eg salinity and eutrophication. This project will use our simulation model to develop computer-aided design of 3-D root s ....Using modelling to optimise the structure and function of crop root systems for dryland agriculture. The crop root systems are poorly suited to harsh conditions in Australian agriculture, especially as climate is getting drier. Poor water-use efficiency lowers crop yields below the potential yield; moreover, unutilised water and nutrients contribute to environmental problems, eg salinity and eutrophication. This project will use our simulation model to develop computer-aided design of 3-D root structure and function (water and nutrient uptake) tailored to particular environments. Modelling will also link suitable root traits to genetic markers in well-characterised lupin germplasm. The blueprint developed here will be adaptable to other crops. The project will enhance breeding for increased water- and nutrient-use efficiency.Read moreRead less
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
Role of organic matter in soil pH change in agro-ecosystems. Over 50 million hectares of arable lands in Australia are affected by soil acidity. Acidity-affected lands continue to expand due to the ongoing process of acidification under current farming practices. The project will provide new knowledge essential for the improved use and management of organic matter to minimize or reverse soil acidification and increase carbon sequestration in farming systems. The associated reduction of soil aci ....Role of organic matter in soil pH change in agro-ecosystems. Over 50 million hectares of arable lands in Australia are affected by soil acidity. Acidity-affected lands continue to expand due to the ongoing process of acidification under current farming practices. The project will provide new knowledge essential for the improved use and management of organic matter to minimize or reverse soil acidification and increase carbon sequestration in farming systems. The associated reduction of soil acidification will also minimise the negative impact of nutrient and water losses on the environment. Growers will benefit from the project through improved soil fertility and crop production, and sustainable land use. Read moreRead less
Fingerprinting the soil microbial metagenome. The understanding of the impact of current farming systems on soil biology is in its infancy. Technology previously used to examine soil biology only investigates a very small percentage of all soil organisms. We will use an innovative new technology (DArT) to rapidly gain an overview of all soil microbial biodiversity. We will then evaluate the impact of agricultural practices on that biodiversity, firstly based on our long term trial site exhibiti ....Fingerprinting the soil microbial metagenome. The understanding of the impact of current farming systems on soil biology is in its infancy. Technology previously used to examine soil biology only investigates a very small percentage of all soil organisms. We will use an innovative new technology (DArT) to rapidly gain an overview of all soil microbial biodiversity. We will then evaluate the impact of agricultural practices on that biodiversity, firstly based on our long term trial site exhibiting common farming practices, and then by a broader regional survey. Our longer term goal is to find microbiological indicators of healthy soil through a vastly improved ability to determine a wide range of beneficial and disease organisms to identify sustainable farming practices.Read moreRead less
Below-ground processes: filling the missing gap in predicting the response of grain production to elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) in southern Australia. Climate change is expected to have major impacts on the Australian grains industry, which is worth $7 billion annually. Although increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are expected to initially increase plant productivity, the realisation of these productivity benefits is expected to be limited by water and/or nutrient deficiencies. Given o ....Below-ground processes: filling the missing gap in predicting the response of grain production to elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) in southern Australia. Climate change is expected to have major impacts on the Australian grains industry, which is worth $7 billion annually. Although increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are expected to initially increase plant productivity, the realisation of these productivity benefits is expected to be limited by water and/or nutrient deficiencies. Given our low rainfall and infertile soils, there is considerable uncertainty about the applicability of overseas data used to model how Australian grain systems will respond to climate change (especially elevated CO2). This project will lead to better predictions of the impact of climate change on Australian grain systems so that appropriate adaptation responses can be developed by government and industry.Read moreRead less