Soils News No 007 Dec 1959 - Home - Soil Science Australia

SOILS NEWS

N o . 7

DECEMBER - 1 9 5 9

*

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE

COMMERCIAL PRINTING HOUSE

S O I L S N E W S

The Newsle t ter of the Aust ra l ian Society of Soil Science,

No, 7 December , 1959

CONTENTS Page

Ar t ic le Soil science in State government organisat ions . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Technical Note: Po ros i t y and Macroporos i ty of soi ls of different ages - D. S. Mclntyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Aus t ra l i an Society of Soil Science Fede ra l Council Notes I . , . . . . , . . . , . . , . 24 Membersh ip changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Branch act iv i t ies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 - 2 7 P e r s o n a l notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Summar ie s of talks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 Lis t of Member s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 - 3 2

$ ajt 5|« 3}: s}: >'£

SOILS NEWS is issued solely to m e m b e r s of the Aust ra l ian Society of Soil Science and is regarded as an informal news se rv ice of that body. The s t a t ement s printed here in a r e not intended for citation e lsewhere and no r ep r in t s a r e available on reques t . Le t t e r s , communicat ions , shor t r ev iews , and news i t ems a r e invited and ma te r i a l for the next issue should reach the editor by mid-May. This is the third of the four ha l f -year ly i s sues to be made from Adelaide, the p resen t location of the Fede ra l office of the Society.

Off ice-bearers of Fede ra l Council

P r e s iden t : Mr . J . K. Taylor , C . S . I . R . O . Division of Soils, Adelaide.

V ice -P re s iden t : Mr . R. G. Downes, Soil Conservat ion Authority of Victor ia , Melbourne.

Hon. Secre ta ry : Mr. A. R. P . Clarke) C. S. I. R. O. Division Hon. T r e a s u r e r : Mr . R. D» Bond ) of Soils, Adelaide.

Hon. Edi tor of Soils News: Mr. G, Blackburn, C . S . I . R . O . , Division of Soils, Adelaide,

SOIL SCIENCE IN STATE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

This is the second instalment of a s u m m a r y of soil r e s e a r c h work cur ren t ly undertaken in Aus t ra l ia , The projects l isted number more than 170 and re fe r to the operat ions of 18 separa te organizat ions . All six States have Depar tments of Agricul ture and mos t of the projec ts a r e ca r r i ed out by these depa r tmen t s . The other organizat ions par t icu la r ly concerned with soi ls a re

Soil Conservat ion Service of N, S. W, Main Roads Depar tment of N. S, W, Water Conservation and I r r igat ion Commiss ion , N. S. W Bureau of Sugar Exper iment Stations Queensland Soil Conservat ion Authority of Victoria ,

A smal l number of projects a re handled by the different depar tments or commiss ions concerned with fores t ry , and by the road author i t ies in the l ess populous States ,

There seem to be comparable numbers of projects (20 to 30) in each of the three States: Queensland South Aust ra l ia , and Western Aus t ra l ia , New South Wales and Victoria each c a r r y out from 50 to 60 pro jec ts . Very few projec ts a r e c a r r i e d out in the Tasmanian government depa r tmen t s .

The l i s t shows how difficult it is to define the l imits of soil sc ience; none of the m a t e r i a l has been rejected on the score that it did not deal with soil sc ience .

It is hoped that the s u m m a r y is comprehens ive - any omiss ions should" ' be notified for inclusion in the next i s sue . Most of the information was supplied readi ly by m e m b e r s of the Society and by a few n o n - m e m b e r s , Acknowledgement "is made to. G. F. U. Baker; J, A, Beare ; G„ H. Burvill ; J , D , Colwell; R, W, Condon; W . P . Cass Smith; S,E, Flint; J, H, Harding; J . W . Hewitt; L , C , Lightfoot; J. S, Murray; K. D, Nicolls; C,R, von Steiglitz; L, G, Vallance, and W, Wilkes (Secretary , F o r e s t r y Dept, , Qld,) Special thanks a r e due to J. A, Bea re (S, A, ), J, S, Mur ray (Vic) K. D„ Nicolls (Tas) and C„ R. von Steiglitz (Qld) for their a s s i s t ance ,

1, NEW SOUTH WALES

I Depar tment of Agr icul ture

Division, of Plant Industry

a) P a s t u r e s

Phosphate deficiencies in coas ta l a r e a s

Es tabl i shment methods for pas ture legumes; use of l ime-pel le ted

seed or superphosphate- l ime m i x t u r e s .

Value of sulphur as a fer t i l izer in the New England region.

Role of nitrogenous f e r t i l i ze r s in pasture management ,

(These four p rob lems a r e examined in pas ture t r i a l s conducted by this division; col laborat ive work is done by the Division of Science Services) ,

Wheat

Soil fer t i l i ty and crop rotation, Soil, gra in , and pas ture samples a r e examined from" a field"experiment s tar ted in 1956 at the Condobolin Exper iment Station.

Division of Hort icul ture

Valencia Ci t rus Tr ia l , A pot t r i a l , with 96 individual t r e e s in pots , is conducFed at the Gosford Ci t rus Exper iment Station in co-operat ion with the Biological Branch. Various levels of severa l minera l e lements have been applied to the pot soi ls ,

Division of Science Services

Biological Branch - Bacter iological Section, Work is conducted in col laborat ion with the Division of P lan t Industry on nodulation of pas ture legumes in the Bell inger River, Clarence River and Wyong d i s t r i c t s .

Chemis t Branch - Soil Survey Unit

Bel l inger River d i s t r ic t , A survey has been undertaken of 200 sq. mile

Salinity of Hawkesbury River f lats . The investigations have involved mapping of~a7fected a r e a s , analys is of soil s amples , and recording of wa te r - t ab le depths and fluctuations,

Chemis t Branch - P lant Nutri t ion Section

A var ie ty of problems is dealth with by this section including;-

Salt toxicity and analyses

Diagnosis of deficiencies or toxici t ies in pas ture and crop plants , Two examples a r e ;

a) Molybdenum content of c lover on red basal t ic soil has been found to decline after 3 y e a r s , though e a r l i e r advice was that one application should be adequate for 10 y e a r s ,

b) A pas tu re response to sulphur in field exper iments at.Walcha has been obtained only after a given level of phosphorus was reached. The effect of added sulphur may not las t m o r e than one yea r

Glasshouse studies on phosphorus and sulphur a r e a l so being car r ied ' out on soi ls from Tia and Caper tee.

4

Agricultural Resea rch Insti tute, Wagga Wagga, N . S . W .

J . D . Colwell

P ro jec t 1. The effects of cl imatic and soil factors on the usefulness of conventional ext rac t ions for predict ing phosphate fe r t i l izer r equ i remen t s of so i l s .

P ro j ec t 2. Studies on the sorpt ion-solubi l i ty equil ibrium of phosphate with pure iron and aluminium oxides and contras t ing soils from southern N . S . W ,

Pro jec t 3. The effects of phosphate f e r t i l i ze r s on the yield and quality of wheat in contras t ing environments in the wheat-belt of southern N„ S.W,

R, R. S to r r i e r

P ro j ec t 4, Study of the r e l ea se of nitrogen in wheat growing soi ls and its abil i ty to satisfy the demand of the growing crop.

P ro jec t 5. The effect of var ious c l imat ic and soil factors on the r e l ease of ni t rogen in the soil..

A , C . Taylor

P r o j e c t 6. Survey of soil fert i l i ty, management techniques, and c l imat ic factors as influencing wheat yield and protein content.

P ro jec t 7, Effect of the length of fallow on mois ture conservat ion, n i t ra te accumulat ion on yield and quality of wheat c rops on soi ls of contras t ing fer t i l i ty and environment .

II SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE, N, S, W,

Outline of Soils Invest igations,

Soils work c a r r i e d out by this Service has been divided into three g roups , p re l imina ry comments being made under each heading,

I, Investigations on R e s e a r c h Stations,

Six Resea rch Stations a re located in country d i s t r i c t s on the Western Slope and Hunter Valley, Some of these investigations a r e of a genera l nature and a r e c a r r i e d out on al l Stations, others a re designed to study pa r t i cu la r p rob lems in the var ious d i s t r i c t s and a r e grouped under "Misce l laneous Studies ,

A, Genera l Studies Common to al l R e s e a r c h Stations.

1) Run-off and Soil Loss Studies, The measu remen t of total amounts of run-off and soil lo'ss from 1/50 ac re (approx, ) plots from individual ra in per iods ,

5

a) Under different forms of land use - different crop rotations^ natural pas ture sown pasture,, e tc .

b) Steep a r e a s of natural pas ture under different degrees of grazing intensity,

2) Effect of Eros ion on Wheat Yields, Decline of c rop yields and gra in quality as a'TeliuTt of lartiTIcTliTTlJmoval of varying degrees of soil to s imulate e ros ion .

^ G r a s s N u r s e r y Invest igat ions. Testing of pas ture species to de te rmine their value for soil conservat ion purposes under prevail ing soil and c l imat ic conditions in var ious d i s t r i c t s , together with study of es tabl i shment problems on problem so i l s .

4) F e r t i l i z e r and Trace Element T r i a l s . To de termine fe r t i l i ze r r equ i r emen t s fbTl?aTIblIs~soTrTypes~bn. the Resea rch Stations.

Miscel laneous Studies,

1) Rainfall Simulator. Design of portable rainfall s imulation equipment to infiltration c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and run-off under s to rm ra ins of a soil under different degrees of cover antecedent mois tu re and til th, with l a te r extension on to a var ie ty of soil types (Inverell Resea rch Station).

2) Rilling Invest igations. To de te rmine distance down slope that r i l l ing begTns~1"o~Take place on cultivation land of var ious soil types, with the object of designing spacing of banks to minimize interbank ri l l ing on cultivation lands (various R e s e a r c h Stations).

3) Direction of Cultivation, To de termine the effect of contour vs . up -and"- do wTT-

:il7)percuTFiva tion on the amounts of run-off and soil

loss (Cowra Research Station),

4) Catchment Run-off Investigations, To determine amounts of run-off an~d soil loss fronT^r^"aTe^i~vi5T" untreated smal l catchment a r e a s (Wagga and Scone Research Stations).

