The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was established in June 1982 by an Act of the Australian Parliament. lIs mandate is to help identify agricultural problems in developing countries and to commission collaborative research between Australia and developing country researchers in fields where Australia has a special research COOl' petence. Where trade names are used this constitutes neither endorsement of nor discrimination against any product by the Ct~ntre. ACIAR PROCEEDINGS This series of publications includes the full proceedings of research workshops or symposia organised or supported by ACIAR. Numbers in this series are distributed internationally 10 selected individuals and scientific institutions. Recent numbers in the series are listed inside the back cover. © Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. GPO Box 1571, Canberra. ACT 2601 Carron, L.T. and Aken. K.M., ed., 1992. Breeding Technologies for Tropical Acacias. Proceedings of a workshop held in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. 1-4 July 1991. ACIAR Proceedings No. 37, 132 p. ISBN 1 86320 056 8 Technical editing by Editorial Enterprises, Canberra. Australia. Typeset and laid out by Arawang Information Bureau Ply Ltd. Canberra. Australia. Printed by Goanna Print Ply Ltd. Canberra, Australia. Forages on Red Soils in China Proceedings of a workshop, Lengshuitan, Hunan Province, Peoples' Republic of China, 22-25 April 1991 Editors: P.M. Horne, D.A. MacLeod and J.M. Scott \ Contents Foreword Graeme f. Blair 7 Keynote Address Zhang Shixian 9 Potential and problems for forage development and animal production in the red soils region of southern China K. Xie, J. Zhang and P. M. Horne 11 Climatic Resources Agro-climatic resources and forage adaptability in the red soils region of South Central China Leng Shilin, Lu Xuedu, Li Yue and Yin Yanjang 15 A simple agro-climatic model for forage production on the red soils of South 'Central China P.M. Horne 22 Classification of environments and species performance in southern China Wu Xieen 29 Soil Characteristics Soil erosion and revegetation in the hilly area of South China Lu Xix; and Shi Deming 31 Soil water regime and its modification on upland red soil in southern Hunan Zhang Maxiang, Liu Rongle, Shen Fulin, fiang Huadou, Xie Liangshang 35 Physical properties of red soils and their effect on availability of water XU Xiuyun and Yao Xianliang 40 Amphoteric properties of red soils and significance for fertility X.N. Zhang and G. Y. Zhang 45 Forage Characteristics Physiological factors influencing the management of forages on upland red soils of South Central China Graeme f. Blair 50 Plant adaptation to aluminium toxicity and its role in forage production D.A. MacLeod 57 Principles of forage establishment for the upland red soils J.M. Scot! 64 3 The characteristics of forages growing on red soils in the subtropics of China Ma Zhi Guang and U Bo 69 The major pasture insect pests in southern China Tu Mingyi 71 Approaches to Soil Conservation An approach to agricultural development: soil and soil moisture conservation in red soil areas of South China Richard G. Grimshaw and lames W. Smyle 74 Soil erosion control in the red soil area of southern China XU Daping and Yang Minquan 82 Forest development in upland grasslands in South China Tu Mingyi 86 Restoring natural vegetation and its effects on some soil conditions in the hilly red soil region Liu Geng-ling 88 Soda-economics A socio-economic survey in the red soils region lanet Sturgeon 91 Socio-economic factors influencing animal husbandry and forage development on the red soils of South Central China Xie Xiao Cun 103 Current Land Use Patterns The present status and potenial use of hill land in Fujian Province Liu Chung Chu and Un Cang 106 The potential of grasslands in Hunan for animal production Gao Chengshi, Lin Yan, Nan Mu, liang Guangjei and Shi Faying 110 The agricultural potential of red soils in southern China and the role of forages Xiao Ze-hong and Peng Ke-/in 112 Grassland development on red-yellow soils in Hubei Province Huang Wenhui and Nie Zhongnan 114 Developing the pastoral industry of the red soils region of Jiangxi Province Xie Wei-min 117 Current and potential development of agricultural and animal husbandry enterprises in Zhejiang Province. Lin Yuanwen 121 4 Current Research Introduction and establishment of forages on the red soils of South Central China J. Zhang, S. Wen, P. M. Horne, J. M. Scott and G. J. Blair 125 The effects of lime and nutrients on the growth of forages on the red soils of south central China J. Zhang, P. M. Horne, L. Xie, D. A. MacLeod and J. M. Scott 129 The effect of timing on boron adsorption in a red soil from Hunan Province D. Alter and D. A. MacLeod 133 Working group reports 136 Soils Forages Farming systems 5 Foreword As China's population is now predicted to exceed 1.2 billion before the year 2000 there has been renewed interest from national and international organisations in