School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences - Theses
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ItemEffects of some management factors on sheep and wool production( 1970)It is difficult to be precise about the importance of the contributions made by the many people involved in this work. On a government research station and on private farms, field experiments inevitably involve many people. However, in each chapter presented in this thesis I made a major contribution in the planning, supervising and conducting of the experiment and in preparation of the results for publication. Where authorship has been shared, this is indicated at the beginning of each chapter. Some indication of the relative importance of contributions to this work is as follows:- Chapter I: The experiments were done on two sites, and at one of them Katamitite) I was directly responsible for the work. Chapters II, III: This work undertaken jointly with Mr. J.G. Bath, Chapters IV, V: This work was my responsibility. Chapter VI: The observations on sheep were my responsibility whereas those on pastures were the responsibility of Mr. J. Avery and Mr. I. Cameron. I prepared the manuscripts for chapters I to V and contributed to the preparation of that for chapter VI.
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ItemA study of the growth of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) in acid soil from Strathfieldsaye in East Gippsland( 1984)Legume-based pastures are widely used in the farming and pastoral regions of Australia. In southern Australia, subterranean clover has been the cornerstone of pasture improvement and increased crop and animal productivity since the 1930's and 1940's (Donald 1970). It has been estimated that as much as 80% of the present area of sown pasture in southern Australia may have been sown with subterranean clover (Donald 1970). The importance of subterranean clover is due to its ability to utilize atmospheric nitrogen and ultimately to improve soil fertility. Additionally, however, it provides high quality stock feed, is tolerant of grazing and possesses traits such as the ability to bury its seeds and also seed coat impermeability (hardseededness) which enable the plant to reappear reliably in pastures every year (Morley 1961). It is widely believed that the productivity of subterranean cloverbased pastures may have declined over the years since they were first established (Flemons and Siman 1970; Williams and David 1976; Osborne et al. 1978; Cregan et al. 1979; Williams 1980; Reeves 1981; Gillespie 1983; Evans and Hochman 1984). The cause of this 'decline' has been variously attributed to increased cropping, incidence of diseases and pests, poor grazing management (e.g. Cregan 1981; Gillespie 1983), but also has been associated with decreasing pH of soil under the pastures (e.g. Cook 1939; Donald and Williams 1954; Russell 1960; Watson 1969; Barrow 1969; Flemons and Siman 1970; Kohn et al. 1977; Williams 1980; Bromfield et al. 1983a). This thesis is concerned with a study of the growth of subterranean clover in acid soil from 'Strathfieldsaye' at Stratford, in the East Gippsland region of Victoria. The soil was taken from beneath a legume based pasture in which subterranean clover represented only a small proportion of the plants in the pasture. This situation was regarded as undesirable. The study was initiated because it was considered possible that the very low pH of the soil may have contributed to the low occurrence of subterranean clover in the pasture.
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ItemGrain lupin cultivation in Victoria : some agronomic aspects( 1981)The results of five field experiments and one laboratory experiment, have been included in the chapters of this thesis. They describe the adaptation of lupins to the environment of North-East Victoria in terms of seed germination, establishment, growth and grain yield. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 have been submitted as scientific papers and published (or are to be published) in the Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. I was actively involved in field work at the Rutherglen Research Institute and at the regional sites during these investigations. Mr. T. G. Reeves was my supervisor during the time when the experiments reported in Chapters 2 and 3 were being conducted. I carried out the field work and analysed and reported the data under the supervision of Mr. Reeves. We shared senior authorship of the two scientific papers resulting from this work. For the experiment reported in Chapter 4, Dr. C. M. Piggin assisted me with experimental design and facilities, however, I conducted measurements and analyses and solely prepared these for publication. I was responsible for the lupin research and development programme at Rutherglen Research Institute from 1976 to 1981.