Implications of soil type, pasture composition and mineral content of pasture components for the incidence of grass tetany in the South East of South Australia

1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 609 ◽  
Author(s):  
DC Lewis ◽  
LA Sparrow

The occurrence of grass tetany related deaths in cattle grazing pasture in the South East of South Australia is related to soil type. The greatest losses occur on the solodised solonetz soils, with few, if any, on the rendzina or siliceous sand soils in the region. Pastures from 3 soil types were sampled on 2 occasions during the growing period, and soils were sampled once. Comparisons were made for the pasture components of potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) concentrations in soils, and K, Ca, Mg, nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) concentrations in plants. In the July sampling, the mean herbage K/(Ca + Mg) ratio for both annual and perennial grass species grown on the solodised solonetz soils exceeded 2.2 but was below 2 for the other 2 soil types. At the same time the mean K/(Ca + Mg) ratio for soil-extractable cations was 0.10 for the solodised solonetz soils but only 0.058 and 0.025 for the rendzina and siliceous sand soils. A critical value for the K/(Ca + Mg) ratio for the soil extractable cations of 0.07-0.08 is suggested. Of the 22 sites in the investigation, grass tetany deaths had occurred on 9 within the previous 5 years; all of these were classified as solodised solonetz soils. Deaths were reported in late autumn and winter, and in all cases the dominant pasture species growing at these sites in July were grasses. It is suggested that deaths ceased in spring because there was either a change to legume dominance or an increase in air temperature.

1956 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
WD Andrew ◽  
CA Neal-Smith

Over the period 1952-1954 there was no significant difference in the yield of herbage produced annually by the addition to a Phalaris tuberosa L.–Trifolium subterraneum L. pasture mixture, of any one of the following grasses: Agropyron obtusiusculum Lange., Bromus coloratus Steud., Bromus inermis Leyss., Dactylis glomerata L., or Festuca arundinacea Schreb. There were indications of a small change in seasonal production where certain grasses, notably D. glomerata, were included in the mixture. Over the 3-year period the proportion of the sown grass component, in the mixtures where either D. glomerata, B. inermis, or B. coloratus were included, increased by a greater amount than where the simple mixture of phalaris and subterranean clover was used. The addition of each grass also lessened the amount of P. tuberosa in the sown grass component of the yield. In the third year, despite the varying proportions of the phalaris and associated sown grass species, the mean population of the sown perennial grasses in each treatment did not differ significantly from the mean figure of 1.34 plants/sq. lk. The increased production of the sown grass yield component following the association of certain of the above species with P. tuberosa suggests that the latter does not fully exploit the environment. The principle of including another perennial grass when sowing phalaris and subterranean clover might have wide application as a means of combatting "phalaris staggers".


2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Kemp ◽  
P. M. Dowling

Naturalised pastures across the higher rainfall (>600 mm) perennial pasture zone of south-eastern Australia are less productive than they were, while sown pastures fail to maintain their initial levels of production. Several factors have contributed to this, including lack of knowledge of suitable grazing practices, weed invasion, increasing acid soils, rising water tables and poor management practices during droughts. A key issue in each case is the decline in perennial grass species which is both a cause and effect of the decline in productivity and sustainability of these ecosystems. This paper introduces a volume devoted to the largest collaborative study done to evaluate tactics for better grazing management and to improve the sustainability of perennial pasture ecosystems. Grazing practices to manage the composition of pastures have been largely neglected in pasture research, but are an important first step in improving pasture sustainability. This paper also outlines a new, open communal grazing experimental design which was developed and used across 24 sites on farms in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, to evaluate tactics for grazing management. The general aim across these experiments was to maintain (if adequate) or enhance (if degraded), the proportion of desirable perennial grasses in the sward to achieve more sustainable pastures. The results will provide the basis for building more sustainable grazing systems.


1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
SR Walker ◽  
JMT Marley ◽  
GR Robinson ◽  
PA Hargreaves

Commercial experience is that soil type appears to be a major factor influencing initial weed control from soil applications of atrazine and chlorsulfuron. We tested this by collecting 26 soils from the major cropping areas in southern Queensland. Initial activity was determined by measuring the dose required for 50% inhibition (ID50) of seedling growth in Wimmera ryegrass in controlled environment cabinets. The mean ID50 for atrazine and chlorsulfuron in black earths was 3 and 4 times greater, respectively, than in grey clays. Lower activity in the black earths was probably due to higher clay and cation contents and, consequently, greater adsorption of the herbicides. These results suggest that application rates of atrazine and chlorsulfuron can be adjusted for differences in initial activity between soil types.


