PROFILE THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SCIENCE

WA soil assessment and management

SSSI's Western Australian branch held its fourth triennial conference at Geraldton in October. A one day preconference bus tour from Perth to Geraldton looked at sandplain productivity, and management tech- Aniques for hardsetting . After the two day conference, the branch held a one day workshop on potassium in agriculture to look at current and future directions for research and development to improve the efficiency of agri- cultural potassium use. Full reports on the conference and workshop appear on pages 8 and 9. Above: John Bartle, Department of Conservation and , addresses the preconference tour group on the use of oil mallees as a means of increasing water use while providing and alternative cash crop for farmers.

In this issue • National conference update Listing of all accredited soil scientists • Review: Australian • Leeper lecture • What is a soil scientist? AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF The Australian Society of Soil Science Incorporated (ASSSI) was founded in 1955 to Contents work towards the advancement of soil science in the professional, academic and technical fields. It 3 From the president comprises a Federal Council and seven branches (Qld, NSW, Riverina, ACT, Vic, SA and WA). Liability of members is limited. 4 Accredited soil scientists Objectives • To advance soil science • To provide a link between soil scientists and 5 Conference update members of kindred bodies within Australia and in other countries. Specific objectives 6 Leeper lecture • To promote the field of soil science • To further the expertise in soil science of members ASPAC conference • To be a forum for discussion on soil science • To increase government and community awareness of soil science 8 Potassium in agriculture • To liaise and cooperate with other organisa- tions in support of mutual interests • To encourage research and extension in soil Vale Isaac Kanabo science • To promote wise management of the soil resource throughout Australia 9 WA branch conference Membership For all membership applications, subscriptions, 10 What is a soil scientist? queries and address changes contact: Yolande Pancino, ASSSI Central Office 1st Floor, 91 Rathdowne St, CARLTON 3053 11 Greenhouse aV tillage tel 03 9662 1520 fax 03 9662 2727 [email protected] ASSSI website 12 The effect of grazing http://asssi.rivercorp.com.au PROFILE Profile is the official newsletter of the Australian 13 ISTRO conference Society of Soil Science Incorporated. It is pub- lished four times a year after the quarterly meetings of Federal Council.ISSN 1328-2883 14 Branch news Registered by Australian Print Post Publication Number 225277/00009. Design concept: Gatya Kelly, Doric Order 18 Soil technology packages Printing: Quality Plus, Ballina 1998 deadlines 13 February, 29 May, 18 September, 4 20 Precision proceedings December Advertisements AJSR contents Advertisements relevant to some aspect of soil science are welcome. Charges are full page $70, half page $35, quarter page $20. 21 Reservoir siltation Information about conferences, soil science courses, scholarships etc is published free.

All contributions are welcome, text preferably by email. Please send them to the editor, Rebecca Lines-Kelly, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Bruxner Highway, Wollongbar 2477, tel 02 6626 1319, fax 02 6628 3264, email [email protected]

rofile - Issue 113 - January 1998 2 has been on the committee since its inception, but has now retired. I shall be seeking another member to replace him. Ian Sargeant and Graham Price are willing to remain members. I would also like to thank Ian Sargeant on his initiative to develop a poster to advertise CPSS. This poster has already been displayed at the Leeper memorial lecture in Melbourne. Each state branch From the president will receive a copy which can be displayed on appro- priate occasions. National conference hope everyone has enjoyed the Christmas There has been a good response to the national con- break and that 1998 will be a successful one ference in Brisbane in April, with over 1120 for all members and their families. The past abstracts received. Because the conference is for year has been a very busy one for ASSSI and I three days instead of the usual five, the conference for me as president. My report summarises the committee has decided that prizes for oral and main developments over the past few months. poster presentations for both student and open cate- ISSSI - International conference gory will be of equal value. It has also been decided At the meeting of the committee on education in that members who have submitted abstracts for oral soil science in September in France, it was decided presentation, but have been asked to develop a that the poster being developed by the Australian poster will be able to give an oral presentation at Society of Soil Science in conjunction with ISRIC their poster site. will be the main feature of the education exhibit at I must make mention at this point of the the international conference in Montpellier. It will tremendous effort that Graham Price, the vice presi- be similar in format to the poster recently produced dent, has put into this conference organisation and by Mike McLaughlin (SA) and Brendan George I am pleased that members have responded in such (NSW) which portrays the diverse range of areas a way as to ensure a viable conference. where soil science has relevance. Changes in the new year BSSSI - 50th anniversary conference It has been a very busy year, but I have really In September I was invited by the British Society of enjoyed meeting members in the various states that Soil Science to their 50th anniversary conference in I have visited. Next year there are also many chal- Newcastle. I was asked by the presiden, Keith lenges for the society. Following a tender process the Smith, to deliver the final dinner speech and pro- Central Office will change once AIAS has finalised pose the birthday toast. Listening to the conference their data base. It also appears that the society will papers it was obvious that soil science in the UK need to accredit its own members, with AIAS acting has firmly established itself in and sees its future in as a review body for professional accreditation pro- the environmental scene. grams. Accreditation Pam Hazelton In November I was the ASSSI representative at the accreditation workshop organised byt he Australian Institute of at Dookie in Victoria. The aim of the workshop was to evaluate the priorities and make recommendations to change the professional accreditation program. It was decid- m ed that CPSS and Standards will merge to lessen the confusion and to enable easier marketing. Another "'^: "v::';:'. -.* decision was that there will be more flexibility in the training program and that hours will be replaced with a points system. Accredited members will be able to accumulate their points year on year. This will mean that they will be able to use them as more powerful evidence of professional develop- ment. Eligible training for CPSS will be reviewed. Accreditation will be reviewed biannually rather than annually. ASSSI president Pam Hazelton with CPSS panel CSBP chief agronomist Brian Leach at the WA branch's fourth triennial conference I would like to thank Pat Walker for his contribu- at Geraldton in October. A full report on the tion to the accreditation committee in 1996-97. Pat conference is on page 14.

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 Accredited soil scientists Below is a complete list of soil scientists accredited in 1997. If you have any queries about this list, or about accreditation generally, please contact ASSSI president Pam Hazelton (see inside back page for contact details). Leading Warren Muirhead Peter Hopmans Philip Newton Professional Philip Mulvey Peter Jeffrey T. Overheu (Stage 3) John Murtagh Keith Lindbeck Ivo Rasic Soil Scientist status David Nash Ian Little David Ross and CPSS status Doug Parry John Loi Melissa Salt Terence Abbott Robert Patterson Alex McBratney Robyn Tucker Fouad Abo Graham Price John McGarity Philip Ward Mark Adams Brian Prove Mike Melville D. Zinga Col Ahern Bernard Powell Richard Merry Peter Bacon Brian Purdie Arie Meydan Experienced Jean-Pierre Robert Reid Paul Milham Professional Baumgartner Philip Ryan Graham Murtha (Stage 2) Richard Bell Mark Sallaway Col Rosewell Soil Scientist status Paul Blackwell Gottfried Scholz Brian Schafer T. Biswas Warren Bond Mark Seeliger Trevor Stoneman Greg Chapman Stuart Boucher Roger Shaw W.M. Strong Garry Cook Howard Briggs Peter Shields Evan Thomas Ian G. Fenton Robin Bruce David Smiles Yiu-Liong Tie Ian Hollingsworth Michael Capelin George Smith Richard Tucker Xiandeng Hu Dan Carter Henry Smolinski Lance Warrell Prasantha Alex Cowie Hwat So Larry White Jayawardhana Robert Crouch Leigh Sparrow Janet Wild Heather Keith Rob Cumming Mike Temple-Smith Dermot McKane Peter Dart John R Thompson Experienced Mark Mignanelli Kenneth Day William Thompson Professional Tim Nielsen David Edwards Peter Thorburn (Stage 2) Danielle Oliver Michael Faulkner Robin Thwaites Soil Scientist status Usha Pillai McGarry Bruce Forster Peter Tille and CPSS status Gerard Grealish Robert Van de Graaff Robert Banks Professional Neil Griffiths Ian Webb Stephen Beaman (Stage 1) Chris Grose Keith Weier Laura Beaupeurt Soil Scientist status Kevin Hand reck Kenneth Wetherby Andrew Biggs and CPSS status Pamela Hazelton Brian Whelan Rob Bramley Rodney Bayley Keith Helyar Ian White Neil Coles Ian Beer Clifford Highnett Robert White Robin Connolly Amelia Hardie Catherine Hird Harold Wickham William Cotching Kylie Hey Nilantha Hulugalle Steve Willatt Guy Geeves Scott Irvine Heather Hunter John Williams Brendan George Stuart Johnston Mai Hunter Turlough Guerin Rodney Masters Ray Ison Leading James Hall Sally Mclnnes David Kent Professional Warwick Harrison Christopher Oliver Peter King (Stage 3) Brian Jenkins David Osborne Annelies Koning Soil Scientist status Dacre King Tahir Saeed Michael Laffan Colin Asher Gunnar Kirchhof Siobhan Spoljaric John Lawrie Greg Bowman Jamie McMaster Daryl Stevens Robert Loch Ross Coventry Donald Malcolm Peter White Malcolm Lorimer Peter Dart Neal Menzies Peter Zund ® Stuart MacNish A. de Leeuw Humphrey Milford David McKenzie Rob Fitzpatrick David Morand Michael McLaughlin Hossein Ghadiri Robert Moreton Rick Morse Rosemary Hook Casey Murphy