5) Bitumen Sealing for t empora ry protection of f lumes. To de termine tHe"value oT~bitumen el-nlTIsToli-fn~pJr^^ red Humes and chutes until stabilizing vegetation has been established (Wagga Resea rch Station),

6) Bank Settling Rates... To study the degree of sett l ing in banks con-sTiMjHecTon vaTTous soil types (Scone Resea rch Station),

II Field Investigations based on Resea rch Stations.

1) Fe r t i l i z e r and Trace Element T r i a l s on problem s i tes in var ious d i s t r i c t s to de termine fer t i l izer r equ i rement s in rec la iming eroded lands (various Resea rch Stations),

Out l ine of So i l s I n v e s t i g a t i o n s - con t inued

2) Sa l t ing , E x p e r i m e n t s in the r e c l a m a t i o n of bad ly s a l t e d land (Wel l ing ton R e s e a r c h Station)..

3) Tunne l E r o s i o n , An i n v e s t i g a t i o n a l p r o g r a m m e to d e t e r m i n e m e t h o d s of r e c l a i m i n g land s u s c e p t i b l e to and affected by tunne l e r o s i o n c o v e r i n g -

a) F i e ld I n v e s t i g a t i o n s on e s t a b l i s h e d e x p e r i m e n t a l a r e a s to d e t e r m i n e c u l t u r a l m e t h o d s , p a s t u r e s p e c i e s and f e r t i l i z e r r e q u i r e m e n t s r e q u i r e d to e s t a b l i s h good p a s t u r e c o v e r on t h e s e l a n d s ,

b) E a r t h w o r k s C o n s t r u c t i o n on e s t a b l i s h e d e x p e r i m e n t a l a r e a s to d e t e r m i n e t e c h n i q u e s to p r e v e n t c o n v e n t i o n a l s o i l c o n s e r v a t i o n e a r t h w o r k s f rom a g g r a v a t i n g tunne l l i ng , and to p r e v e n t " p i p i n g " o r " t u n n e l l i n g " of s m a l l s t o r a g e s t r u c t u r e s .

c) L a b o r a t o r y S tud ies to d e t e r m i n e e n g i n e e r i n g p r o p e r t i e s and to find a r a p i d l a b o r a t o r y t echn ique for r e c o g n i z i n g u n s t a b l e s o i l s (Wagga and Scone R e s e a r c h S t a t i o n s ) ,

HI Spec ia l I n v e s t i g a t i o n s ,

A. C a t c h m e n t A r e a S u r v e y s , De t a i l ed s u r v e y s of c a t c h m e n t a r e a s of m a j o r s t o r a g e r e s e r v o i r s in New South W a l e s c o v e r i n g t o p o g r a p h y , s o i l s , v e g e t a t i o n , e r o s i o n and r e l a t e d f a c t o r s ,

B . C o a s t a l Sand Dr i f t S t ab i l i z a t i on , I n v e s t i g a t i o n s on. e s t a b l i s h e d e x p e r i m e n t a l a r e a s , on t h e T e c l a m a t i o n of s e v e r e l y d r i f t ed dune a r e a s ( H e a d q u a r t e r s - K e m p s e y ) ,

C. W e s t e r n New South W a l e s , I n v e s t i g a t i o n s in t h i s a r e a ( H e a d q u a r t e r s -Condobol in) c o v e r a wide f ield u n d e r the fol lowing h e a d i n g s .

1. Sca ld R e c l a m a t i o n . F i e l d e x p e r i m e n t s on r e c l a m a t i o n of wind e r o d e d s u r f a c e s on e s t a b l i s h e d e x p e r i m e n t a l a r e a s (Condobol in and Hay) and on p r i v a t e p r o p e r t i e s (Bourke ) ,

2. R e g e n e r a t i o n A r e a s , S tud ies of s o i l s , p a s t u r e s e r o s i o n and n a t u r a l r e g e n e r a t i o n of e r o d e d s u r f a c e s on 7 e s t a b l i s h e d r e g e n e r a t i o n a r e a s r a n g i n g f rom Condobol in (16 in r a in f a l l ) to M e n i n d e e (9 in, r a in f a l l ) and n o r t h of B r o k e n Hi l l (8 in, r a i n f a l l , )

3. Wind E r o s i o n S t u d i e s , I n v e s t i g a t i o n of the in f luence of so i l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s on the f o r m and d e g r e e of wind e r o s i o n ,

4 . E r o s i o n S u r v e y , S u r v e y of e r o s i o n in v a r i o u s r e g i o n s of w e s t e r n New South W a l e s a long with land f o r m s o i l s , v e g e t a t i o n and p a s t u r e s and r e l a t e d f a c t o r s ,

7

HI Depar tment of Main Roads

Effect of t r i tura t ion on the precision, of the At terberg plast ic i ty t e s t s .

J .W. Hewitt (Grafton and Wagga)

Liquid and plastic l imi ts were determined on various soi ls put through B. S. No, 36, 72, 100 and 200 s ieves . Liquid l imits increased with degree of t r i tu ra t ion . Conclusions were reached on sieving of samples for these t e s t s ,

Bearing capacity of k rasnozems J„ W„ Hewitt (Grafton and Wagga)

The s tandard D„ M. R= procedure for testing soi ls is too seve re in the case of k r a s n o z e m s . Tests show that the supporting power of k ra snozems in situ (i, e, not remoulded) is much g r e a t e r than shown by s tandard t e s t s . Though r ich in clay, k ra snozems have the s t ruc tura l appearance and bear ing capaci ty of loams .

Effect of l ime s tabl isat ion on the plast ici ty indices of the main soil types of N, S. W." ~"^W„H, Davidson and E . J . MTnty (Central Lab. ,

Milson 's Point) .

Use of wa te rg lass to inc rease the bear ing capaci ty of so i l - cement mix tures

H.W. Gutsche and R. Oxenford

Conclusions to date show that the addition of 0, 4% wate rg lass is roughly equivalent to the addition of 1% cement .

Stabilisation of gravel pavement with sodium si l icate T.Whaite (Deniliquin)

Field work at Ber r igan shows that sodium si l icate effectively reduces the plas t ic i ty indices of sub-s tandard g rave l s ,

Use of calcium chloride as a dust palliative L„ Po lga r i (Newcastle)

Use of Calcium chloride a s an aid to compaction of soil J . Rendle (Tamworth)

Tes t s at Alectown have shown lit t le benefit from calcium chloride in aiding soil compaction.

Location of road m a t e r i a l s from " p r i o r s t r e a m s " of Riverina

T. Whaite (Deniliquin) and J .W. Hewitt (Wagga)

White ant sec re t ions and the i r possible synthesis for soil s tabi l isat ion

N,W. West

Mechanical analys is of soils J . W . Hewitt (Wagga)

Design of a fully automatic stand for decanting, refil l ing and ammoniat ing b e a k e r s .

8

Soil Moisture investigations in roads

Co-operat ive s tudies with road author i t ies of other s ta tes , including inves t i ­gation of percolat ion in a pavement upwards from the base and down through the sea l , a lso escape of mois tu re from gravel roads ,

IV WATER CONSERVATION AND IRRIGATION COMMISSION

Geology of the Murrumbidgee I r r igat ion Areas and surrounding d i s t r i c t s

Study of lithology, s t ruc tura l geology and s t ra t ig raphy of consolidated and unconsolidated sediments as a bas i s for in terpreta t ion of groundwater hydrology, - S. P e l s ,

Stra t igraphy and groundwater hydrology of ColeambaUy Ir r igat ion Area

F o r a s s e s s m e n t of na tura l underdra inage , and predict ion of future ground­water behaviour and ar t i f ic ia l sub-sur face drainage r equ i remen t s with i r r iga t ion development. - S, P e l s ,

Study of sandhill a r e a s in ColeambaUy Ir r igat ion Area-

Detailed soil and s t ra t ig raphica l su rveys for a s s e s s m e n t of i r r iga t ion land potential for hor t icu l tu re , - M, Stannard

Hydraulic conductivity of cemented sands

Field m e a s u r e m e n t s in unsaturated m a t e r i a l s using well, p e r m e a m e t e r s , and determinat ion of effects of prolonged saturat ion using labora tory p e r m e a m e t e r s , " A. Stocklin

Studies of installed tile dra in s y s t e m s

Determinat ion of frequency, duration and intensity of peak flows as check on design c r i t e r i a , - A , Stocklin i\i earijimc u, >s. with T. Ta l sma, CSIRO I r r .

Res , Station, Griffith,

Tube-well drainage

Drainage effectiveness of pumping from aquifers with different hydraulic p roper t i e s and different degrees of confinement - S, E„ Flint,

Effects of r i ce growing in a r e a s with high water tables

Determinat ion of effects on groundwater levels,, groundwater and soil sal ini ty . - S „ E , Flint.

2, QUEENSLAND

V DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND STOCK

Plant Nutrition Study

A field exper iment of Walkamin N, Q, has been ca r r i ed out using varying amounts of gypsum on a yellow basal t ic soil , The gypsum was

9

applied before planting and as a side d ress ing with peanuts as the c rop . Analysis had shown that this soil was deficient in calcium. The use of one ton gypsum/acre before planting with 1/3 ton gypsum as a side d ress ing gave a yield a lmost double that of the control . - A . J . Rixon,

Soil Survey.

Over the past six yea r s a soil survey has been in p rog res s in the Mareeba-Dimbulah a r ea N„Q. To date some 100, 000 a c r e s have been surveyed and mapped. - H. Hass le r , A„J„ Rixon, C. L„ van Wijk.

(a) Investigation on the development of n i t ra tes in soil influenced by urea spray applications to wheat at Brookstead.

(b) Investigation on nutri t ional d i so rde r of l inseed especia l ly zinc deficiency at Mt. Tyson. - C a r l - E r i k Rose.

(a) Investigations into the influence of mole drainage on the rec lamat ion of coastal tidal f lats.

