Landcare - Amata Project

This project was quite different to those undertaken thus far. In February 96, the Community Development Officer asked the Pitjantjatjara Council Land Management Unit if it could plant trees and shrubs to act as a screen between the community and the new bi-pass road constructed about half a kilometre away.

The area was too large to irrigate so it was planned to direct seed the area using staggered furrows along the contour. The purpose of the project was not to repair degraded land but to add clumps of trees and shrubs to the grass plain. The other major difference between this project and others was the use of large quantities of scarified acacia seed. Acacias are the most dominant tree and shrub species in Central Australia. However the seeds they produce have a hard seed coat which allows it to lie dormant in the soil for many years (1 to 90 years). This dormancy can be reduced by scratching or scarifying the seed coat and machines have been developed to produce different grades of scarification. Unscarified seed was planted also and would germinate over time.

Before planting any seed, the Land Management team checked out the area for the following:

1. The size of the area was checked out as well as the slope of the land.
2. The bi-pass road was checked out to see what effect it had on the area to be planted, ie. the possibility of causing local flooding or interrupting any natural drainage patterns.
3. Several drainage lines from the hills to the east crossed the bi-pass road and flowed toward the community. One drainage line flooded out before it reached the bi-pass road. There were a number of small tracks from the community which had been made directly up the slope and needed eliminating as they were collecting and channelling storm water toward the community.
4. The team drove across to the hills from where they could view the whole area and study the natural catchment and drainage of storm water. The area to be planted with tree and shrub seed was generally beyond the floodout areas of the drainage lines. Hence the use of staggered furrows would continue to spread any storm water which might flow past the floodout areas or be collected by the bi-pass road.
5. A laser level was used to peg the contours across the land to be planted.

The following pictures describe the project:

Picture 1. View from the hills east of the community of the drainage line and catchment area, which affected the area to be planted with tree and shrub seed. Before beginning a direct seeding program or constructing a ponding bank system, the effects of natural catchment and drainage lines need to be studied. Any program which changes the use of the land, needs to be planned and constructed in harmony with the natural catchment and drainage of storm water on the land (Feb. 96).

Picture 2. In this picture, the windrow has been broken by storm water collected from the new bi-pass road. Staggered furrows were ploughed below this point to disperse the storm water and reduce a potential problem (Feb. 96).

Picture 3. A laser level unit was easy to operate and contour lines were quickly established across an area to be ploughed (Feb. 96).

Picture 4. The laser level allows the operators the freedom to work on pegging and adjusting the contour lines. The first contour line was pegged before moving down the slope to peg the second, approximately 30 metres away. Staggered furrows were ploughed along each contour line and any changes in contour pattern between the two could be observed. Four lines of staggered furrows were then ploughed between the two, blending the contour shape from one to the other. This process was continued down the slope (Feb. 96).

Picture 5. These lines of staggered furrows were ploughed six metres apart. Each furrow was 6 to 8 metres long with 2 to 3 metres between them. This picture demonstrates how each line of furrows is staggered ie. each furrow covers the gap left in the line of furrows above it (Feb. 96).

Picture 6. The staggered furrows in this project were longer than on other occasions with only a small gap between the furrows to allow storm water to trickle through. This was done to deter vehicles from being driven across the area and disturbing the drainage pattern of storm water (Feb. 96).

Picture 7. The seed planted through the seed box was old man saltbush (atriplex nummularia) and oat grass (enneapogon avenaceus and e. polyphyllus). These two plant species were common to this area. The acacia seed was planted by hand because it was planted in clumps rather than uniformly across the area (Feb. 96).

Picture 8. Storm water collected by the new bi-pass road will be dispersed by the staggered furrows constructed below the road (Feb. 96).

	Picture 9. Scarified colony wattle (acacia murrayana) being hand planted (Feb.96).
	Picture 10. Acacia seed being hand planted into the soft seed bed made by the discs on the opposed disc plough (Feb. 96). The seed planted included mulga (acacia aneura), witchetty bush (acacia kempeana), bramble bush (acacia victoriae), colony wattle (acacia murrayana) and silver cassia (senna artemisioides).

Picture 11. Trash from the seed cleaning process still contains quantities of seed so it was hand spread along the staggered furrows (Feb. 96).

Picture 12. Large plastic barrels are very durable and provide good storage for large quantities of seed (Feb. 96).

Picture 13. Tractor and opposed disc plough used by the Land management Unit for direct seeding work (Feb. 96).

p>Picture 14. A seed scarifyer being used to scarify acacia seed for the Amata project. The seed is poured down the funnel at the top of the machine onto a rotating abrasive disc which scratches the seed coat as it is flung to the outside wall of the machine. The seed then falls to be collected in the dish at the bottom of the scarifier (Dec 95).

This program was conducted over three days and the results will be seen over the longer term. The oat grass germinated quickly, however the acacias are still much slower to respond even after the seed being scarified.