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 4 Conference update After a slow start, ASSSI's national soils conference in April on the environmental benefits of is ready to roll. ASSSI secretary Phil Mulvey reports on developments to date. he good news is that we have been flooded Conference tours with abstracts, with more than 130 received. Queensland branch has put a huge effort into organ- The bad news is that due to the response, ising the mid-conference and post conference tours Tevaluation took far longer than anticipated and the conference dinner. There is a variety of and notice of selection has only just gone out. tours which indicates the diversity of soil science The standard of abstracts received was very high activities close to a major city. The NSW branch has and we were forced to select papers that were rele- organised the pre-conference tour from Sydney to vant to the theme and covered the range of themes. Brisbane. Recently I attended a conference where the As a result, many presenters who submitted preconference tour was cancelled, which made the abstracts for oral presentation have not been select- start of the conference somewhat slower. The pre- ed. We have offered these authors the opportunity to conference tour often sets the tone of the conference present a poster paper. Both poster papers and and because those on the tour have got to know each oral papers will be published in the proceedings. other and act as icebreakers for the rest of the dele- Some people may see poster presentation as a gates. So if you can, take advantage of this pre-con- consolation prize, but at this conference it offers ference tour which covers the gamut: mine rehabili- both publication and the opportunity to have work tation, erosion, recharge, irrigation, aired and reviewed before colleagues. The primary Palaeozoic soil sequences, acid sulfate soils and con- objective of our conference is taminated site management. to provide an opportunity to The conference is com- meet and discuss soil science You will by now have ing together so well that I research, both completed and received your invitation am excited about the oppor- in progress, so we urge all tunities it offers for us all to researchers to take this oppor- to register for the discuss our work and expand tunity to have their work read conference. The our knowledge. The success and discussed by their peers. complete program will of the conference, no matter Paper deadline - 13 how well organised, depends February be published in the on the delegates. For the All papers will be reviewed, so March issue of Profile, conference to be successful all papers, poster and oral, are you need to be there. By not due by 13 February 1997 with together with details of being there you will miss out full registration payment. the plenary speakers. on networking, exciting dis- Papers not received by that cussion and, possibly, next date, or submitted without year's research grant. payment are unlikely to be published. Authors of Ten reasons to be there oral papers not received by then will not be able to • Queensland branch's hospitality present their papers. These strictures will be strictly • 18 hours of time towards accreditation enforced as time is tight and there are many excel- • opportunities to discuss your work lent papers to choose from. • easy access to Federal Council members You will by now have received your invitation to • the opportunity to make friends who in years to register for the conference. The complete program come will help create opportunities will be published in the March issue of Profile, • the Lucky Soil Scientist prize together with details of the plenary speakers. Details • finding out which soils grow the best wines have yet to be confirmed, but the plenary topics will • ASSSI's general meeting include acid sulfate soils, communication and edu- • the chance to network with participants attending cation of soil science, and assessment of fauna and the 4th national hazardous and solid waste con- flora bioavailability in soils. There will be two con- vention, and the WaterTECH conference, both current sessions. Session A will focus on conference being held in the same building at the same time themes 2 and 3: Can the soil be a waste treatment as the soils conference facility?, and Managing degraded land creatively. • the pleasure of going home again, exhausted after Session B will focus on theme 1: Sustaining the soil heavy sessions nourishing the soul, brain and resource with interest, covering traditional areas of body! ® soil science, but with an environmental emphasis.

5 Profile • Issue 113 - January 1998 Leeper lecture: mycorrhizas The 1997 Professor G.W. Leeper Memorial Lecure was given by Sally Smith of the University of Adelaide's Dept of Soil Science (Waite campus). Her topic was mycor- rhizas at the soil-plant interface and she summarises the lecture below for Profile. ycorrhizas are the most ancient as well However, there is little or no evidence of direct as probably the most common involvement in mineralisation processes. ymbiosis between fungi and plants. In contrast, ecto and ericoid mycorrhizas occur MFossil evidence shows that the vascular frequently on organic soils and often preferentially plants that first colonised land 450 million years colonise Utter layers. Recent work has highlighted ago harboured vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal the ability of the fungi to hydrolyse the organic structures that appear identical to modern matter and obtain both N and P from the organic mycorrhizas. It seems highly likely that the fungi sources, making these nutrients available to the made it possible for these simple plants, which did plants and effectively short-cycling the nutrients not have true roots, to obtain nutrients from the from the Utter. Some research also suggests a role soil. Other types of mycorrhiza evolved later. for mycorrhizal fungi in weathering rocks. There are two interfaces of importance in A recent and exciting study has shown that discussing the role of mycorrhizal fungi in plant some ectomycorrhizal fungi may actually tunnel nutrition: the soil-fungus interface where nutrients into rock, secreting organic anions that chelate met- are absorbed, and the fungus-plant interface where als and releasing nutrients. The fungus-plant inter- they are exchanged for organic carbon produced by face is supplied with nutrients via translocation the plant. At the soil interface, the mechanisms that through fungal hyphae. Transfer to the plant different types of mycorrhizal fungi use to obtain involves specific membrane transport processes nutrients are quite varied and may reflect their operating across an interface composed of both fun- different origins. gal and plant membranes. The mechanisms that VA mycorrhizas are characteristic of soils low in support transfer to the plant are the basis of the organic matter and the fungi appear to operate by mutualistic symbiosis between the fungi and the extending the root system and increasing uptake of plants. non-mobile nutrients like P and Zn from inorganic Our current research is directed towards under- sources. The narrow diameter of the hyphae means standing how membrane transport processes are that the fungi can access much smaller pores than modified in symbiosis so that they result in contin- roots and they may also compete effectively with uing supply of nutrients to both partners. ® other soil microorganisms for recently mineralised P. ASPAC conference #2 he second national Australian Soil and Plant assessment of animal health and the measurement Analysis Council (ASPAC) conference of nutrient and pesticide movement in soils. Moving Towards Precision with Soil and A more practical flavour entered the proceedings Plant Analysis was held in Launceston, on the third day with excellent presentations from TTasmania in November 1997. Over 100 delegates two Tasmanian farmers on the role of nutrient anal- attended, representing all Australian states as well ysis in their decision making, and an agribusiness as New Zealand and Fiji. perspective from Serve-Ag, a leading Tasmanian The program began with a one day quality agricultural consulting company. The theme then assurance workshop, directed particularly at dele- centred more strongly on the future, with plenary gates involved in the ASPAC soil and plant quality reviews on precision agriculture by Simon Cook and assurance programs. The workshop covered QA/QC Alex McBratney as weU as presentations by the principles, NATA accreditation, the ASPAC soil and prime conference sponsors, Pivot Agriculture and plant quality assurance programs and the future Incitec Fertilisers. Proceedings of botU the QA work- direction of soil and plant analysis. shop ($15) and the conference ($25) are available Monitoring of catchment health, understanding from the ASPAC secretary, 36 Beech Road, soil microbial biomass and non-living soil organic Norwood, 7250. Prices include postage. The confer- matter, and the use of IR and NIR in soil analysis ence proceedings will be published in 1998 in a spe- were covered in plenary reviews on the morning of cial issue of the Australian Journal of Experimental the second day. Following lunch, the themes broad- Agriculture. ® ened into the use of soil and plant analysis in the

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Soil Core Sampler A thin replaceable steel cutting #« edge cuts cleanly through the soil O to produce excellent undisturbed soil cores

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7 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 Potassium in agriculture Dave Allen reports on the first workshop on potassium in Australian agriculture, held at Geraldton WA in October. he first workshop on potassium in • the role of potassium in cotton, pasture and crop Australian agriculture was held at the nutrition African Reef Resort in Geraldton, Western • the role of potassium in product quality Australia, on 3 October, immediately follow- • the role of potassium in animal health. Ting the fourth triennial conference of ASSSI's The key note after dinner speech given by Western Australian branch. A bus excursion was Mark Stauffer of PPI stressed the importance of bal- organised the following day to visit potassium trials anced nutrition in efficient fertiliser use and on the return trip to Perth. improved profits. The workshop concluded with a The workshop was organised in response to evi- discussion session that focused on awareness and dence of increasing potassium deficiency in research issues related to potassium use in Australian agriculture. Workshop objectives were to Australia. review recent developments in potassium research, The workshop was made possible by the hard improve awareness of the role of potassium in work of the organising committee which consisted Australian farming systems and recommend direc- of Mike Wong (CSIRO Land and Water), Brian tions for research and development aimed at Leach (Wesfarmers-CSBP), Noeleen Edwards improving the efficiency of potassium use in (Agriculture Western Australia), Bob Gilkes Australian agriculture. Workshop sponsors were the (University of Western Australia) and John Phosphate and Potash Institute (PPI), GRDC, Glendinning (AGROW Australia). Wesfarmers-CSBP, Haifa Chemicals, Tessenderlo- The participants are also thanked for taking Kerley and HIFERT. great care in the preparation and presentation of Participants came from all over Australia and their papers and contributing constructively in the from Canada, France and Samoa and included scien- workshop discussion. We are particularly grateful to tists from research institutions, state agencies and David Edwards who, beside presenting an excellent universities, industry agronomists, extension offi- paper on the role of plant and soil analysis in the cers and farmers. Wayne Obst represented GRDC. diagnosis of potassium deficiency, took diligent note Nineteen papers were presented at the workshop of the outcome of the workshop discussions during and covered a broad range of issues the late hours after a hard day. • the potassium balance in Australia described at The papers were compiled in a workshop pro- farm, local and regional scales ceedings which is available at cost from Mike Wong, • the role of soil and plant analysis in potassium CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag PO Wembley, management Perth WA 6014, telephone 08 9333 6299. ® Vale Isaac Kanabo he Australian Society of Soil Science lost In 1981 he was awarded an ADAB (now one of its most enthusiastic and personable AusAid) fellowship to complete a PhD in soil sci- members with the sudden death of Isaac ence at the University of Western Australia. This TKanabo in Perth on Thursday, 6 November was completed in 1987 after a number of interrup- 1997. His funeral service at the Uniting Church in tions. Nedlands, where Isaac was an elder, was attended He investigated soils factors that control the by several representatives of the society. dissolution and fertiliser effectiveness of rock phos- Isaac was born and educated in the Volta phate fertilisers. This work was published as eight region of Ghana. He graduated from the University articles in international journals and remains of Ghana (BSc Agric, specialty soil science) in widely quoted by current researchers. 1971 and then completed a MSc in soil science in After returning to Ghana for a short period he Wageningen, Holland in 1973. returned to Perth to work as a research fellow on He was employed as a research officer by the aspects of the use of mineral processing wastes as Soil Research Institute at Kumasi, Ghana where he fertilisers. He subsequently worked at three Perth specialised in the chemistry of soils in relation to universities (Curtin, Murdoch, UWA) in various . During this time he published a num- teaching and research capacities. ® ber of papers in international journals which was a David Allen significant achievement at that time.

Profile • Issue 113 - January 1998 8 WA branch conference Dove Allen summarises WA branch's very successful triennial conference.

he fourth triennial conference of the Western wide range of topics covering soil assessment, man- Australian Branch of the Australian Soil agement of soils for increased productivity and Science Society was held in the Geraldton water use, and plant nutrition. Ton the mid west coast of Western Australia A highlight of the conference was an address by from 30 September to 2 October 1997. Earlier con- Pam Hazelton, ASSSI president. Pam presented an ferences in the series had been conducted in the entertaining account of her experiences along her regional centres of Merredin, Albany and Esperance. path to the Society's Presidency and addressed some For many participants, the conference began at of the main issue confronting the Society. 6.30 in the morning on a bus tour from Perth to the Several awards for presentations were made at conference venue through the northern agricultural the end of the conference. David Strong was award- area of Western Australia. The first of several stops ed the prize for the best oral paper. Prizes for best was at Peter Nixon's farm to the west of Gillingara. poster presentation and best student paper were A number of issues relating to increased water use awarded to Annie McNeill and Yvette Oliver respec- and improved productivity on the low fertility - tively. Special mention was made of Petra van Vliet plain were discussed at the site. Tim Wiley dis- for her highly animated and enthusiastic presenta- cussed the water usage by pasture systems and tion on soil fauna. trees, then Dan Carter described the advantages of Closing remarks were made by Grant adding to the sandy soils to control water repel- Woodhams, an ABC radio presenter from Geraldton. lency and loss of nutrients by wind erosion. Grant noted that many of the nation's more produc- Following a brief stop at Moora to collect lunch, tive soils are no longer being used for agriculture, the party moved on to Tim Officer's farm near but form the basis of our towns and cities. Marchagee. The farm has a low to medium rainfall The success of the conference was largely due to and a large range of soil types including deep non- the efforts of Ian Fillery (branch president), Mike wetting and hard setting clays. Items for dis- Wong (secretary), Keith Lindbeck (treasurer), David cussions at this site included management methods Williamson (compiler of conference proceedings) for hardsetting soils (Tim Officer), research on no- and other members of the committee. Special till systems for hardsetting soils (Paul Blackwell), thanks are extended to Paul Blackwell and his col- growing oil mallees for increased water use and leagues at the Geraldton office of Agriculture WA. income (John Bartle), and water use efficiency Copies of the proceedings are available for $25 (David Tennant). The evening meal consisted of a which includes postage and handling. A limited barbecue at the picturesque Coalseam lookout number of copies of proceedings from earlier confer- organised by the ladies of the Mingenew Golf Club. ences are also available. Further information can be The following two days consisted of oral and obtained Mike Wong, CSIRO Land and Water, poster papers presented at the African Reef Resort in Private Bag PO Wembley, Perth WA 6014, telephone Geraldton. A total of 47 papers were presented on a 08 9333 6299. •

Paul Blackwell (Agriculture WA) discusses David Tennant (Agriculture WA) explains the minimum till techniques for improved crop difference between water use and water use production on hardsetting soils . efficiency by crops.

