Commencement date

October 2016

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Completion date

December 2017

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Aim

This project aims to remediate infertile soils using perennial legume pasture and bring them back into production with sites at Lancelin (WA Landskills), Dandaragan (West Midlands Group), and Wubin (Liebe Group).

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Funding Provider

NACC and National Landcare Program

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Project lead organisation

Liebe Group

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Collaborators

WA Landskills, West Midlands Group, Murdoch University, and DAFWA.

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Project background

The sandplain soils of the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) would benefit greatly from the addition of a perennial pasture legume to the farming system. These soils are infertile, highly leaching, with a low carbon content and poor nutrient holding capacity, and they are also prone to wind erosion and salinity. 

 

An herbaceous legume pasture with the attributes of both perenniality and nitrogen-fixing ability would provide multiple benefits:

• Reduction of salinity in recharge-prone areas;

• Increased protection from wind erosion;

• Soil carbon and nitrogen accretion leading to enhanced soil health and nutrient management;

• Adaptation to climate variability with the advantage of being able to capture and use rainfall whenever it falls, and;

• Enhanced farming system viability due to the provision of green feed during the autumn feed gap.

 

The recent development by DAFWA and Murdoch University of the pastures Tedera and Lebeckia, respectively, is an exciting development, and there is considerable farmer interest. This project intends to provide NAR farmers with demonstrations of the pastures ahead of commercial release.