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PROFILE - THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ISSUE 121JANUARY 2000AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INC

Coffee rock discovery‘rocks’ geomorphology

In this issue• Riverine Plains tour a success• Fixing the Foundations symposium• ASSSI bids for 2010 Soils Congress• General meeting called• Meet new members

ABOVE: Effective sampling of acid sulfate soils is rarelya straightforward exercise but has become easier with

the use of the Geoprobe, operated here by Ian Hall.

The recent discovery of acid sulphate soils (ASS) marine mud underly-ing coffee rock in Coastal Queensland has thrown doubt on the com-monly accepted theory of coffee rock or indurated sands formation.

See page 5 for more details. The discovery was the result of efforts by theQueensland Acid Sulfate Soils Investigation Team (QASSIT) in co-operationwith state and local governments and was made possible by the recent pur-chase of a Geoprobe. The Geoprobe is a track mounted, hydraulically pow-ered percussion machine, and an all-terrain vehicle that can sample to depthsof up to 30m. It obtains continuous soil samples that are contained in 1.2mremoveable clear polymer liners. The samples can be logged immediately orsealed and frozen for later logging.

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INC.ARBN 080 783 106The Australian Society of Soil ScienceIncorporated (ASSSI) was founded in 1955 towork towards the advancement of soilscience in the professional, academic andtechnical fields. It comprises a FederalCouncil and seven branches (Qld, NSW,Riverina, ACT, Vic, SA and WA). Liability ofmembers is limited.Objectives• To advance soil science• To provide a link between soil scientists andmembers of kindred bodies within Australiaand in other countries.Specific Objectives• To promote the field of soil science• To further the expertise in soil science ofmembers• To be a forum for discussion on soil science• To increase government and communityawareness of soil science• To liase and cooperate with otherorganisations in support of mutual interests• To encourage research and extension in soilscience• To promote wise management of the soilresource throughout AustraliaMembershipFor all membership and CPSS application andrenewals, subscription, queries and addresschanges contact Alice Bass, ASSSI executiveofficer on Mon-Tues 10.00am - 4.30pm andWed 10.00 - 1.30pm. See back page forcontact details.ASSSI Websitehttp://asssi.rivercorp.com.auPROFILEProfile is the official federal newsletter of theASSSI. It is published quarterly with areadership of over 1000.ISSN 1328-2883.Registered by Australian Print PostPublication Number 424022/00717.Design concept: Gatya Kelly, Doric OrderPrinting: Cranbrook Press, Toowoomba2000 Deadlines 31 March, 30 June, 30 SeptemberAdvertisementsAdvertisements relevant to some aspect ofsoil science are welcome. Charges are fullpage $200, half page $100, quarter page $50.Information about conferences, soil sciencecourses, scholarships etc is published free.CoverMunsell 5YR 7:14

Contents4 Letters

5 Riverine Plains Tour

6 Fixing the Foundation

8 Branch News

10 New Members

11 New Member Profiles

12 AJSR Contents

13 ASSSI bid for Congress

14 Life Member Profile

16 Soil Science Scrapbook

17 Careers Expo

17 Sodicity Conference

18 Federal Council Minutes

22 Conferences

23 Soils Contacts

All contributions are welcome, text preferably by email. Please send to theeditor, Jonnie White, PO Box 936, Biloela Q 4715,tel 07 4992 6041, fax 07 4992 6043, email [email protected]

Profile - Issue 121 - January 20003

Thanks again to all the faithful contributorswithout whom Profile would be a very thin publica-tion. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas andNew Year break and that you haven’t broken any of2000’s resolutions as yet!

To those of you who haven’t contributed in thepast - don’t be shy. It only takes a few minutes to jotdown a few paragraphs, scan a photo and send it tome at [email protected].

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,Jonnie White

MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROTECTEDIf you or your branch are organising an event youMUST notify the federal executive, to guaranteeinsurance cover.An event is any activity other than ordinarymeetings - workshops, training sessions, andESPECIALLY field trips.Send an outline of the activities involved, the time,date and venue of the event to:David LesterIncitec Ltd, PO Box 623 Toowoomba QLD 4350tel 07 4639 7403 fax 07 4639 [email protected] notify David at least one week before theevent.

