Agricultural Systems for Saline Soil: The Potential Role of Livestock

D G Masters,E G Barrett-Lennard,H C Norman

doi:10.5713/ajas.2005.296

Abstract

Human-induced soil salinity is becoming a major threat to agriculture across the world. This salinisation occurs in both irrigated and rain-fed agricultural zones with the highest proportions in the arid and semi-arid environments. Livestock can play an important role in the management and rehabilitation of this land. There are a range of plants that grow in saline soils and these have been used as animal feed. In many situations, animal production has been poor as a result of low edible biomass production, low nutritive value, depressed appetite, or a reduction in efficiency of energy use. Feeding systems are proposed that maximise the feeding value of plants growing on saline land and integrate their use with other feed resources available within mixed livestock and crop farming systems. Salt-tolerant pastures, particularly the chenopod shrubs, have moderate digestible energy and high crude protein. For this reason they represent a good supplement for poor quality pastures and crop residues. The use of salt-tolerant pasture systems not only provides feed for livestock but also may act as a bio-drain to lower saline water tables and improve the soil for growth of alternative less salt tolerant plants. In the longer term there are opportunities to identify and select more appropriate plants and animals for saline agriculture.

Highlights

Humans rely on livestock for food and fibre and, in some locations, draught power, transport and fertiliser.Delgado et al (1999) predicted the 15 years will be part of a “Livestock Revolution”, with a growth in the consumption of meat and milk of around 3% per year in developing countries
To meet this demand much more efficient animal production in rain-fed regions will be necessary, small ruminants in particular have the potential for increased production across a range of agro-ecological zones (Devendra, 2001)
While grazing livestock have received much attention as the cause of environmental damage in many areas (El Aich and Waterhouse, 1999), the prolonged use of annual crops in place of perennial vegetation and the increased intensity of land use for cropping have been identified as contributing to land degradation and, in particular, the increase in dryland salinity (Ghassemi et al, 1995)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Humans rely on livestock for food and fibre and, in some locations, draught power, transport and fertiliser. Delgado et al (1999) predicted the 15 years will be part of a “Livestock Revolution”, with a growth in the consumption of meat and milk of around 3% per year in developing countries. To meet this demand much more efficient animal production in rain-fed regions will be necessary, small ruminants in particular have the potential for increased production across a range of agro-ecological zones (Devendra, 2001). The productive rain-fed mixed farming systems, that utilise both crops and livestock, are a major component of the agricultural economy in Asia and Australasia (Devendra and Thomas, 2002).

Department of Agriculture of Western Australia and CRC for

PLANT OPTIONS FOR SALINE LAND

Field observations

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ON SALINE LAND

Findings

OPPORTUNITIES AND CONCLUSIONS