A Niche Seeding Saltbush System

In this video Ian Walsh, a local farmer in the Cranbrook district explains the best agronomic practice for establishing productive saltland pastures using a combination of salt tolerant grasses, legumes, and shrubs on moderately saline land.
It is a system that has been perfected over many years by the farmers with the assistance of scientists at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and other researchers in the North Stirling district of Western Australia (WA). This area has a Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall between of 400 to 550mm and features varied soil types from light to heavy, depending on locality. Much of the area is characterised by internal drainage into naturally occurring salt lakes.
A key element of this system involves the ‘niche’ direct seeding of a mix of saltbush species, rather than the alternative of planting saltbush as nursery raised seedlings. This ‘niche’ seeding approach, if carefully followed will successfully provide a diverse mix of highly productive fodder species and grasses at less than half the cost of establishing seedlings.
Another key element is the inclusion of productive mixtures of interrow annual and perennial pasture species (grasses and legumes).
The overall outcome is a highly productive diverse pasture and fodder shrub system where the different species provide complementary nutritional benefits to livestock grazing. Also, other benefits including out of season feed, shade and shelter, and increased water use. There are increased amenity values such as aesthetics, wildlife habitat and carbon capture.
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Très intéressant. Djamel B. from Algeria.