2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 826 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Dolling ◽  
S. Asseng ◽  
M. J. Robertson ◽  
M. A. Ewing

The long-term effect of lucerne use, in reducing drainage of water below the root zone and runoff (water excess), has not been examined in south-western Australia (Western Australia). The main aims of the paper were to determine how the long-term mean water excess was influenced by the proportion of lucerne in the rotation and the length of the lucerne phase in relation to soil type and location. A simulation model was used to compare scenarios, drawing on historical weather data from 1957 to 2001. Simulations were performed for 2 locations (high and low rainfall) and 2 soil types (high and low water-holding capacity). Lucerne significantly and rapidly (within 2–3 years) reduces the long-term mean water excess in rotations consisting of 2–4 years of lucerne followed by 1–4 years of wheat compared with continuous wheat. For every 10% increase in the percentage of lucerne years in the total rotation length, the mean water excess decreased by 17–20 mm (7–9%) at Kojonup (high-rainfall site) and 7–8 mm (8–9%) at Buntine (low-rainfall site) compared with the water excess associated with continuous wheat at each location. The proportion of lucerne in the rotation had a greater effect on the water excess than the effect of different soil types. Variation in the water excess due to variation in rainfall was greater than the reduction in water excess due to lucerne. This makes the decisions about when to grow lucerne to reduce water excess difficult if livestock enterprises are less profitable than cropping enterprises. The simulations show that lucerne mean yearly biomass ranges from 4.5 to 6.9 t/ha at Kojonup and from 1.6 to 4.7 t/ha at Buntine, depending on soil type and stage of lucerne in the land use sequence. It is worth considering that lucerne has the potential to reduce subsequent wheat yields with removal in autumn.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (04) ◽  
pp. 4958
Author(s):  
Dulal De

Hymenachne acutigluma (Steud.) Gilliland, a robust rhizomatous perennial grass spreads on moist and swampy land and also floating in water. Being a grass species, they do not have any cambium for secondary growth. A peculiarity in stem anatomy especially the spongy pith of secondary tissues found in absence of the cambium. The origin and development of the parenchymatous pith tissues has been investigated in the present study. Economically this spongy pith is of very much potent for its high absorbing and filtering capacity and also used as a good fodder.


Author(s):  
Magdalena Banach-Szott ◽  
Bozena Debska ◽  
Erika Tobiasova

AbstractMany studies report organic carbon stabilization by clay minerals, but the effects of land use and soil type on the properties of humic acids (HAs) are missing. The aim of the paper is to determine the effects of land use and soil types on the characteristics of HAs, which have a considerable influence on organic matter quality. It was hypothesised that the effect of the land use on HAs properties depends on the particular size distribution. The research was performed in three ecosystems: agricultural, forest, and meadow, located in Slovakia. From each of them, the samples of 4 soil types were taken: Chernozem, Luvisol, Planosol, and Cambisol. The soil samples were assayed for the content of total organic carbon (TOC) and the particle size distribution. HAs were extracted with the Schnitzer method and analysed for the elemental composition, spectrometric parameters in the UV-VIS range, and hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, and the infrared spectra were produced. The research results have shown that the properties of HAs can be modified by the land use and the scope and that the direction of changes depends on the soil type. The HAs of Chernozem and Luvisol in the agri-ecosystem were identified with a higher “degree of maturity”, as reflected by atomic ratios (H/C, O/C, O/H), absorbance coefficients, and the FT-IR spectra, as compared with the HAs of the meadow and forest ecosystem. However, as for the HAs of Cambisol, a higher “degree of maturity” was demonstrated for the meadow ecosystem, as compared with the HAs of the agri- and forest ecosystem. The present research has clearly identified that the content of clay is the factor determining the HAs properties. Soils with a higher content of the clay fraction contain HAs with a higher “degree of maturity”.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa Mani ◽  
Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo ◽  
Sameera Mubarak

