Can soil change be assessed for the Victorian dairy industry?

Soil Change Matters 2014

Aarons, Sharon R.^1 ; Crawford, Douglas^1 ; Imhof, Mark^2 ; Gourley, Cameron^1

Agriculture Research Division, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank

3821, Australia^1

Agriculture Research Division, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 32 Lincoln Square North, Carlton

3053, Australia^2

关键词: Analytical laboratories;    Careful management;    Chemical data;    Dairy industry;    Land degradation;    Positively skewed;    Regional differences;    Soil property;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/25/1/012019/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1755-1315/25/1/012019

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Meeting the increased demand for dairy products will require careful management of soils to minimise land degradation and sustain increased production. Key to providing farmers with the tools to manage their soils sustainably, is firstly understanding the soil types currently managed by dairy farmers, and secondly quantifying changes in soil properties in response to management. The Victorian Land Use Information System was interrogated to identify dairy land parcels and these data overlaid on soil survey information to identify the dominant soil orders managed by dairy farmers in the three dairy regions of Victoria. Of the approximately 590,000 hectares of dairy land identified across the state, Sodosols (33%), Chromosols (20%), Dermosols (16%), and Vertosols (11%) are the major soil Orders represented, although the dominant soil Orders vary for each region. Legacy data from research and extension activities undertaken between 1995 and 2010 were collated to understand regional differences in dairy soil properties. All soil properties were significantly and positively skewed with higher median pH, EC and available K in northern Victorian soils. Further analysis compared the 1995 to 2010 data with data from samples analysed by the government analytical laboratory between 1973 and 1980 to assess any differences over 38 years. The older soil chemical data were also positively skewed but had lower median soil pH, Olsen P and available K, consistent with the greater use of inputs by the industry in more recent years.