Graeme D. Schwenke

Effects of below-ground nitrogen on N balances of field-grown fababean, chickpea, and barley

The objectives of this study were to quantify below-ground nitrogen (BGN) of rainfed fababean (Vicia faba), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), and barley (Hordeum vulgare) and to use the values to determine N balances for the 3 crops. The BGN fraction of legumes in particular represents a potentially important pool of N that has often been grossly underestimated or ignored in calculating such balances. A field experiment was conducted at Breeza on the Liverpool Plains, New South Wales, in which BGN of fababean, chickpea, and barley was estimated using 15N methodologies. Plants were grown in 0.32-m2 microplots and labelled with 15N on 5 occasions during vegetative growth with a total of 1.0 mL of 0.5% 15N urea (98 atom% 15N) using leaf-flap (fababean), leaf-tip (barley), or cut petiole (chickpea) shoot-labelling procedures. At peak biomass (146–170 days after sowing), all plant material and soil to 45 cm depth was sampled from one microplot in each replicate plot and analysed for dry matter (DM), %N, and 15N. At plant maturity, the remaining 3 microplots in each replicate plot were harvested for shoot and grain DM and N. With fababean, 15N enrichments of intact roots and shoots were reasonably uniform at 537‰ and 674‰, respectively. Microplot soil at 0–25 cm depth had a 15N enrichment of 18‰ (natural abundance of 6.1‰). The 25–45 cm soil enrichment was 8.7‰ (natural abundance of 6.3‰). In contrast, 15N enrichment of chickpea shoots was about twice that of recovered roots (685‰ v. 331‰), and the soil enrichment was relatively high (30‰ and 8.8‰ for the 0–25 and 25–45 cm depths, respectively). The 15N enrichments of barley shoots and recovered roots were 2272‰ and 1632‰, respectively, with soil enrichments of 34‰ and 10.7‰ for the 0–25 and 25–45 cm depths, respectively. Estimates of BGN as a percentage of total plant N, after adjusting the 15N shoot-labelling values of fababean and chickpea for uneven distribution of 15N-depleted nodules, were 24% for fababean, 68% for chickpea, and 36% for barley. The BGN values were combined with N2 fixation (fababean and chickpea only) and shoot and grain yield data (all 3 species) to construct N budgets. The inclusion of BGN in the budgets increased N balances by 38 kg N/ha to +36 kg N/ha for fababean and by 93 kg N/ha to +94 kg N/ha for chickpea. As there was no external (N2 fixation) input of N to barley, the inclusion of BGN made no difference to the N balance of the crop of –74 kg N/ha. Such values confirm the importance of BGN of N2-fixing legumes in the N economies of cropping systems.

High subsoil chloride concentrations reduce soil water extraction and crop yield on Vertosols in north-eastern Australia

Salinity, sodicity, acidity, and phytotoxic levels of chloride (Cl) in subsoils are major constraints to crop production in many soils of north-eastern Australia because they reduce the ability of crop roots to extract water and nutrients from the soil. The complex interactions and correlations among soil properties result in multi-colinearity between soil properties and crop yield that makes it difficult to determine which constraint is the major limitation. We used ridge-regression analysis to overcome colinearity to evaluate the contribution of soil factors and water supply to the variation in the yields of 5 winter crops on soils with various levels and combinations of subsoil constraints in the region. Subsoil constraints measured were soil Cl, electrical conductivity of the saturation extract (ECse), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). The ridge regression procedure selected several of the variables used in a descriptive model, which included in-crop rainfall, plant-available soil water at sowing in the 0.90-1.10 m soil layer, and soil Cl in the 0.90-1.10 m soil layer, and accounted for 77-85% of the variation in the grain yields of the 5 winter crops. Inclusion of ESP of the top soil (0.0-0.10 m soil layer) marginally increased the descriptive capability of the models for bread wheat, barley and durum wheat. Subsoil Cl concentration was found to be an effective substitute for subsoil water extraction. The estimates of the critical levels of subsoil Cl for a 10% reduction in the grain yield were 492 mg cl/kg for chickpea, 662 mg Cl/kg for durum wheat, 854 mg Cl/kg for bread wheat, 980 mg Cl/kg for canola, and 1012 mg Cl/kg for barley, thus suggesting that chickpea and durum wheat were more sensitive to subsoil Cl than bread wheat, barley, and canola.

