Effect of sulphur, sulphuric acid and gypsum on the yield of rice on the Cununurra soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

A field experiment was conducted at Kimberley Research Station near Kununurra, Western Australia, to compare elemental sulphur, sulphuric acid and gypsum as soil ameliorants for drill-sown rice on the Cununurra clay of the Ord Irrigation Area. The application of sulphur (0.5-4 t ha-1) and concentrated sulphuric acid (800-1 600 1 ha-1) to Cununurra clay temporarily decreased soil pH, improved seedling establishment and increased the mean grain yield of Bluebonnet 50 and IR661-1-170-1-3 rice from 4.27 to 5.32 t ha-1. Plant growth during the first 6 weeks was better and the transient iron chlorosis, which often develops after permanent flooding, was largely eliminated. Gypsum (1-4 t ha-1) had no significant effect on soil pH, seedling establishment, early growth or grain yield. Mean pH of the flooded soil (0-5 cm) one month after permanent flooding was 6.60, 6.56, 6.07 and 5.52 in the untreatad, gypsum, sulphur and sulphuric acid plots, respectively. Mean grain yield increased linearly as the pH of the flooded soil (0-5 cm) one month after permanent flooding decreased over the range of 6.5-5.5. The pH values of air dried soil samples takgn at 3, 6, 9 and 11 weeks after sowing and determined at the saturation moisture content fell by 0.5 to 2 units after the addition of sulphur and sulphuric acid. The decrease in pH at 3 weeks after the application of 800 l ha-1 sulphuric acid was five times greater than that due to an equivalent amount of elemsntal sulphur, but the effect of the acid was short-lived. Calcium and magnesium concentrations in the saturation extracts of the air-dried soil samples taken at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing were increased by the application of sulphur and gypsum. All ameliorants increased the nitrogen concentration in the plant tops at 3 weeks after sowing but only sulphur and sulphuric acid increased phosphorus, potassium, manganese, zinc or iron concentrations at one or more sampling dates.

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Residual values of zinc sulfate and acidifying (elemental) sulfur for rice on the alkaline Cununurra soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9860591 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 591 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

AL Chapman ◽

KM Cellier

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

Zinc Sulfate ◽

Elemental Sulfur ◽

Yield Response ◽

Zn Deficiency ◽

Research Station ◽

Continuous Cropping ◽

Irrigation Area ◽

Residual Values ◽

Extractable Zn

The residual values of zinc sulfate and acidifying (elemental) sulfur (S) for rice on Cununurra clay were investigated at Kimberley Research Station, near Kununurra in the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia. Successive crops were grown on 2 sites showing different degrees of zinc (Zn) deficiency according to visual symptoms. Despite the marked response to Zn fertiliser shown by the first crop of IR665-24-1 rice on the more deficient site (previously fallow for 12 months) there was no significant yield response to applied Zn in the third crop. On the less Zn deficient site (previously under weeds for several years), IR661-1-170-1-3 rice showed no response to Zn fertiliser although transient symptoms occurred in the first and second crops. Continuous cropping per se apparently reduced the severity of Zn deficiency on both sites, thus negating attempts to estimate the residual value of Zn fertiliser. The 2 sites were not distinguishable by the EDTAammonium carbonate soil test for Zn. Extractable Zn increased with increasing level of Zn fertiliser, but plant response was not related to extractable Zn. Application of elemental S (1-4 t ha-1) had no effect on extractable Zn levels before sowing of rice. Increased rice yields due to acidifying S were confirmed, but the residual effects did not extend beyond the fourth crop. In each of the 3 seasons following S application, the yield of IR661-1-170-1-3 increased by 0.3-0.6 t ha-1 but, at current prices, the use of S as a soil ameliorant for rice in the Ord Irrigation Area would be uneconomic.