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 What is a soil scientist? George Vance, associate professor of soil and environmental chemistry at the University of Wyoming, proposes a new paradigm for soil science and soil scientists. ecently, we developed a new soil science soil science, or closely related field (i.e., natural graduate degree program at the University resources, environmental science, earth science, of Wyoming. As a foreword to the process, etc.) and include sufficient soils-related course work Rwe evaluate our area of science in order to so the soil scientist has a measurable level of under- substantiate our cause. Listed below is a soil sci- standing of the soil environment, including soil ence paradigm that some of you may find interest- morphology and soil forming factors, , ing in developing a definition of a soil scientist. , and , and the dynamic inter- Soil science has long been related to the body of action of these areas. knowledge of the soil environment, i.e., its forma- Classically, a scientist is one who is learned in a tion and the dynamic processes associated with it, particular field. In soil science, the scientist does and its application to agronomic practices. The add to the body of knowledge, but in our new knowledge of soils gained through research has been paradigm, the soil scientist is also the practitioner of used by practitioners in such fields as engineering, the body of knowledge that is employed for making biology, and . However, many prac- judgements and evaluations of the use of soil titioners of engineering and science use soil science resources, or impact upon soil by cultural activities knowledge subjectively and seldom use the body of (e.g., land-use planning). University graduates with knowledge as a whole. degrees in soil science have pursued careers in vari- In recent years, there ous basic and applied sci- has been an increased A soil scientist is a person who ences, and are becoming awareness of the multiple is qualified to evaluate and prominent members of roles soils have in the quali- interdisciplinary groups ty of life. Soils are not only interpret soils and soil-related that evaluate both natural the resource on which we data for the purpose of resource management and grow our food, but are also understanding soil resources environmental quality the media in which we dis- as they contribute to not only issues. pose of our wastes, develop agricultural production, but as What does the soil our recreational lands, sup- they affect environmental scientist do? port our environment, and quality and as they are Soil scientists are engaged on which we build our in a variety of professional structures. Soil processes managed for protection of activities that involve direct are integral in forming and human health and the applications of soil science regulating our natural envi- environment. knowledge. This work is ronment, dictating how we often conducted in coordi- develop land, influencing nation with non-soil science professionals. the distribution of people world wide, and governing Typically, the areas of activity include: where plants grow. Soils are also influential in fil- • research of soil systems and soil management by tering and modifying surface and , and public and private researchinstitutions for the facilitating the life cycle of growth, sustenance and enhancement of soils knowledge decay. The importance of soil science information • management of soils for land enhancement such to natural resource management and environmental as in landscape design, mine reclamation, and site quality has been interpreted by engineers, geologists, restoration bureaucrats and many others. Soil scientists, • evaluation and investigation of soils as they relate through research and as practitioners, must come to to natural resource management, including forest be recognised as leaders in land resource manage- soils, wetlands, environmental endangerment ment. assessments, ecological evaluations, and archeo- What is a soil scientist? logical sites A soil scientist is a person who is qualified to evalu- • assessment and investigation of soils for applica- ate and interpret soils and soil-related data for the tion of wastes in a variety of forms, including purpose of understanding soil resources as they con- non-hazardous process wastes (residue and sludge tribute to not only agricultural production, but as management), and more distinct engineering and they affect environmental quality and as they are suitability of sites for on-site disposal of residen- managed for protection of human health and the tial waste environment. The university degree should be in • suitability studies for a variety of land develop-

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 10 ment uses, including soil stability, moisture reten- soils for protection of human affairs and the envi- tion or drainage, sustainabihty, and environmental ronment is often conducted by such licensed profes- impact sionals as geologists and engineers who sometimes • assessment and investigation of environmental lack sufficient knowledge of soils. The opportunity hazards, including hazardous waste sites that for advancement of soil science in practice is often involve soil investigation techniques, evaluation of inhibited by those unable to recognise the applica- chemical fate and transport tion of soil science. Thus, the phenomena, and suitable Soil scientists must be practice of soil science is remediation alternatives recognised as responsible, often undertaken by individu- • regulation of the use of accountable professionals als with a poor understand- land and soil resources by amidst other practitioners of ing of soils or soil processes. private and public interests Soil scientists must be recog- (government agencies). science and engineering for nised as responsible, account- • management of soils for the proper management and able professionals amidst agricultural purposes, forest use of our soil resources. other practitioners of science products and erosion con- and engineering for the prop- trol. Management includes modification of nutri- er management and use of our soil resources. Such ent and water availability to plants. promotion will come primarily through the involve- These are some of the activities which soil sci- ment of soil scientists in resource management entists regularly practice. This work is most often decisions, certification, registration or licensing of conducted in coordination with other professionals soil scientists, and education of the general pubhc with less training and knowledge of soil systems. and persons in other disciplines of science and engi- Why is there a need for recognition? neering. ® In modern professional practice, soil scientists are recognised only to a limited extent. Management of Greenhouse and tillage one day symposium on the relationship examine the potential release of CG*2 from tillage as between conservation tillage and green- well as the potential of conservation tillage to assist house gases will be held at the University in providing a skin to capture CO2 from the atmo- of Queensland on 30 April 1998, immedi- sphere in a global and Australian context. Aately after the national soils conference, 27-29 April. Topic papers The symposium is a joint project of ISTRO, Papers will cover the following subjects: ASSSI Qld, AIAST Qld and the university's faculty • and of natural resources, agriculture and vet sciences. It • illage and soil degradation will feature several Australian scientists and speak- • tillage and CO2 emission ers, and two keynote speakers from USA, Don • conservation tillage and C sequestration as a sink Reicosky from USDA-ARS at Minnesota, and Rattan for C02 Lai from Ohio State University. • adoption of conservation tillage practices. Tillage strategy The symposium should be of interest to agricul- Agriculture contributes 18% and land clearing and tural scientists, students, farmers, landcare and con- forestry another 12% to Australia's total annual servation groups, politicians and interested mem- equivalent CO2 emission. The 1992 national green- bers of the community. Registration cost will be house response strategy recommended the reduction approximately $35 which includes lunch, morning of soil disturbance and through and afternoon teas and a copy of the working improved tillage as a possible response strategy for papers. the reduction of CO2. For expressions of interest and information, Furthermore, the 1995 national greenhouse contact Bing So, Department of Agriculture, inventory (NGGI) points to the need to focus more University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, 07 3365 attention on the management of changes 2888, fax 07 3365 1188, email h.so@ as one of the means to reduce greenhouse emission. mailbox.uq.edu.au. Uncertain emission estimates Rattan Lai and Don Reicosky are interested in However, large uncertainties are associated with the visiting other scientists around Australia if it can be current estimates of emission from agriculture and programmed into their travel itinerary. Any person land clearing the NGGI report, due to lack of suit- or groups interested in hosting them should contact able relevant information. This symposium will Bing So as soon as possible. ®

11 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 The effect of grazing on soils Kerry Greenwood summarises her findings after researching the effects of grazing animals on soil qualities. razing animals exert a pressure on the fertiliser on unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was ground which is comparable to that of measured in 1993, 1994 and 1996. agricultural machinery and, as a result, Soil physical properties Gsoil under pasture can be compacted. All soil physical properties measured were more In grazing systems based on permanent pas- favourable for plant growth under the ungrazed pas- tures, there is little opportunity to ameliorate poor ture compared with the grazed pastures. There were soil physical conditions through tillage. Previous no significant differences between the grazed treat- studies have reported that detrimental effects of ments indicating that, in the long term, soil physi- grazing on soil physical properties were not as great cal properties under pastures grazed at different at lower stocking rates, but these studies were stocking rates tend to come to a common equilibri- undertaken on pastures where the stocking rate um. treatments had been imposed for less than 10 years. There were occasionally differences in soil water The aim of this research was to determine the content, but these were limited to the upper 20 cm effects of long-term grazing on selected soil physical of the soil profile. The ungrazed treatment was usu- properties, soil water relations and root characteris- ally wetter, probably because greater litter and plant tics under pasture. The potential for two manage- biomasses reduced direct evaporation from the soil ment techniques - fertilis- surface. Root characteris- er addition and grazing There were no significant tics were not significant- exclusion - to ameliorate ly different between was also differences between the stocking rate treatments investigated. grazed treatments indicating when averaged over 0-75 Stocking rate trial cm depth, although The experimental area that, in the long term, soil there was an interaction was a stocking rate trial at physical properties under between stocking rate CSIRO's pastoral research and depth, with the laboratory near Armidale pastures grazed at different ungrazed pasture having NSW. The trial has treat- stocking rates tend to come more roots at depth and ments which have been less near the soil surface. grazed at low, medium to a common equilibrium. After 2.5 years' graz- and high stocking rates ing exclusion, unsaturat- since 1963 and a treat- ed hydraulic conductivi- ment which has been ungrazed since 1969. ties at 5 and 15 mm tension were higher under the Treatments were replicated four times. In 1978, two areas excluded from grazing than the grazed control fertiliser treatments were imposed on two replicates areas, and similar to the ungrazed main treatments. of each stocking rate treatment by discontinuing fer- In one year, unsaturated hydraulic conductivities at tiliser use on half of each plot. In 1993, two small 35, 25 and 15 mm tension were significantly higher areas in each grazed plot were excluded from grazing under fertilised pastures but there were no effects of by fencing. fertiliser in the other two years of measurement. The soil physical properties used to compare the Although grazing caused a decline in soil physi- stocking rate treatments were unsaturated hydraulic cal conditions, the effect of these changes on the conductivity, measured using a disc permeameter, productivity of the pastures was not studied in this soil strength, using a cone penetrometer, and bulk research. However, I suggest that degradation of soil density. Soil water relations were studied using neu- physical conditions is of minor importance to the tron probe measurements of volumetric soil water productivity of pastures in comparison with the content collected to 80 cm depth at 2-3 weekly effects of hoof damage to foliage, defoliation, nutri- intervals for 26 months. Root characteristics ent translocation and seasonal weather conditions. (length, surface area, volume and diameter) were The effects of natural regeneration on soil struc- measured on samples washed from soil cores taken ture are probably small compared with the compact- to a depth of 75 cm. ing forces of the grazing animal. However, when the The changes in soil physical properties with animals are removed, soil physical conditions can grazing exclusion were followed by measuring unsat- improve within 2.5 years. Grazing management urated hydraulic conductivity before grazing was should aim to maintain a vigorous pasture, which excluded, and at approximately seven months and would also accomplish the secondary aim of main- 2.5 years after the cessation of grazing. The effect of taining acceptable soil physical conditions. ®