(b) Investigations on the different amounts of f e r t i l i s e r (P, K) required in o rde r to es tabl ish and to maintain good l e g u m e - g r a s s mix tures on the lower Wallum,

(c) Investigations on the influence of Ca and Mg on the growth of different legumes on the lower Wallum. - L, R„ Wentholt.

Redland Experiment. Station

(1) Field exper iment using tomato plants to a sce r t a in the nature of sulphate response in red brown loam, following p re l imina ry Glasshouse t r i a l s .

(2) Investigation into cucurbi t r esponse to var ious types of plast ic and windolite mulch. Soil I ^ O and t e m p e r a t u r e s and NQ3/N being recorded - A. D„ Johnson

Chlorine in Tobacco

Investigations into the sou rce , r a t e of uptake and distr ibution of chlorine in the tobacco plant.

Nutrit ion of "Tobacco

N . P . K . t r i a l s on var ious soil types under different seasonal conditions.

Water Stable Aggregates

The re la t ionship of soil s t ruc tu re to varying cul tura l p r ac t i c e s . F . Chippendale.

Soil survey of Coolum Field Station R„J„ Talbot and P . D. Ross i te r

The r e su l t s of this survey have been published this year in the Queensland Journal of Agricul tura l Science. The a r e a dealt with l ies in the

- 10 -

Wallum country along the sou th-eas te rn coas t .

Boron studies on a k rasnozem soil in Queensland J„D„ Hughes

The uptake of boron by beetroot and concurrent changes in water -so luble boron in the soil were studied at Redlands Exper iment Station. The r e su l t s of this study have been published this year in the Queensland Journal of Agr icu l tura l Science.

VI BUREAU OF SUGAR EXPERIMENT STATIONS

Potash nutr i t ion

A s e r i e s of investigations designed to determine the potash r equ i remen t s of the cane plant is in p r o g r e s s . In this work the effect of soil potash s and potash applied a s "fertilizer, on yield response and uptake by the plant is being studied, - L„ G. Vallance, K . C , Leverington, J . R . Burge , J . M . Sedl.

Soil fert i l i ty investigations

A routine s e r i e s of factor ia l N - P - K t r ia l s is continually in p rog re s s to de termine the fe r t i l izer r equ i remen t s of the more important soi ls cultivated to sugar cane. - Bureau field officers and Chemis t ry staff.

Suspected Mg Deficiency

An investigation of the Ca and Mg s ta tus of var ious North Queensland soi ls which a r e producing cane bear ing symptoms resembl ing Mg deficiency,

K .C , Leverington, J . R . Burge , J„ M„ Sedl,

Leaching Studies

The influence of seasonal rainfall on available potash, G. C. Bieske

Soil Eros ion Control

The study and design of eros ion control m e a s u r e s for hil lside soi ls of var ious types in the southern sugar d i s t r i c t s . - R„ B. Moller

Soil Salinity

A study is being undertaken of the changes in salinity of a number of soil profiles in a rec la imed coas ta l swamp a rea at Bundaberg. In conjunction with th is , g lasshouse work is a lso being undertaken to determine the salt to lera t ion c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of sugar cane. - K . C . Leverington, J , i„ . Burge,

J , M . Sedl

Soil Management

Long- t e rm studies of the effect on fert i l i ty of deep cultivation combined with the application of organic ma t t e r such a s cane t r a sh , bagasse , f i l ter mud and m o l a s s e s . - Bureau Chemis t ry staff and field officers.

11

Effect of var ious soil factors on ra te of decomposit ion of 2, 4-D and MCPA

Studies have recent ly been completed on the ra te of decomposition of the weedieides 2, 4-D and MCPA in various north Queensland soil types. A cor re la t ion was obtained between soil nitrogen, organic mat te r and pH for 2, 4-D but not for MCPA. - A. G. Ba r r i e

VII DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

Nutri t ional r equ i rement s of Pinus taeda and Araucar ia cunninghamii

B„ N„ Richards

Evidence of a N - P interact ion was obtained for P . taeda for the typical inferti le soi ls of the coasta l plain north of Brisbane -! This interact ion has been shown in the plant house and in the field.

3 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

VIII DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Soil Conservat ion Branch

Fer t i l i ty exper iments on c e r e a l s . Effects of soil type., land use prac t ice and cl imate on the response to applied nitrogen and phosphorus .

The work has two aspec ts - field exper imentat ion and labora tory work on the so i l s . The exper iments have been in p r o g r e s s for 4 y e a r s . -

J„ S. Russe l l .

Changes in soil p roper t i e s of the long t e rm exper imenta l plots at Kybybolite, South Australia~7~~ ~~ ~~

The plots were establ ished 1919 and provide good source m a t e r i a l for the study of soil fert i l i ty changes, - J. S. Russe l l

Effect of the use of high sal t i r r iga t ion wa te r s on red brown ear th soi ls , ~" - J . S. "Russell, M„ f7H„ BrooFer

Cha rac t e r i s t i c s of the deep sandy soi ls in the IVIurray Mall.ee, Upper and Lower South E a s t of South AlIstraTIaT" ~ ~~ ~~

Analytical work pa r t i cu la r ly on the minor element s ta tus of these soils in re la t ion to var ious c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s such a s c l imate and natural vegetation.

J . S. Russel l and N. S. Tiver .

Effect of varying y e a r s of Clare sub-c lover and cropping on the build up of soil fer t i l i ty on a red "rJr^w7r^aHh~solL~

An 8 yea r exper iment began in 1957 at Turretf ield, J„ S. Russel l and J.B„ Doolette

12

Measurements of soil mois tu re accumulation under fallow sys tems and its Influence on the yield of a wheat~cTop- ~~

This t r i a l has been conducted at 5 country cent res in the wheatbelt of South Aust ra l ia for 3 y e a r s , - R„ J„ French ,

Comparison of seedbeds produced by different cultivation p r o g r a m m e s and thei r effect on yield of wheat cropT ~ ~ " ~——

Resul ts have been obtained for 3 y e a r s , - R, J„ F rench - W, M. Conley

Studies on the physical p roper t i e s of poorly s t ruc tured so i l s .

Labora to ry m e a s u r e m e n t s a r e done in conjunction with field t r i a l s using soil amendments , R„J . French - W„ M„ Conley

Reclamation t r i a l s on salt affected land, - R„ J, French ,

Differential, effect of Wim.me.ra rye g r a s s , Pha l a r i s tuberosa and Bacchus Marsh sub-c lover with and withouTliHded nutr ients on the s t ruc tu re of a red brown ea r th soil . ~~~^ "A~".~L. Clarke

Soil and land use survey of the western, portion of County Victoria ,

W . E , Matheson.

Agricul ture Branch,

Water and fe r t i l i ze r r equ i remen t s of i r r iga ted pas tu res - P . Judd

P a s t u r e es tabl ishment on deep leached sands - N. S„ Tiver and G„ E„ Lines

Effect of nitrogenous fe r t i l i ze r s on. bar ley yield and quality - P . M . Barrow

Effect of phosphate jy^J£g_tion on pas ture yield, botanical composition and on livestoc^pr'odljc'tion on a la te r i t ic soil - E, D„ C a r t e r

Studies re la t ing to phosphate and t race element r equ i remen t s of la ter i t ic soi ls ' r~T<LD„ C a r t e r

Investigations of long t e r m potash r equ i r emen t s of pas tu res - N„ S. Tiver

P a s t u r e investigations on a recla imed peat swamp at 8-Mile Creek including e"rTe"c~t"oi i.rfIgaTiorT~r~CTTr7'"Watson

Hort icul ture Branch

Water r equ i r emen t s and frequency of i r r iga t ion of fruit t r e e s under spray I r r iga t ion at"Lo5ctonT - M. RTTTrTand-W~J.""BaslcetT.

Water r equ i rements of tomatoes and potatoes - M.R. Till and G. W„ Botting

13

Response of o rcha rds and vineyards in high rainfall d i s t r i c t s to limited supplementary irr igat ion" - M, R„ Till

Fe r t i l i z e r r equ i rement s of peaches on Mur ray Ir r igat ion a r e a s

M . B , Spurling and J„ V„ Jacobsen.

IX WOODS AND FORESTS DEPARTMENT

This depar tment has in p r o g r e s s a number of fe r t i l i ze r t r i a l s in Pinus plantat ions. Among these , for example , there is a t r i a l in connection with the improvement of the second rotat ion crop in the Mount Bur r Fo re s t , where the field t r i a l was commenced after finding that chemical analys is of the re levant soi ls could not provide a conclusive answer .

The depar tment a lso col labora tes 1) with the C S. L R, O. Division of Soils in invest igat ions of nutr ient capacity and pine growth in soi ls of the Mt. Crawford and Second Valley F o r e s t s , and 2) with the Commonwealth F o r e s t r y Bureau in i ts cu r r en t investigation of soil mois tu re changes and the development of autumn brown-top in pine plantations of the Mount B u r r d i s t r i c t .

4. TASMANIA

X DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Division of Agronomy

Mineral deficiencies in pas tu res - D„ F . Pa ton

Field t r i a l s all over Tasmania a r e supplemented with pot t r i a l s at the Mt. P leasan t Labora tory at Launceston. The deficiencies re la te to K par t icu lar ly , but a lso include Mo, Cu, Zn, Mn, and B.

5. VICTORIA

XI DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

(a) Soil Survey

Soil surveys for var ious governmental organisa t ions . F o r the l a rge r par t these a r e detailed surveys of i r r iga t ion projects on a scale of 1 inch = 20chn. Surveys in p r o g r e s s a r e : -

(i) Roches ter and Campaspe Irr igat ion Dis t r i c t s - 2 73.. 000ac . (ii) Rodney and Tongala-Stanhope I r r igat ion Dis t r i c t s - 367, 000 ac..,. (iii) Wer r ibee , Rutherglen and Scoresby Resea rch Stations.

(b) Soil Testing and Advisory Services

(i.) General - Simple soil test ing, e . g . , soluble sa l t s , pH and available K as bas is for advice to f a r m e r s , h o m e - g a r d e n e r s and sport ing bodies .