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Effect of short chemical fallow on Rhizoctonia bare patch and root rot of wheat at Esperance, Western Australia

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9870671 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 671 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

GC MacNish ◽

CS Fang

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Western Australia ◽

Root Rot ◽

Subterranean Clover ◽

Research Station ◽

Annual Ryegrass ◽

Bare Patch ◽

Rhizoctonia Root Rot ◽

Mixture Prior ◽

Chemical Fallow

The effects of short chemical fallows after ryegrass pasture on rhizoctonia bare patch and root rot ofwheat were studied in 2 experiments at the Esperance Downs Research Station, 35 km north of Esperance, W.A. In 1 experiment the subterranean-clover dominant pasture was sprayed with a paraquat-diquat mixture prior to resowing with annual ryegrass at densities ranging from 3 to about 400 plants m-2. The ryegrass was allowed to grow for either 42 or 63 days prior to treatment with a desiccant herbicide (paraquat-diquat) followed by a short chemical fallow of 26 or 5 days, respectively, before sowing with wheat using minimum tillage. Some treatments were cultivated twice to 10 cm. Neither the ryegrass density nor the length of chemical fallow had any effect (P=0.05) on rhizoctonia bare patch score or incidence or severity of root rot. However, cultivation caused 76% reduction in mean patch score and a 38 and 68% reduction in mean rhizoctonia incidence and severity respectively. Yield was negatively correlated with rhizoctonia incidence and severity: each 1% increase in incidence percentage resulted in 17 kg ha-1 reduction in grain yield of wheat. In another experiment, chemical fallow periods of 66, 52, 24 or 1 day prior to sowing wheat had no effect (P= 0.05) on rhizoctonia root rot incidence.

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The Distribution and Abundance of Vesicular Arbuscular Endophytes in Some Western Australian Soils

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt9770515 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 515 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

LK Abbott ◽

AD Robson

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Western Australia ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Root Infection ◽

Spore Type ◽

Va Mycorrhizas ◽

Vesicular Arbuscular ◽

Western Australian

The distribution and abundance of large-spored vesicular arbuscular (VA) endophytes was examined at three localities in Western Australia. Within each locality, soil samples were collected from sites with a range of soil properties and superphosphate histories. Vesicular arbuscular endophytes were widespread. Spores were found in all but five of 104 samples. In two of the samples where spores were not found, plants grown in the soils formed VA mycorrhizas. Root infection by a fine endophyte resembling Rhizophagus tenuis was also frequently observed. Five spore types were found. Honey-coloured sessile spores were present in 85% of the samples. The yellow vacuolate spore type was the second most common endophyte, but its distribution was mostly limited to cultivated and fertilized soils. Endophytes other than the yellow vacuolate spore type occurred on both virgin and agricultural soils. The distribution of honey-coloured sessile and yellow vacuolate spores in cultivated soils appeared to be associated with variation in soil pH. The total numbers of spores collected on a 106 μm sieve were not correlated with soil pH, NaHCO3-extractable phosphorus or superphosphate history.

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Effects of zinc and iron fertilizers on a disorder in rice on the calcareous soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, Western Australia

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9770290 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 17 (85) ◽

pp. 290 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

AL Chapman ◽

CAP Boundy

Keyword(s):

