The Rangeland Journal  Volume 44, Issue 2, 2022

The latest issue of The Rangeland Journal is now on-line.  A summary for each of the papers in this issue is given below – the full abstracts and articles are available on the Journal’s website (https://www.publish.csiro.au/rj).   ARS members are reminded that they can access the Journal and download all papers free of charge by entering via the members’ area of the ARS website.  If you have forgotten how to do this see the instructions below.

 

Weak negative responses of spider diversity to short-term ‘kraaling’    (Open Access Paper)

Sicelo Sebata, Charles R. Haddad, Moira J. FitzPatrick and Stefan H. Foord                                             pp  61–75

This paper contributes to our understanding of how grazing disturbances influence ground dwelling-spider assemblages. Research on short-duration kraaling has grown rapidly in recent decades, with a focus on grass quality, diversity and functional composition on macro-invertebrates, with limited work on spider assemblages. This work leads the way to identifying ‘indicator taxa’ in terms of arthropod functional groups for populations and distributions at different scales over time and space. These may then be used to assess and predict pasture health. The results of this work also provide valuable data and analyses that will most likely contribute to informing future land-use reformation policies.

 

Some soil factors constraining buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) seedling growth rate across a range of acid red Kandosols in Queensland, Australia

Richard G. Silcock                                                                                                                                                 pp 77–95

Buffel grass is loved by pastoralists and hated by many conservationists. The soil chemical factors other than phosphorus that restrict its seedling growth on red earths of southwest Queensland were investigated and pH-mediated aluminium toxicity was found to seriously control buffel seedling growth. When aiming to encourage or discourage its spread in particular areas, low pH of some soils may mediate complex nutrient interactions that further constrain buffel grass establishment other than the well-known phosphorus limitation.

 

Diet quality, liveweight change and responses to N supplements by cattle grazing Astrebla spp. (Mitchell grass) pastures in the semi-arid tropics in northwest Queensland, Australia.   (Open Access Paper)

M. Dixon, M. T. Sullivan, S. N. O’Connor and R. J. Mayer                                                                          pp 97–113

In seasonally dry tropical rangelands, the amount and nutritional value of pasture fluctuates widely with rainfall and seasons. Experiments during 4 years examined the diet selected, cattle growth, and the effects of protein supplementation, on tropically adapted steers grazing Mitchell grass pastures in north-western Queensland, Australia. During the rainy season, diet quality and cattle growth were high, but declined progressively to weight loss in the late dry season. Cattle benefited from the protein supplements during the late dry season.

 

Opportunities to build resilience of beef cattle properties in the mulga lands of south-western Queensland, Australia.   (Open Access Paper)

K. Bowen, F. Chudleigh, N. M. Sallur and J. Sommerfield                                                                        pp  115–128

The major challenges facing beef producers in the mulga lands are the inherently low productivity and profitability of the region, exacerbated by widespread degradation, and climate and market variability. The farm-management economics framework was used to assess options to improve profitability and viability of a hypothetical beef cattle property in southwest Queensland, Australia. There was very limited potential to improve profitability or resilience of existing beef enterprises. However, full, or partial conversion to rangeland goat production or carbon farming, respectively, improved property returns and viability.

 

Accessing the Members’ Area on the ARS website

ARS members enter The Rangeland Journal website via the members’ area of the ARS website, as described below.

• The members’ area on the website (https://austrangesoc.com.au/) allows you to access current and past issues of The Rangeland Journal and the Range Management Newsletter, proceedings of past Biennial Conferences, minutes of Council Meetings and Annual General Meetings, and other useful material.

• If you forget your password, or for some other reason, you cannot get into the members’ area, please let me know (Don Burnside at don.burnside@iinet.net.au) and I will send you up a new temporary password.  You will be able to set yourself a new password once you are in the members’ area under My Account >> Account Details.

 

Accessing The Rangeland Journal current issue and archive

• Members only can access – free of charge – all the papers published in current and past issues of The Rangeland Journal.
• The journal is accessed via the members’ area.  Once you are in the ‘members’ area’ go to ‘The Rangeland Journal – Current Issue and Archive’ and then to ‘Access The Rangeland Journal’ which will take you to the journal website (https://www.publish.csiro.au/rj)

 

If you need further help accessing the papers you may be looking for, please contact Don Burnside (don.burnside@iinet.net.au)