Improvement in soil structure resulting from sown pastures on degraded areas in the dry savannah woodlands of northern Australia

B. J. Bridge, J. J. Mott, W. H. Winter and R. J. Hartigan
Australian Journal of Soil Research, 21, 1, 83-90
The structure of the surface soil under pastures sown on former Themada australis native grassland and on degraded areas in the red earths of northern Australia was examined micromorphologically. All sown pastures showed low hydraulic conductivities equivalent to those in the degraded areas, and this was attributed to trampling during the wet season under the higher stocking rates involved. The improvement and maintenance of soil structure in the S. hamata and A. vaginalis pastures, together with their high sorptivities, indicates that they are stable in the long term.