Zinc Deficiency ◽

Western Australia ◽

Zinc Sulphate ◽

Ferrous Sulphate ◽

Seedling Emergence ◽

Calcareous Soils ◽

Research Station ◽

Irrigation Area ◽

The Mean ◽

Best Fit

A field experiment was conducted at Kimberley Research Station near Kununurra, Western Australia to study the effects of urea and ammonium sulphate fertilizers, previous cropping history and method of sowing on the incidence of a long-standing disorder in rice on the calcareous soils of the Ord Irrigation Area, and to determine whether the disorder could be ameliorated by means of zinc and iron fertilizers. Symptoms of the disorder resembling those of zinc deficiency appeared within four weeks after seedling emergence in plots not treated with zinc. The mean concentration of zinc in the tops of affected plants sampled at 2, 7 and 11 weeks was 18 p.p.m. The combination of fallow land, urea and water-sowing resulted in the most severe symptoms. Where 20 kg Zn ha-1 was applied as zinc sulphate, the zinc concentration in the plant tops averaged 66 p.p.m. over the three sampling dates, and zinc deficiency symptoms did not develop. Other symptoms resembling those of iron deficiency also occurred, especially when the level of applied zinc was 20 kg ha-1. The application of both zinc sulphate and ferrous sulphate fertilizers resulted in a significant increase in the grain yield of IR665-24-1 rice. Overall there was no response to zinc sulphate above the level of 10 kg zinc ha-1. The curve of best fit for the overall response to ferrous sulphate was parabolic with a maximum near 240 kg ha-1 ferrous sulphate. The mean yield from plots that received three foliar sprays of 0.1 per cent ferrous sulphate was not significantly different from that of plots fertilized with 200 kg ha-1 ferrous sulphate. There was no significant interaction between zinc and iron.

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Characterisation of a windbreak system on the south coast of Western Australia. 2. Crop growth

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea02008 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 717 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

R. A. Sudmeyer ◽

P. R. Scott

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Western Australia ◽

Tree Height ◽

Crop Growth ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Evaporative Demand ◽

Yield Increase ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Wind Events ◽

Similar Area

This paper, which is the second in a series of three, describes dryland crop growth and yields in a windbreak bay in south-western Australia and relates changes to microclimate modification by the windbreaks. Over the 4 years of this trial, above ground biomass and the development rate of crops 3–20 times the tree height from the windbreak (H) were similar to crops growing in unsheltered conditions (more than 20 H from the windbreaks). Grain yield was 16–30% higher between 3 H and 20 H than at more than 20 H in 1994, the driest year on record for the district, in other years yield was largely unchanged. In contrast, above ground biomass growth was consistently less within 3 H than further from the windbreaks and grain yield within 3 H was 19–27% less than unsheltered yield. Water use by the trees is the most likely cause of reduced yield within 3 H. Over the 4 years, mean grain yield between 0.5 H and 20 H was 3.8% greater than yield at more than 20 H. This increase was largely due to the yield increase in 1994. As 5.4% of the paddock was directly occupied by, or uncropped next to, the windbreaks, there was a net yield decrease of 2.8% over 4 years compared to estimated production from a similar area with no windbreaks. The principle benefits of the windbreaks were reducing evaporative demand in extremely dry years and protection against extreme wind events. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of establishing and maintaining windbreak systems.

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Comparison of rotations in which barley for grain follows woollypod vetch or forage barley

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600080011 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 609-615 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

I. Papastylianou ◽

Th. Samios

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

N Balance ◽

Dry Matter Yield ◽

Soil N ◽

Fertilizer N ◽

Total Soil ◽

Using Data ◽

Total Soil N

SummaryUsing data from rotation studies in which barley or woollypod vetch were included, both cut for hay and preceding barley for grain, it is shown that forage barley gave higher dry-matter yield than woollypod vetch (3·74 v. 2·92 t/ha per year). However, the latter gave feedingstuff of higher nitrogen concentration and yield (86 kg N/ha per year for vetch v. 55 kg N/ha per year for barley). Rainfall was an important factor in controlling the yield of the two forages and the comparison between them in different years and sites. Barley following woollypod vetch gave higher grain yield than when following forage barley (2·36 v. 1·91 t/ha). Rotation sequences which included woollypod vetch had higher output of nitrogen (N) than input of fertilizer N with a positive value of 44–60 kg N/ha per year. In rotations where forage barley was followed by barley for grain the N balance between output and input was 5–6 kg N/ha. Total soil N was similar in the different rotations at the end of a 7-year period.