increasing food production from under-utilised and waste lands. While China will continue to rely heavily on grains and will have to continue to increase production in this area, there is a rapidly increasing demand for animal products. Present indications are that this increasing demand cannot be met from further intensifica­ tion of existing animal production systems. The red soils region of south central China has been the focus of recent research as it encompasses large areas of under-utilised and waste lands that could be developed for both upland cropping and animal enterprises. However, the region presents some diFficult and unique problems in relation to soils, climate, land tenure, transporta­ tion and marketing. This workshop has been the first major forum bringing together scientists from within China and overseas to discuss these particular problems and suggest directions for future research. The co-sponsors of the workshop were the Chinese and Fujian Academies of Agricultural Sciences and ACIAR. As collaborators with the University of New England (UNE) on ACIAR Project 8925 'Forage development of the red soils of south central China', they are carrying out research to overcome some of the physicallimita­ tions to forage development on these soils. The sixty workshop participants were drawn from more than thirteen Chinese agencies and represented expertise in the areas of soil science, forage agronomy, climatology, animal husbandry, forestry, sociology and agricultural economics. While the papers presented in the proceedings generally represent each discrete discipline, much of the discussion focussed on integration of this knowledge into the development of sustainable agricultural systems for these upland areas. One of the difficulties faced by the organisers was the communication barrier between the overseas and Chinese scientists. Although most presentations were in Chinese, the presence of interpreters for question and answer sessions and the use of slides and overheads in both Chinese and English enhanced the exchange of ideas. These proceedings are being translated into standard Chinese and published by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. ACIAR wishes to thank Zhang Shixian and Wu Chaolin from the Ministry of Agriculture, Vice-President Liang Keyong, Professor Liu Gengling and Madame Huang Jizhang from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and Pro­ fessor Liu Chung Chu from the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences for their assistance. Thanks are also due to Professor Zhang Maxiang (CAAS) as head of the organising committee who ensured that all papers were submitted and translated to English. Mr. Peter Lynch from ACIAR has devoted much time to the technical editing of these proceedings. Finally, the staff of ACIAR Project 8925 at UNE deserve thanks for initiating and ensuring the smooth running of the workshop. Associate Professor Graeme J. Blair Forage Program Co-ordinator ACIAR 7 Keynote Address CHINA has passed new milestones in socialist modernisation and as a consequence has attracted worldwide attention for its rural economic reforms. The Third Plenary Session of the 11 th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China recognised that China's rural economy had entered a new stage: social productivity had been raised and national economic strength had been markedly improved. The recently concluded 7th National People's Congress announced that the last decade of this century is a critical period in the history of the country's modernisation. The further improvement of agriculture and an all-round development of the rural economy are the primary tasks for social and economic development during the 8th Five-Year Plan. China has a population of 1.1 billion people and a great economic potential. China has fed 22070 of the world's population with 7% of the total cultivated land. Farmers have achieved considerable improvement in their standard of living. During the past 10 years grain production has increased from 305 million t to 407 million t. Cotton production increased from 2.16 million t in 1978 to 4.15 million tin 1988 and oil bearing crops from 5.22 million t to 13.2 million t. These trends have continued through to the present. In 1990 the performance across the rural sector was particularly strong. This achieve­ ment was due to a number of factors: the Government has strengthened rural policies, extension services have been increased, emphasis has been placed on introducing new technologies, and seasonal conditions through this particular year were extremely favourable. Nonetheless there are factors which will continue to dampen progress in the agricultural sector. These include the loss of farmland due to increasing population and an accelerated growth in consumption which is happening too quickly for new technologies to keep pace. The technical service sector in agriculture is still incomplete. Worldwide land systems are being degraded.