The Issues: Salinity

We’ve quadrupled our stocking rate to more than eight Dry Sheep Equivalents per hectare (DSE/ha) and gained an extra $52 gross margin/ha by planting saline areas to productive salt tolerant species.

Michael Lloyd, Lake Grace, WA.

The area of agricultural land affected by salinity is estimated to increase by 30 per cent by 2020. Not only does salinity affect agricultural production, it impacts on roads, railways, buildings and streams and domestic appliances such as hot water services. The cost to the community of these effects outweighs the cost of salinity to agriculture. The loss in agricultural production associated with the area currently affected by dryland salinity and the area estimated to be affected by salinity in 2020 is as follows:

Current loss in income attributable to salinity in sheep production systems is $38.9 million Dryland salinity arose because clearing of land for agriculture has resulted in excess water moving past the root systems of shallow rooted agricultural species (as opposed to the trees and understorey originally present) causing saline water tables to rise to the surface.

Productive Solutions

Replacing annual pasture systems with deep rooted perennial species that have a longer growing season and can explore a greater proportion of the soil profile will reduce the amount of water entering the profile. These species, if properly managed, can improve farm production. There are also significant opportunities to produce income from saline land through the establishment of salt tolerant species. This not only brings formerly unproductive areas back into production but also, by stabilising the soil, reduces soil erosion and in some soils may reduce the export of salt to areas downstream in the catchment.

Want to know more?

• Visit Land Water & Wool's Sustainable Grazing on Saline Lands sub-program.
• Download an information sheet on productive solutions for salinity management.