Use of long-season annual legumes and herbaceous perennials in pastures to manage deep drainage in acidic sandy soils in Western Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. R. P. Fillery ◽  
R. E. Poulter
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Herbaceous Perennials ◽  
C3 Grasses

The effect of including phases of long-growing-season annuals and herbaceous perennial pastures on water use was examined at 2 sites (deep sand and duplex soil) in Western Australia. Herbaceous perennials used were lucerne (Medicago sativa), and a mix of C3 grasses comprising phalaris (Phalaris aquatica), tall wheat grass (Thinopryum ponticum), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) (perennial grass treatment). The long-season annual treatment was a mix of yellow and pink serradella (Ornithopus sp.) and Casbah biserrula (Biserrula pelecinus). These treatments were compared with annual-based pasture that was a mixture of subterranean clover with capeweed and Brassica species, and annual crops. Pasture treatments were first sown in 1998. High senescence of C3 grasses over the 1998–99 summer and poor germination of serradella/Casbah biserrula in the autumn of 1999 necessitated the re-seeding of the long-season annual and the perennial grass treatment in 1999. Wheat was sown in 1998, lupin in 1999, and barley in 2000 in an annual crop treatment. Soil water content to 1.5 m was measured hourly using frequency domain reflectometer probes, and a neutron probe was used monthly to measure changes in soil water to 5 m. Herbage production and species composition were determined. In each year of the study, annual pasture species senesced by November. About 20 lucerne plants/m2 persisted through the first summer–autumn in deep loamy sand and 40 lucerne plants/m2 in a duplex soil. Perennial C3 grass species did not survive the summer–autumn in sufficient density and distribution to evaluate their effect on soil water. Annual dry matter (DM) production in lucerne-based and subterranean clover-based pasture was not significantly different. Dry matter production in lucerne between 1 December and the following May–June, when germination of annual-based pastures occurred, was 1.2–1.9 t/ha at one site and 0.2–1.6 t/ha at another site. Long-season annual pastures produced significantly more DM than either lucerne or subterranean clover-based pastures in one season at one site but produced significantly less DM than either lucerne or subterranean clover-based pasture at another site in another season. Long-season annual-based pastures extracted amounts of soil water to a depth of 5 m similar to subterranean clover-based pasture when these were grown on deep sand and a duplex soil. In contrast, lucerne removed an additional 128 mm of water to 5 m, with 70 mm of this water being drawn from 2.5–5 m, compared with subterranean clover-based pasture. Lucerne was comparatively less effective in extracting water from a duplex soil where rooting depth was restricted to 2 m by a saline watertable. Early germination of annual pastures appeared to reduce drainage compared with a crop treatment where weeds were killed in autumn and early winter ahead of seeding. The need for studies at landscape scales that include concurrent measurements of groundwater levels and changes in soil water content to a depth of at least 5–6 m under perennial-based production systems is highlighted.

Nitrogen and water flows under pasture - wheat and lupin - wheat rotations in deep sands in Western Australia. 2. Drainage and nitrate leaching

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 345 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Anderson ◽  
I. R. P. Fillery ◽  
F. X. Dunin ◽  
P. J. Dolling ◽  
S. Asseng
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Lower Amount ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Mineral N

Quantification of nitrate (NO-3) leaching is fundamental to understanding the efficiency with which plants use soil-derived nitrogen (N). A deep sand located in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia was maintained under a lupin (Lupinus angustifolius)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) and a subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) based annual pasture-wheat rotation from 1994to 1996. Fluxes of water and NO-3 through, and beyond, the root-zone were examined. Drainage was calculated on a daily basis from measurements of rainfall, evapotranspiration, and the change in soil water content to a depth of 1·5 m. Evapotranspiration was estimated from Bowen ratio measurements,and soil water content was determined by time domain reflectrometry. Soil was sampled in layers to1·5 m at the onset of winter rains and analysed for NO-3 . Ceramic suction cups were installed at 0·25, 0·4, 0·6, 0·8, 1·0, 1·2, and 1·4 m to sample soil solution from June to mid August. The NO-3 leached from each layer was computed by multiplying the daily drainage through each layer by the estimated concentration of NO-3 within the layer. The estimated concentration of NO-3 in a layer was calculated by taking into account NO-3 either entering that layer through mineralisation and leachingor leaving the layer through plant uptake. Mineral N was added to the surface 0·2 m in accordance with measured rates of net N mineralisation, and daily N uptake was calculated from the measured above-ground plant N derived from soil N. Root sampling was undertaken to determine root lengthdensity under pastures, lupin, and wheat. Cumulative drainage below 1·5 m was similar under wheat and lupin, and accounted for 214 mmfrom 11 May to 15 August 1995 and 114 mm from 2 July to 15 September 1996. The cumulative evapotranspiration (Ea) over these periods was 169 mm from a wheat crop in 1995, and 178 mm from a lupin crop in 1996. The amount of NO-3 in soil at the start of the growing season was afiected by previous crop, with a lower range following wheat (31-68 kg N/ha) than following legumes (40-106 kgN/ha). These large quantities of NO-3 in the soil at the break of the season contributed substantially to NO-3 leaching. Leaching of NO-3 below 1·5 m in wheat crops accounted for 40-59 kg N/ha where these followed either lupin or pasture. In contrast, less NO-3 was found to leach below 1·5 m in pastures (17-28 kg N/ha). Greater N uptake by capeweed (Arctotheca calendula L.) than by either wheat or lupin was the main reason for the lower amount of NO-3 leached in pastures.