14

(ii) Depar tmenta l - Soil analysis., e .g . soluble sa l t s , pH, N, P , K, Mn, B and exchangeable cations to a s s i s t depar tmenta l advisory officers in diagnosing d i so rde r s in fruit t r e e s , vegetable c rops , tobacco, p a s t u r e s , etc,

(c) Soil Investigations

(i) Effects of F e r t i l i z e r s on Soil P r o p e r t i e s

- Effect of l ime and N , P , K fer t i l izer t r ea tmen t s on exchangeable cations in an i r r iga ted red-brown ear th under peaches .

- Effect of continued application of sulphate of ammonia to an i r r iga ted pasture on soil pH and N.

(ii) Manganese

- Effect of l iming, waterlogging and t empera tu re on the availabil i ty of Mn, and its uptake by fruit t r e e s .

(iii) Mois ture

- Mois ture s tudies on red-brown ea r ths under pas ture and fruit t r e e s i r r iga ted at var ious levels of mois ture depletion,

- Moisture losses between i r r iga t ions in various so i l types under permanent pas ture (In conjunction with the State Rivers and Water Supply Commiss ion) ,

(iv) Miscel laneous

- Investigation of c r i t e r i a for select ion of suitable soi ls for different types of fruit t r e e s under i r r iga t ion , including methods of predict ing de ter iora t ion of soil s t r uc tu r e ,

- Relation between root distr ibution of fruit t r e e s , soil type, soil management , soil t empera tu re and penetrat ion of i r r iga t ion wate r .

- Long t e rm physical and chemical changes in soi ls under i r r igated pas tu re .

- A s s e s s m e n t of sampling e r r o r s due to soil var iabi l i ty in pH, N, and available K

- Tr ia l s with tile and mole dra ins in var ious soil types used for peaches ,

(v) Nitrogen and Cerea l Quality

- Relation of soil N to grain N in wheat and bar ley . - Effect of soil N levels during the growing period on the uptake of N

by bar ley .

(vi) Pe rmeab i l i t y

- F a c t o r s responsible for low infiltration and poor growth of lucerne on. a r ed -b rown ea r th .

- Investigation of impeding l aye r s in re la t ion to wa te r - t ab le develop­ment and death of fruit t r e e s in the Goulburn Valley.

- Methods of es t imat ing subsoi l permeabi l i ty from field observat ion on soil profi les in the Goulburn Valley.

- Effect of "ver t ica l mulches" lucerne , e tc . in draining surface soils and increas ing the permeabi l i ty of the B horizon of Goulburn Valley orchard so i l s .

15

(vii) Phosphorus

- Accumulation and es t imat ion of available P in i r r iga ted and non-i r r iga ted soils with varying h i s to r i e s of superphosphate addit ions,

- Effect of surface cultivation of non- i r r iga ted top-dressed pas tu res on the availabili ty of soil P.

(viii) Po tass ium

- Effect of applied potash on soil available K and uptake of K by fruit t r e e s and p a s t u r e s .

- Evaluation of K status of soi ls in pasture and potato fe r t i l i ze r t r i a l s ,

(ix) Salinity

- Soil salinity t rends in rec lamat ion and pas ture es tabl ishment t r i a l s under i r r igat ion,

- Salt accumulat ion in a soil i r r iga ted with .moderately saline water , - Salt to lerance of pas ture spec ies under i r r iga t ion ,

(x) Soil Management

- Effects of sub te r ranean clover and medic leys on soil N and soil s t r u c t u r e .

- Soil fer t i l i ty t rends under a sys t em of Key-line farming. - Effects of fallowing on ni t ra te accumulation and mois tu re con­

servat ion on land cropped regu la r ly , and after legume leys . - Effect of soil management on fruit t ree per formance and on the

physical and chemical p roper t i e s of i r r igated and non- i r r iga ted so i l s .

- Trends in soil pH, N and P under sys t ems of periodic annual cropping of i r r iga ted p a s t u r e s .

(xi) St ructure

- Seasonal and long t e r m changes in soil s t ruc ture under var ious crops and t r e a t m e n t s .

XII SOIL CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

(a) Land-Use Surveys.

Combined soi l , l and-use , and ecological surveys on a land sys tem (4 mi les to 1 inch) or land unit (2 mi les to 1 inch) scale - F . R , Gibbons

Individual pro jec ts a r e

(i) Western Victoria - Counties of Follet t , Normanby, and par t of Dundas. F . R . Gibbons.

(ii) North-West Victorian Mallee - Counties of Millewa, Karkarooc , Weeah, and pa r t of Tatchera , J . N . Rowan.

(iii) Grampians Mountains and surrounding plain, G, T. Sibley

16

(iv) Glenmaggie Rese rvo i r catchment (completed) R, K. Rowe (v) Hume Rese rvo i r catchment (Victorian part) R, K. Rowe (vi) Eildon Rese rvo i r catchment A, S. Rundle

(b) Hydrology,

(i) Studies of the hydrologic cycle on solodic soi ls in the Pa rwan Valley. F , X. Dunin

(ii) Studies of the hydrologic cycle in m e s s m a t e sclerophyl l fores ts near Daylesford. R0J„ de Laine.

(iii) Chemis t ry of ra inwater and run-off. • f t -

T.I . Lesl ie

(c) Miscel laneous ,

(i) Economics of soil conservat ion, I. Molnar.

(ii) Methods of stabilizing landsl ides and gull ies using vegetation and engineered s t r u c t u r e s , A. Mitchell

et al ,

(iii) Development of tes ts for determining soil ma te r i a l suitable for construct ing farm ponds, A. Gyarmathy,

(iv) Scale-model tes ts to develop suitable designs for farm ponds made from solodic soi l . R, G, Downes and A, Gyarmathy.

(v) Soil fer t i l i ty associated with Red Gum t r e e s growing on solodic so i l s . A, Mitchell and J . S. Murray

(vi) Stabilization of dr i f t -sand using a s t a rch -based m a t e r i a l ("Stabilase") and vegetation. J, Walsh.

(d) Labora tory ,

Chemical and physical investigations connected with the above projects T . I . Les l ie , A, Gyarmathy & J. S„ Murray

XIII STATE RIVERS AND WATER SUPPLY COMMISSION

(Information not available in t ime for this issue)

XIV FORESTS COMMISSION OF VICTORIA

Relation between surface water- logging of soils and pine growth at the Waa r r e pine plantation, Port~Campb'eriT" ~ ICX~STmpfenTTorTer '

XV COUNTRY ROADS BOARD

The effect of the addition of dehydrated lime in var ious percentages on the California Bear ing Ratio, and plast ic i ty index of var ious soi ls and g rave l s ,

A . J , Scala

17

XVI STATE ELECTRICITY COMMISSION

Control of soil eros ion on ba t t e r s .

6 WESTERN AUSTRALIA

XVII DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Soils Division

a ) Soil R e s e a r c h & Survey Section

S. T. Smith, X. C. Stone man. C.V. Malcolm.

Soil Salinity

1. Invest igat ions concerning the movement of highly sal ine groundwater in wheatbelt valleys tes t wells "show hydraul ic g rad ien ts . Depth measu remen t s and salinity m e a s u r e m e n t s have been made over a period.

2. Clear ing of native vegetation on catchment a r e a s in re la t ion to the sal ini ty of s t r e a m s and r ive rs~^Sampl ing of watercourse 's r i s ing in c leared and uncleared country is used in forecast ing likely effects of c lear ing in the catchment a r e a s of s t r e a m s dammed for la rgesca le water s c he me s .

3. Salt p rob lems in vineyards under non i r r iga ted conditions - r egu la r foliar sampling together with" detailed waler table invest igat ions.

Soil Mois ture & I r r iga t ion

4. Study of mois tu re usage under apples i r r iga ted and non- i r r iga ted using gypsum block techniques~and" the r"elationship"WItF"apple s ize and leaf turgidi ty - es t imate of the ret'urn from I r r iga t ion and suitable techniques for i r r iga t ion under conditions where limited amounts of water only a re available a r e being sought, (Jointly with Plant Resea rch Division)

5. Capel-Boyanup I r r igat ion Exper imen t - These a r e designed to de termine the conditions un^^lwTTi^TT~c^rrtaIn permeable soi ls can be i r r iga ted . Detailed exper iments involving soil mois tu re m e a s u r e m e n t s and pas ture growth response under different i r r iga t ion r eg imes a r e in p r o g r e s s .

(Jointly with I r r igat ion Section)

(3, Coolup I r r iga t ion ixp t . These exper iments a re designed to de termine under what conditions~~the sandy surface soi ls of fee Coolup a rea can be i r r iga ted , and to de te rmine whether the b rack i sh wa te r s of the Murray River can be used for this purpose. (Jointly with I r r iga t ion Section).

Soil S t ruc ture .

7. Soil S t ructure Survey involving wheatbelt soi ls - m e a s u r e m e n t s rr.ade a r e water s tabil i ty. ol :ganIc—carbon. Total ni trogen, .mechanical ana lys is , pore space analys is and permeabi l i ty .

Soil Structure (contd.)

8. Cul tural p rac t ices in relat ion to c e r e a l yields and soil physical conditions large sca le field exper iments "at twcTsites involving", mouldboard, d isc , and chisel ploughs (latter to4" and 8") and the sca r i f i e r in prepara t ion for c e r e a l c rop, Measu remen t s of cerea l yield and soil bulk density, a i r space , penetrabi l i ty , and organic carbon.

9. The exis tence of cultivation hard pans in vineyards; their na ture , impor tance , causes and remedia l m e a s u r e s - use of recording pene t romete r , bulk densi ty, permeabi l i ty ancTcornpactability m e a s u r e m e n t s . Evaluation of effects of ripping, lupins, and clover for replanting hardpan a r e a s .

