• Authors:
    • Armstrong, R.
    • Graham, J.
    • Phillips, F. A.
    • Officer, S.
  • Source: Managing Climate Change MC2 Conference
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • Walker, C.
    • Freney, J.
    • Edis, R.
    • Chen, D.
    • Suter, H.
  • Source: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • Walker, C.
    • Freney, J.
    • Li, H.
    • Edis, R.
    • Islam, A.
    • Chen, D.
    • Suter, H.
  • Source: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • Freney, J.
    • Walker, C.
    • Weatherley, A. J.
    • Pengthamkeerati, P.
    • Chen, D.
    • Suter, H.
  • Source: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • Kimber, S.
    • Rust, J.
    • Joseph, S.
    • Singh, B.
    • Van Zwieten, L.
  • Source: 1st Asia Pacific Biochar Conference
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • Wood, R.
    • Dey, C. J.
  • Source: Economic Systems Research
  • Volume: 21
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This paper gives an overview of the construction techniques and methods used to assign greenhouse gas accounts to industry sectors and of the use of input–output analysis to subsequently calculate the carbon footprint of Australia. The work is motivated by the introduction of an emissions-trading scheme in Australia, and by the need for policy to be developed around the direct and indirect (life-cycle) greenhouse gas emissions of industries, especially with regards to the trade exposure of industries with large carbon footprints. Greenhouse gas multipliers, which show the carbon footprint intensity of consumption items, are calculated to gain insight into opportunities for ‘greening’ consumption. Key industries are identified in relation to both greenhouse gas emissions and economic importance. The effects of imports, exports and capital consumption are explored and a brief analysis of the change in greenhouse gas multipliers over time is given.
  • Authors:
    • Hunt, J. R.
    • Dalgliesh, N. P.
    • McCown, R. L.
    • Whish, J. P. M.
    • Robertson, M. J.
    • Foale, M. A.
    • Poulton, P. L.
    • Rees, H. van
    • Carberry, P. S.
    • Hochman, Z.
  • Source: Crop & Pasture Science
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 11
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Crop simulation models relevant to real-world agriculture have been a rationale for model development over many years. However, as crop models are generally developed and tested against experimental data and with large systematic gaps often reported between experimental and farmer yields, the relevance of simulated yields to the commercial yields of field crops may be questioned. This is the third paper in a series which describes a substantial effort to deliver model-based decision support to Australian farmers. First, the performance of the cropping systems simulator, APSIM, in simulating commercial crop yields is reported across a range of field crops and agricultural regions. Second, how APSIM is used in gaining farmer credibility for their planning and decision making is described using actual case studies. Information was collated on APSIM performance in simulating the yields of over 700 commercial crops of barley, canola, chickpea, cotton, maize, mungbean, sorghum, sugarcane, and wheat monitored over the period 1992 to 2007 in all cropping regions of Australia. This evidence indicated that APSIM can predict the performance of commercial crops at a level close to that reported for its performance against experimental yields. Importantly, an essential requirement for simulating commercial yields across the Australian dryland cropping regions is to accurately describe the resources available to the crop being simulated, particularly soil water and nitrogen. Five case studies of using APSIM with farmers are described in order to demonstrate how model credibility was gained in the context of each circumstance. The proposed process for creating mutual understanding and credibility involved dealing with immediate questions of the involved farmers, contextualising the simulations to the specific situation in question, providing simulation outputs in an iterative process, and together reviewing the ensuing seasonal results against provided simulations. This paper is distinct from many other reports testing the performance and utility of cropping systems models. Here, the measured yields are from commercial crops not experimental plots and the described applications were from real-life situations identified by farmers. A key conclusion, from 17 years of effort, is the proven ability of APSIM to simulate yields from commercial crops provided soil properties are well characterised. Thus, the ambition of models being relevant to real-world agriculture is indeed attainable, at least in situations where biotic stresses are manageable.
  • Authors:
    • Cornish, P. S.
  • Source: Crop & Pasture Science
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This special issue, which is largely based on the workshop organized by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, contains 9 papers on the sustainable management of phosphorus (P) in Australian farms. Topics covered include: improving the P efficiency of organic farming without inputs of soluble P fertilizers; P management on extensive organic and low-input farms; options for increasing the biological cycling of P in low-input and organic agricultural systems; plant mechanisms to optimize access to soil P; the potential to improve root access to P and the role of non-symbiotic microbial inoculants in the rhizosphere; new fertilizer options for managing P for organic and low-input farming systems; agronomic management options for P in Australian dryland organic and low-input cropping systems; P uptake in faba bean, field pea, and maize cultivars from different sources; and improving plant uptake of soil P, and reducing dependency on input of P fertilizer.
  • Authors:
    • Bol, R.
    • Krull, E.
    • Lopez-Capel, E.
    • Sohi, S.
  • Source: CSIRO Land and Water Science Report
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • McHenry, M. P.
  • Source: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
  • Volume: 129
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Reducing the vulnerability of agriculture to climate change while increasing primary productivity requires mitigation and adaptation activities to generate profitable co-benefits to farms. The conversion of woody-wastes by pyrolysis to produce bio-char (biologically derived charcoal) is one potential option that can enhance natural rates of carbon sequestration in soils, reduce farm waste, and substitute renewable energy sources for fossil-derived fuel inputs. Bio-char has the potential to increase conventional agricultural productivity and enhance the ability of farmers to participate in carbon markets beyond traditional approach by directly applying carbon into soil. This paper provides an overview of the pyrolysis process and products and quantifies the amount of renewable energy generation and net carbon sequestration possible when using farm bio-waste to produce bio-char as a primary product. While this research provides approximate bio-char and energy production yields, costs, uses and risks, there is a need for additional research on the value of bio-char in conventional crop yields and adaptation and mitigation options.