Floristic composition and pasture condition of Aristida/Bothriochloa pastures in central Queensland. II. Soil and pasture condition interactions
R. G. Silcock A E , T. J. Hall B , P. G. Filet C , A. M. Kelly B , D. Osten C and T. W. G. Graham DA Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 267, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia.
B Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, PO Box 102, Toowoomba, Qld 4350, Australia.
C Formerly Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Emerald, Qld 4720, Australia.
D Formerly Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Roma, Qld 4455, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: Richard.Silcock@daff.qld.gov.au
The Rangeland Journal 37(2) 217-226 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ14107
Submitted: 8 August 2014 Accepted: 16 February 2015 Published: 27 March 2015
Abstract
Sustainable management of native pastures requires an understanding of what the bounds of pasture composition, cover and soil surface condition are for healthy pastoral landscapes to persist. A survey of 107 Aristida/Bothriochloa pasture sites in inland central Queensland was conducted. The sites were chosen for their current diversity of tree cover, apparent pasture condition and soil type to assist in setting more objective bounds on condition ‘states’ in such pastures. Assessors’ estimates of pasture condition were strongly correlated with herbage mass (r = 0.57) and projected ground cover (r = 0. 58), and moderately correlated with pasture crown cover (r = 0.35) and tree basal area (r = 0.32). Pasture condition was not correlated with pasture plant density or the frequency of simple guilds of pasture species. The soil type of Aristida/Bothriochloa pasture communities was generally hard-setting, low in cryptogam cover but moderately covered with litter and projected ground cover (30–50%). There was no correlation between projected ground cover of pasture and estimated ground-level cover of plant crowns. Tree basal area was correlated with broad categories of soil type, probably because greater tree clearing has occurred on the more fertile, heavy-textured clay soils. Of the main perennial grasses, some showed strong soil preferences, for example Tripogon loliiformis for hard-setting soils and Dichanthium sericeum for clays. Common species, such as Chrysopogon fallax and Heteropogon contortus, had no strong soil preference. Wiregrasses (Aristida spp.) tended to be uncommon at both ends of the estimated pasture condition scale whereas H. contortus was far more common in pastures in good condition. Sedges (Cyperaceae) were common on all soil types and for all pasture condition ratings. Plants identified as increaser species were Tragus australianus, daisies (Asteraceae) and potentially toxic herbaceous legumes such as Indigofera spp. and Crotalaria spp. Pasture condition could not be reliably predicted based on the abundance of a single species or taxon but there may be scope for using integrated data for four to five ecologically contrasting plants such as Themeda triandra with daisies, T. loliiformis and flannel weeds (Malvaceae).
Additional keywords: ground cover, indicator species, range condition, Tragus australianus, Tripogon loliiformis.
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