02-10-2003

Saltbush and saltland pastures can be productive and profitable options for the use of saline land.

Presenting the National Dryland Salinity Program's W.E. Wood Memorial Lecture in Queensland this morning, Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard, principal research officer with the WA Department of Agriculture, encouraged the productive use and rehabilitation of saline land.

"I regard the productive use and rehabilitation of salt affected land as one of Australia's great environmental hope stories," said Dr Barrett-Lennard. "It is pretty clear that we can use a great proportion of the salt affected land we have now, and will have in coming decades."

Dr Barrett-Lennard is a leading researcher in the field of saltland revegetation and productive use and rehabilitation of saline land. He has 20 years of experience as a salinity researcher and is author/editor of four books and more than 50 other publications.

He was presented with the 2002 W.E. Wood Award by the National Dryland Salinity Program earlier this year in recognition of his innovation and leadership in salinity research and development.

Dr Barrett-Lennard's lecture topic 'Salinity, waterlogging and saltbush - new hope for Australian valley floors' explored advances in the use of saltland pastures in managing salinity and waterlogging.

Dr Barrett-Lennard has examined the interaction between salinity and waterlogging, particularly the effect the interaction is having on the amount of salt in the leaves of plants grown in saline waterlogged soil.

"Both salt and waterlogging affect the growth and survival of plants, and this has implications for ecological zonation, or what plant grows where," said Dr Barrett-Lennard, who has also developed a matrix to explain the relative tolerance of plants to salinity and waterlogging.

"With an improved understanding of where plants fit into the saltland landscape we can turn our attention to providing grazing animals with the two major factors they require for nutrition - a source of metabolic energy and a source of protein, using a broader range of plant species."

Dr Barrett-Lennard suggested three possible solutions to meeting animal nutrition needs:

1. Widely spaced rows of saltbushes, which draw down the water table enough to allow a high-quality understorey of much less-tolerant annual pasture plants to grow.
2. Dense stands of halophytes with the extra energy nutrition provided 'over the fence' as supplements of hay, straw or grain.
3. Allowing sheep to graze between stands of saltbush and other sources of energy such as crop residues (stubbles).

"Whilst prevention should always be the priority, the productive use and rehabilitation of saline land will help us to utilise affected areas. I believe that good management of saltland pastures will help to lower water tables and improve farm incomes," said Dr Barrett-Lennard.

He was speaking at the 9th Productive Use and Rehabilitation of Saline Lands (PUR$L) National Conference in Yeppoon, on the central Queensland coast.

Prior to the lecture Dr Barrett-Lennard launched the second edition of his book Saltland Pastures in Australia - A Practical Guide. The book provides profitable and sustainable solutions for Australian farmers in the revegetation of salt-affected land with saltland pastures. This also has long-term benefits for the environment and the broader community.

For further information please contact:

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