Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/8590
Title: | The patterns of grazed pasture associated with scattered trees across an Australian temperate landscape: an investigation of pasture quantity and quality | Contributor(s): | Barnes, Phoebe (author); Wilson, Brian (author)![]() ![]() ![]() |
Publication Date: | 2011 | DOI: | 10.1071/RJ10068 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/8590 | Abstract: | Scattered paddock trees occur across agricultural landscapes in Australia. However, in the temperate regions of Australia their numbers are rapidly declining and they may be lost across much of the landscape in 200 years. Here we examined the spatial distribution of green (GDB), senescent (SDB) and total (TDB) dry pasture biomass, and nutrient status of the GDB fraction around scattered 'Eucalyptus' trees on three parent materials (basalt, granite and meta-sediment) in native and sown pastures across a range of grazed temperate landscapes in northern New South Wales. We used a combination of destructive harvests and a handheld active optical canopy reflectance sensor (AOS) with an integrated GPS to examine pasture biomass around scattered trees. The harvested pasture biomass data indicated that under grazed conditions the presence of scattered trees did not introduce significant radial trends in TDB or GDB out to a distance of 3.5 canopy radii regardless of tree species or parent material. The red and near-infrared reflectance-based Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), as measured by the AOS, did indicate a consistent azimuthal trend with larger GDB on the southern side of the tree and lower GDB on the northern side in the native pasture. However, this observation must be qualified as the regression coefficient for the relationship between NDVI and GDB was significant but weak (best r² = 0.42), and SDB reduced its predictive capacity. We also found a higher percentage of GDB under the canopy than in the open paddock. We suggest that the combination of these results may indicate higher grazing pressure under trees than in the open paddock. Pasture nutrient concentration (P, K and S) was higher in both native and sown pastures beneath the tree canopy compared with the open paddock. This study indicates that, in this temperate environment, scattered trees do not adversely affect pasture production, and that they can improve some pasture nutrients. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | The Rangeland Journal, 33(2), p. 121-130 | Publisher: | CSIRO Publishing | Place of Publication: | Australia | ISSN: | 1834-7541 1036-9872 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 070501 Agroforestry | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 960504 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Environments | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format |
---|
SCOPUSTM
Citations
16
checked on Mar 1, 2025
Page view(s)
2,284
checked on Nov 24, 2024
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.