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Article: Labile soil organic matter pools under a mixed grass/lucerne pasture and adjacent native bush in Western Australia.(Report)
- Article from:
- Australian Journal of Soil Research
- Article date:
- August 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 CSIRO Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Much of the wheat produced in Western Australia (WA) is grown on coarse-textured soils (>90% sand). Typically, it is grown in a 3- or 4-course rotation including a break crop (e.g. canola) and annual/perennial grasses with leguminous pasture species. Prior to clearing in the 1950s Proteaceae-dominated woodland and shrubs covered much of the WA wheat-belt. Agricultural practices, such as cultivation, the use of fertilisers, and the establishment of grass/legume pastures have enhanced soil fertility in some parts of WA (Grigg et al. 2000; Mendham et al. 2002), but detrimental effects have also been reported. These include increased compaction, reduced ...