Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Queensland Government
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<br>The Brigalow Catchment Study (BCS) in the brigalow (<em>Acacia harpophylla</em>) bioregion of central Queensland, commenced in 1965 with a pre-clearing calibration phase of 17 years to define the hydrology of 3 adjoining catchments (12-17 ha). Following clearing of 2 catchments in 1982, 3 land uses, brigalow forest, cropping, and grazed pasture, were established and monitored for water balance, resource condition and productivity. This trial has provided data and scientific understanding on the interaction of climate, soils, water, land use and management for resource condition across the three major land uses. Soil samples from the trial site have been used in calibration of the Roth C model for use in estimating Australia’s national greenhouse gas inventory.</br>
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<br>Hermitage Research Station (28° 12’ S, 152° 06’ E) situated near Warwick, is the site of a 33 year study of carbon cycling, storage and emissions in a southern Queensland winter cereal system. Mean annual temperature at the site is 17.5°C and mean annual rainfall is 685 mm. The soil is a Vertosol containing 65% clay, 24% silt, and 11% sand. Treatments at the trial included stubble burnt (SB), stubble retained (SR), conventional tillage (CT), no tillage (NT), nitrogen fertiliser added (NF) and no nitrogen fertiliser added (N0). It has provided guidance to farmers on optimising nitrogen use efficiency through fine tuning rates to meet crop need, e.g. delivering nitrogen when it is needed by the crop possibly using split applications and coated fertilisers with slower nutrient release profiles. Sourcing nitrogen from pulse crop and pasture was also studied as an option for meeting nitrogen needs with lower emissions and reduced cost.</br>