Mineral nitrogen fluctuations in soils under improved pasture in Southern New South Wales

1962 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Simpson
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Mineral Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Accumulation ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Improved Pasture

Soils under improved pasture on the Southern Tableland of New South Wales accumulated nitrate in substantial quantities during the summer and autumn. In this respect they behaved quite unlike the pasture soils which have been studied in most of the earlier literature, and they resembled cultivated fallow soils, which usually accumulate nitrate at the same time of the year. The nitrate was produced mainly in the top inch of soil; ammonium also accumulated under certain conditions. The precise sequence of climatic events, particularly the period of drying between consecutive wettings, was of primary importance in the nitrate accumulation. The nitrate produced during summer and early autumn disappeared from the topsoil after heavy rain in autumn and winter. The seasons could therefore be distinguished as a nitrogen-rich summer and autumn, a nitrogen-depleting winter, and a nitrogen-poor early spring, with an increasing supply of mineral nitrogen during late spring. No appreciable fluctuations in mineral nitrogen were found in soils resown directly from native pasture with less than 0.10% total nitrogen at 0-2 in.

Effects of time and rate of application of herbicides on serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma) and improved pasture species. 2. Tetrapion

1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (99) ◽  
pp. 476 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Campbell ◽  
AR Gilmour ◽  
DT Vere
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Phalaris Aquatica ◽  
Phytotoxic Effects ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Improved Pasture

The effects of time and rate of application of tetrapion on burnt and unburnt serrated tussock, growing with and without improved species, were measured in four experiments carried out near Bathurst, New South Wales, between 1975 and 1978. Tetrapion proved effective in killing unburnt serrated tussock when applied in each season of the year. The most economical rates proved to be 1.00 kg a.i, ha-1 in spring and summer and 1.33 kg a.i. ha-1 in autumn and winter. Tetrapion was also effective in killing serrated tussock that had been burnt six and nine months before spraying. Although tetrapion had harsh phytotoxic effects on Phalaris aquatica and Trioflium repens growing in association with serrated tussock, these improved species recovered. Thus it proved possible to selectively remove serrated tussock from P. aquatica and T. repens by using tetrapion. Based on 1979 costs, tetrapion appears an economic alternative to other herbicides currently used to kill serrated tussock.

Habitat preference, diet and demography of the smoky mouse, Pseudomys fumeus (Rodentia : Muridae), in south-eastern New South Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Ford ◽  
Andrew Cockburn ◽  
Linda Broome
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preference ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Dietary Preference ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Level

The smoky mouse, Pseudomys fumeus, is an endangered rodent for which ecological information is lacking across much of its range. This paper provides the first detailed study of the local diet and habitat preference of P. fumeus since 1980, conducted on the recently discovered Nullica population in New South Wales. Diet and trap-revealed movements were examined in conjunction with 18 characteristics of habitat to determine the factors influencing habitat choice. Multiple logistic regression of habitat variables and capture locations revealed a floristically determined preference for heath habitat characterised by Epacris impressa, Monotoca scoparia, Leptospermum trinervium, Xanthorrhoea spp. and a variety of legumes. Hypogeal fungi and seeds were the most common food items in the diet of P. fumeus. Fungi were most abundant in winter diet, while seeds and fruit became dominant in late spring and summer. The spring and summer preference for ridge-top heath habitats observed in this study is probably the result of this dietary preference. Resident females constituted 71% of the population in early spring. However, there was a severe decline in numbers of female mice during early spring, and resident males also disappeared from the population. Causes of the decline were unclear. Five of eleven males captured during this study were transient, while no transient females were caught. The sudden decline in the study population, combined with the patchy distribution of suitable habitat and high level of male transience, suggests that P. fumeus form a metapopulation in the Nullica region.

Migration and dispersal of the Rutherglen bug, Nysius vinitor Bergroth (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), in eastern Australia

1988 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrick McDonald ◽  
Roger A. Farrow
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Flight Duration ◽  
Migratory Activity ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Yorke Peninsula

AbstractAerial sampling for Nysius vinitor Bergroth was undertaken in the surface and upper air, at altitudes of 2 and 100-300 m, respectively, at Trangie in central New South Wales and at Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Insects were sampled for 15 periods, each of 3-11 days, between October 1979 and February 1984, covering all months except January, March and May. N. vinitor was one of the most abundant insects caught in the upper air during the day and night (mean density of 652/106 m3), while the congeneric N. clevelandensis Evans was rarely caught at any time. N. vinitor was caught in all months sampled except for the winter months of July and August, and the largest daily catches occurred in September. Females were generally less common than males, although the relative incidence in the upper air catches frequently increased significantly from day to night. Fewer mature females were caught in the upper air (0-16·8%) than at the surface (0-48·4%). Densities were generally much greater in the surface air than in the upper air, although during the major flights of spring, there was less than a two-fold difference, indicating increased migratory activity. Migration occurred in a range of synoptic conditions resulting in the displacement of individuals in a variety of directions and distances depending on synoptic flow at the time of flight. Major migrations occurred at night, following dusk take-off, in disturbed weather associated with prefrontal airflows. These resulted in net southward displacements of ca 200-300 km depending on flight duration. It is suggested that major immigration flights into central-western New South Wales and regions to the south regularly occur in early spring (September-October) and probably arise from breeding areas in subtropical latitudes.

