The pasture dynamics and management of two rangeland communities in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory.

Abstract

The use of destocking as a means of promoting pasture recovery was evaluated on two important rangeland types of the semi-arid tropics of north west Australia. Recovery on eroded calcareous red soils was substantial within five years. Standing biomass and species composition, particularly the contribution of the major forage grass Enneapogon spp., was then similar to areas in good condition. However, an exotic shrub, Calotropls procera, invaded the area during the study. Grazing limited its increase to 200 bushes ha-1 compared to unstocked areas where it increased to 1,000 bushes ha-1. Destocking had no effect on cracking clay soils in good condition, dominated by Chrysopogon fallax and Iseilema fragile. An index based on similarity measures of herbage standing biomass, followed closely the course of recovery of the eroded calcareous soil during the period. There is a need for range condition assessment and the development and application of appropriate pasture management strategies for the whole district.

A plant functional approach to the prediction of changes in Australian rangeland vegetation under grazing and fire

“…For both soils, the model predicts a pasture dominated by the perennial grass type when left undisturbed for considerable time. This agrees with the general field situation (Dyer et al 1997;Foran et al 1985). Notably the model predicts a decline in the woody PFT on both soil types.…”

“…These annual grasses may become dominant, along with unpalatable perennials such as Aristida spp., as a result of prolonged heavy grazing. Unlike ASG, RBG is resilient under grazing (Foran et al 1985). On these clay soils, Terminalia volucrus and Lysiphyllum cunninghamii are the dominant woody species, both of which resprout strongly after fire.…”

Responses of ant communities to experimental fire regimes on rangelands in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory

“…The entire experiment was grazed by cattle as the aim was to provide information relevant to grazing management practices. Grazing intensity was low, varying between 5 and 7 heads km -2 depending on rainfall, but historical stocking rates have been much higher (Foran et al . 1985).…”

Notes on Live Night Parrot Sightings in North-western Queensland

“…Other features which may have contributed to the site's favourability are stocking rates low enough to enable cattle to maintain condition through droughts. Moderate stocking rates are also suggested by the presence of Enneapogon purpurascens, a species readily grazed out by cattle (Foran et al 1985;Andrew 1986), at four of the six sites at which the vegetation was sampled. The incidence of rabbits and, possibly as a consequence, of foxes and cats, also appeared to be low.…”