Effects of management practice on properties of a Victorian red-brown earth. 2. Wheat root distribution and grain yield

Abstract

The effects of 5 management practices (native forest, native pasture, phalaris pasture, crop-pasture rotation, and continuous cropping), applied prior to sowing wheat seeds, on the distribution of wheat roots and associated grain yields were studied. The grain yield from the 5 treatments decreased in the following order: crop-pasture rotation > native pasture > phalaris pasture > native forest > continuous cropping, and this was directly related to the distribution of the wheat roots in the respective treatment plots. A high incidence of root disease in the phalaris pasture plots severely restricted root distribution and grain yield despite the apparent ‘ideal’ soil conditions for plant growth. The implications of current land management practices, which lead to the formation of plough-pans and reduced root penetration into the subsoil, are discussed in terms of future wheat production on this soil type.