(Jointly with Plant Resea rch Division),

b) Soil Conservat ion Section,

10. Studies on methods of s tabi l is ing coasta l sand dunes - J . L. McMullan.

11. Effect of calcium carbonate content of soi ls on growth of M a r r a m g r a s s -Tr ia l in po"ts, two grass"acce"s^Tons, sand with 10% & 95% calcium carbona te . No t r ea tmen t differences, J„ L„ McMullan,

12. F e r t i l i s e r applicat ions to M a r r a m g r a s s - four r a t e s of N and N0 P . K. tes ted . No response,! ~~J\ L„ McMullan,

PLANT RESEARCH DIVISION,

Soil m o i s t u r e , leaf mois ture and fruit growth studies on apple t r e e s normal ly not i r r iga ted , - N,J7~~Halse & S„ T, Srnith-(coTTaborative with Soils Division)

Fate of phosphorus applied as superphosphate at varying r a t e s of application over 30 year period on soil type Won^aTT^n^T^WongaYL Hills Agricultural""* R e s e a r c h Station"" r _ G , H, Burvill & W" J. Toms

Use of var ious forms and ra t e s of phosphorus f e r t i l i s e r s on a wide var ie ty of inherent ly phosph7)rli¥~dFfIcuelrI~s7)ITi'Tor es tablSHment arid growtF of sub te r r anean c l o v e r " ba r r e l medicT luc~erhe and~cereaTs/ " ™" G7H"„ Burvi l l , W . J , Toms , E7N„ Fitzpafrick,

Po t a s s ium deficiency of sub te r ranean clover in relat ion to exchangeable potass ium in. thlTsoTH :^7N7~F rn7paTrick & W7J, Toms,

Po t a s s ium deficiency in legume cover c rops on sandy vineyard so_;is - JL. T. Jones

Nitrogen f e r t i l i s e r s for c e r e a l s on sandy surfaced soi ls - V,\ J , Toms

Control of t race e lement deficiencies in soi ls for growth of c e r e a l s , pas ture legumes and grassFsT" fruit and vegetables

W„ J„ Toms, E„N„ Fi tzpat r ick , .N.J. T"alse, L, T, Jones and G.H, Burvil l ,

19

Soil management prac t ices in v ineyards , - L. T„ Jones & W. Jamie son ~ (Co'llabo'rative with Hort icul tura l Division)

Relation of total nitrogen, in vineyard soi ls to the yield from the vines L„ T„ Jones

F e r t i l i s e r s for tobacco to offset high chloride from soi ls or i r r iga t ion water

N. J„ Halse

F e r t i l i s e r t r i a l s with apples on new plantings, - N„ J, Halse

F e r t i l i s e r t r i a l s with oranges - N. Jo Halse

DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL SERVICES

Effect of soil fungicides and fumigants on growth of sub te r ranean c lover on new light land in Wes te rn Aust ra l ia ~

A widespread sub te r ranean clover es tabl ishment difficulty occurs in Wes te rn Aus t ra l i a which is caused by seedling morta l i ty , associa ted with faulty nodulation.

By means of soi l s te r i l i sa t ion with wide-spec t rum fumigants and par t ia l soil s t e r i l i sa t ion with fungicide - fe r t i l i se r mix tu res it was shown that seedling morta l i ty as it occurs in a typical problem a r ea at Wongan Hills Resea rch Station, is caused by antagonist ic soil m i c r o - o r g a n i s m s which prevent nodulation- (CASS 'SMITH, W . P . and HOLLAND A. A. - Jn l . Agr ic . W.A. , Vol, 7 (Third Series) No, 2 March-Apr i l , 1958)

Subsequent investigation by Holland of rhizobial populations which developed from seed inoculum in the rh izosphere of c lover seedlings grown in con­t ras t ing treatments, , has indicated, that the antagonism affects the .multiplica­tion of the bac te r i a . In uns ter i l i sed soil the rhizobia failed to es tabl ish , whereas in s te r i l i sed soil, a re la t ive ly high and continuous population developed, decreas ing in numbers with depth. P a r t i a l soil s te r i l i sa t ion with fungicides, yielded an in termedia te picture,,

It was a lso found that these rhizobial populations were re la ted inverse ly to the numbers of other m i c r o - o r g a n i s m s adhering to the root su r faces . Sample roots from Vapam s te r i l i sed soil yielded only four spec ies of fungi bacter ia whereas roo t s from non-s te r i l i sed soil yielded forty spec ies .

In view of these findings cu r ren t investigations a r e concerned with ensuring surviva l of the inoculation rhizobia in the p re -ge rmina t ion stage and s t imulat ing the i r multiplication, in the pos t -germinat ion s tage ,

A seed pelleting technique which promotes good survival under a wide range of soil conditions has a l ready been devised (CASS SMITH, W . P . and GOSS, Miss O. M. , Jnl . Agr ic . W . A . , Vol. 7, (Third Series) No. 1 - J anua ry -F e b r u a r y , 1958) and the effect on rhizobial multiplication of incorporat ing nutr ients other than milk, is now being studied,

- 2 0

XVIII MAIN ROADS DEPARTMENT

Sand equivalent test A cor re la t ion is being attempted between the sand equivalent tes t (Cal7 Div. Hgwys Method 217-3) and the liquid and plast ic l imi t s . Tes ts a r e being ca r r i ed out on construction grave ls and mechanical ly s tabi l ised sands„ - G„ F . U. Baker.: K, W, A, Summers .

Mechanical, s tabi l isat ion Investigation on the design of sand /c lay mixes for use in s tabi l is ing sand-plain a r e a s where normal b a s e - c o u r s e m a t e r i a l s a r e s c a r c e . These mixes a r e now being tested in the field, G_ F„ U„ Baker:

K. W„ A„ Summers ,

Pavement deflection investigations Various pavement types in different s i tuat ions a r e being examined with the Benkelman Beam Deflection appara tus .

G. F . U. Baker: K .W.A. S u m m e r s .

Differential, thermal analys is The equipment now being assembled in con-junction with the Soils Labora tory of the Universi ty Engineering School is intended for analys is of Western Aus t ra l ian clays with pa r t i cu la r reference to engineering p rob lems . K„ W. A. Summers ; B. Clegg (Lec ture r in Soil

Mechanics)

Engineering p roper t i e s of Pe r th Coastal Pla in soils Various c ha r a c t e r i s t i c s a r e being d e t e r m i n e d The study is based on soil survey information provided by the C . S . I . R . O. Division of Soils. - K„W„A„ and E. Summers .

XIX DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

Soils r e s e a r c h at Dwellingup Resea rch Labora tory

F o r e s t Li t ter s tudies . Summar ie s of l i t ter fall under j a r r a h , wandoo, and mal le t forest a r e now available for a number of y e a r s .

F o r e s t n u r s e r y s tudies . Est imat ion from soil samples of the removal of nut r ien ts by o n e - y e a r ' c r o p s of P inus radia ta ,

Po t cul ture t r i a l s with Pinus radia ta , The la ter i t ic gravel ly soi ls used in these t r i a l s were found to be grossly~deficient for this species in nitrogen and phosphorus, and modera te ly deficient in molybdenum.

21

TECHNICAL NOTE

POROSITY AND MACROPOROSITY OF SOILS OF DIFFERENT AGES

(D. S. M d n t y r e , C .S . I . R . O . Division of Soils, Canberra)

Field investigations of soi ls occurr ing in layers of different ages , designated K- layers (Butler 1958, 1959) indicate an inc rease in density with age. This is judged mainly on the numbers of visible voids on an aggregate face. Measurements of these density changes a r e being made by de t e rmina ­t ion of total porosi ty and macroporos i ty of aggrega tes or peds from soi ls of different ages . These physical p roper t i e s have so far been measured on soils from Murrakool and Woorinen surveys near Swan Hill (Churchward, 1959) These soi ls a r e apparent ly formed in parent m a t e r i a l which is an admixture of dune sand and aeoiian clay or parna (Butler . 1956) Five l aye r s were sampled, the youngest (KQ) being contemporary deposits of windblown m a t e r i a l , the others (Kj to KA being l ayers of increas ing age in which soi ls have been formed. A complete texture range was obtained only in Kg and K, soi ls (10% to 50% clay) Kj soi ls contained l e s s than 20% clay and K4 soi ls 4 5% to 55%. Only two KQ samples were measu red ; they contained 16% and 4 0% clay.

Resul ts show that both total porosi ty and macroporos i ty a re dependent on age of soil but a r e a l so s t rongly related to t ex tu re . Plotting each a s a function of clay content shows that age of layer has a g r e a t e r effect on macroporos i ty than on total porosi ty at clay contents g r e a t e r than 3 0% Total porosi ty in g e n e r a l i nc r ea se s with clay content for all l aye r s but at comparable clay contents d e c r e a s e s slightly as age i n c r e a s e s . Macroporosi ty at comparable high clay contents shows a g r e a t e r dec rease with increas ing age than does to ta l porosi ty , but the variat ion of macroporos i ty with clay content is complicated, K3 soils show a d e c r e a s e in macroporos i ty with increasing clay content over the whole range of t ex tu res , and the trend for K2 soi ls is s i m i l a r for clay contents less than 30%. When clay content inc reases beyond 30% the trend of K~ with increas ing clay becomes positive with, however, a wide s ca t t e r of points. In spite of the wide sca t t e r , macroporos i ty of Kg so i l s in this clay range is much g r e a t e r than for K„ soi ls - that is there is a definite separa t ion on the basis of macroporos i ty . "The separat ion is much less marked for total porosi ty.