The influence of various factors on survival rate to weaning of Merino lambs. I. Sex, strain, location, and age of ewe for single-born lambs

1965 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 981 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Lax ◽  
Turner H Newton
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
New South ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Strain Differences ◽  
Marked Rise ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Improved Pasture

The influence of sex, strain, location, and age of ewe on survival rate to weaning of single-born Merino lambs has been examined in two sets of data: the strain trial, involving five strains run without selection at each of three locations (Cunnamulla, Qld.; Armidale, on the northern tablelands of New South Wales; Deniliquin, in the Riverina area of New South Wales), with six age groups of ewes; and the same five strains later included in selection groups at Armidale with seven age groups of ewes. The strain trial at Armidale ran mainly on native, and the selection groups mainly on improved pastures. Female lambs had a higher survival rate than either castrated or entire males, the differences in lambs weaned per lamb born being 0.03 and 0.04 respectively. No strain differences could be regarded as statistically significant, and neither could the strain x location interaction in the strain trial. Mean survival rates for the strains ranged from 0.673 to 0.786 on the Armidale native and from 0.802 to 0.850 on the Armidale improved pasture, from 0.746 to 0.859 at Cunnamulla, and from 0.838 to 0.894 at Deniliquin. The strains did not rank consistently in the same order. Location had a marked effect on survival rate, the means being 0.744 for the native and 0.824 for the improved pasture at Armidale, 0.810 at Cunnamulla, and 0.868 at Deniliquin. Age of ewe had a marked influence in the poorest environment (Armidale native pasture), survival rate rising with age and later falling sharply. The effect was less marked in the intermediate environments (Armidale improved pasture and Cunnamulla) and negligible at Deniliquin. The patterns at Cunnamulla and Deniliquin are confirmed by data from other experiments on these stations. Survival rate is one component of number of lambs weaned. The other component, number of lambs born, has a higher mean value at Deniliquin than Cunnamulla, but shows a strong association with age of ewe in both environments. Number of lambs born responds rapidly to selection, but no information is yet available concerning the likely response in survival rate. If improvement in environment can raise the survival rate, particularly in the youngest and oldest ewes, then selection for number of lambs born, combined with improved environment, should lead to a marked rise in the number of lambs weaned.

The availability of mineral nitrogen in a wheat soil from southern New South Wales

1962 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
RR Storrier
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Uptake ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Nitrogen Deficiency ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Mineral Nitrogen ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Emergence Period ◽  
South Wales

In a red-brown earth soil from Wagga Wagga the fluctuations in the level of mineral nitrogen (ammonia plus nitrate-nitrogen) and its availability to wheat under growing period rainfalls of 6 inches and 16 inches were studied. Ammonia-nitrogen did not exceed 8 lb nitrogen per acre 6 inches but showed statistically significant short term fluctuations. Mineral nitrogen decreased steadily from the 4-5 leaf stage of plant growth, reaching minimum values in the ear-emergence period when a temporary nitrogen deficiency occurred. Following rainfalls of about one inch or more, conditions favoured biological activity and nitrogen was mineralized, absorbed by the crop and/or leached down the profile. In one season a release of mineral nitrogen about two weeks before flowering contributed an estimated 20-30 per cent of the total nitrogen uptake of the crop. Nitrogen uptake by the wheat crop ceased after flowering and subsequent changes in mineral nitrogen level reflect the net result of mineralization and demineralization processes, and nitrogen uptake by weeds, particularly skeleton weed. Absorption of nitrogen from the profile depended upon seasonal conditions, with the surface 18 inches suppling the greater part of the nitrogen absorbed by the crop. This indicates the need to sample regularly to at least a depth of 18 inches, particularly during the period from 4-5 leaf to flowering, when studying the relation between mineral nitrogen and crop growth. The data suggest that the response of wheat, as measured by grain yield and protein content, to the higher levels of mineral nitrogen in the improved soils of southern New South Wales is determined by soil moisture levels, particularly in the post-flowering period.