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 12 ISTRO conference Bing So, University of Queensland, reports on the 14th International Soil Tillage Research Organisation conference held earlier this year. he 14th ISTRO conference was hosted by gised, to whoever was prepared to listen, for the the Polish Institute of Soil Science and Plant shortcomings of the conference but by then no one Cultivation at Pulawy, Poland, 27 July- 1 cared. He then drowned his sorrows with more vod- August 1997. 192 delegates from 37 coun- kas and went home to Lublin (two hours away) and Ttries attended with a large representation from the was not seen again. previously eastern block countries. Australia was The incoming president, John Morrison from represented by eight delegates, three from the USDA-ARS at Temple, Texas promised that the Queensland and five from NSW. Pulawy is two 15th ISTRO conference in the year 2000 at Fort hours south of Warsaw, a city in the agricultural Worth will be a special one with an American 4th heartland of Poland and an old cultural centre with July celebration thrown in. The theme will be a 13th century palace near the Institute. 'Tillage at the threshold of the 21st century: Ecological and economic aspects Looking ahead'. The main theme of the conference was agro-ecologi- Australian conference in 2003 cal and economical aspects of tillage, which essen- The incoming vice-president, Mac Kirby from the tially covers all aspects of soil management for CSIRO Land and Water at Canberra, will bring the arable lands. The term soil tillage as used by ISTRO 16th ISTRO conference to Australia in the year originates as a northern 2003. Mac will have to decide European term referring to soil The main theme of the where he will hold the confer- management and is broader ence, so if you are interested than just tillage as we use it in conference was in hosting it, I am sure Mac Australia. ISTRO should be of agro-ecological and will be very happy to hear interest to scientists working from you. Australia is now with the physical, chemical, economical aspects of well represented at ISTRO biological, agronomic and eco- tillage ... with two out of the nine board nomic aspects of soil manage- members, despite a small ment. There were 12 keynote membership. We have about papers, 32 oral papers and 115 poster papers, with 900 members in the ASSSI but only 29 members in one symposium on . There were six sub- ISTRO. We need more scientists to join ISTRO and themes covering modelling, soil and crop responses assist Mac in hosting the 2003 conference. So to tillage, conservation tillage, economics of tillage 'please consider' joining. ISTRO and conference systems, permanent crop systems and soil quality. information will be on the web soon where joining The major new issues that emerged from this will be as easy as a click on your mouse. So watch conference were out for the web address in future issues of Profile. • soil organic matter as the main indicator of soil A benefit of ISTRO membership will be the health/quality option of subscribing to the journal Soil and tillage • release of greenhouse gases C02 and N20 can be research for only US$ 75/year. This is an ISTRO- significant following cultivation sponsored journal which in 1998 will be combined • the significant role of conservation tillage in the with the journal Soil technology which will cease to mitigation of the greenhouse gas problem as exist. ® increased soil OM acts as a carbon sink. The social side of the conference was good with a Polish style barbeque with a campfire by the river. Beside being useful for cooking the polish sausages, the campfire kept the giant mosquitoes away and Self-swallowing soil allowed us to enjoy the beer. The conference ban- I've just been marking uni student exams and quet was held in the ballroom of the old palace, pre- have found a new . It's found on mont- ceded by a performance by a Polish dance troupe, morillonitic clays in semi-arid areas and is a self- who mingled with the audience afterwards. swallowing soil because soil particles fall into Communications were somewhat difficult as cracks from the top and then the cracks close English is rarely used in the countryside, but a few over. A new natural hazard - beware the gilgai snaps of vodka solved the problem and language soil, my son, the cracks that close, the fissures becomes irrelevant while dancing. The outgoing that snap! president, Henryk Domzal, suffered a bout of self- Ann Young, Wollongong University doubt after a few snaps and continuously apolo-

13 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 looked at composting to remove organic pollutants; and Ian Singleton, (CRC Soil & Land Management / University if Adelaide) who asked 'Does bioremedi- ation really work, a toxicological assessment'; and 4^ Barry Ormsby (FAILA), who discussed the wetlands technique. The day concluded with discussions and refresh- ments. Participation at the conference was excellent Branch news with around 60 people from a range of organisations attending. The success of the day was due mainly to the efforts of branch committee members Mark SOUTH AUSTRALIA Seeliger (CRC Soil and Land Management) and Synthetic organic chemicals symposium Cliff Highnett (CSIRO Land and Water) who did he South Australian branch of ASSSI recent- most of the planning and organisation. ly held a one day symposium on synthetic Symposium proceedings are available for $10 organic chemicals as pollutants in the envi- from Mark Seeliger, CRC Soil and Land ronment. The symposium, sponsored by the Management, Private Bag 2, Glen Osmond SA T 5064. ® CRC Soil and Land Management and CRC Water Quality and Treatment, was held on 20 November VICTORIA at the Hawker Conference Centre at Waite Agricultural Research Institute, and opened by Leeper lecture branch president Mike McLaughlin. ally Smith delivered the sixth G. W Leeper The first session on the origin and impact of Memorial Lecture to nearly 70 people at the agricultural chemicals had three speakers from the University of Melbourne. (A summary of CRC Soil and Land Management. Rai Kookana Sthe lecture appears on page 13.) (CSIRO Land and Water) covered the issues and Judy Tisdall introduced the lecture with some extent of organic chemical contamination; V. Gupta well chosen words and recollections of Professor looked at the impact of agricultural chemicals on Leeper. Judy admitted that as a student she had not soil biota; and Nigel Wilhelm discussed the impact appreciated his intentions both as a scientist and an of agricultural chemicals on non-target crops. advocate of sounder thinking through clearer writ- Speakers in the second session, on transport and ing. She felt that he was ahead of his time. A suc- water treatment, were John Hutson (Flinders cessful dinnner at University House followed and it University, Adelaide), whose topic was prediction of was generally agreed that the Leeper Lecture has pesticide ; Pascale Sztajnbok (United become a highlight in the calendar of the Victorian Water) who looked at the fate of pesticides in the Branch. Once again the branch acknowledges the environment; and Ann Kumar (University of South effort and organisational skills exhibited by Stuart Australia, Adelaide) who covered the impact of Boucher - a best-on-ground performance. organic chemicals on aquatic ecosystems. NZ seminar The final session was concerned with remedia- Earlier in the year, in July, Brent Clothier and tion. Speakers were Andrew Langley (South Steve Green of the Environmental Group at Australian Health Commission) whose topic was bioavailability and the health regulatory process; Mike McLaughlin, ASSSI branch president, Nick McClure (Flinders University, Adelaide), who Graeme Harris, Chief CSIRO Land & Water, John Radcliffe, CSIRO deputy chief executive, Jock Churchman, CSIRO Land & Wafer, and and Malcolm Oades, director, Waite Pascale Sztajnbok, United Water at the Agricultural Research Institute, synthetic chemicals symposium. at the symposium.

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 14 HortResearch at Palmerston North (NZ) presented a NEW SOUTH WALES seminar oh in situ measurement of the soil's mobile ne of Australian soil science's institu- water fraction and adsorption isotherm at the tions, Hal Geering, retired at the end of University of Melbourne. Hydraulic conductivities 1997 after almost 25 years of dedicated were assessed afterwards with some raising of the service in the University of Sydney. Hal profile as has become the tradition. O was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and lived for CityLink tour many years in New York State. Before he emigrated An excursion to the CityLink project was organized to Australia in 1968, Hal was at Cornell University, on by Rob Edis and along with a lot of geotechnical Ithaca, New York, where he specialised in the areas types we were told of the problems associated with of physics and chemistry of soil materials as a medi- the building of the Domain Tunnel which goes um for plant roots, solute and water movement in beneath the Yarra River and other features of this soil media, and translocation of adsorbed and non- project. adsorbed solutes by diffusion and convective flow. In Rare earths Australia Hal initially worked at the University of Wii Yuguang of the Beijing Academy of Agricultural WA, and in 1973 moved to Sydney University to the and Forestry Science spoke on the appUcation of rare Department of Soil Science, now the Department of earth elements to enhance agricultural production Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science. The in China, at a seminar at La Trobe University in University has awarded him the 25 year service December. Also speaking was Ken Peverill of the medal. Hal intends to continue providing assistance state chemistry laboratory, DNRE. His topic was the with classes after his retirement. role of rare earth elements in Australian agriculture. The usual lively discussion which accompanies this WESTERN AUSTRALIA topic followed with the usual outcome of great ui Milton attended the '97 general meet- uncertainty. The seminar was organised by the ing of American Society for Microbiology Victorian Branch of ASSSI, the School of at Miami Beach, Florida, in May 1997. Agricultural Sciences at La Trobe University, the M She presented the poster 'Non-culture State Chemistry Laboratory of the Department of based polymerase chain reaction for detection of Natural Resources and the Environment, and the nitrifying bacteria in soils from native forest and Faculty of Applied Sciences, RMIT University. agricultural land'. Her trip was funded by an award Future plans from The American Society for Microbiology. Several meetings and two excursions are planned for Attendees at the Australasian plant pathology the first six months of 1998 but these shall remain conference at Observation City Sept 29- Oct 2 were secret until such time that someone organises them. Satendra Kumar, MingPei You, Denis Erceg, Barbara Komorek and Kirsty Bayliss. Stuart Seah European tour also returned from Canberra for the week to attend. Nick Uren spent six weeks overseas in September Siva attended the conference on harmful organ- and October, starting with Boron '97 at Chiang Mai isms affecting cereal production, held in Komeritz, in Thailand, thence to Switzerland and Italy and Czech Republic. He also spent a month at the back. He attended Zeolite '97 on the sland of Ischia University of Canterbury on long service leave off Naples and then for a while bicycled around where he was an Erskine Teaching Fellow within the Tuscany looking at real terra rossas and other red department of Plant and Microbial Sciences. In things. November he presented the keynote address at the

Organisers of the synthetic chemicals Symposium participants, Mark Seeliger, Bob symposium, Mark Seeliger, CRC Soil & Land Boardman, DAIS (Forestry Group), John Management, Kaye Spark, CRC Water Quality Hutson, Flinders University, and Rai & Treatment, and Cliff Highnett. Kookana, CRC Soil and Land Management.