Greenhouse gas emissions profile for 1 tonne of wheat produced in Central Zone (East) New South Wales: a life cycle assessment approach

Abstract. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become an increasingly common approach across different industries, including agriculture, for environmental impact assessment. A single-issue LCA focusing on greenhouse gas emissions was conducted to determine the emissions profile and total carbon footprint of wheat produced in the Central Zone (East) of New South Wales. Greenhouse gas emissions (in carbon dioxide equivalents; CO2-e) from all stages of the production process, both pre-farm and on-farm, were included. Total emissions were found to be 200 kg CO2-e per t of wheat at the farm gate, based on a 3.5 t/ha grain yield. The relative contribution of greenhouse gas emissions from different components of the production system was determined, with most emissions (37%) coming from pre-farm production and transport of fertiliser (30%) and lime (7%) and from the nitrous oxide (N2O) emitted from the nitrogenous fertiliser applied to the crop (26%). Other important emissions included the CO2 emissions from the use of fertiliser and lime (15%) and the production, transport and use of diesel (16%). The relative importance of other minor emissions is also discussed. For a higher yielding crop (5.0 t/ha), total emissions were found to be 150 kg CO2-e per t of wheat. This paper considers the effect of different management scenarios on the emissions profile and the effect of adopting a N2O emissions factor, which is based on current New South Wales field research, rather than the current Australian National Greenhouse Accounts National Inventory Report default value. This LCA provides a template from which comparative farming systems LCA can be developed and provides data for the Australian Life Cycle Inventory.

Diagnosis, extent, impacts, and management of subsoil constraints in the northern grains cropping region of Australia

Productivity of grain crops grown under dryland conditions in north-eastern Australia depends on efficient use of rainfall and available soil moisture accumulated in the period preceding sowing. However, adverse subsoil conditions including high salinity, sodicity, nutrient imbalances, acidity, alkalinity, and high concentrations of chloride (Cl) and sodium (Na) in many soils of the region restrict ability of crop roots to access this stored water and nutrients. Planning for sustainable cropping systems requires identification of the most limiting constraint and understanding its interaction with other biophysical factors. We found that the primary effect of complex and variable combinations of subsoil constraints was to increase the crop lower limit (CLL), thereby reducing plant available water. Among chemical subsoil constraints, subsoil Cl concentration was a more effective indicator of reduced water extraction and reduced grain yields than either salinity or sodicity (ESP). Yield penalty due to high subsoil Cl was seasonally variable, with more in-crop rainfall (ICR) resulting in less negative impact. A conceptual model to determine realistic yield potential in the presence of subsoil Cl was developed from a significant positive linear relationship between CLL and subsoil Cl: Since grid sampling of soil to identify distribution of subsoil Cl, both spatially across landscape and within soil profile, is time-consuming and expensive, we found that electromagnetic induction, coupled with yield mapping and remote sensing of vegetation offers potential to rapidly identify possible subsoil Cl at paddock or farm scale. Plant species and cultivars were evaluated for their adaptations to subsoil Cl. Among winter crops, barley and triticale, followed by bread wheat, were more tolerant of high subsoil Cl concentrations than durum wheat. Chickpea and field pea showed a large decrease in yield with increasing subsoil Cl concentrations and were most sensitive of the crops tested. Cultivars of different winter crops showed minor differences in sensitivity to increasing subsoil Cl concentrations. Water extraction potential of oilseed crops was less affected than cereals with increasing levels of subsoil Cl concentrations. Among summer crops, water extraction potential of millet, mungbean, and sesame appears to be more sensitive to subsoil Cl than that of sorghum and maize; however, the differences were significant only to 0.7 m. Among pasture legumes, lucerne was more tolerant to high subsoil Cl concentrations than the others studied. Surface applied gypsum significantly improved wheat grain yield on soils with ESP >6 in surface soil (0–0.10 m). Subsurface applied gypsum at 0.20–0.30 m depth did not affect grain yield in the first year of application; however, there was a significant increase in grain yield in following years. Better subsoil P and Zn partially alleviated negative impact of high subsoil Cl. Potential savings from improved N fertilisation decisions for paddocks with high subsoil Cl are estimated at ~

Should we manage soil organic carbon in Vertosols in the northern grains region of Australia

AU10 million per annum.

