ORCID Profile
0000-0003-4319-6018
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
Publisher: Humana Press
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-986-0_28
Abstract: Soil salinity is a form of land degradation in which salts accumulate in the soil profile to an extent that plant growth or infrastructure are negatively affected. A range of both field and laboratory procedures exist for measuring soil salinity. In the field, soil salinity is usually inferred from apparent electrical conductivity (EC(a)) using a range of devices, depending on the required depth of analysis, or size of the survey area. Field measurements of EC(a) require calibration to the actual salt content by laboratory analysis. In the laboratory, soil salinity is usually assessed by determining either the total soluble salts by evaporation of a soil water extract (TSS), or by determining the electrical conductivity (EC) of either a 1:5 distilled water:soil dilution, or a saturated paste extract. Although procedures for measuring soil salinity appear relatively straightforward, differences in methodology have considerable influence on measured values and interpretation of results.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/SR14062
Abstract: Permanent pastures, which include sown, native and naturalised pastures, account for 4.3 Mha (56%) of the national land use in Australia. Given their extent, pastures are of great interest with respect to their potential to influence national carbon (C) budgets and CO2 mitigation. Increasing soil organic C (SOC) mitigates greenhouse gases while providing other benefits such as pasture productivity, soil health and ecosystem services. Several management approaches have been recommended to increase C sequestration in pasture-based systems however, results have proved variable and often contradictory between sites and years. Here, we present an overview of the processes and mechanisms responsible for C sequestration in permanent pastures. In addition, we discuss the merits of traditional and emerging pasture-management practices for increasing SOC in pastures, with a focus on dryland pasture systems of south-eastern Australia. We conclude by summarising the knowledge gaps and research priorities for soil C-sequestration research in dryland pastures. Our review confirms that soils under a range of pasture types have considerable potential for sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in Australia, and that the magnitude of this potential can be greatly modified by pasture-management practices. Although the shortage of long-term studies under Australian conditions limits our ability to predict the potential of various management approaches to sequester soil C, our review indicates that prevention of erosion through maintenance of groundcover and adoption of options that promote deep C sequestration are likely to confer broad-scale maintenance or increases in SOC in pasture soils over a decade or longer. We acknowledge that the evidence is limited therefore, confidence in the recommended practices in different locations and climates is largely unknown.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/SR15326
Abstract: Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions contribute 6% of the global warming effect and are derived from the activity of soil-based microorganisms involved in nitrification and denitrification processes. There is a paucity of greenhouse gas emissions data for Australia’s horticulture industry. In this study we investigated N2O flux from two deciduous fruit tree crops, apples and cherries, in two predominant growing regions in eastern Australia, the Huon Valley in southern Tasmania (Lucaston – apples and Lower Longley – cherries), and high altitude northern New South Wales (Orange – apples and Young – cherries). Estimated from manual chamber measurements over a 12-month period, average daily emissions were very low ranging from 0.78gN2O-Nha–1day–1 in the apple orchard at Lucaston to 1.86gN2O-Nha–1day–1 in the cherry orchard in Lower Longley. Daily emissions were up to 50% higher in summer (maximum 5.27gN2O-Nha–1day–1 at Lower Longley) than winter (maximum 2.47gN2O-Nha–1day–1 at Young) across the four trial orchards. N2O emissions were ~40% greater in the inter-row than the tree line for each orchard. Daily flux rates were used as a loss estimate for annual emissions, which ranged from 298gN2O-Nha–1year–1 at Lucaston to 736gN2O-Nha–1year–1 at Lower Longley. Emissions were poorly correlated with soil temperature, volumetric water content, water filled porosity, gravimetric water content and matric potential – with inconsistent patterns between sites, within the tree line and inter-row and between seasons. Stepwise linear regression models for the Lucaston site accounted for less than 10% of the variance in N2O emissions, for which soil temperature was the strongest predictor. N2O emissions in deciduous tree crops were among the lowest recorded for Australian agriculture, most likely due to low rates of N fertiliser, cool temperate growing conditions and highly efficient drip irrigation systems. We recommend that optimising nutrient use efficiency with improved drainage and a reduction in soil compaction in the inter-row will facilitate further mitigation of N2O emissions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-12-2014
Start Date: 2009
End Date: 2017
Funder: Horticulture Innovation Australia
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2012
End Date: 2014
Funder: Department of Agriculture
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2013
End Date: 2013
Funder: Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2015
End Date: 2018
Funder: Department of Agriculture
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2013
End Date: 2015
Funder: Department of Agriculture
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2015
End Date: 2019
Funder: Horticulture Innovation Australia
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2015
End Date: 2018
Funder: Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2015
End Date: 2016
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded Activity