By the time you read this column, we will bewell into the year 2000. However I want you all tobelatedly receive my thoughts on the Christmas andthe New Year we have just celebrated.

Christmas Greetings to all ASSSI membersI hope you all had a very special Christmas time

with family and friends and look forward to a pros-perous and challenging New Year. The festive seasonis a time for us to relax a little from the hurley-burleyof our busy lives and reflect on the meaning ofChristmas and its origin. It’s a time to give, and toshow the love and caring for people, which Godshowed to humankind 2000 years ago. May you all beblessed as you reflect on your contributions at workand at home throughoutthe past year, and as you planfor the year 2000. For each of you, it is my wish thatthis year be one of happiness in your job and yourpersonal life, and one in which you can successfullymeet the challenges of your particular roles in sustain-ing the soils and landscapes of this great land.

Joint National Soils ConferenceNow, talking of plans for this year, the big event

for ASSSI will be the National Soils conference -Soils 2000, to be held at Lincoln University nearChristchurch, New Zealand. I trust many of you willalready be planning to attend. I suggest you prepareyour budget to include the travel and accommodationcosts, and conference and field trip fees, for your next

financial year. The second notice, with registrationform, is included with this issue of Profile. YourFederal Council is hopeful that the success of the firstjoint NZSSS/ASSSI National Conference, held inMelbourne in 1996 will encourage your participationin the Christchurch event. So start planning now for agreat gathering of the soil science fraternity inChristchurch in December 2000, the last month of thesecond millennium.

Membership SubscriptionsThe subscription notices for 2000 have recently

been sent to all ASSSI members. Can I encourageyou to respond as soon as possible, as you do receivea bonus of $10 reduction if you pay before 31 March.As at the end of November, only about 70% of themembership had paid the 1999 subscription. Thismakes it difficult to successfully manage the affairs ofyour Society.

ASSSI WebsiteIt was a pleasure to go into the ASSSI website

the other day and find that three branches had theirlatest newsletters for all to read. So congratulations toNSW, for its “Cornstalk Media”, to Qld for its“Queensland Branch Bits and Pieces”, and to SAbranch for its “South Australian Soils”, and to all 3branches for taking up the challenge of moderncommunications technology. Other branches, don’tforget that this facility is not costing ASSSI atpresent, so we should make as much use of thismeans of communication to members, as we possiblycan. If you are interested, the ASSSI Constitutionand by-laws is also available to view on our site.

Graham Price

Profile - Issue 121 - January 2000 4

In response to President�s Column...Dear Editor,Following Graham Price’s comments in Profile

119, I do not know if you are aware that the Guide-lines for On-site Effluent Disposal on Land (the“Silver Book”) has as one of its requirements by localcouncils, in NSW at least, that the soil report has tobe completed by a person who has a CPSS. The bookitself needs to have a more accurate soil section asattested by some of the society members but at leastthere is recognition for CPSS. Local government inNSW would be an area to target.

Pam Hazleton

New ProductDear Editor,In order to 1) raise the profile of the discipline

of Soil Science; 2) show how Soil Science is or canbe integrated to other disciplines in Earth systemScience; 3) set a global educational standard whichwould aid in the evaluation and transfer of credits forSoil Science courses 4) help instructors deliver SoilScience courses using a systems approach to addresscurrent issues in agriculture, forestry, ecology andenvironmental sciences and 5) create a global aware-ness of the importance of Soil Science to humanity,we are pleased to announce the launch of the firstvolume of the series ‘The Pedosphere and Its Dynam-ics: A Systems Approach to Soil Science’ in print andelectronic media. The title of the textbook is ‘Intro-duction to Soil Science and Soil Resources’.

We have produced three integrated products: aprint version of the text, an on-line version atwww.pedosphere.com that is freely accessible and aninteractive database of questions and answers. Weare offering the print version of the textbook and alicence for using the interactivity component for anattractive price.

We would appreciate if you could kindly bringthe above information to the attention of members ofyour organisation.

Noorallah G Juma PhDProfessor of Soil Ecology, University of AlbertaBox 60613 University of Alberta Postal StationEdmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2S4 njuma@salman productions.com

50

Profile welcomes letters,particularly those which

promote debate anddiscussion. Please send

contributions to the editor.