scholarly journals Effects of supplemental irrigation based on soil water content on water consumption, dry matter and yield of wheat

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongli Zhang ◽  
Zhenwen Yu ◽  
Yu Shi ◽  
Shubo Gu ◽  
Yanyan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Supplemental Irrigation

Dry matter and qualitative characteristics of alfalfa as affected by harvest times and soil water content

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Testa ◽  
F. Gresta ◽  
S.L. Cosentino
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Qualitative Characteristics

The effect of chisel ploughing and inter-row cultivation on soil water content and yield of bulrush millet (Pennisetum typhoides) at Katherine, N.T

1966 ◽  
Vol 6 (20) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
LJ Phillips ◽  
MJT Norman
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dry Matter Yield ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Pennisetum Typhoides ◽  
Nitrogen Yield ◽  
Multifactorial Experiment

A multifactorial experiment comprising combinations of three pre-wet-season chisel ploughing treatments, three wet-season chisel ploughing treatments, and three inter-row cultivation treatments was carried out on bulrush millet (Pennisetum typhoides S. & H.) at Katherine, N.T., in 1963-64, and was repeated in 1964-65. Pre-wet-season ploughing throughout the growth of the nitrogen yield of millet when treatments had very little effect on the dry matter or nitrogen yield of millet crop. Increasing the depth of wet-season ploughing increased the dry matter and sampled at 7 and 12 weeks after sowing, but at the final sampling, 18 weeks after sowing, only the differences in dry matter yield were maintained. Responses in dry matter and nitrogen yield were obtained to one inter-row cultivation, but not to a second. Differences in dry matter yield due to wetseason ploughing and inter-row cultivation were associated with differences in soil water content measured in the 1-4 feet profile in 1964-65.

Water use of wheat, barley, canola, and lucerne in the high rainfall zone of south-western Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heping Zhang ◽  
Neil C. Turner ◽  
Michael L. Poole
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Grain Filling ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Dry Matter Accumulation ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Significant Difference

Water use of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) was measured on a duplex soil in the high rainfall zone (HRZ) of south-western Australia from 2001 to 2003. Rainfall exceeded evapotranspiration in all years, resulting in transient perched watertables, subsurface waterlogging in 2002 and 2003, and loss of water by deep drainage and lateral flow in all years. There was no significant difference in water use among wheat, barley, and canola. Lucerne used water at a similar rate to annual crops during the winter and spring, but continued to extract 80−100 mm more water than the annual crops over the summer and autumn fallow period. This resulted in about 50 mm less drainage past the root-zone than for annual crops in the second and third years after the establishment of the lucerne. Crop water use was fully met by rainfall from sowing to anthesis and a significant amount of water (120−220 mm) was used during the post-anthesis period, resulting in a ratio of pre- to post-anthesis water use (ETa : ETpa) of 1 : 1 to 2 : 1. These ratios were lower than the indicative value of 2 : 1 for limited water supply for grain filling. High water use during the post-anthesis period was attributed to high available soil water at anthesis, a large rooting depth (≥1.4 m), a high proportion (15%) of roots in the clay subsoil, and regular rainfall during grain filling. The pattern of seasonal water use by crops suggested that high dry matter at anthesis did not prematurely exhaust soil water for grain filling and that it is unlikely to affect dry matter accumulation during grain filling and final grain yield under these conditions.