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 Indian Phytopathological Society Golden Jubilee Soils '97 conference where he presented a paper on international conference on integrated plant disease the dynamics of phosphorus and iron in the rhizo- management for sustainable agriculture. sphere of maize and oilseed rape grown on a phos- Zed Rengel presented a keynote lecture at the phated goethite. After the conference he liaised conference 'Stress and adaptation: from molecules with the staff of SSPN and caught up with all his to man' in Budapest. He also liaised with old acquaintances. Strosmayer University, Osdek, regarding publishing New staff a handbook on soil chemistry and plant nutrition. Judy Eastham has joined SSPN from the CRC for He also spent six weeks in Japan as the science and Soil and Land Management in Adelaide as teaching technology agency fellow doing hands-on research and research Fellow. In Adelaide she had been on phosphorus uptake in between presenting talks working on the irrigated trees and vines subprogram and chairing sessions at conferences and giving sem- which investigated improved soil and irrigation inars at institutes. At the beginning of November he management to increase productivity and sustain- attended the national soil acidity workshop in Port ability of vineyards. Stephens, NSW as the WA state representative. Choncha Ginestar has a postdoc position in Bob Gilkes attended the national workshop on Spain but spent six months in the department soil health issues for LWRRDC priorities in under Judy's guidance before returning to Spain in Canberra. He also spent two weeks in China visit- December ing the Huazhong Agricultural University. He pre- Eugene Diatloff has joined SSPN as a RO sented lectures and discussed opportunities for studying the relationship between subsurface acidi- exchange and collaboration. He was also able to ty/aluminium toxicity and yield. He comes from a visit the Three Gorges Project. postdoctoral position in molecular biology of K and A large contingent of staff and students from Zn transporters in wheat, in Adelaide and before the soil science attended the Soils '97 conference at that PhD study at the University of Queensland. In the African Reef Resort in Geraldton where 10 his pre PhD days Eugene had a variety of positions, papers were presented. The conference was very most notably as a consultant to strawberry growers. productive and the interaction between all the par- Rebecca Hamon has joined the SSPN team as ticipants was very stimulating. an industry funded research fellow (exploration geo- Barbara Facoory attended the Australasian chemistry) with Andrew Rate and others. The pro- Society of Clinical and Experimental ject involves working in the area of soil and regolith Pharmacologists and Toxicologists annual meeting sampling for geochemical exploration for gold and in Queenstown, New Zealand in early September. other metallic elements of economic importance. This coincided with the retirement meeting of her Departures former boss Dick Laverty and she enjoyed catching Yusuf Gene, PhD student from the University of up with former colleagues. Adelaide, worked in the Plant Nutrition Group dur- Visiters to soil science ing the period Feb - Aug 1997 on genotypic differ- Yongxin Deng arrived for 12 months from China to ences in Zn efficiency in barley. He left very excited work with Bob Gilkes and Keith Smettem. because of finding large variation in Zn efficiency in Unfortunately since his arrival his son has become germplasm that Rodger Boyd kindly allowed him to very ill so he has returned to China and hopefully have access to. Yusuf will now proceed to look for will return in the near future. molecular markers associated with increased Zn Tbmoharu Yamaguchi from the University of efficiency in barley. Tsukuba, Institute of Agriculture and Forest Thomas Grunewald, postgraduate student from Engineering, visited the department in August to the University of Louis Pasteur, Strassbourg, France, discuss acidity and its effect on plant has completed his eight month stay in the Plant growth. He also had meetings with Richard Harper Nutrition Group. He documented important differ- at CALM. In September he travelled to Northam ences in biosynthesis of polypeptides in the root-cell and Albany where he had meetings with AgWA to plasma membranes of wheat genotypes differing in further his knowledge of the Australian environ- Zn efficiency. Some of these polypeptides are syn- ment. thesised only under the Zn deficiency stress and Pichu Rengasamy from the CRC for Soil and therefore may have a role in allowing plants to bet- Land Management in Adelaide gave a seminar on ter cope with the stress. Thomas has written a PhD- swelling and dispersion of soil c,lays related to cation preliminary thesis based on that work. bonding on clay surfaces. He was accompanied by Chris Walker returned to Britain after a very John Bourne who gave a talk on the processes productive stay within the mycorrhizal group. involved in developing CRC technology transfer New PhD students products. Reza Valizadeh has started his work toward PhD Philippe Hinsinger from INRA Science du Sol degree in the plant nutrition group. Reza comes to in Montpellier joined the staff and students at the Perth from Adelaide, where he completed his M.Sc.

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 Ifi degree in land conservation working on manage- increases upon Zn deficiency. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. ment of salt-affected soils. Reza is sponsored by 24:307-315. ICARDA, and will be working on the role of fertilis- Ruan, H.D. and Gilkes, RJ. (1997). The crystal er placement in dryland agriculture. properties of dehydroxylated aluminous goethite. In Adam Pratt has joined SSPN from Murdoch So/7s and Environment - Soil Processes from Mineral to University where he completed an honours degree. Landscape Scale. (Eds. Auerswald, K., Stanjek, H. He is to work on the properties of bauxite mine and Bigham, J.M.) Catena Verlag, Germany, floor materials in relation to the development of 30:283-303. roots and drainage. He will work with David Jasper, Sieler, I. M., Rossetto, M. and Sivasithamparam, K. Bob Gilkes and Sam Ward of Alcoa. (1997). 11.2 Micropropagation of Caustis dioica PhD theses passed (Chinese Puzzle). B/orechno/ogy in Agriculture and Pelizer, Sally Forestry 39: 220-231. The effect of low temperature on the growth and Smith, B. J., Shearer, B. L. and Sivasithamparam, K. nodulation of Lupinus angustifolius. (1997). Compartmentalization of Phytophthora cin- namomi in stems of highly susceptible Banksia MSc Theses passed brownii trated with phosphonate. Mycologica! Vlahos, Steve Research 101: 1101-1107. Factors affecting the establishment of saltbush Tang, C, McLay, C.DA and Barton, L (1997). A (Atriplex) on saline soil comparison of proton excretion of twelve pasture Publications legumes grown in nutrient solution. Aust J. Exp. Carey, P.L, Rate, AW. and Cameron, K.C. (1997). Agric. 37:563-70. Fate of nitrogen in pig slurry applied to a New Tong, Y., Rengel, Z. and Graham, R. (1997). Zealand pasture soil. Ausf. J. Soil Res. 35:941-959. Interaction Between nitrogen and manganese nutri- Gilkes, RJ. and Ruan, H.D. (1997). Acid dissolution tion of barley genotypes differing in manganese effi- and phosphate sorption/desorption by dehydroxylat- ciency. Annals of Botany. 79:53-58. ® ed aluminous geothite. In Soils and Environment - Soil Processes from Mineral to Landscape Scale. (Eds. Auerswald, K., Stanjek, H. and Bigham, J.M.) Catena Verlag, Germany, 30:305-320. Hutton, BJ., Dixon, K.W., Sivasithamparam, K. and Pate, J.D. (1997). Effect of habitat disturbance on inoculum potential of ericoid endorphytes of Western Australian heaths [Epacridaceae). New Phytol. 135:739-744. Kookana, R.S., Phang, C. and Aylmore, LAG. (1997). Tranformation and degradation of fenamiphos nematicide and its metabolites in soils. Ausf. J. Soil Res. 35:753-761. From the editor's desk Ma, Qifu, Longnecker, N. and Dracup, M. (1997). Nitrogen deficiency slows leaf development and y heartfelt thanks to everyone who delays flowering in narrow-leafed lupin. Annals of contributed to Profile over the past Botany. 79:403-409. year. Without your efforts there McLay, C. D. A, Barton, L. and Tang, C. (1997). M wouldn't be a newsletter. Acidification potential of ten grain legume species I took on the role of editor with the best of grown in nutrient solution. Aust. J. Soil Res. 48: 1025- intentions, but time and circumstance have con- 32. spired against me to such an extent that it is all I Pathipanawat, W., Jones, R.A.C. and can do to compile the pages every three months. Sivasithamparam, K. (1997). Factors influencing This means I rely totally on your contributions to transmission of alfalfa mosaic virus through seed of build and maintain interest in the newsletter, so I annual medics (Medicago spp.) and the gnetic con- appreciate everything you send me - branch news, trol of seed transmission rate. Aust. J Agric. Res. 48: articles, book reviews, thesis abstracts, photographs, 989-97. conference news, advertisements etc etc. Postmaster, A, Sivasithamparam, K. and Turner, Please keep sending me everything you can this D.W. (1997). Enumeration and identity of microor- year. Deadlines are listed opposite, near the end of ganisms isolated from the surface of banana fruits at the first column. three developmental stages. Scientia Horticulturae I wish everyone a fabulous 1998, and look for- 69:189-197. ward to seeing many of you in April at the national Rengel, Z. and Hawkesford, M.J. (1997). soils conference. Biosynthesis of a 34-kDa Polypeptide in the root-cell Rebecca Lines-Kelly, Editor plasma membrane of a Zn-efficient wheat genotype

17 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 Soil technology packages Mark Seeliger reports on a range of publications available from the CRC for Soil and Land Management. fter considerable consultation with land ery handling of stubble, other management changes, management industries, the CRC for Soil and their perceptions of the sustainability of their & Land Management has produced a land management practices. A separate more Arange of technology packages. These are in detailed report is available for use by people under- strong demand by educational bodies, consultants, taking similar surveys of the practices of land man- policy developers, program leaders and advisers with agers. state agencies and the landcare movement. Life in the soil - the relationship Managing sodic, acidic and saline soils between agriculture and soil organisms. Pichu Rengasamy and John Bourne Vadalcattu Gupta, Stephen Neate and The 16 page full colour manual gives a description Emma Leonard. of simple, practical step-by-step methods, the mate- This full colour 12 page illustrated leaflet describes rials and where these can be obtained for identifica- soil organisms important in cropping systems and tion of one or more of these soil constraints in sur- their inter-relationship with agricultural practices. It face or . It then goes on to rank appropriate is the only such comprehensive source of informa- key remedial practices. Also included is a sodicity tion on soil organisms, and summarises the impor- meter and a simple instruction sheet to determine if tant state of knowledge from research to date. The a soil is sodic. leaflet in its highly readable style is becoming very Managing waterlogged and saline popular with the sustainable land management catchments movement. Rob Fitzpatrick, Jim Cox and John-Bourne Contact Mark Seeliger 08 8303 8672, fax 08 8303 Although this manual uses examples from the Mt 8699, for more information on these and other CRC products, including discounts for bulk orders. ® Lofty ranges, the key provides the generic criteria for the recognition of these problems in the landscape from readily observable features. These key aspect of soil'colour, consistence and vegetation apply to Soil theses soils in any landscape. Land management options Michael Crawford are provided. The manual is designed for consul- Quantification of belowground input of organ• tants, landcare groups and practical land managers. ic carbon by annual pasture legume barrel The Focus Field Project... a remarkable medic (Medicago truncatula). Department of Soil Science, University of Adelaide partnership Awarded: PhD 1997 Tracy Rohrsheim, Nigel Wilhelm and Lewis Supervisors: Peter Grace, Malcolm Oades & Bill Auhl. Bellotti The full colour book summarises the Focus Field Contact: [email protected] Project undertaken with NLP and CRC for Soil & Kerry Greenwood Land Management funding over five years. The pro- Soil physical properties under pasture after ject sought to answer: long-term grazing by sheep • how sustainable are high input continuous crop- Department of Agronomy & Soil Science, UNE ping systems? Awarded: PhD 1997 • how can sustainablity be measured and what are Supervisors: Donald MacLeod, Keith Hutchinson & the appropriate numbers? Jim Scott Contact: [email protected] As well as summarising the data and outcomes from intensive field and laboratory studies, the book Said A. Mazaheri describes the background, lessons learned, and gives Application of fuzzy k-means to soil profile anecdotal information about a major 'grass roots'- and layer allocation and classification Dept.of Agricultural Chemistry & Soil Science, driven R&D program. University of Sydney Survey of Sustainable Land Management Awarded: PhD 1997 Practices on Lower Eyre Peninsula, SA. Supervisors: A. B. McBratney & A. J. Koppi Melissa Truscott. Contact: [email protected] This survey of 73 farmers showed the level of con- If you know of theses relevant to soil science, servation land management practices used by grain please send the details as shown above to Profile. growers. It includes information on the extent of Profile will also publish PhD abstracts, similar to stubble retention, problems associated with machin- Kerry Greenwood's on page 12. ®

