Scientists scour the earth in salinity battle

THE battle against salinity in Western Australia has now spread worldwide, with a team of researchers scouring the planet for plants that might keep the water table in check.

Coordinated through the Centre for Rhizobium Studies, scientists from Murdoch University, the University of WA and the Western Australian Department of Agriculture are visiting regions with similar climate and soil profiles.

“Herbaceous perennials are thought to play a significant role in controlling the water table in southern Australia,” said Centre Director, Associate Professor John Howieson.

“We currently rely on lucerne, but it struggles in the low pH soils and the high temperatures of the Wheatbelt. We are looking for complementary species that will hopefully thrive in these conditions.

“Ultimately we hope to develop links with other researchers in the Southern Hemisphere with whom we can exchange legume and rhizobial genetic material and work together to develop better ways to manage a mixture of annual and perennial legumes.”

The search, which is funded by the Grains Research and Development Committee for two years, will stretch across Central Asia, South Africa, NorthAmerica, the Atlantic Islands and Mexico.

The latest search for potential legumes and their associated root-nodule bacteria has come from South Africa, where 94 species from 21 different genera were sampled.

“We are targeting perennial herbaceous legumes that are robust enough to tolerate the harsh environmental conditions of the Western Australian Wheat belt. Legumes are very important in our farm systems as they fix nitrogen in the soil and provide quality feed for our animals. Some of the plants sampled in South Africa are quite promising as they possess long taproots to reach lower water tables” said PhD student Ron Yates.

“All of the species we collected, either by seed or transplants, are currently growing in a nursery under the care of the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa.

“This will give us the opportunity to evaluate the superior plants and harvest seed to send to Australia. It is important that we adhere to the strict Quarantine laws in introducing these plants into Australian agriculture”.

A collection is scheduled for North America later this year.