Purpose – Opportunities for malicious cyber activities have expanded with the globalisation and advancements in information and communication technology. Such activities will increasingly affect the security of businesses with online presence and/or connected to the internet. Although the real estate sector is a potential attack vector for and target of malicious cyber activities, it is an understudied industry. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the information security threats, awareness, and risk management standards currently employed by the real estate sector in South Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The current study comprises both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, which include 20 survey questionnaires and 20 face-to-face interviews conducted in South Australia. Findings – There is a lack of understanding about the true magnitude of malicious cyber activities and its impact on the real estate sector, as illustrated in the findings of 40 real estate organisations in South Australia. The findings and the escalating complexities of the online environment underscore the need for regular ongoing training programs for basic online security (including new cybercrime trends) and the promotion of a culture of information security (e.g. when using smart mobile devices to store and access sensitive data) among staff. Such initiatives will enable staff employed in the (South Australian) real estate sector to maintain the current knowledge of the latest cybercrime activities and the best cyber security protection measures available. Originality/value – This is the first academic study focusing on the real estate organisations in South Australia. The findings will contribute to the evidence on the information security threats faced by the sector as well as in develop sector-specific information security risk management guidelines.


Author(s):  
Pujia Yu ◽  
Hailiang Xu ◽  
Shiwei Liu ◽  
Xinfeng Zhao ◽  
Qingqing Zhang ◽  
...  

During the past 20 years, great landscape changes took place in the northwest of China. Landscape change resulted in soil type transformations. This paper discusses the changes and fractal of soil types in oasis. In order to do it, the soil type maps of Manasi River Basin in 1987 and 2006 were used. 13 types of soil and 2 types of land-use were classified and analyzed in the study area. Results indicated many variations in characteristics. Firstly, all soil types underwent remarkable changes from 1987 to 2006 in the study area: the identified changed area was about 30% or 6506.33 km2. Secondly, in comparison with 1987, in 2006 2/3 of the area's soil types increased, while 1/3 decreased. Rapid expansion of Aquicambids (415.28 km2), and rapid decrease of Petrocambids (797.05 km2) and Aquisalids (415.93 km2) were the noticeable findings. Furthermore, Haplocambids obtained largest gains from other soil types, while Petrocambids lost largest area to other types. Additionally, the fractal relationship objectively existed between the perimeter and area of soil patches. The fractal dimension of Aquisalids, Petrocalcids and Ustifluvents became higher and their shapes became more complex during this period. The stability index was higher in 2006 which indicated that the spatial structure of soil type was more stable than in 1987. These chaotic and occasional changes were largely caused by human activities and natural conditions. Consequently, environmental managers should pay more attention to soil changes in the arid and semiarid region. Santrauka Per pastaruosius 20 metų šiaurės vakarų Kinijoje įvyko didelių kraštovaizdžio pokyčių, lėmusių ir dirvožemio tipų pakitimus. Remiantis 1987–2006 m. Manasi upės baseino dirvožemio žemėlapiais, aptariami dirvožemio tipų pokyčiai ir fraktalai oazėse. Pasirinktoje teritorijoje išskirta ir analizuota 13 dirvožemio tipų ir dvejopa žemėnauda. Nustatyta daug kintamųjų parametrų. Pirma, tirtõs teritorijos visų tipų dirvožemiai nuo 1987 iki 2006 m. žymiai pakito. Nustatytoji pokyčių zona apima apie 30 % teritorijos, arba 6 506,32 km2. Antra, palyginti su 1987 m., 2006 m. 10 dirvožemio tipų teritorija padidėjo, o 5 tipų sumažėjo. Sparčiai padidėjo Aquicambids (415,28 km2), sparčiai sumažėjo Petrocambids (797,05 km2) ir Aquisalids (415,93 km2), pokyčiai buvo žymūs. Iš visų kitų pakitusių dirvožemių tipų Haplocambids plotai padidėjo daugiausia, o labiausiai, palyginti su kitais, sumažėjo Petrocambids plotai. Be to, pastebėta, kad tarp dirvožemio teritorijos plotų ir perimetrų objektyviai egzistuoja fraktalinės sąsajos. Fraktalinės dimensijos Aquisalids, Petrocalcids ir Ustifluvents per minėtą laikotarpį padidėjo, o jų formos tapo sudėtingesnės. Stabilumo indeksas 2006 m. buvo didesnis. Tai rodė, kad erdvinė dirvožemio struktūra mažai pakito, tapo stabilesnė, palyginti nei buvo 1987 m. Šiuos atsitiktinius pokyčius iš esmės lėmė žmogaus veikla ir gamtinės sąlygos. Prieita prie išvados, kad sausojo ar pusiau sauso klimato regionuose kraštotvarkos vykdytojai dirvožemio pokyčiams turėtų skirti daugiau dėmesio.


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