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 18 M k ^g^ Technology for Soil Science

Field measurement of Soil properties

TRIME Time Domain Reflectometers (TDR) For on-line and portable measurement of water content and bulk conductivity • Precision Soil Moisture (0 - 70% VSW) • Bulk Soil Conductivity (0-10dS/m) • PC network capability allowing cable lengths up to 3km • Analogue output to normal datalogger optional • Gravimetric soil moisture and soil bulk density with the TRIME GM is an added feature

/

• The Thetaprobe The ideal precision logging sensor for soil moisture ? • Perfect for soil moisture logging • Direct 0 -1 v DC output for connection to Delta-T or any datalogger • Pre-calibrated, with easy calibration for specific soils • Cabling lengths well in excess of 300m to dataloggers or •::•-•••' weather stations • Can be used with a Thetameta for portable use, eliminating labour intensive gravimetric determinations

• The Equitensiometer A new sensor for Soil Matric Potential measurement • Measures matric potential in the range of 0 -10 bar • Direct 0-1v DC output • Completely sealed - no frost damage • No maintenance required

Irricrop Technologies Pty. Ltd. PO Box 487, Narrabri, NSW, Australia, 2390. Tele: +61 (02) 6792 2588 Facsimile: +61 (02) 6792 3804 http://WWW. irricrop.com.au [email protected]

19 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 Precision proceedings opies of 'Precision agriculture: What can it cane through more precise targeting of inputs. AW offer the Australian sugar industry?' edited Wood, G Kingston and BL Schroedei by RGV Bramley, SE Cook and GG • PA: the state of the art and lessons from overseas McMahon (ISBN 0 643 06048 0 CSIRO for the Australian sugar industry SL Rawlins CLand and Water, Townsville) are now available from • Yield mapping - current capabilities in sugar cane. Rob Bramley, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB Are these limiting to the introduction of PA to the Aitkenvale, Qld 4814 ([email protected]) sugar industry ? HD Harris and GJ Cox tel. 07 4753 8591 fax. 07 4753 8650. • Use and requirements of GPS technology in PA R As the title suggests, these workshop proceed- Kiernan and J Nolan ings address the issue of the benefits that the • Remote sensing and GIS for PA RJ Corner Australian sugar industry might derive from the • Variable rate control B Williams adoption of precision agricuture (PA) technologies. • Data handling and spatial prediction techniques However, they also provide an excellent overview of and their application in PA TFA Bishop, BC PA, its component technologies and their use in PABoydell, TM Shatar, BM Whelan, andAB other agricultural industries in Australia and else- McBratney where. The contents of this 100 page volume are as • Data interpretation and risk analysis for PA SE follows: Cook • Workshop discussion sessions: Precision agricul- • Transfer of grain oriented site specific technology ture - What can it offer the Australian sugar to the sugar industry D Mills industry ? GG McMahon and RGV Bramley • PA - A Herbert River canegrower point of view R • Issues facing the Australian sugar industry in Quabba implementing PA. CH Roth and RGV Bramley • PA in sugarcane production: a view from the (These two papers summarise the material pre- Burdekin DRV Cox sented to the workshop and the discussions that The proceedings are priced at $40 each or $20 this material inspired) to ASSSI members. Overseas orders - add $10. ® • Opportunities for improved management of sugar-

AJSR contents Listed below are the contents for the Australian Journal of Soil Research Volume 35 Issue 6. You can now read the full text of the journal on the Web at http://www.publish.csiro.au/journals/ajsr.

Volume 35: Issue 6 • Evidence of accelerated under • Earthworms in some Tasmanian forest soils in Stylosanthes-dominated pastures. A. D. Noble, M. relation to bioturbation and profile. M. Cannon, D. Muller D. Laffan, T. J. Kingston • Nitrogen cycling in brigalow clay soils under pas- • On kaolinitic and mixed mineralogy classes of ture and cropping. F. A. Robertson, R. J. K. Myers, P. shrink-swell soils. T. Bhattacharyya, D. K. Pal, S. B. G. Saffigna Deshpande • Change in characteristics associated • Desorption of native and added zinc from a range with cultivation history of soils in south-eastern of New Zealand soils in relation to soil properties. Queensland. R. D. Connolly, D. M. Freebairn, B. J. D. Singh, R. G. McLaren, K. C. Cameron Bridge • Availability of zinc and cadmium to different plant • The role of the geometry and frequency of rectan- species. R. Hamon, J. Wundke, M. McLauglin, R. gular rills in the relationship between sediment con- Naidu centration and stream power. B. Fentie, C. W. Rose, K. J. Coughlan, C. A. A. Ciesiolka • Discontinuous spectrocolorimetric titration method for determining stability constants of fulvic acid-iron • A comparison of methods in relation to complexes. S. B. Pandeya, A. K. Singh catchment hydrology. S. E. Cook, N. A. Coles • Mobility of metsulfuron-methyl in tropical soils. B. • The performance and radiation exposure of some S. Ismail, K. Kalithasan neutron probes in measuring the water content of the top soil layer. A. Arslan , A. K. Razzouk, F. Al-Ain • Soil organic carbon, permanganate fractions, and @ the chemical properties of acidic soils. P. W. Moody, S. A. Yo, R. L. Aitken

Profile - Issue 113-January 1998 20 Rapid reservoir siitation Hubert Chanson's research in reservoir siitation has interesting implications for during droughts. ince the discovery of the Australian conti- with scour devices (e.g. Gap weir, fig. 1). Some sites nent by Europeans, the development of the were unsuitable (e.g. Korrumbyn Creek dam, fig. 2). country has been closely linked with the Clearing and overgrazing of catchments facilitated development of water resources. At the end soil erosion in several cases (e.g. Moore Creek, S Quipolly, Umberumberka). of the 19th century, numerous water supply dams were built in New South Wales and there is conflict- Comparative analysis with overseas experience ing information on whether reservoir siitation has suggests that reservoir sedimentation rates in been (and is still) significant. Australia maybe significant (fig. 3, table 1). Further I have analysed several reservoir siitation cases. Australian reservoirs have been inadequately Between 1890 and 1960, more than a dozen reser- equipped with flushing devices (i.e. scour outlets) voirs (excl. farm dams) became fully-silted. compared with Nabatean, Roman and Spanish expe- Although some dams had advanced design features rience (over the past 20 centuries). Interestingly (e.g. thin concrete arch walls at Moore Creek, records indicate that the most extreme siitation Cunningham Creek, Quipolly), the designers did periods take place during extreme floods following not (apparently) consider reservoir siitation as a an El-Nino event: e.g., Moore Creek (Feb. 1908 major issue. Some structures were not equipped flood), Gap (1919 floods), Quipolly (1942-43 floods). This suggests that soil conservation practices must be reinforced during drought periods. The silted up Gap weir (1902-24) Today fully-silted reservoirs (fig. 1, 2) stand as a at Werris Creek, photographed source of embarrassment for the scientists and the by the author in 1997. public. Each reservoir failure should be a valuable teaching and pedagogic tool to heighten the aware- ness of students, professionals and local authorities, and of the public. Society must learn from its mis- takes, not repeat them again! In summary : Is reservoir sedimentation a seri- ous problem in Australia ? YES. Can engineers draw upon overseas experience ? YES, to some extent. Can we learn from past failure(s) ? YES, we should! If you'd like more information on reservoir siita- tion, contact Hubert Chanson, at The University of Queensland's Dept of Civil Engineering, 07 3365 3516, fax 07 3365 4599, or email h.chanson@mail- box.uq.edu.au. ®

Table 1 - Examples of extreme reservoir siitation rates

Reservoir Sedimentation, rate Study period Catch, area Ann. ra (m3/ km2/y) (rr.2) (mm) Taiwan Tsengwen 6,300 1973-83 460 3,000 North Africa El Ouldja (Alg.) (W) 7,960 1948-49 1.1 1,500 El Fodda (Alg.) (W) 3,060 (F) 1932-48 800 555 Hamiz (Alg.) (W) 1,300 1879-1951 139 — El Gherza (Alg.) 615 1951-67 1,300 35 Europe Wetzmann (Aust.) 1,852 1883-84 324 — Pontebba (Aust.) 1,556 1862-80 10 — Roznov (Pol.) (S) 398 1958-61 4,885 600 Porabka (Pol.) (S) 288 1958-60 1,082 600 Australia Quipolly 1,140 1941-43 70 686 Umberumberka 407 1961-64 420 220 Moore Creek 174 1911-24 51 674 Korrumbyn Creek 1,400 3 1,699 Notes : (S) Summer rainfall climate; fW) Winter rainfall climate; (F) Important flushing.