As previously stated Kj and K^ soi ls have only a narrow texture range . Measu remen t s show that the K. soils (sandy) have slightly g rea t e r total porosi ty and macroporos i ty than Kg a n d Ko soils while K., soi ls (high clay) a r e comparable with K^ in total porosi ty but have a somewhat lower macroporos i ty . KQ ma te r i a l (two samples only) have a somewhat g r e a t e r total porosi ty than any other layers but a considerably g r e a t e r macroporos i ty ,

Comparis ion of the l aye r s over two ranges of clay content is shown in table I, Resul t s repor ted here a r e being p repared in more detail in graphica l and tabular form for publication as a C, S , I , R . O . Divisional Report ,

22

Table I

0-30% Clay 30-60% Clay

Total Poros i ty

Macroporos i ty

KQ>K >K 2 = K3

K » K > K = K o 1 2 3

V K

2> K

3

> K4

K * K ^ K > I< o ^ 3 4

Cr i t i ca l d iscussion of the r e su l t s cannot yet be made s ince too many va r i ab les a r e involved. No dist inction was made as to drainage condition, depth of sample , or horizon from which it was obtained. The fact that Ki soi ls were all surface occur r ing , K2 and K„ somet imes surface occurr ing and somet imes bur ied , and K, always buried, confounds the problem further . Within the K2 samples themselves no possible cor re la t ion exis ts with depth, or with occur rence as a surface or buried layer ,

REFERENCES

BUTLER, B„E„ (1956) - P a r n a , an aeolian clay. Aust. J, Sci. 18: 145-151,

BUTLER, B . E . (195^) - Deposit ional sys t ems of the Riverine P la in in

relat ion to so i l s . C . S . I . R . O . Aust. Soil Publ . No. 10.

BUTLER, B. E„ (1959) - Per iod ic phenomena in landscapes a s a bas is for soil s tudies . C . S . I . R . O . Aust , Soil Publ. No. 14

CHURCHWARD, H. M. (1959) - C . S . I . R . O . Aust . Soil Publ . (to be published)

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE.

FEDERAL COUNCIL NOTES

Since the issue of "Soils News" No, 6.. Federa l Council has . met on three occas ions; on 8th July, 6th October and 11th November, The next meeting is scheduled for 16th December , The reason for the postponement of a meet ing planned for the 9th September, was an absence for 5 weeks by the Hon. Secy, due to i l lness .

Business

Membersh ip ,

Applications for member sh ip were received from 8 new m e m b e r s al l of whom were admitted to A. S. S. S.

Constitution,

A new draft of the Constitution, drawn up by the Sub-committee , Dr. T . J , Marsha l l , Mr. A. C. Oer te l , and Mr. J . T. Hutton, has been ci rculated to a l l Council m e m b e r s . Subsequently the Sub-committee drew up a r epo r t concerning Branch comments on this draft and comments by the Queensland Branch Sub-committee ( M e s s r s . C. R. von Stieglitz, G. D. Hubble, W. Fox and J , D. Hughes).

At the November meeting of Federa l Council a set of 24 By-laws was presented by the Sub-commit tee (including Mr. H„ C. T. Stace) and asked to be c i rculated to al l Council m e m b e r s .

Publicat ions Commit tee .

The P r e s i d e n t , Mr. Taylor was authorized to undertake negotiations with the C S. I. R. O. and the Aus t ra l ian Academy of Science to give effect to the recommendat ions of Federa l Council on a proposed Aus t ra l ian Journal of Soil Science. The Board of Standards decided not to recommend the es tabl ishment of an Aus t ra l ian Journal of Soil Science at this s tage , but that the m a t t e r would be recons idered again if submitted in two y e a r s t ime,

Soil Classif ication Commit tee .

At the moment negotiations a r e being c a r r i e d out to seek financial help from the Commonwealth Bank (Rural Credit Fund) to allow for an in-person meet ing of the Soil Classif icat ion Commit tee in January or F e b r u a r y 1960,

Affiliation with the Aust ra l ian Institute of Agr icul tura l Science.

Correspondence concerning affiliation with the A. I . A. S. has been

24

circulated to Council m e m b e r s and following Branch comments it was suggested that a decision could be reached possibly at the General Meeting next year .

Third Annual Report

The Third Annual Report and Balance Sheet for 1958/59 were presented at the July meeting by the Hon, Secy, and Hon. T r e a s . respect ive ly . Copies of both r e p o r t s were circulated to Council m e m b e r s .

Membersh ip changes (14th May - 11th November, 1959)

New m e m b e r s Trans fe r s

Br isbane P„ G. Crockford R. H. Jones R„ M. Lightfoot L. G, Matheson W . E . Mil lar B. D. SimpfendorferiK Wil l iams O, B.

"(S.A.) (N.S .W.) (N.S .W.) (W„ A. ) (S .A.)

(N .S .W. ) . j . (vie) (N .S .W. )

L o v e d a y J . from (S.A.) fo (N. S. W. ) Maher B. T. from (vie ) to (N. S. W.) Wal te rs D. V. from (V) to (A. C. T. )

Resignat ions .

Hodge J. Horton J. F , Maxwell M.

(N.S .W.) (Q'ld.) (N .S .W.)

BRANCH ACTIVITIES

A. C . T .

At the 3rd Annual General Meeting of the Branch held on 2nd July, 1959 the following office b e a r e r s were elected for 1959/60:

Pres ident : -Secre tary: -T r e a s u r e r :

Mr, R. Brewer 'Dr. J . Loneragan Mr. H, Waring.

Subsequent a l te ra t ions to the Branch by-laws automatical ly make the immedia te past pres ident , in this instance Mr . C. Wil l iams, a m e m b e r of the Commit tee .

Mr. C. Wil l iams delivered his Following the election of o f f i ce -bea re r s , P r e s iden t i a l a d d r e s s entit led "Soil Sulphur"

The discuss ion group has recent ly drawn up an extensive p rogramme of topics dealing with soil ni trogen which will keep the group occupied until well into 1960.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Two meet ings and the annual excurs ion have been held in the past six months . At the annual meeting on 25th June , the re t i r ing Branch P res iden t ,

25

Dr. C. G. Stephens del ivered an a d d r e s s entitled "An A s s e s s m e n t of Soil Surveys" .

The Branch elect ions resul ted in the following appointments;

P r e s iden t : J . A. Beare V ice -P res iden t : J . P . Quirk T r e a s u r e r : R . J . Millington Sec re t a ry G.D. Bowen Recorde r : K. H. Northcote Commit teemen J . W , Holmes, J . H . Warcup

The second meeting, on 27th August provided two speeches : "Evapora ­tion from the land surface a s controlled by the soil mois tu re supply" by, J . W. Holmes . "Water usage by wheat", by R . J . F rench ,

The annual excursion took place on Saturday, 2 8th November, in the B a r o s s a d i s t r i c t . About 2 0 m e m b e r s and v i s i to r s t ravel led over the route from Springton to Angastnn and on to Nuriootpa and Tanunda, ably led by Mess r s .Nor thco te and Boehm, Stops were made to inspect and d iscuss two soil profiles before lunch and two after it . Discuss ions in the morning were r a t h e r dispir i ted and abor t ive , probably due to the effects of the heat-wave just past , but the visi t happily a r ranged to the Yalumba Winery at Angaston of S. Smith and Sons Ltd had quite a tonic effect on many. After lunch the p a r t y descended on the Vit icultural Resea rch Station at Nuriootpa, to l ea rn more of the soi ls and the c u r r e n t investigations conducted by the Depar tment of Agr icul ture and the Wine Resea rch Inst i tute. Thanks were expressed to Mr. N. Hankel, of the Yalumba Winery, and to Mr. E„ W. Boehm, of the Depar tment of Agr icul ture , for thei r generous a s s i s t ance .

VICTORIA

The recen t act ivi t ies of the Victorian branch included a joint meet ing with the Victor ian branch of the Institute of Agricul tura l Science, on 19th June, and a meet ing on 24th July, At the e a r l i e r meeting, Mr. V. Grasmanis spoke on "Manganese and Fru i t t r ee s in the Goulburn Valley", and Mr. J . G. Baldwin gave a talk "Nitrogen and Vines" . At the July meet ing of the Society, Mr . K. Northcote, of Adelaide, spoke on ' 'So i l c lassif icat ion".

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

At the t ime of the recen t A„ N. Z. A. A. S„ Congress in Pe r th , the W. A. branch of the Society organized a field t r ip for v i s i to rs on Sunday 2 3rd August to the pine plantations at Mundaring Weir in the Darl ing Range and to the York Di s t r i c t .

Mr . A. B„ Hatch demonst ra ted a sequence of soils at Mundaring, extending from la te r i t e s on the r idge- tops through colluvial la ter i t ic m a t e r i a l s on the valley s lopes to deep, red, f r iable , we l l - s t ruc tu red soi ls

26

Western Australia - continued

towards the bottoms of the slopes. There was a corresponding improvement in site quality of the pines from VI or worse, to I at the best site. At York, Mr, M. Mulcahy demonstrated the occurrence of laterites and associated grey and yellow sandplains on remnants of the old plateau, and on the sides and floor of the valley of the Mortlock River cut in it.

PERSONAL NOTES

A.C. T.

Mr. R. Slatyer, C0 S„ I. R„ O. , Division of Land Research, has recently returned from an overseas trip during which he directed a U. N. E. S. C. O. training course in micro-climatology at Quetta, Pakistan, attended a U. N8E. S. C.O. Symposium on plant-water relations in arid regions at Madrid, and visited laboratories in Europe and North America.

Dr. E. Phillis C.S„I.R.O. Division of Land Research, is at present in South Vietnam, at the request of the Department of External Affairs, to advise on the use of sulphate of ammonia as a fertilizer in this area.

Mr. R. Wetselaar, C„ S. I.R. O. Division of Land Research, has been transferred from Katherine to Canberra to continue his studies on soil nitrogen,

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Mr. C B„ Wells left Australia at the end of July to take up studies for two years abroad, centered at Rothamsted.

Dr. C. G„ Stephens recently was awarded the Verco Medal by the Royal Society of South Australia.

Dr. R . J . Best is expected to return from overseas in January.

Mr. G. G. Beckmann transferred temporarily from Queensland to this State, has been working on a soil survey of the Mt„ Crawford Forest since April.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

The Branch President, Dr. D. P . Drover, was married on 24th October, to Miss Pamela Bowman, of Perth.

27

SUMMARIES OF TALKS

SOIL SULPHUR

(Summary P res iden t i a l Address of Mr, C. Williams to the A„ C. T. Branch of the Society on 2nd July, 1959)

Although sulphur has been known since ea r ly t imes to be an element essen t ia l for plant growth the study of soil sulphur and factors influencing its availabil i ty to plants has received much less attention than most other major-soil const i tuents . In 1899 Bogdanoff obtained the f irs t field r e sponses to applicat ions of sodium sulphate. This drew attention to the impor tance of sulphur in soil fer t i l i ty and st imulated in te res t in its study.

