Distribution, ecology and control of Cassinia arcuata (sifton bush) in New South Wales

1990 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Campbell

The area of New South Wales infested with Cassinia aiwuta (sifton bush) increased from 93 000 ha in 1975 to 616 000 ha in 1988, indicating a need to investigate its biology and control. Of 6 samples of seed collected over 3 years from 2 sites, 5 germinated readily, emerged from a soil depth of 15 mm or less, and grew 7-48 times slower than pasture species in 28 days. The remaining sample had an after-ripening period of more than 5 months before full germination was achieved. Lime depressed growth of C. arcuata seedlings whilst superphosphate promoted growth. Preemergence herbicides simazine and atrazine killed seedlings in the cotyledon stage, while post-emergence herbicides glyphosate, triclopyr + picloram and hexazinone killed 40-, 78- and 139-day-old seedlings. Control on arable land could be achieved by burying seeds below 15 mm, followed by cultivation or herbicide application to remove establishing seedlings and addition of lime and spelling to allow sown species to smother late-establishing seedlings. On non-arable land burning to remove mature plants, spraying to kill establishing seedlings and aerial application of seed of improved species and superphosphate will contribute to control on soils that can support sown species without the application of large quantities of lime.


1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 499 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Campbell ◽  
BR Milne ◽  
JJ Dellow ◽  
HI Nicol

The effect of type of herbicide and time and rate of application on the reduction in ground cover of St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) was determined at Orange, New South Wales. In January, April, July and November 1988, 8 herbicide treatments including the currently used glyphosate and picloram + 2,4-D were applied to vigorously growing H. perforaturn, and the reduction in percentage ground cover was recorded in December 1989. Ineffective herbicides (a.i./ha) were tebuthiuron, 0.8-6.4 kg; metsulfuron, 5-20 g; and paraquat + diquat, 0.4 + 0.5 kg. The addition of metsulfuron (2.5 g a.i./ha) to glyphosate (0.9 and 1.8 kg a.i./ha) did not increase the effectiveness of the latter. Effective herbicides (kg a.i./ha) were triclopyr + picloram, 0.6 + 0.2; picloram + 2,4-D, 0.2 + 0.8; glyphosate, 1.8; and triclopyr, 1.92. There was a strong trend for these herbicides to be more effective in January and November than in April and July. Based on price, effectiveness and selectivity, triclopyr + picloram would be preferred to the other herbicides for boom and spot spraying, and glyphosate would be the only herbicide suitable for aerial application prior to sowing improved pastures on non-arable land.



1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. Andrews ◽  
C. E. Jones ◽  
R. D. B. Whalley

Summary. Four experiments were conducted to determine the effects of temperature, light and leaf extract solutions on the germination of Giant Parramatta grass [GPG, Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br. var. major (Buse) Baaijens] collected from a population on the North Coast of New South Wales. In the first experiment, seeds were subjected to one of a range of temperature combinations immediately after collection and again after 8 and 27 weeks. Germination was restricted to a narrow range of alternating temperatures with a peak at 35°C day/15°C night when seeds were tested immediately after collection. More seeds germinated when the samples had been stored, although germination remained depressed at constant temperatures. These data indicate that freshly collected GPG seeds are subject to primary dormancy and that few would germinate in the field immediately after seed fall. In a second experiment, seeds were buried beneath leaf litter in a pasture immediately after collection. After 7 months, the seeds were exhumed and subjected to either constant (20°C) or alternating (35/15°C) temperatures in either full light, reduced red:far-red (R : FR) light or dark treatments. Over 95% of GPG seeds germinated when subjected to alternating temperatures, regardless of light treatment. At constant temperatures, 97% of seeds germinated under full light, 59% at reduced R : FR light and <1% in dark treatments. A germination response to alternating temperatures and/or light treatments has been reported in pasture weeds and may be an adaptation to detecting gaps in the pasture canopy. Consequently, the germination of GPG in a pasture may be manipulated to some extent by altering the amount of pasture cover using grazing management, mowing and fertiliser applications. In experiment 3, leaves from a range of coastal grasses were mixed with water and the solutions were used to germinate GPG seeds. Solutions extracted from setaria (Setaria sphacelata) leaves completely inhibited GPG germination while 27% of GPG seeds germinated when imbibed with kikuyu leaf extract solution. Solution extracted from carpet grass (Axonopus affinis) leaves had the least effect on GPG germination. In experiment 4, the effects of solutions that had been leached from the leaves of either setaria or carpet grass on seed germination, and root and shoot lengths of GPG seedlings were compared. Germination was less inhibited by leachate solutions compared with the extract solutions used in experiment 3. Seedlings in setaria leachates had significantly shorter roots and shoots than both those germinated in carpet grass leachates and control seedlings. This may explain, at least in part, why carpet-grass-based pastures are readily infested with GPG while setaria-based pastures are relatively resistant to infestation. The potential for allelopathic interactions between GPG and setaria to be fully utilised to reduce the abundance of GPG in coastal New South Wales pastures is discussed.



