02-10-2003

The second edition of one of Australia's most successful salinity management texts, Saltland Pastures in Australia - A Practical Guide was launched today as a highlight of a major national conference on salinity and water quality management.

Written by Australia's foremost authority on saltland pastures, Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard, the book aims to make saltland pastures accessible to the widest possible audience.

Dryland salinity continues to prove a major environmental and production issue for agriculture. Recent research has revealed that nearly six million hectares across Australia is now at risk from dryland salinity.

But while such alarming statistics reveal the potential extent of the salinity problem, success stories of managing dryland salinity are rapidly emerging across all spectrums of land and water use - particularly in the area of saltland pastures in grazing systems.

While prevention should always be the priority, many communities and farmers already affected by salinity are beginning to realise the significant opportunities for low-cost grazing systems that can be profitable, while significantly reducing the salinity risk.

Readership of Saltland Pastures in Australia - A Practical Guide is expected to be Australian farmers and those who advise them. However, more specialised information has been provided in the footnotes for technical experts and students of the field.

This new edition replaces the 1995 first edition and incorporates much of the current knowledge and experience now available in saltland pastures.

According to Dr Barrett-Lennard the new edition of the book aims to encourage Australian farmers to revegetate salt-affected land with saltland pastures.

"These pastures can be profitable, sustainable and of benefit to the environment and the broader community," he said.

The book has an expanded focus in several areas. Topics covered include:

• designing pastures to improve their nutritive value to grazing animals;
• the importance of salinity, waterlogging and inundation as factors affecting the ecological zonation of saltland;
• the benefits of saltland pastures in lowering water tables;
• the value of less salt tolerant plants, particularly in less severely affected land;
• the economic value of saltland pastures; and
• farmer experiences.

Saltland Pastures in Australia - A Practical Guide is supported by the Land, Water & Wool Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (SGSL) sub-program; Cooperative Research Centre for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity; WA Department of Agriculture; Curtin University; WA's Saltland Pastures Association and the Salinity Council of WA.

The release of the book will be a vital technical input for the hundreds of farmers and their advisors who are directly involved in the Land Water and Wool SGSL sub-program and other initiatives seeking to assist farmers to manage salinity profitably.


EDITOR'S NOTE

Saltland Pastures in Australia - A Practical Guide was officially launched today during the 9th Productive Use and Rehabilitation of Saline Lands (PUR$L) National Conference in Yeppoon, on the central Queensland coast. The book was launched by Mike Ewing, Deputy CEO for the Cooperative Research Centre for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity. The launch was followed by the National Dryland Salinity Program W.E. Wood Memorial Lecture, given by the author, Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard. Media Kits are available.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard is Australia's foremost authority on saltland pastures and winner of the 2002 National Dryland Salinity Program W.E. Wood Award for excellence in salinity research.
Dr Barrett-Lennard's early studies were instrumental in identifying control of waterlogging as an important component of managing saline land. In more recent work Dr Barrett-Lennard determined more reliable processes for establishing pastures than direct seeding, including demonstrating new methods for establishing saltbush.
In collaboration with other researchers, Dr Barrett-Lennard radically redesigned the saltland pasture model based on combinations of annual and perennial species to improve ground water utilisation and nutritional value to livestock. Dr Barrett-Lennard has been a member and long-term advocate of the national committee of the Productive Uses and Rehabilitation of Saline Lands (PUR$L) group since 1991. Dr Barrett-Lennard is currently assisting with implementation of new research into livestock grazing systems nationally for the $4 million Land, Water & Wool Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (SGSL) initiative.

For further information please contact:

Please contact Land & Water Australia
Email: land&wateraustralia@lwa.gov.au
Phone: 02 6263 6000