Effect of surface-sown pod:seed mixtures on serradella establishment and persistence on rangelands in central New South Wales

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
D. L. Michalk ◽  
M. H. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Acid Soil ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Ornithopus Compressus ◽  
Improved Pasture ◽  
Effect Of Surface

Aerial sowing is the only option for introducing improved pasture species into much of the non-arable, acid soil rangelands in central New South Wales. However, low germination of seeds in serradella pods is a major problem causing poor establishment. Sowing different combinations of pod and seed was investigated as a means of improving germination and subsequent persistence in an experiment between 1993 and 1997. Results indicated that a pod:seed mixture of 75:25 was the most suitable ratio for establishing yellow serradella (Ornithopus compressus) when broadcast into native grassland on hardsetting, non-arable, acidic hill country. Nodulation failure observed at this cold tablelands site confirmed the need for a more winter-active inoculant for yellow serradella.

The Demography of Feral Pigs (Sus Scrofa) in Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales.

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Saunders
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
New South ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Protein Food ◽  
Feral Pigs ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Postnatal Mortality ◽  
Alpine Population ◽  
Autumn And Winter

The demography of a sub-alpine population of feral pigs was examined at Kosciusko National Park in south-eastern New South Wales. Reproductive data and age structures indicated a seasonal pattern of breeding, most births occurring in summer and autumn. It is proposed that a decreasing availability of high protein food in the autumn and winter months caused reduced rates of conception. Sows produced 0.84 litters per year with postnatal mortality as high as 85%. The population appeared relatively stable at a density of 1.6 pigs kg-2. Hunting, although illegal in a national park, removed 4.4-15.4% of pigs each year. The overall health and body condition of pigs was good, with no evidence of heavy parasitic burdens or disease. Age-specific body weight and body length in this study were greater than those reported for pigs in semi-arid wester New South Wales.

Diet of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in South-west New South Wales, with relevance to lamb predation.

1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
IW Lugton
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ovis Aries ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
South West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Preferred Foods ◽  
Autumn And Winter

The diets of 212 foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the far south-west of New South Wales were determined between 1985 and 1989 and compared with other Australian studies. Mammalian remains, at an overall occurrence of 99.1%, formed the basis of the diet during the autumn and winter months. The most frequently occurring mammals were rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (34.9%), sheep (Ovis aries) (30.7%) and macropods (Macropus spp.) (20.3%). Insects occurred in 31.1% of stomachs and formed a substantial proportion of the diet. Fresh newborn lamb was identified in only 3.8% of all stomachs, but evidence of lamb consumption was 10 times greater (35.2%) from foxes collected near lambing flocks. Other studies around lambing flocks have also shown a high occurrence of fresh lamb in fox stomachs and there is circumstantial evidence that predation of lambs by foxes can be common. It was concluded that lamb predation is likely to be severe where the fox population density is high, where older foxes predominate, and where alternative preferred foods are scarce. More research is required to confirm these observations.

The Diet of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Wallaroo in Areas of Improved and Native Pasture in the New England Tablelands.

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Taylor
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Tussock Grasses

The diet of the eastern grey kangaroo and wallaroo was compared at 2 sites, Lana and Newsholme, in the New England tablelands of New South Wales. At Lana, the pastures had been fertilized for 20 yr and were dominated by low-fibre grasses such as Bothriochloa, Eragrostis, Sporobolus, Microlaena, Danthonia and Vulpia; some paddocks had been sown with introduced grasses, Phalaris, Festuca and lucerne. Coarse tussock grasses such as Poa spp., Stipa and Danthonia pallida predominated at Newsholme. The major difference in the diet of the 2 spp. was in winter when individuals on the unimproved area at Newsholme ate a higher proportion of tussock grasses and less low-fibre grass. Both spp. consistently selected for low-fibre grass leaf; they did not differ in their use of plant parts. The diets contained many plant spp. in common, although there were major differences in the use of several spp. The plant spp. favoured only by the wallaroo were of a higher quality than those favoured only by the grew kangaroo.

Fertilizer strip tests for the identification of superphosphate responsive pastures

1983 ◽  
Vol 23 (121) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
BS Dear ◽  
AN Smith
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Capacitance Probe ◽  
Fertilizer Rates ◽  
Interpretation Of Results

The ability of superphosphate strip tests to identify responsive pastures was evaluated at eight sites on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Five rates of superphosphate (0, 100,200, 300 and 600 kg/ha) were applied in 100 x 7 m strips in early spring and the pasture dry matter responses measured every three months with a capacitance probe. Herbage responses, ranging from 12 to 232% occurred in the following three months on seven of the eight pastures. The spring and autumn periods gave the largest quarterly responses. The variation in growth within strips observed was small enough to establish differences in dry matter between strips. On deficient sites all fertilizer rates produced measurable responses, however the 300 kg/ha rate was sufficient to give clear-cut responses at all the deficient sites. As the pasture responses observed in the strip tests were consistent with predicted responses by plant and soil analyses, it was concluded that they offer a practical alternative for use by farmers. Suggestions are made on the layout of fertilizer strips, and the interpretation of results.

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