Climate and soil properties limit the positive effects of land use reversion on carbon storage in Eastern Australia

Two issues prompted this paper. The first was the measured soil organic carbon decline in fertile northern Australian soils under continual cropping using traditional management practices. We wanted to see whether it was theoretically possible to maintain or improve soil organic carbon concentrations with modern management recommendations. The second was the debate about use of sustainability indicators for on-farm management, so we looked at soil organic carbon as a potential indicator of soil health and investigated whether it was useful in making on-farm crop decisions. The analytical results indicated first that theoretically the observed decline in soil organic carbon concentrations in some northern cracking clay soils can be halted and reversed under continuous cropping sequences by using best practice management. Second, the results and associated discussion give some support to the use of soil organic carbon as a sustainability indicator for soil health. There was a consistent correlation between crop input decisions (fertilisation, stubble management, tillage), outputs (yield and profits) and outcomes (change in soil organic carbon content) in the short and longer term. And this relationship depended to some extent on whether the existing soil organic carbon status was low, medium or high. A stock dynamics relationship is one where the change in a stock (such as soil organic carbon) through time is related not only to the management decisions made and other random influences (such as climatic effects), but also to the concentration or level of the stock itself in a previous time period. Against such a requirement, soil organic carbon was found to be a reasonable measure. However, the inaccuracy in measuring soil organic carbon in the paddock mitigates the potential benefit shown in this analysis of using soil organic carbon as a sustainability indicator. These results are based on a simulation model (APSIM) calibrated for a cracking clay (Vertosol) soil typical of much of the intensively-cropped slopes and plains region of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, and need to be interpreted in this light. There are large areas of such soils in north-western New South Wales; however, many of these experience lower rainfalls and plant-available soil water capacities than in this case, and the importance of these characteristics must also be considered.

Greenhouse gas (N2O and CH4) fluxes under nitrogen-fertilised dryland wheat and barley on subtropical Vertosols: Risk, rainfall and alternatives

Australia’s “Direct Action” climate change policy relies on purchasing greenhouse gas abatement from projects undertaking approved abatement activities. Management of soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural soils is an approved activity, based on the expectation that land use change can deliver significant changes in SOC. However, there are concerns that climate, topography and soil texture will limit changes in SOC stocks. This work analyses data from 1482 sites surveyed across the major agricultural regions of Eastern Australia to determine the relative importance of land use vs. other drivers of SOC. Variation in land use explained only 1.4% of the total variation in SOC, with aridity and soil texture the main regulators of SOC stock under different land uses. Results suggest the greatest potential for increasing SOC stocks in Eastern Australian agricultural regions lies in converting from cropping to pasture on heavy textured soils in the humid regions.

Soil carbon is only higher in the surface soil under minimum tillage in Vertosols and Chromosols of New South Wales North-West Slopes and Plains, Australia

The northern Australian grains industry relies on nitrogen (N) fertiliser to optimise yield and protein, but N fertiliser can increase soil fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). We measured soil N2O and CH4 fluxes associated with wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) using automated (Expts 1, 3) and manual chambers (Expts 2, 4, 5). Experiments were conducted on subtropical Vertosol soils fertilised with N rates of 0–160kgNha–1. In Expt 1 (2010), intense rainfall for a month before and after sowing elevated N2O emissions from N-fertilised (80kgNha–1) wheat, with 417gN2O-Nha–1 emitted compared with 80g N2O-Nha–1 for non-fertilised wheat. Once crop N uptake reduced soil mineral N, there was no further treatment difference in N2O. Expt 2 (2010) showed similar results, however, the reduced sampling frequency using manual chambers gave a lower cumulative N2O. By contrast, very low rainfall before and for several months after sowing Expt 3 (2011) resulted in no difference in N2O emissions between N-fertilised and non-fertilised barley. N2O emission factors were 0.42, 0.20 and –0.02 for Expts 1, 2 and 3, respectively. In Expts 4 and 5 (2011), N2O emissions increased with increasing rate of N fertiliser. Emissions were reduced by 45% when the N fertiliser was applied in a 50:50 split between sowing and mid-tillering, or by 70% when urea was applied with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole-phosphate. Methane fluxes were typically small and mostly negative in all experiments, especially in dry soils. Cumulative CH4 uptake ranged from 242 to 435g CH4-Cha–1year–1, with no effect of N fertiliser treatment. Considered in terms of CO2 equivalents, soil CH4 uptake offset 8–56% of soil N2O emissions, with larger offsets occurring in non-N-fertilised soils. The first few months from N fertiliser application to the period of rapid crop N uptake pose the main risk for N2O losses from rainfed cereal cropping on subtropical Vertosols, but the realisation of this risk is dependent on rainfall. Strategies that reduce the soil mineral N pool during this time can reduce the risk of N2O loss.

