Archive for category: Soil constraints – high rainfall beef

Outputs from the National Landcare Programs Smart Farms Small Grant project Soil Constraints to Productivity in High Rainfall Beef Pastures (South West WA)

Sub clover root rot affecting productivity in the South West’s high rainfall zone

Sub clover root rot affecting productivity in the South West’s high rainfall zone

If your sub clover isn’t germinating or seems to be dropping out of your pasture sward during winter, there’s a fair chance it’s suffering from root disease. Colloquially known as root rot, soil-borne fungal pathogens dominate most Mediterranean ecosystems and pose a serious risk to self-seeding pasture legumes such...

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Soil constraints causing a decline in sub clover productivity: Project key findings

Soil constraints causing a decline in sub clover productivity: Project key findings

Beef production in the South West’s high rainfall zone appears to be significantly constrained by poor sub clover productivity. That’s according to a survey of 24 beef properties conducted by South West Catchments Council (SWCC) in partnership with Western Beef Association Inc., which aimed to give farmers a better...

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Low molybdenum levels in sub clover limiting nitrogen fixation

Low molybdenum levels in sub clover limiting nitrogen fixation

A survey of soil constraints across the South West beef farms has found that half appear to be low in molybdenum. The trace element is critical for the development of nitrogen-fixing nodules on legume roots. The survey also scored nodulation in the South West, finding that nodules were scarce...

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Independent advice for soil phosphorus

Independent advice for soil phosphorus

Livestock producers looking for independent advice on phosphorus application rates might want to look at a key document used by agronomists that’s available on-line. Almost a decade ago, the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD) published the Soil Test and Phosphorus Rate for High Rainfall Clover Pastures....

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Knife-points improving compacted soil in the high rainfall zone

Knife-points improving compacted soil in the high rainfall zone

Evidence that soil compaction may be limiting high rainfall pasture production is being supported by observations from local livestock producers who are seeing a response from management actions. One producer seeing results is Karridale merino farmer Matt Nield, who usually needs a crowbar to break through his topsoil. “The...

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Adapting to a drying climate with better nutrition and fodder production

Adapting to a drying climate with better nutrition and fodder production

While phosphorus has long been the lynchpin for pasture and livestock production in Western Australia, its status as most limiting nutrient is fading behind decades of application. Now other nutrients are more likely to limit production. Nitrogen is one nutrient that could now be the most limiting nutrient for...

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Soil compaction and water repellency on high rainfall beef farms

Soil compaction and water repellency on high rainfall beef farms

Surveys of soil constraints on high rainfall beef farms in 2019 suggest that soil compaction may be limiting pasture growth on some South West farms. Almost half of the 39 sites sampled across 21 farms had a compaction level that is likely to restrict root growth at a depth...

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Is soil aluminium the cause of lost pasture production?

Is soil aluminium the cause of lost pasture production?

A recent soil survey of beef-producing farms in the South West’s high rainfall zone has highlighted the potential for aluminium toxicity in our soils. Aluminium toxicity can have a significant effect on pasture productivity by inhibiting subsurface root growth and restricting plant access to water and nutrients. However, the...

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Free nitrogen from high rainfall pasture legumes

Free nitrogen from high rainfall pasture legumes

Legumes are typically seen as a free source of nitrogen. Research suggests that an optimally performing legume can provide about 25 kilograms of nitrogen for every tonne of dry matter grown per hectare, released slowly over three years. Adequate performance is indicated by a legume root system covered with...

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