Information
Level 2 Detail of experimental conditions (what might be found in a journal paper or project brief in Hydrstra)
Description of the Study
What?
This study documented the effect of altering the amount of fertiliser applied to a sugarcane plot, and consequently the quality of water running off the plot as surface water and below the root zone.
When and Where?
From 2003-2004 (1 year investigation) a study was undertaken on a private farm approximately 8 km north of Mossman. The study area exists within the Saltwater Creek Catchment and is on well drained soils formed on alluvium. The A horizon is a dark greyish brown silty clay loam, and the B horizon a yellowish brown silty clay loam. The block for this study was 3.25 ha.
The slope of the study area was less or equal to 0.66%.
How?
The trial consists of six plots, three replicates for each treatment. Only plots 1 and 2 were monitored for water quality changes. In this trial, there were two nitrogen (N) application rates: (1) the conventional rate the grower applies (approximately 190 kg N/ha), and (2) a reduced rate (approximately 98 kg N/ha).
To measure the amount of water, sediment and nutrients transported off the different fertiliser treatments, two flumes were installed, on 2 of the 6 plots on the study farm. Both were equipped with a monitoring station which includes an ISCO automatic water sampler, stage recorder located in the stilling well, rain gauge and solar panel.
To monitor the quantity of water and nutrients that passed below the root zone, 10 barrel lysimeters were used and applied at a rate of 5 in each fertiliser treatment. The lysimeters were connected to a vacuum line that was then emptied into a series of water traps. The lysimeters collected water draining through the soil profile from a defined surface area at a depth of 1 m.
Project administration
Site identifier code: N/A
Principle investigator: Rebecca Bartley
Principle data manager: N/A
Principle organisations: CSIRO Land and Water, Atherton; Department of Natural Resource Management, Mareeba; CSIRO Land and Water, Townsville; CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, Brisbane; CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Mossman.
Data custodian: N/A
Key co-operators: Sandy McDonald
Data access policy: Research has been published but base data is not archived
Planned pathway for data: completed study, no evidence of formal database records
Data warehousing: for ongoing studies N/A
Planned data upload frequency for ongoing studies: for ongoing studies N/A
Key references and sources of this data synthesis
These data summaries have been extracted from:
Bartley R, Armour J, Fitch P, Mcjannet D, Harch B, Thomas S, Webster T. n.d. Reducing Loads Through Management Interventions: Results From Douglas Shire Water Quality Monitoring Flume Experiments, CSIRO.
Keywords:
N/A