Tillage does not increase nitrous oxide emissions under dryland canola (Brassica napus L.) in a semiarid environment of south-eastern Australia

Reduced carbon stock levels in Australian soil due to cropping provide a significant opportunity for carbon sequestration, and the recent initiative to consider soil carbon in domestic emissions trading requires a scientific assessment of soil carbon levels under a range of cropping soil management practices. Some of the previous research in southern and western New South Wales (NSW) showed that the rate of carbon decline in cropping soils is slowed under minimum tillage when the stubble is also retained. However, such comparison is rare in the NSW North-West Slopes and Plains region, particularly on the red soils (Chromosols) which are one of the major soil types in the region. We surveyed 50 dryland Chromosols, 72 dryland Vertosols, and 25 irrigated Vertosols on commercial farms across this region to examine the effects of conventional tillage, minimum tillage, and irrigation on total soil organic carbon. Samples of 0.1 m segments to 0.3 m depth were analysed for total organic carbon and other soil properties. Mid-infrared scans were used to predict the particulate, humus, and resistant soil organic carbon fractions. Bulk density was used to calculate total organic carbon stock for each segment, and equivalent soil mass (ESM) for 0–0.3 m. In Vertosols, for 0–0.3 m ESM, total organic carbon and particulate organic carbon were not different between management practices, whereas humic organic carbon and resistant organic carbon were consistently lower under conventional tillage. However, in 0–0.1 m, total organic carbon was greater under minimum tillage (15.2 Mg ha–1) than conventional tillage (11.9 Mg ha–1) or irrigation (12.0 Mg ha–1), reflecting less soil surface disturbance under minimum tillage. In Chromosols, only total organic carbon was higher under minimum tillage than conventional tillage in the 0–0.3 m ESM (39.8 v. 33.5 Mg ha–1) and in 0–0.1 m (19.7 v. 16.9 Mg ha–1). The strong influences of rainfall, temperature, bulk density, texture, and management history on soil carbon stocks suggested that these environmental and management factors require further consideration when gauging soil carbon sequestration potential under current and novel tillage practices in key regional locations.

Ammonia volatilisation from nitrogen fertilisers surface-applied to bare fallows, wheat crops and perennial-grass-based pastures on Vertosols

Dryland cereal production systems of south-eastern Australia require viable options for reducing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions without compromising productivity and profitability. A 4-year rotational experiment with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–canola (Brassica napus L.)–grain legumes–wheat in sequence was established at Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia, in a semiarid Mediterranean-type environment where long-term average annual rainfall is 541mm and the incidence of summer rainfall is episodic and unreliable. The objectives of the experiment were to investigate whether (i) tillage increases N2O emissions and (ii) nitrogen (N) application can improve productivity without increasing N2O emissions. The base experimental design for each crop phase was a split-plot design with tillage treatment (tilled versus no-till) as the whole plot, and N fertiliser rate (0, 25, 50 and 100kgN/ha) as the subplot, replicated three times. This paper reports high resolution N2O emission data under a canola crop. The daily N2O emission rate averaged 0.55g N2O-N/ha.day, ranging between –0.81 and 6.71g N2O-N/ha.day. The annual cumulative N2O-N emitted was 175.6 and 224.3g N2O-N/ha under 0 and 100kgN/ha treatments respectively. There was no evidence to support the first hypothesis that tillage increases N2O emissions, a result which may give farmers more confidence to use tillage strategically to manage weeds and diseases where necessary. However, increasing N fertiliser rate tended to increase N2O emissions, but did not increase crop production at this site.