Sulphur, like ni trogen and phosphorus, occurs in soi ls in both organic and inorganic fo rms . The amounts and proport ions of these two forms va ry widely, but in the surface horizons of most wel l -drained acid soi ls near ly al l is p resen t in organic fo rms , while frequently the g r e a t e r proport ion of the sulphur in sub-so i l horizons is in inorganic forms .

Inorganic sulphur occurs mainly in. the form of sulphates as soluable sa l t s (sodium sulphate, magnesium sulphate, gypsum and ce les t ine) , as insoluble sulphates (barytes and sulphate associated with calcium carbonate) and as sulphate absorbed by the free sesquioxides and the clay m i n e r a l s .

Little is yet known of the t rue chemical na ture of organic sulphur . P a r t is probably presen t as protein or prote in- l ike consti tuents of the organic m a t t e r s ince cystine and methionine and their der ivat ives have been identified by a number of worke r s during studies of the amino acids in hydrolysa tes of soil organic m a t t e r . The amounts of these compounds identified, account for at leas t 10-20 percent of the total, sulphur . It is now apparent that sulphur is an important and e s sen t i a l constituent of the soil organic m a t t e r . This is suggested by the re la t ively constant propor t ions of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur repor ted in soi ls from Aus t ra l i a , New Zealand, Scotland and U. S. A. The mean N:S ra t io of mos t groups of so i l s i s approximate ly 7-8 :1 . It is evident that in many soi ls organic forms offer the only means for the retention of sulphur against leaching.

In the so i l -p lan t -an imal cycle the main sources of sulphur access ion by the soil a r e from fe r t i l i ze r s , the a tmosphere and i r r igat ion w a t e r s . The amounts of sulphur derived from a tmospher ic sou rce s , most of it in rainfal l , v a r i e s widely depending on the distance from indust r ia l cen t res and the coast . The major l o s ses of sulphur from the soil occur through the remova l of farm products , leaching and eros ion .

28

SOME RECENT ADVANCES IN SOIL MICROBIOLOGY

A Summary of an a d d r e s s delivered to the South Austral ian Branch on 2 3rd Apri l , 1959,

by Dr . R , J , Swaby, Division of Soils, C . S . I . R . O . Adelaide.

In his recent study tour abroad. Dr . Swaby visited institutions in which work was in p r o g r e s s in the fields of soil organic mat te r and re la ted soil b iochemis t ry . Current in te res t in soil organic ma t t e r is concentrated on many aspec t s of the ni trogen cycle brought about by the development of new techniques, and a new emphas is on the role of fe r t i l izer nitrogen in cropping p r o g r a m m e s in Bri ta in , A m e r i c a , Russia,, and Europe . Under a s e r i e s of headings related to the N„ cycle Dr, Swaby reviewed the nature of the work, and p rog re s s achieved in the var ious institutions visi ted.

Describing work on the mechanism of nitrogen fixation, both by free living and symbiotic o rgan i sms , Dr, Swaby found that this topic was s t i l l a major in te res t of the r e s e a r c h group at Wisconsin under B u r r i s . F r ee living Azotobacter was s t i l l the preferent ia l organism under study in this school however the abil i ty of a number of other free living soil m i c r o ­o rgan i sms to c a r r y out nitrogen fixation has been demonst ra ted e l sewhere . Fedorov in Moscow for example, has found one newly-discovered group of Act inomyces with this function. Some of the newer o rgan isms may be of value in elucidation of pathways of fixation. In. d iscuss ing the influence of rh izosphere conclusive evidence is so far lacking of this factor in the role of nitrogen fixation, There is some evidence however, that o rgan isms associa ted with the leaf surfaces of plants (phyllosphere) may be responsible for nitrogen fixation in the t rop ics .

Studies in legume nodule development by rhizobia were cu r ren t in many ins t i tu tes , but work at Bel tsvi l le , Rothamsted, and Wageningen was singled out as examples of an increased study of the actual chemis t ry of the nodule s t imulat ion. The number of non- legumes plant species now known to fix ni trogen has been extended by Bond, in Glasgow, who believes that a Streptomyces type sy.mbi.ont is p resen t in the nodules and roo ts of many of the s e.

Another very large field of in t e re s t was d iscussed under the heading of mineral ixat ion of nitrogen compounds. Investigations in the U. S. of a toxic effect of stubble mulching on soil nitrogen decomposers was mentioned and studied on the use of specific an t i - sep t i cs to block cer ta in of the s tages of ni t rogen t ransformat ions in soil were also under study. The util ization of N 5 and C t r a c e r techniques by U. S„ and Swedish workers has aided considerably in advancing knowledge of the uptake of r e l e a se of N and C in Soil metabo l i sm. Mineralization of amino acids was being studied by worke r s in Aberdeen and Groningen,

Numerous inves t igators a r e studying the aspec ts of soil .microbiology re la ted to the r e c o v e r y of applied nitrogenous f e r t i l i z e r s . There is evidence that the c lass ica l groups of Ni t rosomonas and Ni t robacter may not be t!..e

29

only soil o rganisms implicated in the conversion of ammonia to n i t r a te . Allied to this a r e studies by Cornell workers on cel l - f ree ex t rac t s capable of bringing about convers ions of the NH4 to NO3. Denitrification is a lso an important p rocess which may affect the balance of soil ni trogen. Is is now agreed by mos t workers that ei ther sugary m a t e r i a l s or waterlogged conditions a r e required before this p rocess a s s u m e s impor tance .

All of these studies a r e of major importance in the a s s e s s m e n t of Soil nitrogen balance and Dr. Swaby indicated that there was s t i l l a major need for an accura te es t imat ion of the nitrogen economy of Soils in the many different sys t ems of agr icu l tu re pract iced.

In answer to ensuing quest ions Dr. Swaby elaborated on specific studies which he had seen in var ious l abora to r i es .

LIST OF MEMBERS (at 30th November, 19 59)

Aitchison, G. D. (V4) Anderson, A . J . (ACT1) Andocsy, B . (Ql) Andrew, W.D. (ACT1. ) Atkins, B . F . (NSW 1) Bakker , A. C.(V13) Baldwin J . G . (V. 3) Bar ley , K . P . (SA1) B a r t e l s , L. F . (V2) Bas inski , J . J . (ACTS) Bea re , J . A, (SA2) Beat t ie , J . A. (NSW 21) Beatty, J i . J.. (ACT2) Beckmann, G. G. (Q2) Beckwith, R. S. (Q2) Best , R . J . (SA1) Bettenay, E . (WA1) Bieske , G.C. (Q3) Blackburn. G. (SA3) Blackmore , A .V . (ACT2) Bond, R. (SA3) Bouma, D. (NSW3) Bowen, G.D. (SA3) Bradley, J . (NSW1) Brewer E . R . O . (Q) Brewer , R. (ACT2) Br i sbane , P . G . (SA3) Bromfield, S.M. (ACT1) Burvi l l , G. H. (WA2) But ler , B . E . (ACT2) Cameron , D. G. (NSW4)

Car tmi lL W . J . (Ql) Catchpoole, V. R. (Q4) Chippendale, F . (Ql) Churchward, H.M. (ACT2) Clarke , A . R . P . (SA3) Clough, A . F . (NSW5) Coaldrake, J . E . (Q5) Cockroft, B. (V12) Collin, P . J . (NSW1) Collis -George, N. (NSW2) Colwell, J . D . (NSW6) Connor, J . (Miss) JNSW3) Cosgrove, D.G, (ACT1) Crack, B . J . (Ql) Crocker , R. L. (NSW2) Condon, R. W. (NSW4) Crockford, R.H, (NSW14) Cullinane, R. (Q4) Davey, B .G . (NSW 2) David. D . J . (ACT1) Davis, E. H. (NSW2) de Laine, R . J . (V5) de Mooy, C . J . (Q2) de V r i e s , M . P . C. (S. A. ) Denmead, O. T. (Q5) Dettmann M. G. (Miss) (V4) Dimmock , G. M. (SA4) Donald, C M . (SA1) Donald, L B . (V4) Downes, R. G. (V5) Drover , D. P . (WAS)

30

Edye, L .A. (Q5) El lyard , P . W . (NSW1) E m e r s o n . W.W. (SA3) England, H.N. (NSW7) Evans , G.N, (NSW1) F e r g u s , L F . (Q2) Flint , S .E. (NSW7) Fox, W. E. (Q4) F r i th , J . L . (ACT3) F r o m , F, R. (Q4) Galletly, J . G. (Q6) Gibbons, F . R . (V5) Gi les , J . B . (SA3) Graley, G.M. (SA4) G r a s m a n i s , V .O . (V2) Greacen, E„ L. (SA3) Green, p . (Miss) (ACT2) Groenewegen, H, (NSW3) Gur r , C.G. (SA3) Gyarmathy, A (V5) Haantjens, H.A, (ACTS) Haldane, A,DS (ACT6) Hamilton, C D , (ACT4) Hansen. T . R . (V7) Harford, L . B . (V5) H a r r i s , J . R . (SA3) Has s l e r H. (Ql) Hatch, A , B . (WA4) Hawkins, C.A. (NSW1) Henzel l , E . F , (Q5) Hess , F . X . (V6) Hewitt, J .W, (NSW 8) Hingston, F . J . (WA1) Holmes . J, W. (SA3) Hooper, G.A. (V2) Hosking, J . S . (V8) Hubble, G.D. (Q2) Hughes, J . D . (Ql) Humphr ies , A.W. (WA5) Hutton, J, T, (SA3) Isbel l , R . F . (Q2) Jackson, D. L. (NSW2) Jackson, E . A . (SA9) J e s sup , R.W. (ACT1) Johnson, A. D. (Ql) Johnston, E . J . (ACT5) Johnston, R. D. (ACT4) Jones , L . H . P , (V9) Jones , L. T. (WA2) Jones , R ,M. (NSW11) Kirton, D . J , (WA5)