21 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 that it can be used by different groups of people with an interest in soils. However, any actual purpose which is common to all users is not to be found in the opening paragraphs of Book A as one might expect but in amongst some concluding remarks on page 14 where there is the quotation taken from the South African Soil Classification Working Group: This soil classification has as its primary aim the Book reviews identification and naming of soils according to an orderly system of defined classes, and so permit communication about soils in an accurate and con- The Australian soil classification. sistent manner. Also, in the Concluding Remarks Isbell, R. F. (1996). in Book B (p. 100) One of the major aims of the new CSIRO Australia. ISBN 0 643 05813 3 classification has been to achieve an unambiguous Concepts and rationale of the Australian soil classifica• tion. means of identifying a soil. Isbell, R. R, McDonald, W. S. and Ashton, L. J. (1997). A primary purpose then is to improve commu- CSIRO Australia. ISBN 0 643 06010 3 nication between and within groups of users who are usually pedologists, farmers, engineers, soil sci- Reviewer: Nick Uren, La Trobe University, Melbourne entists, soil surveyors, foresters, agronomists, land use planners and developers and so on. So we have ere we have two books (Book A and Book an audience with diverse uses as well as understand- B respectively) which will be of consider- ing of soils and their properties, and yet criteria able interest to many soil scientists, par- which are selected to differentiate between classes ticularly those who are involved with H must be found which are common in their impor- land use and management. My review of these two tance to all users. Is it possible that all groups will books will concentrate largely on the books them- agree on the same criteria to distinguish between selves and consider their likely success in providing classes? Probably not and in spite of good inten- Australian soil scientists with a better classification tions unfortunately class attributes of relevance to than its predecessors. users have been used to differentiate between classes This new Australian Soil Classification (ASC) at the relatively low level of family in the ASC. system is a multi-categoric, hierarchical, general- Because a single purpose has not been the central purpose scheme with classes defined on the basis of focus of the ASC then, if my original premise is cor- diagnostic horizons or materials and their arrange- rect, the ASC is unlikely to succeed. ment in vertical sequence as seen in an exposed profile. The classes are mutually exclusive, and the The long-standing criticism of most schemes allocation of 'new' and 'unknown' individuals to the has been that criteria linked to genesis have been classes is by means of a key. The class levels, in used. Soils are much older than the historical records of man, so guesses have to be made about decreasing order, are order, suborder, great group, past climates and all sorts of things, and these ren- subgroup, and family. der the foundations of such classifications as unsta- Purpose off classification ble. The same criticism applies in this classification. My reaction to the two books and the classification The emphasis on 'pedologjc organisation' has strong in particular start from the thesis that purpose is genetic overtones and so too do the names of several the crux of classification, and so it follows that no of the orders e.g. anthroposols. One need only to classification is successful unless its purpose is look at Table 4, 'Derivation of class names', on p. achieved. Northcote's classification and others, it 143 of Book B for plenty of other examples. would seem, have been deemed to have failed the purpose for which they were intended. Why else Confusing terminology would we have before us a new classification? Will it Tables 3 and 4 in Book B also reveal a substantial fail too? However, it is presumptuous of me to sug- source of irritation to any person who has respect gest that it will fail because it has not yet had a for words and their accepted day-to-day and chemi- chance to be deemed successful although there are cal meanings and one who may have to teach soil some signs that some people are happy to embrace classification to students. For example, 'lutaceous' the new classification and are prepared to give it a in my copy of The New Shorter Oxford English go. It is too early and perhaps arrogant to claim that Dictionary (OED) is an adjective meaning 'of sedi- the ASC is the ASC. mentary rock of argillaceous composition' derived from the Latin noun lutum which means 'mire, To judge how successful a classification is likely or clay'. In the ASC 'lutaceous' means 'domi- to be it is important that the purpose is clearly nantly -sized materials' and is derived from the apparent and it has been the central focus in the Latin hit which they say means 'to wash'. My Latin development of the classification. The classification days are well behind me but I can still recognise a is stated to be a 'general purpose scheme' meaning

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 22 Latin verb when I see one - lutare might be a verb age of the sample'. This use of so-called base status but not hit although to be certain when I checked I is a can of worms. First, the continued use of base discovered no hit or lutare-, lavaie is the verb 'to and exchangeable basic cations to mean cations wash' but I suspect that washing in a geological such as Ca, Na, K, and Mg is now even actively dis- sense is different again. Thus the connection couraged by the Soil Science Society of America and between lutaceous and silt is tenuous and messy. so it should since these cations are not bases nor Another example is 'mellic' which is an adjec- basic. Second, the likely contribution of organic tive that has nothing to do with honey as one might matter to the CEC is dismissed since its use is con- expect, but it is derived from 'mellow', an adjective fined to B2 horizons. And third, the 'trophic' words from the English language which, when referring to are usually used in ecology to describe the nutrient soil, implies one which is 'soft, rich, and loamy' - status of bodies such as lakes (although oligotrophic OED. Mellic soil though, according to the ASC, is a is used to describe low nutrient status rather than soil material which is soft and has a weak consis- dystrophic which has a different meaning). A tence. Why is it necessary to go into these linguistic eutrophic soil material then according to the ASC is gyrations? Do the authors believe that they bestow one with a high base status but as we know such upon the classification some credibility through the so-called soils are not necesarily rich in nutrients use of 'ic-words'? I certainly think not and perhaps and deficiencies of phosphorus and some other the only joy I'll have is when I try to tell the stu- nutrients are common. dents in my lectures that 'paralithic' means some- Uncertain methodology thing other than what they think it means. Another problem with 'base status', which was Basic problem referred to above, is that there is often uncertainty It gets worse. The class name 'basic' is defined as with the methodology which can be a source of fur- 'neither acidic nor calcareous' - p. 142 Book B. If ther uncertainty. It would seem that if laboratory- calcium carbonate is not basic then my chemistry is based measurements are to be made then the classi- wrong. A Rudosol (Book A p.82) is deemed basic if fication should specify the methods in detail, 'the soil materials are not calcareous and the major otherwise uncertainty will prevail. I have had some part is not strongly acidic'. The implication is that limited exposure to the ASC on two field trips, both soil material which is acidic is basic. Once again of which involved Ray Isbell. On both of those occa- nonsense to self-respecting chemists and confusing sions there was some obvious frustration with the to others except perhaps unsuspecting geographers uncertainty of the methodology involved in arriving who usually are blissfully ignorant of chemistry. at the 'base status' and of the delays associated with Why is it necessary to have great groups and the lack of laboratory data. subgroups but no groups? There are orders and sub- The exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and orders but no great orders. Ordinary groups would loss on ignition (LOI) are two other diagnostic crite- do. A student may easily think that great groups are ria, both of which are used a lot (Appendix 4 in a higher class than ordinary orders. It may be Book A). Measurements of ESP need to be done straight forward to an experienced field pedologist properly and considered in conjunction with electri- with an interest in home-grown classification cal conductivity (or SAR of saturation extracts) schemes but it is confusing most likely to students before their impact on soil physical properties and others with much less experience. should be judged. And, LOI is a measurement of lit- As I have said before at the national soils von- tle value but high uncertainty. ference in 1996 and in correspondence with Ray There are other concerns and I could go on but Isbell, I believe that the terminology is not only there are other demands on my time which do not hard to teach but it also put students off and at allow a more detailed critique. I respect and times is misleading. Neither of the two books dis- acknowledge the commitment that Ray Isbell and pels my concerns in this regard. his colleagues have made but, unfortunately, The failure to rely solely on observable features because of the confusing terminology confusion will in the field is a step which will not meet with unan- abound and ultimately rejection by most users of imous approval. It is made worse, for example, by soil is likely. However, only time will tell whether or the reliance on 'base status' as a criterion to distin- not the soil scientists of Australia take a shine to guish between 'dystrophic', 'mesotrophic' and this new Australian soil classification. 'eutrophic' soils. The latter three terms in the ASC The books, it would appear, have been hastily pertain to 'low base status', 'middle of the range produced since there are quite a few errors but lists base status' and 'high base status'. Base status are available from Ray Isbell or ACLEP If the pub- 'refers to the sum of exchangeable basic cations (Ca, lishers had faith in this new ASC then they would Mg, K and Na) expressed in cmol( + ) kg~l clay' and have produced a field handbook rather along the 'is obtained by multiplying the sum of the reported lines of a Munsell colour chart which is robust, basic cations (which are determined on a soil fine pocket size and can be put through the washing earth basis) by 100 and dividing by the clay percent- machine. ®

23 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INCORPORATED

National Soils Conference

Brisbane 27 - 29 April 1998 Environmental benefits of soil management

Theme 1 Sustaining the soil resource with interest Theme 2 Can the soil be a waste treatment facility? Theme 3 Managing degraded land creatively

TO OBTAIN A REGISTRATION BROCHURE, PLEASE CONTACT THE CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT AT: TELEPHONE: (0 2)94 13 1288 FACSIMILE: (02) 9413 1047

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 24 Graham Price moved to accept business from the previous meeting, seconded by Rebecca Lines-Kelly and carried unanimously.

4 Secretary's report

Pertinent mail in - Robert White's book 'Principles and practice of soil science' to be reviewed. Federal Council minutes- NSW EPA requesting comments on proposed inter- im objectives for NSW waters. The Federal Council of the Australian Society - Minister for Land and Water Conservation request- ing comments on NSW water reform. of Soil Science Inc met for meeting #184 on - UTS announcing International People-Plant sym- Friday, 21 November, at 12.00 noon at the posium, July 1998. University of Technology, Sydney. - Department of Industry Science and Tourism re WTO agreement on technical barriers to trade. 1.1 Attendance Mail out Pam Hazelton (president) - Letter to ISSSI, Jim Quirk nominated as honorary Philip Mulvey (secretary) member of ISSSI. Rebecca Lines-Kelly (editor) Paul Milham (SA proxy) 5 President's report Graham Price (Qld proxy) Pam Hazelton attended the ISSS committee meeting Stephen Cattle (WA proxy) in France, and discussed poster preparation for edu- Chris Conoley (NSW proxy) cation display. She also visited the British Soil Science Society and found that they have a stronger 1.2 Apologies emphasis on environment issues. A standards Derek Yates (treasurer) accreditation workshop was held. There were 15 Tony Koppi (in England) people from AIAST and only Pam attended from Terry Abbott (ACT proxy) ASSSI. For details, see the president's report in this John Corbett (Vic. proxy) issue. Brendan George (Riverina proxy) 6 Treasurer's report 2 Minutes of meeting #183 No report. Derek Yates on leave - funds finalised up Graham Price moved to accept the minutes, second- until the end of October. Cheques for conference ed by Steve Cattle, carried unanimously. activities to be sent early December on Derek's return. 3 Matters arising from the minutes 7 Editor's report 3.1 By-law change Vote on additional by-law change in regard to by-law 7.1 Costs for the September Profile were lower due 15 and notice of awards. to fewer pages. There was little contribution from members; more is needed. 3.2 Central office 7.2 NSW Agriculture is organising a Soils Week in Vote to terminate contract and replace with execu- 1998. ASSSI members are encouraged to become tive officer. involved. 3.3 Executive officer. Review of application of experession interest. We 8 Conference committee received only one expression of interest. Therefore, We had received 119 abstracts by 31 October. The discussed advertising more widely if branches vote Tour organisation is progressing well. The poster for an executive officer. The position will be adver- size will be 2.4 m x 1 m. Rebecca suggested that tised nationally in early February, and if after ASSSI Central Office have a stand at the conference national advertising a suitable applicant to run the to promote the society. Central Office is found, then the current contract with the Central Office will be terminated and the 10 Next meeting society administration will be undertaken by the successful applicant. The next meeting is on Friday, 6 February 1998. ®

