Production and persistence of annual pasture legumes at five saline sites in southern Australia

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Contents Vol 48(4)

doi:10.1071/EA07167

Production and persistence of annual pasture legumes at five saline sites in southern Australia

P. G. H. Nichols ^A ^B ^H ^J, A. D. Craig ^C ^H, M. E. Rogers ^D ^H, T. O. Albertsen ^E ^H, S. M. Miller ^C ^H ^I, D. R. McClements ^A ^H, S. J. Hughes ^F ^H, M. F. D’Antuono ^A, B. S. Dear ^G ^H

^A Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, Locked Bag 4, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia.
^B School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
^C South Australian Research and Development Institute, Struan Research Centre, PO Box 618, Naracoorte, SA 5271, Australia.
^D Primary Industries Research Victoria, Department of Primary Industries Victoria, Tatura, Vic. 3616, Australia.
^E Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute, Katanning, WA 6317, Australia.
^F South Australian Research and Development Institute, Plant Research Centre, Waite Campus, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
^G EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Alliance between New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University), Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia.
^H Cooperative Research Centre for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
^I Present address: South East Natural Resources Management Board, Mount Gambier, SA 5290, Australia.
^J Corresponding author. Email: pnichols@agric.wa.gov.au





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Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48(4) 518–535 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/EA07167
Submitted: 5 June 2007 Accepted: 2 January 2008 Published online: 7 March 2008

Abstract

Herbage production and persistence of 42 annual pasture legumes from 33 species were measured at five sites across southern Australia. Medicago polymorpha L. was highly productive on soils, particularly those not prone to waterlogging, with soil surface (0–10 cm soil depth) salinity [estimated by electrical conductivity (EC_e)] levels in summer of up to 36 dS/m, whereas M. truncatula Gaertn. was productive on EC_e levels of at least 11 dS/m. Trifolium michelianum Savi and T. resupinatum L. were highly productive on soils subject to waterlogging, but only where 0–10 cm summer EC_e levels were less than 8 dS/m. No commercial species were adapted to highly saline (0–10 cm summer EC_e levels >8 dS/m), waterlogged sites. However, Melilotus siculus (Turra) Vitman ex B.D. Jacks. has the potential to fulfil this role, provided an appropriate Rhizobium strain can be selected. Mixtures of species and cultivars should be sown to account for high spatial variability for salinity and waterlogging. Traits for annual legume success in saline landscapes include salinity and waterlogging tolerance in germinating seedlings and mature plants, early flowering, hardseededness and delayed softening of hard seeds. Establishment of regenerating seedlings is associated with the timing of hardseed softening in relation to rainfall events capable of leaching topsoil salts. It is proposed that salinity measurements to determine annual legume suitability for winter-dominant rainfall areas are made in summer or early autumn, when at their highest levels. Transects along salinity and waterlogging gradients are suggested as an alternative method to traditional plots for genotype evaluation.

Keywords: biomass, establishment, plant breeding, plant evaluation, waterlogging.