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Potential yield of soybean promising lines in acid soil of Central Lampung, Indonesia

International Journal of Plant Biology ◽

10.4081/pb.2014.5566 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Heru Kuswantoro

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Seed Size ◽

Seed Yield ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Acid Soil ◽

Potential Yield ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Check Variety ◽

Similar Soil

Most of Indonesia dryland is covered by acid soil which lead to the decreasing potential yield of the crops. In different areas soybean potential yield also different depends on the different soil pH and the availability of the soil. The objective of the research was to study the potential yield of soybean promising lines in acid soil of Central Lampung, Indonesia. Ten promising lines and two check varieties (Tanggamus and Wilis) were grown in acid soil with pH 4.7. The results showed that the highest seed yield was showed by SC5P2P3.5.4.1-5 with 2.51 t/ha. Other soybean promising lines with seed yield over than 2 t/ha-1 was SJ-5/Msr.99.5.4.5-1-6-1 and the check variety Tanggamus. The highest yield of SC5P2P3.5.4.1-5 was caused by the high number of filled pods and the large of seed size. Other nine promising lines also can be developed to obtained grain yield as many as Tanggamus yield in the area with similar soil and climate conditions.

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EFFECTS OF LIME ON EXTRACTABLE ALUMINUM AND OTHER SOIL PROPERTIES AND ON BARLEY AND ALFALFA GROWN IN POT TESTS

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss72-054 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 427-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. J. MacLEAN ◽

R. L. HALSTEAD ◽

B. J. FINN

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Acid Soil ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Neutral Salt ◽

Incubation Experiment ◽

Pot Experiments ◽

P Content ◽

Mn Content

Liming of six acid soil samples in an incubation experiment with rates to raise the soil pH to 6.0 or above eliminated Al soluble in 0.01 M CaCl2, reduced soluble Mn and Zn, increased NO3-N markedly, and at the highest pH increased the amounts of NaHCO3-soluble P in some of the soils. In corresponding pot experiments, liming increased the yield of alfalfa and in three of the soils the yield of barley also. Liming reduced the concentrations of the metals in the plants and at the highest pH tended to increase the P content of the plants. Liming to a pH of about 5.3 eliminated or greatly reduced soluble Al and the soils were base saturated as measured by the replacement of Al, Ca, and Mg by a neutral salt. There was some evidence that liming to reduce soluble Al and possibly Mn was beneficial for plant growth. Gypsum increased the concentrations of Al, Mn, and Zn in 0.01 M CaCl2 extracts of the soils whereas phosphate reduced them. The changes in the Mn content of the plants following these treatments were in agreement with the amounts of Mn in the CaCl2 extracts.

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The interaction between soil pH and phosphorus for wheat yield and the impact of lime-induced changes to soil aluminium and potassium

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr16274 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 341 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Craig A. Scanlan ◽

Ross F. Brennan ◽

Mario F. D'Antuono ◽

Gavin A. Sarre

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Acid Soils ◽

Combined Effect ◽

Additive Effect ◽

Yield Response ◽

Response Curves ◽

The Impact

Interactions between soil pH and phosphorus (P) for plant growth have been widely reported; however, most studies have been based on pasture species, and the agronomic importance of this interaction for acid-tolerant wheat in soils with near-sufficient levels of fertility is unclear. We conducted field experiments with wheat at two sites with acid soils where lime treatments that had been applied in the 6 years preceding the experiments caused significant changes to soil pH, extractable aluminium (Al), soil nutrients and exchangeable cations. Soil pH(CaCl2) at 0–10cm was 4.7 without lime and 6.2 with lime at Merredin, and 4.7 without lime and 6.5 with lime at Wongan Hills. A significant lime×P interaction (P<0.05) for grain yield was observed at both sites. At Merredin, this interaction was negative, i.e. the combined effect of soil pH and P was less than their additive effect; the difference between the dose–response curves without lime and with lime was greatest at 0kgPha–1 and the curves converged at 32kgPha–1. At Wongan Hills, the interaction was positive (combined effect greater than the additive effect), and lime application reduced grain yield. The lime×P interactions observed are agronomically important because different fertiliser P levels were required to maximise grain yield. A lime-induced reduction in Al phytotoxicity was the dominant mechanism for this interaction at Merredin. The negative grain yield response to lime at Wongan Hills was attributed to a combination of marginal soil potassium (K) supply and lime-induced reduction in soil K availability.

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