Improved Pasture and Salt Reduction Hand in Hand

Woolgrowers in the Moora-Miling area are working together to combat the spread of salt and improve grazing opportunities on salt affected land as part of a new research project.

In an innovative approach they are improving their pastures and at the same time lowering the shallow water table to improve production and profit from grazing saline land.

According to SGSL team member, John Paul Collins, the project will establish a mixed pasture system on saline land to increase stock grazing days in autumn and to lower shallow water tables reducing the spread of salt-affected land.

The on-farm research is being carried out on B F White & Co’s 3000 hectare property at Miling in WA’s wheatbelt. For Tony White the project holds great promise as it will allow him to continue production on saline land that is otherwise unproductive.

“We are losing productive land in this area of the wheatbelt to salt. This project will allow us to profitably use the land that is partially saline and at the same time try and reduce more land from turning saline by using perennial plants. Water is an asset and we need better plants to use it where it falls,” he said.

“We have a mixed farming enterprise of cropping sheep and cattle. We run 400 head of cattle and sell off the young stock at 12 months, we run Merinos for wool and crop wheat, barley, lupins, oats and export hay, and forage sorghum using No Tillage establishment methods.

“The sites that we are using vary in the degree to which they are salt-affected. Some are quite bad and some are just starting to be saline and so we have adopted a range of different approaches. The classes of land that are being used in this trial are indicative of what we have to deal with across the entire property.”

John Paul Collins said improving productivity from saline land is a bottomless pit in terms of opportunity and a number of options are being investigated at the research site.

“This project aims to increase pasture production and profitability from salt-affected land,” he said. “We are also looking to lower the shallow water table. The Moora-Miling Pasture Improvement Group that is overseeing this research on a local level has installed piezometers to monitor the water table level.

“We are also hoping to reduce the impact of rye-grass toxicity in this area of the wheatbelt. To this end we are trying to establish ‘Safeguard’ annual ryegrass. This ryegrass is resistant to the nemotode that causes ryegrass toxicity. Once the ‘Safeguard’ ryegrass is introduced it cross pollinates with existing ryegrass and spreads quite well.

“Six different SGSL sites have been set up on Tony White’s property. Site 1 is characterised by samphire (a succulent that grows in severely salt affected land) and trees.

“Site 2 has saltwater couch grass,” said John Paul. “This is a runner grass that grows very well on salt scalded areas. Tony White is being very innovative with his approach to this couch grass. Many farmers in the Moora area consider this a weed but Tony believes that in its right place it is a bonus.”

According to Tony, saltwater couch grass is quite a deep-rooted grass that remains green during the summer and is palatable to the stock.

“The trial allows me to investigate growing and managing it in specific saline areas,” he said. “I am actively digging up cuttings and planting them in a bid to spread and encourage the plant so it can both produce summer feed and use excess water”.

John Paul said “Site 3 has native grasses. Site 4 has direct sown saltbush where the seed has been sown on niches of mounded of soil. Site 5 has saltbush seedlings together with Oil Mallee trees. These are planted near a fence directly below a cropping paddock. The aim of the trees is to absorb excess water from the cropping paddock. Site 6 has tall wheat grass, balansa clover and ryegrass.

“We will monitor pasture production from each of these sites. We will be looking at feed on offer, pasture quality with regard to digestibility and protein and the depth of the water table. It will be of particular interest to see the effect of the trees on the water table.

“Sheep grazing days will be recorded and we will weigh the sheep and record their condition scores.

“The project will allow us to really get a handle on what lowers the shallow water table in a range of salt-affected areas typical of the district and at the same time allow farmers to continue production of pasture for grazing,” he said.

First published April 2004. For more information go to the Sustainable Grazing on Saline Lands Sub-program.