Effects of continuous and seasonal grazing strategies on the herbage mass, persistence, animal productivity and soil water content of a Sirosa phalaris - subterranean clover pasture, North-West Slopes, New South Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Lodge ◽  
S. R. Murphy ◽  
S. Harden
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
North West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Continuous Grazing

An experimental site was established in 1997 on the North-West Slopes of New South Wales to further investigate the use of strategic grazing management to improve the persistence of phalaris (Phalaris aquatica cv.�Sirosa) and subsequent effects on animal production and soil water content. The pasture was sown in 1992 to Sirosa phalaris, subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum var. subterraneum cv. Seaton Park) and lucerne (Medicago sativa cv. Aurora). Four grazing treatments were applied in a randomised 3-replicate design. Treatments consisted of continuous grazing at 12.3 sheep/ha (C12 or control); continuous grazing at 6 sheep/ha (C6), and 2� spring and autumn strategies of either resting from grazing for 6 weeks in each season (SAR0), or reducing stocking rate from 12.3 to 4.0 sheep/ha (SAR4). Despite annual applications of fertiliser and high clover content, Sirosa phalaris herbage mass in plots continuously grazed at 12.3 sheep/ha declined from a mean of 3300 kg DM/ha in spring 1997 to < 700 kg DM/ha by May 1998. At the end of the study (February 2001), Sirosa mean herbage mass in these plots was 670 kg DM/ha and lower (P < 0.05) than for the other treatments (mean value 5400 kg DM/ha). These marked changes in herbage mass, and the degradation of the Sirosa-based pasture to an annual pasture by continuous grazing at 12.3 sheep/ha, were not generally reflected in either short-term animal production or substantial differences in soil water content. Wool production (kg/head) was not significantly different among treatments each year. Compared with continuous grazing at 12.3 sheep/ha, sheep liveweights were higher (P < 0.05) in plots continuously grazed at 6.1 sheep/ha from November 1997 to February 1999. However, from February 1999 to 2001, sheep liveweights in the 2 treatments with the highest Sirosa phalaris content were lower (P < 0.05) than those continuously grazed at 12.3 sheep/ha. Only the soil water content for the C6 and SAR4 treatments at 0–30�cm was significantly different to the control treatment, but the differences were predicted to be < 2.5 mm/year. In the root zone (0–90 cm), mean soil water content ranged from 159 to 309 mm (mean 220 mm), while plant available water (soil water content – soil water content at –1500 kPa) was a mean of 79 mm, ranging from 11 to 168 mm.

Growth and yield of rice cultivars under sprinkler irrigation in south-eastern Queensland. 3. Water extraction and plant water relations dash comparison with maize and grain sorghum

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 249 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Fukai ◽  
P Inthapan
Keyword(s):  
Water Potential ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Leaf Water Potential ◽  
Osmotic Potential ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Root Length Density ◽  
Leaf Water

Several physiological responses were compared, under irrigated and water-stressed conditions, in an attempt to explain the reasons for the greater reduction in dry matter production of rice compared with maize and sorghum in a water-limiting environment. Leaf water potential and leaf rolling were determined weekly, soil water profiles and root length density twice, and leaf osmotic potential once during a long dry period. Root length density of rice was at least as high as that of maize and sorghum in the top 0.6 m layer of soil in both the wet and dry trials. There was no difference in water extraction among the 3 species from this layer, while rice extracted less water than did the other species from below 0.6 m. High variability among replicates precluded any conclusion being drawn regarding root length in the deeper layer. Leaf water potential, measured in the early afternoon, was consistently lower in rice than in maize and sorghum, even when soil water content was high, indicating high internal resistance to the flow of water in the rice plants. The low leaf water potential in rice was accompanied by low osmotic potential, and this assisted in maintenance of turgor and dry matter growth when soil water content was relatively high. As soil water content decreased, however, leaf water potential became very low (less than - 2.5 MPa) and, for rice, leaves rolled tightly.

Soil Water Measurement as Basis to Optimize Irrigation Scheduling: A Review

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 553f-554
Author(s):  
A.K. Alva ◽  
A. Fares
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Water Potential ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
The Impact

Supplemental irrigation is often necessary for high economic returns for most cropping conditions even in humid areas. As irrigation costs continue to increase more efforts should be exerted to minimize these costs. Real time estimation and/or measurement of available soil water content in the crop root zone is one of the several methods used to help growers in making the right decision regarding timing and quantity of irrigation. The gravimetric method of soil water content determination is laborious and doesn't suite for frequent sampling from the same location because it requires destructive soil sampling. Tensiometers, which measure soil water potential that can be converted into soil water content using soil moisture release curves, have been used for irrigation scheduling. However, in extreme sandy soils the working interval of tensiometer is reduced, hence it may be difficult to detect small changes in soil moisture content. Capacitance probes which operate on the principle of apparent dielectric constant of the soil-water-air mixture are extremely sensitive to small changes in the soil water content at short time intervals. These probes can be placed at various depths within and below the effective rooting depth for a real time monitoring of the water content. Based on this continuous monitoring of the soil water content, irrigation is scheduled to replenish the water deficit within the rooting depth while leaching below the root zone is minimized. These are important management practices aimed to increase irrigation efficiency, and nutrient uptake efficiency for optimal crop production, while minimizing the impact of agricultural non-point source pollutants on the groundwater quality.