Soil Research ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Ryan

Soil profile descriptions were made at a series of 11-year-old unfertilized Pinus radiata stands in the Lithgow district of New South Wales. Catenas within three soil parent materials were selected to compare variation in soil physical and morphological properties with growth of P. radiata. These parent materials were a Silurian siltstone, a Permian conglomerate and a Silurian-Devonian rhyolite. Basal area growth of the P. radiata stands increased down catenas on the Silurian siltstone as soil depth to a root impeding layer increased. Plateau soils on the Permian conglomerate had hardsetting surfaces and high gravel contents, and were associated with very poor pine growth. By way of contrast, lower slope, colluvial gradational earths were deep, fine-textured soils and supported more productive pine stands. The Silurian-Devonian rhyolite parent material produced highly leached soils, commonly with conspicuously bleached A2 horizons and poor sandy textures of surface soil. Both physical and chemical features of the rhyolite interacted with pedological processes to affect adversely soil physical conditions and trace element availability, in particular boron. The poorer P. radiata growth on lower or concave slope in comparison with upper slope position was a result of increased soil leaching and horizon differentiation. This pattern contrasted with improved pine growth on the deeper soils on lower slopes on the two sedimentary parent materials. These case studies emphasize the importance of geology and pedological processes when evaluating the applicability of specific soil physical factors to site classification for P. radiata plantations.



1988 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
A.D. Heritage ◽  
M. Stapper ◽  
R.C.G. Smith ◽  
R.L. Correll


1968 ◽  
Vol 8 (34) ◽  
pp. 631 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Casimir

Field trials investigating ultra-low volume applications of undiluted technical maldison by aircraft against dense populations of Phaulacridium vittatum Sj�stedt (wingless grasshopper) are described. In February 1965 an application rate of 8.2 fl oz an acre gave 90-95 per cent reduction of grasshopper populations on a property on the northern tablelands of New South Wales. A further trial in November 1965, using rates of 4.6 and 5.6 fl oz per acre, gave similar results for each rate-70 per cent reduction of the population one day after spraying, rising to 80-85 per cent within eleven days. Some aspects of a large aerial spraying campaign conducted from October to December 1965 are also described. More than 150,000 acres were treated with maldison at the rate of 6.3 fl oz an acre. Detailed observations of the campaign spraying were made on a single property as well as general surveys of the whole treated area. A minimum application rate of 8.0 fl oz maldison an acre is suggested for normal field usage against P. vitiatum.



2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Boschma ◽  
G. M. Lodge ◽  
S. Harden

Two adjacent sites (a naturalised pasture and a previously cropped area) with differing potentials for salinity/sodicity and waterlogging near Tamworth, New South Wales were sown with temperate perennial grasses and legumes, temperate annual legumes and tropical perennial grasses to assess their herbage mass and persistence from 2003 to 2006. Plots were either grazed or mown seasonally. Days to flower in the establishment year and seedling regeneration were assessed each year for the annual legumes. In May 2003, salinity levels at soil depths >0.6 m were as high as 8 and 12 dS/m at the naturalised pasture and previously cropped sites, respectively, but generally were >5 and >3 dS/m at a soil depth of 0–0.10 m for these sites in 2004–05. With below average rainfall, no waterlogging was observed at the previously cropped site and only short-term waterlogging of a few days duration occurred at the naturalised pasture site. Under these conditions Puccinellia ciliata cv. Menemen did not establish or perform well, but Thinopyrum ponticum (cvv. Dundas and Tyrrell) was productive and persistent compared with Phalaris aquatica. At both sites, Digitaria eriantha cv. Premier and Chloris gayana cv. Katambora were the best tropical grasses, while the performance of Bothriochloa bladhii subsp. glabra cv. Swann was good at the previously cropped site and Panicum coloratum subsp. makarikariense cv. Bambatsi was best at the naturalised pasture site. At both sites, Medicago sativa had the highest herbage mass and persistence, with cv. Aquarius being superior to cv. Salado after 3 years. Compared with M. sativa, the herbage mass and persistence of Trifolium fragiferum was low. Of the annual legumes, M. polymorpha cv. Scimitar and Melilotus sulcatus had the highest herbage mass.



Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevag Bedrossian ◽  
Balwant Singh

The occurrence of premature senescence (PS) in cotton in Australia has been related to decreased potassium (K) concentration in the affected plants. Soil samples (0–120 cm) were taken from paired cotton fields, i.e. PS fields and similar soils not affected by PS (Non-PS fields), in northern New South Wales. The samples were analysed for different forms of K in soil, mineralogy of various size fractions, and K adsorption characteristics to evaluate differences in their K availability. Smectite was the dominant clay mineral in the studied soils. The K-bearing mineral illite was present in the clay fraction of all samples and its content was generally higher in soils from the Non-PS sites than the PS sites from Moree, Pilliga, and Warren. Water-soluble K (H2O-K) ranged from 0.03 to 2.64 mg/kg (median 0.35 mg/kg), exchangeable K (Exch-K) from 43 to 687 mg/kg (median 107 mg/kg), non-exchangeable K (Nonexch-K) from 164 to 1981 mg/kg (median 819 mg/kg), and total K (Total-K) from 16 811 to 23 207 mg/kg (median 14 740 mg/kg). The values of various K forms were generally higher in samples from the Non-PS fields than the PS fields from Pilliga and Warren sites and the reverse trend occurred for the samples from Trangie. Similar H2O-K and Exch-K values were found for the PS and Non-PS samples from Moree, whereas Nonexch-K and Total-K contents were higher in the top 60 cm soil depth from the Non-PS field than the PS field. The equilibrium activity ratio (ARKe) values were significantly higher for surface samples from the Non-PS sites than the PS sites from Pilliga and Warren and the reverse was true for the Trangie site. There was a sharp decrease in ARKe with depth for the studied samples. The potential buffering capacity (PBCK) for both surface and subsurface samples from the Non-PS site (mean 31.5 (mmol/kg)/(mol/L)1/2) from Trangie was substantially higher than the corresponding samples from the PS sites (mean 14.7 (mmol/kg)/(mol/L)1/2). There was a significant increase in K adsorption for the subsurface samples than the surface samples for all sites, as indicated by the higher values of Freundlich adsorption coefficient, k. At the Pilliga and Warren sites, the occurrence of premature senescence in cotton plants can be explained on the basis of differences in the levels of different forms of K, mineralogy, and K adsorption characteristics of soils from the PS and Non-PS fields. At the Moree site, higher illite content in the Non-PS than the PS soil may explain the difference in their K availability. For the paired Trangie samples, greater PBCK of the Non-PS soil than the PS soil may be responsible for increased K availability in the Non-PS soil. The occurrence of PS symptoms in cotton at Narrabri site cannot be directly contributed to K supplying parameters analysed in the study. The results also show that Exch-K alone may not be adequate to measure K availability to cotton in these soils.



Soil Research ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
ND Turvey ◽  
AB Rudra ◽  
J Turner

The objectives of the study were to determine whether selected soil physical and chemical parameters could be used as predictors of site and the productivity of Pinus radiata (D. Don). The study was carried out in the Lithgow district of New South Wales. Sixty plots were located in first-rotation unthinned stands of P. radiata of age 11 years. None of the stands had received fertilizer. The stands were selected to cover a wide range of merchantable volume production (0-175 m3 ha-1), and were located on a range of geological types including siltstone, medium-grained quartz sandstone, conglomerate, and rhyolitic tuff and lava. Soil depth was positively correlated, and per cent sand negatively correlated with all stand production variables. No other soil physical-or chemical variables were correlated consistently with stand variables. Discriminant analysis was used to test for the ability of a selected subset of soil physical and chemical variables to discriminate (a) between three volume production classes, and (b) between three geological groups. Soil depth, per cent sand, and total nitrogen contributed to two functions which discriminated between volume production groups. Cation exchange capacity, Bray phosphorus, per cent sand, exchangeable sodium, and total nitrogen contributed to two functions which discriminated between geological groups. Thus soil physical parameters were predominant in discriminating between volume production groups, and soil chemical parameters were predominant in discriminating between geological groups.



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