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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #183376
Title: THE ROLE OF GRASS TUSSOCKS IN MAINTAINING SOIL CONDITION IN NORTH EAST AUSTRALIA

Author
item Northup, Brian
item BROWN, JOEL - USDA - NRCS

Submitted to: International Grasslands Congress
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2005
Publication Date: 7/1/2005
Citation: Northup, B.K., Brown,J.R. 2005. The role of grass tussocks in maintaining soil condition in north east Australia. Proceedings of a Satellite Workshop of the XXth International Grassland Congress. July 2005. p.71.

Interpretive Summary: No interpretive summary required.

Technical Abstract: Soils of the grazing lands of north eastern Australia are inherently nutrient-poor. Heterogeneously distributed plants are important to the conservation of the limited amounts of nutrients, through storage in plant tissues or in soil sinks close to plants. Loss of perennial vegetation through disturbance reduces conservation of these resources, to the detriment of feedback mechanisms, and ultimately causes loss of soil condition. Large areas of north east Australia have been degraded, or threatened by degradation, through combinations of variability in precipitation and heavy grazing. This study examined the inter-related responses of plants, soil microbes and soil nutrients to management-related disturbance.