The tree - crop interface: the effects of root pruning in south-western Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 763 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Sudmeyer ◽  
D. J. M. Hall ◽  
J. Eastham ◽  
M. A. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Root Pruning ◽  
Tree Roots

This paper examines the effect severing lateral tree roots (root pruning) has on crop and tree growth and soil water content at 2 sites in the south-west of Western Australia. Crop and tree growth and soil water content were assessed in a Pinus pinaster windbreak system growing on 0.45–1.00 m of sand over clay, and crop growth was assessed adjacent to Eucalyptus globulus windbreaks growing on 4–5 m of sand. Crop yield was depressed by 23–52% within 2.5 times the tree height (H) of unpruned pines and by 44% within 2.5 H of pruned eucalypts. Depressed yields made cropping uneconomical within 1.5 H of the eucalypts and 1 H of the pines. Root pruning most improved crop yields where lateral tree roots were confined close to the soil surface and decreased in effectiveness as the depth to confining layer (clay) increased. Crop losses within 2.5 H of the pines were reduced from 39 to 14% in the year the trees were root pruned and were 25% 1 year after root pruning. Subsequent root pruning of the eucalypts did not improve crop yield. While root pruning severed lateral pine roots, tree growth was not significantly reduced. The principal cause of reduced crop yield near the trees appeared to be reduced soil moisture in the area occupied by tree roots. Competition for nutrients and light appeared to have little effect on crop yield. Root pruning can spatially separate tree and crop roots where the tree roots are confined close to the surface, and significantly improve crop yields without reducing tree growth.

Use of the APSIM wheat model to predict yield, drainage, and NO3- leaching for a deep sand

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 363 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Asseng ◽  
G. C. Anderson ◽  
F. X. Dunin ◽  
I. R. P. Fillery ◽  
P. J. Dolling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Initial Soil

High rates of drainage and leaching of nitrates in deep sands in Western Australia are contributing to groundwater recharge and soil acidification in this region. Strategies are being soughtto increase water and nitrogen (N) use in the legume-based cropping systems. Choice of appropriate management strategies is complicated by the diversity of soil types, the range of crops, and the inherent season to season variability. Simulation models provide the means to extrapolate beyond the bounds of experimental data if accurate predictions of key processes can be demonstrated. This paper evaluates the accuracy of predictions of soil water content, evapotranspiration, drainage, inorganic N content insoil, nitrate (NO-3) leaching, wheat growth, N uptake, and grain yields obtained from the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model when this was initialised with appropriate information on soil properties and wheat varieties commonly grown on deep sands in the 500 mm rainfall zone west of Moora in Western Australia. The model was found to give good predictions of soil water content,evapotranspiration, deep drainage, and overall NO-3 leaching. Temporal changes in inorganic N insoil were simulated, although the small concentrations in soil inorganic N precluded close matching of paired observed and predicted values. Crop growth and N uptake were closely predicted up to anthesis, but a poor fit between observed and predicted crop growth and N uptake was noted postanthesis. Reasons for the discrepancies between modelled and observed values are outlined. The model was run with historical weather data (81 years) and different initial soil water and inorganic soil N profiles to assess the probability of drainage and NO-3 leaching, and the grain yield potentials for wheat grown on deep sands in the region west of Moora. Simulation showed that thesoil water and the soil inorganic N content at the beginning of each season had no effect on grain yield, implying that pre-seed soil NO-3 was largely lost from the soil by leaching. There was a 50% probability that 141 mm of winter rainfall could drain below 1·5 m and a 50% probability that 53 kgN/ha could be leached under wheat following a lupin crop, where initial soil water contents andsoil NO-3 contents used in the model were those measured in a deep sand after late March rainfall. Simulated application of N fertiliser at sowing increased both grain yield and NO-3 leaching. Splitting the N application between the time of sowing and 40 days after sowing decreased NO-3 leaching,increased N uptake by wheat, and increased grain yield, findings which are consistent with agronomic practice. The high drainage and leaching potential of these soils were identified as the main reasons why predicted yields did not approach the French and Schultz potential yield estimates based on 20 kg grain yield per mm of rainfall. When the available water was reduced by simulated drainage, simulated grain yields for the fertilised treatments approached the potential yield line.

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