Lucerne in crop rotations on the Riverine Plains. 3*. Model evaluation and simulation analyses
K. Verburg A C , W. J. Bond A , J. R. Hirth B and A. M. Ridley BA CSIRO Land and Water/Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit, GPO Box 1666, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
B Department of Primary Industries, Primary Industries Research Victoria, RMB 1145, Rutherglen, Vic. 3685, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: kirsten.verburg@csiro.au
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58(12) 1129-1141 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR07133
Submitted: 30 March 2007 Accepted: 21 August 2007 Published: 17 December 2007
Abstract
The use of a lucerne phase in crop rotations can reduce water lost as drainage past the root zone under dryland agriculture in southern Australia. During the lucerne phase the perenniality of lucerne and its deep rooting ability allow extraction of soil water from below the root zone of annual crops and the creation of a soil water storage buffer against deep water loss. The longevity of the soil water storage buffer depends on rainfall patterns, management of the crops and summer fallows, as well as the magnitude of the buffer created during the lucerne phase. Results from a previously reported field experiment in north-eastern Victoria (average annual rainfall 600 mm) suggested that a 2-year lucerne phase could be insufficient to prevent drainage under subsequent crops for more than 1 year.
Computer simulations were used to explore the implications of climatic variability on the creation and refilling of the soil water storage buffer. After first testing that the simulations described the experimental data satisfactorily, they were then used to extend the results and conclusions of the field experiment. These showed that the outcome of the experimental evaluation was affected by the climatic conditions experienced during the experiment and that a lucerne phase duration of 2 years was not appreciably less effective than a 3-year lucerne phase in reducing drainage past 1.8 m (the depth evaluated in the experiment). This conclusion was, however, sensitive to the depth at which drainage was evaluated and also depended on management factors such as the timing of lucerne removal and weed control during the summer fallows. For example, when drainage was evaluated to the maximum depth of lucerne rooting (3.6 m), lucerne was removed in December rather than April, and weeds were permitted, a third year of lucerne allowed a longer cropping phase without refilling of the profile in 47% of years. As a general recommendation a 3-year lucerne phase might, therefore, be an appropriate option for maximising the prevention of drainage. The large variability in the longevity of the soil water storage buffer (from 3 to > 45 months) and its sensitivity to management suggest, however, that it may be more beneficial to link phase changes to local assessment of the status of soil water storage buffer.
Additional keywords: water balance, modelling, dryland farming, phase farming, deep drainage.
Acknowledgments
The experimental data were collected as part of projects contributed to by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (1993–99), the Natural Resources Management Strategy of the Murray–Darling Basin Commission (1997–99), and the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria. We acknowledge the technical assistance of Ken Wilson over the life of the project and of other staff who assisted at peak sampling times. Bulk density data were provided by I. A. M. Yunusa. Simulation analyses were supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation and CSIRO. We thank A. Vaccarella for assistance with initial model evaluation, M. J. Robertson, P. J. Dolling, M. E. Probert, N. I. Huth, J. N. G. Hargreaves, S. Asseng, and E. Wang for providing updated versions of the APSIM model and feedback on parameterisation of lucerne, SoilWat2, and wheat modules, and J. M. Lilley and R. A. Richards for suggestions on wheat cultivar parameters. We also thank S. J. Lolicato for discussions on subsoil effects, R. Cresswell for discussions on watertable rises, and E. J. Kladivko, M. E. Probert, M. J. Robertson, H. P. Cresswell, S. Asseng, and two anonymous referees for comments and suggestions on earlier versions of the manuscript.
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