Effects of land use on the solodic soils of the Poplar Box (Eucalyptus populnea) lands.

Abstract

Information on soil changes under various forms of land use in poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea) lands on solodic soils is summarized and generalizations on the effects of management practices on the soil resource are made. The implications of the results for land use are considered and problems seen as requiring further research are outlined. Crazing by domestic livestock results in soil compaction which, through decreasing the infiltration rates, causes an increase in the surface run-off of water. These effects are enhanced by the killing of trees, and the associated changes in soil water content profiles are accompanied by changes in the distribution of soluble soil salts. Scalds develop in some areas. Tnese deleterious changes are reversed where there is shrub growth and livestock are excluded. The reasons for the development and persistence of scalds require further elucidation. In particular, the conditions requited for the recruitment of grass and shrub species, and the relative importance of the various pathways for salt movement in these systems, should be defined.