Langford-Smith, T. (NSW2) Lawson, E .H , (WAS) Leeper , G. W. (VI) Les l i e , J . K . (Ql) Les l i e , T . I . (V5) Leverington, K„ C. (Q3) Lewis , D.G. (SA1) Lightfoot, L. G. (WA2) Litchfield, W.H. (ACT2) Lit t le , L P . (Q2) Loneragan. J . F , (ACT1) Loveday, J. (NSW3) McArthur , W.M. (NSW15) McCaffrey, L. A. H. (NSW7) McDonald A, (Ql) Mclntyre , D .S . (ACT2) McKenzie, R .M. (SA3) McLachlan, K. D. (ACT1) McGari ty, J .W. (SA1) Maher, B . T , (NSW) Malcolm, C.V. (WA2) Marsha l l , K. C. (NSW1) Marsha l l , T . J . (SA3>-Mart in , A . E . (Q2) Mart in, F . M. (V10) Matheson, W . E . (SA8) Mil la r , B .D . (NSW14) Millington, R . J . (SA1) Moore , C . W . E . (ACT1) Moraghan, J. T. (NSW9) Muirhead, W.A. (NSW10) Mulcahy, M . J . (WA1) Munns, D.N. (NSW1) Murray , J . S . (V5) Newell, J . W , (V6) Newman, J. C. (NSW11) Nicol ls , K .D. (SA4) Nor r i sh , K. (SA3) Northcote , K .H. (SA3) Oer te l , A . C . (SA3) Orchis ton, H .D. (NSW18) Ozanne, P . G . (WA5) Pannabokke, C. R. (SA5) P a r k e r , C.A. (WA3) Penman, F , (V3) P i p e r , C. S. (SA3) Pou t sma , T, (V6) Powr ie , J .K . (SA1) P rebb le , R E . (Q2) Pym, L. W. (WA2) Quirk, J , P . (SA1)

31

Raupach, M, (SA3) Rause l l -Colom, J, A. (SA3) Reeve, P . (Q2) Riceman. D.S , (SA10) Richards , B .N. (Q7) Richardson, J . (Miss) (Q2) Ridley, W. F . (Q5) Rix, C . E , (SA6) Rixon, A. J . (Q8) Rober t s , F . J.[ (WA3) Robinson, E . V . (Q4) Roe, R. (NSW12) Rose, C . E . (Ql) Ross i t e r , R. C. (WA5) Rothols, W.R. (V5) Rovi ra , A. D. (SA3) Rowan, J . N . (V5) Rowe, R.K. (V5) Sands, J . (Miss) (NSW2) Sarolea, H. (V6) Sedgley, R .H. (NSW 14) Sibley, G. T. (V5) Simpfendorfer, K . J . (VI3) Simpson, J . R. (ACT1) Skene, J . K . M . (V6) Skerman, P . J . (Q4) Skerman, V. B . D . (Q4) Skinner, A. F . (Ql) Slatyer, R. O. (ACTS) Sleeman, J . K . (ACT2) Sless , J . B . (NSW13) Smiles , D . E . (NSW17) Smith, S .T . (WAS) Sparrow, G.W. (NSW1) Spurling, M. B. (SA2) Stace, H . C . T . (SA3) Stackhouse, K. (SA7) Stannard, M . E . (NSW4) Steinberg, A. (ACT1)

Stephens, C.G. (SA3) Stewart, G. A. (ACTS) Stirk, G. B. (Q2) Stoneman, T. C. (WA2) S to r r i e r , R .R. (NSW6) Swaby, R . J . (SA3) Talbot, R . J . (Q6) Ta lsma, T. (NSW3) Taylor , A . C . (NSW6) Taylor, J . K . (SA3) Teakle , L . J . H . (Q4) Thompson, C. H. (Q2) Ti l ler K. G. (SA3) Tisdal l , A. L. (Vl l ) Tracey , J . G . (Q10) Tro i s i , M . J . (V6) Tucker , B .M. (SA3) Turne r , A.K. (VI) Turton, A .G. (WA1) Vallance, L. G. (Q3) van Dijk, D. C. (ACT2) van Wijk, C. L. (Ql) von Stieglitz, C .R. (Ql) Walbran, W. T. (V6) Walker , P . H . (NSW19) Wallbrink, J . C . (V12) Wal te rs , D. V. (ACTS) Warcup, J . H. (SA1) Waring, H. D. (ACT4) Waring, S.A. (Q4) Webb, L . J . (Q10) Webster , A. (Vl l ) Wells , C . B . (SA3) Wentholt, L. (Ql) Wil l iams, C. H. (ACT1) Woodham, R. C . B . (V3) Wreczycki , R. (Ql)

Applications Pending

Br ine r , G . P . (VI) C h a n n o n J . R . (V13) Van de Graaf R, H, (ACTS)

Rutherford, G. K. (ACTS) Wetse laar R. (ACT3)

32

Key to A d d r e s s e s of A. S. S. S. M e m b e r s .

A C T - A u s t r a l i a n C a p i t a l T e r r i t o r y B r a n c h .

1. C. S. I„ R . O . D iv i s ion of P l a n t I n d u s t r y , C a n b e r r a 2. C . S . I, R . O . D i v i s i o n of S o i l s , C a n b e r r a 3. C. S. I . R„ O. D iv i s ion of Land R e s e a r c h and R e g i o n a l S u r v e y , C a n b e r r a 4. C o m m o n w e a l t h F o r e s t r y and T i m b e r B u r e a u , C a n b e r r a 5. N o r t h e r n T e r r i t o r y A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , D a r w i n , N. T. 6. B u r e a u of M i n e r a l R e s o u r c e s , C a n b e r r a ,

N . S . W . - New South W a l e s B r a n c h

1. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , Sydney 2. U n i v e r s i t y of Sydney 3. C . S . I . R . O . I r r i g a t i o n R e s e a r c h S ta t ion , Gri f f i th 4. Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , Sydney 5. Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , Wagga 6. A g r i c u l t u r a l R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e , Wagga 7. W a t e r C o n s e r v a t i o n and I r r i g a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n , Sydney 8. D e p a r t m e n t of Main R o a d s , Wagga 9. H a w k e s b u r y A g r i c u l t u r a l C o l l e g e , R i c h m o n d

10. Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , Hay 1 1 . Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , Condobol in 12. C . S . I . R . O . Div . P l a n t I n d u s t r y , A r m i d a l e 13. Soil ' C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , K e m p s e y 14. C . S . I . R . O . R e g i o n a l P a s t u r e L a b o r a t o r y , De ni l iquin

15. C . S . I . R . O . Div . So i l s , A r m i d a l e 16. Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , I n v e r e l l 17. W e s l e y C o l l e g e , Newtown 18. C h i l e a n N i t r a t e C o r p o r a t i o n , Ca l t ex H o u s e , Sydney 19. C . S . I . R . O . Div . S o i l s , U n i v e r s i t y of Sydney 2 0. Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e , Scone 2 1 , U n i v e r s i t y of O r e g o n , U . S . A .

Q - Q u e e n s l a n d B r a n c h

1. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e and Stock, B r i s b a n e 2. C . S . I . R . O . D i v i s i o n of S o i l s , B r i s b a n e 3. B u r e a u of S u g a r E x p e r i m e n t S t a t i ons , B r i s b a n e 4 . U n i v e r s i t y of Q u e e n s l a n d 5. Co S. I . R . O . Div i s ion of T r o p i c a l P a s t u r e , B r i s b a n e 6. Q. A. H. S. and C o l l e g e , L a w e s 7. F o r e s t r y D e p a r t m e n t , B r i s b a n e 8. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e and Stock, A t h e r t o n 9. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e and Stock, Toowoomba

10. C . S . I . R . O . Div . P l a n t I n d u s t r y , B r i s b a n e

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SA - South A u s t r a l i a n B r a n c h

1. W a i t e A g r i c u l t u r a l R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e , A d e l a i d e 2. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , Ade la ide 3. C . S . I . R . O . Div . So i l s , A d e l a i d e 4. C . S . I . R . O . Div, So i l s , H o b a r t , T a s m a n i a 5. Maha I l l u p a l a m a , Cey lon 6. D e p a r t m e n t of L a n d s , A d e l a i d e 7. G o v e r n m e n t A n a l y s t s L a b o r a t o r y , H o b a r t , T a s m a n i a 8. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , J a m e s t o w n

9. C . S . I . R . O . Div , So i l s , A l i ce S p r i n g s , N. T. 10. C . S . I . R . O . Div . B i o c h e m i s t r y , A d e l a i d e .

V - V i c t o r i a n B r a n c h

1. U n i v e r s i t y of M e l b o u r n e 2. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , W e r r i b e e

3. C . S . I . R . O . , M e r b e i n 4. C . S . I . R . O , Soil M e c h a n i c s Sect ion , M e l b o u r n e

5. Soi l C o n s e r v a t i o n A u t h o r i t y , M e l b o u r n e 6. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , M e l b o u r n e 7. Shel l C h e m i c a l (Aust , ) P t y L t d . M e l b o u r n e 8. C . S . I . R . O . Div . Bu i ld ing R e s e a r c h , H ighe t t 9. C . S . I . R . O . Div , P l a n t I n d u s t r y , U n i v e r s i t y of M e l b o u r n e

10. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , N u m u r k a h 1 1 . Sta te R i v e r s and W a t e r Supply C o m m i s s i o n , M e l b o u r n e 12. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , T a t u r a 13 . F o r e s t r y C o m m i s s i o n , M e l b o u r n e .

WA - W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B r a n c h

1. C . S . I . R . O . Div i s ion of S o i l s , U n i v e r s i t y of W, A. 2. D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e , P e r t h 3. U n i v e r s i t y of W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a , N e d l a n d s , 4 . F o r e s t R e s e a r c h S ta t ion , Dwel l ingup 5. C . S . I . R . O . Div . P l a n t I n d u s t r y , U n i v e r s i t y of W. A .

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