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Soil degradation and management under intensive sugarcane cultivation in North Queensland
Author(s) -
Wood A.W.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.1985.tb00972.x
Subject(s) - soil water , environmental science , organic matter , agronomy , soil retrogression and degradation , soil compaction , soil organic matter , soil management , agroforestry , soil science , biology , ecology
. Sugarcane yields in the Herbert Valley in North Queensland have been declining over the past 15 years. Better yields are obtained where crops are grown on previously unused land. Soils under cane are more compacted, more acid, contain less organic matter and are lower in cation exchange capacity and exchangeable cations. These differences reflect soil degradation caused by intensive cultivation. Contributing factors to the degradation of soils include soil compaction and structural breakdown occurring during harvest and cultivation operations, losses of organic matter due to burning of crop residues and acidification of soils due to large applications of nitrogen fertilizers. Soil management practices should aim to increase soil organic matter levels, provide a more favourable biological environment, reduce physical damage to soils during harvesting and cultivation, reduce soil acidity and improve the effectiveness of fertilizing practices.