25 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 6-10 July 1998 20-26 August 1998 Australian geological conven- 16th World Congress of tion: Geoscience for the new Science, Montpelier France millenium, Townsville Congress Secretariat, tel +33 Debbie Buckley or Bob 6704 7538, fax +33 6704 Henderson 077 815 047, fax 7549, [email protected], 077 251 501, jcu.agc© http://www.cirad.fr/isss.html jcu.edu.au 21 September 1998 19-22 July 1998 Conferences 9th International Meeting of International people-plant the IHSS, Humic Substances 2-4 February 1998 27-29 April 1998 symposium, UTS Sydney Downunder: Understanding Nyla Thomas 02 9514 1629, and managing organic mat- National symposium on pesti- Environmental benefits of soil fax 02 9514 4003. ter in soils, sediments and cide management in catch- management. ASSSI national waters. ments. Conducted by Con- conference, Brisbane 27-30 July 1998 Kaye Spark tel 08 8259 damine Balonne Water Graeme Price 07 3867 0347, fax 08 8259 0228, 9th Agronomy Conference, Committee Inc, and support- 9430, fax 07 3867 9433, [email protected], Charles Sturt University, ed by Dept of Primary [email protected]; Phil http://www.clw.csiro.au/con- Wagga Wagga Industries. To be held at the Mulvey'02 9922 1777,fax02 ferences/ihss9/. University of Southern 99221010, [email protected] Damien Heenan, ARI Wagga Wagga, tel 069 381 857, fax Queensland, Toowoomba. 14-17 October 1998 Lorraine Clewett 076 881 30 April 1998 069 381 809; Graeme 088, fax 076 332 701, Sandral, ARI Wagga Wagga, Managing our future for inno- Conservation tillage and [email protected], tel 069 381 850, fax 069 381 vation, sustainabilHy, continu- greenhouse gases. One day Glenda Spence 076 881 089; Jim Pratley, Faculty of ity. Australian Society of symposium. University of 068, fax 076 332 701, Science and Agriculture, Horticultural Science confer- Queensland. [email protected] Charles Sturt Uni, Wagga ence. Melbourne. Bing So 07 3365 2888, fax Wagga 2678, tel 069 332 PR Conference Consultants, 07 3365 1188, h.so@mail- 864, fax 069 332 868. 03 9816 9111, fax 03 9816 box.uq.edu.au 9287,[email protected] June-July 1998 12-15 July 1999 International Affiliation of Any conferences, courses, Land Reclamationists Enzymes in the environment: Conference, Nottingham UK activity, ecology and applica- seminars, workshops com- Malcolm Reeve, c/- Land tions. Granada, Spain. ing up? Send Profile the Research Associates, Richard Dick, Oregon State Lockington Hall, Lockington, University, 1-541-737-5718, details and we'll feature Derby DE74 2RH England, tel fax 1-541-737-5725, 44 1509 670 570, fax 44 [email protected] ® them here. 1509 670 676. Where are they now? If you know the mai ing addresses of any of these people, please contact Alex Russell or Yolande Pancino at Central Office on 030 9662 1520, fax 03 9662 2727, email [email protected]. Heather Anderson, Armidale Vic Ponds Vic Oakleigh Vic Amir Fotovat, Waite Institute Robert Kelly, Narromine Dean Piatt, Melbourne Beverley Barnesby, AgWA SA NSW Erry Purnomo, CSU Wagga Laura Beaupeurt, DLWC Guy Geeves, DWLC Cowra Dil Fayaz Khan, Melbourne NSW Parramatta NSW Uni Evonne Richmond, WA Uni Dean Biddle, Wynnum Qld Paul Gessler, CSIRO ACT Erin Kilah, Nanango Qld Libby Rosener, Sydney Uni Kevin Bligh, Busselton WA Geoff Goldrick, Monash Peter Kinnell Shabbir Shahid, Footscray Uni,Vic PG Brisbane, CSIRO SA RM Kuluratne, Epping Vic Syamsul Siradz, WA Uni Peter Gregory, Reading UK Kym Campbell, Withcott lain Laing, AgWA Gregory Spilsbury, Clayfield Qld Kevin Handreck, Heather McDonald, CSIRO Qld Netherbond SA DG Demarco, CSIRO ACT SA Helen Suter, Melbourne Uni Scptt Hardy, Mt Julian Qld Ross Ditchfield, Weetangera Stanley McLeod, CSIRO SA Philip Tattersall ACT Jizheng He, WA Uni Anthony Milnes, CSIRO SA Jan Van Moort Rosemary Doust, Cowra Leonie Huxedurp, DLWC Daniel Murphy NSW NSW Joanne Walsh, Bronte NSW Kathleen Noble, Dept U Wylde, Millswood SA LA Downey, Hawker ACT Peter Jeffery, Waite Institute Environment Qld SA John Yeates Noel Duhaylungsod Emmett O'Loughlin Danuta Kasinska, St Kilda Helen Fairweather, UNE Bernard Peasley, Moonee Mark Zervoudakis ®

Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 26 Soils contacts FEDERAL COUNCIL SOUTH AUSTRALIA Irrigated Agriculture, Tatura tel 02 6933 2802 President President 3616 fax 02 6933 2812 tel 03 5833 5222 Pam Hazelton Mike McLaughlin fax 03 5833 5299 School of Civil Engineering, CSIRO Land & Water, PMB 2, surapanenia@ President UTS, PO Box 123, Broadway Glen Osmond 5064 salty.agvic.gov.au Neil Menzies 2007 tel 08 8303 8433 University of Queensland St tel02 9514 2661 fax 08 8303 8565 Treasurer Lucia 4067 fax 02 9514 2633 Mike.McLaughlin@ Blair McKenzie tel 07 3365 2059 [email protected] adl.soils.csiro.au School of Agriculture, La fax 07 3365 1177 Vice-president Secretary Trobe University, Bundoora 3083 N.Menzies@ Graham Price Daryl Stevens tel 03 9479 2184 mailbox.uq.edu.au Incitec, PO Box 140, Department of Soil Science, fax 03 9471 0224 Secretary Morningside 4170 University of Adelaide, PMB N.McKenzie© Steven Raine tel 07 3867 9430 1, Glen Osmond 5064 latrobe.edu.au fax 07 3867 9433 tel 08 8303 7210 University of Southern Qld, ghpl @incitec.com.au fax 08 8303 6511 NEW SOUTH WALES Toowoomba 4350 dstevens@ tel 07 311 691 Secretary waite.adelaide.edu.au President fax 07 312 526 Phil Mulvey Tony Koppi [email protected] Treasurer Environmental & Earth NeTTL, Centre for Teaching Treasurer Sciences P/L, PO Box 380, Bernie Zarcinas and Learning, F07, University Andrew Biggs North Sydney 2059 CSIRO Land & Water, PMB 2, of Sydney 2066 DNR,POBox318 tel 02 9922 1777 Glen Osmond 5064 tel 02 9351 3578 Toowoomba-4350 fax 02 9922 1010 tel 08 8303 8429 fax 02 9351 3706 tel 07s6 881 062 [email protected] fax 08 8303 8565 tony.koppi@ fax 076 881 193 Bernard.Zarcinos® cropsci.su.edu.au Treasurer [email protected] adl.soils.csiro.au Derek Yates Secretary National Centre for ACT Brendan George CENTRAL OLD Bruce Forster Groundwater Management, President State Forests, PO Box 100, UTS, PO Box 123, Broadway Beecroft2119 DNRPO Box 6014 Colin Chartres 2007 tel 02 9872 0136 Rockhampton 4072 CSIRO Land & Water, GPO ForsteB© tel 02 9514 1984 fax 02 9871 6941 Box 639, Canberra 2601 prose.dnr.qld.gov.au fax 02 9514 1985 brendang@ tel 02 6246 5953 [email protected] research.forest.nsw.gov.au fax 02 6246 5913 NORTH OLD Profile editor chartres@ \ Treasurer Rob Bramley Rebecca Lines-Kelly cbr.soils.csiro.au Chris Conoley CSIRO Land & Water Wollongbar Agricultural Dept of Agricultural tel 077 538 591 Institute, Bruxner Highway, Secretary Chemistry & Soil Science, fax 077 538 650 Wollongbar 2477 Mac Kirby University of Sydney 2006 rob.bramley© tel 02 6626 1319 CSIRO Land & Water, GPO tel 02 9351 2089 tvl.soils.csiro.au fax 02 6628 3264 Box 639, Canberra 2601 fax 02 9351 3706 EAR NORTH OLD [email protected] tel 02 6246 5921 c.conoley© Errol Best fax 02 6246 5965 agec.usyd.edu.au WESTERN AUSTRALIA mac.kirby@ DNR Mareeba 4880 President cbr.soils.csiro.au RJVER1NA tel 070 928 410 [email protected] Ian Fillery Treasurer President CSIRO Division of Plant Greg Bowman Phil Eberbach TASMANIA Industries, CCMAR, PO CSIRO Land & Water, GPO School of Agriculture, Philip Smethurst Private Bag, Wembley 6014 Box 639, Canberra 2601 Charles Sturt University, PO CSIRO Forestry & Forest tel 08 9387 6681 teJ 02 6246 5925 Box 588, Wagga Wagga Products, GPO Box 252-12, fax 08 9387 8991 fax 02 6246 5965 2678 Hobart 7001 [email protected] greg.bowman® tel 02 6933 2000 tel 03 6226 7953 fax 03 6226 7942 Secretary cbr.soils.csiro.au fax 02 6933 2817 Philip.Smethurst© Mike Wong Secretary VICTORIA ffp.csiro.au Mark Conyers CSIRO Land & Water, President CCMAR, PO Private Bag, NSW Agriculture, PMB Pine NEW ZEALAND Wembley 6014 Nick Uren Gully Road, Wagga Wagga tel 08 9387 0299 School of Agriculture, Faculty 2650 President fax 08 9387 8991 of Science and Technology, tel 069 381 830 Paul Gregg La Trobe University, [email protected] fax 069 381 809 Massey University, Private Bundoora 3083 Mark.Conyers© Bag 11222, Palmerston Treasurer tel 03 9479 2189 smtpgwy.agric.nsw.gov.au North, New Zealand Keith Lindbeck fax 03 9471 0224 BSP Consultants, PO Box [email protected] Treasurer Editor Alastair Campbell 155, Subiaco6008 Secretary Myo Win tel 08 9273 3834 School of Agriculture, Dept of Soil Science Aravind Surapaneni fax 08 9388 3831 Charles Sturt University, PO Lincoln University Institute for Sustainable Box 588, Wagga Wagga PO Box 84 2678 Canterbury NZ ®

27 Profile - Issue 113 - January 1998 *

PROFILE - THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF POSTAGE PAID THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE LISMORE NSW 2480 REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST PRINT POST PUBLICATION NUMBER 225277/00009 SURFACE MAIL 114C 4080100 B 004/ 150 Mr Bond RETURN POSTAGE Archives GUARANTEED TO: CSIRO Land & Water ASSSI Central Office Soils Laboratory Canberra 1st floor GPC 39 91 RathdowneSt CANBERRA A CARLTON 3053