Coffee rock discoveryfrom page 1

Using the Geoprobe, ‘Holocene era’ (<10,000years old) ASS marine mud was recently discov-ered underlying coffee rock at more than 10 loca-tions on the Sunshine Coast. At these sites, coffeerock was usually encountered at 1-2 metres belowthe surface and in some cases was several metresthick and extremely hard. QASSIT officers DonMalcolm, Justin Adams, Ian Hall, Doug Smith, ColAhern and coastal geomorphologist, TrevorGraham from GeoCoastal were involved.

Doug Smith said “During previous mappingexercises we would stop drilling once we hit hardcoffee rock, assuming that we had hit Pleistocenematerial (10,000-1,800,000 years old) which wasvery unlikely to contain ASS material.”

Coffee rock is a hard, cemented organic sandto loamy sand with high iron content. “One theoryis that coffee rock may be able to form much morequickly than we had previously thought possible,but this idea clearly requires further research,” saidQASSIT Pedologist Bernie Powell. He suggeststhe discovery raises the question, “Is this relativelyrapid formation of coffee rock related to high levelsof iron in groundwater caused from oxidation ofiron sulfides in the marine mud?”

Detailed ASS mapping and geotechnical deepdrilling to understand catchment ASS hydrologyinteractions was able to reveal this phenomenon.This discovery has led to a revision of some of theearlier broadscale mapping (1:100,000 scale) whichonly assessed soils to the depth of coffee rock. Itis not uncommon for coastal development todisturb soils to beyond 4m deep and hence impacton underlying ASS. Therefore, QASSIT plans torevisit several areas previously mapped as non-acidsulfate soils, to check if material below the coffeerock layer is ASS.

For further information please contact DougSmith (07) 3896 9792, Col Ahern (07) 3896 9510or Trevor Graham 0417 487 968.


Riverine Plains Tour a SuccessNick Uren gives away all the secrets from the November physiography tour

of the Riverine Plain.

The Riverina and Victorian Branches of theASSSI held an exceptionally successful two-dayexcursion during which participants studied thedepositional systems of the Riverine Plain and theirrelationship to climate changes, geomorphology andagricultural land use. The tour was ably organizedand guided by David Burrow and instructed byProfessor Jim Bowler and Dr. Bruce Cockroft.

On the Friday, 58 people participated (60% non-members), the majority of whom came from DNREVictoria (55%) but a wide range of organizationswere represented. These included NSW Agriculture,Melbourne University, teachers from Sheppartonsecondary schools, private soil consultants, membersof the general public,some retirees, ANU,La Trobe University,CSIRO NSW and theNSW Dept of Land &Water Conservation.On the second day, 40people participated.Henry Haskew, whohas recently publisheda book, “Has Irriga-tion Become Degra-dation” - see Profile111 for brief review,had driven by carfrom Bargara inQueensland to bepresent - such is thespirit of the VictorianBranch!

On the first dayBruce Cockroft intro-duced the group to the depositional systems in theShepparton Region and to the relationship between“prior stream” soils and their agricultural capabilities.The contribution made by soil surveyors such as thelate Ken Skene, Ian Sargeant and others to ourunderstanding of the distribution of the soils of theRiverine Plain was readily apparent. The name of thelate Bruce Butler was frequently mentioned in thecontext of aeolian accessions of parna and of the Kcycles in relation to the sequence of events that led tothe deposits and the soils derived therefrom.

Bruce Cockroft, in his own inimitable style,convinced us that modern soil science had much to dowith the truism that “good soils are easy to manage” -you just have to spend a dollar to make more. He

also convinced us that there is a great deal of potentialto improve their productivity further. The moredifficult soils have heavier textures and are less welldrained. They represent a challenge but neverthelesstheir potential productivity is high given good drain-age and amelioration to create stable aggregates of adesirable size and the concomitant macroporosity.The challenge is one of costs rather than of science.

Friday night, a beautiful evening, was spenthaving dinner on the M. V. Mary-Anne whilst pad-dling up and down the Murray River at Echuca.Some of us discovered at personal risk to our healththat M. V. stands for More Vino!

Next morning, under the baton of Jim Bowler,ably assisted by TimStone, we headednorth to view theancestral and nowabandoned watercourses of the Murrayand Goulburn riverson the Cadell TiltBlock. The CadellFault on its north-south axis causedmajor changes in thelandscape and themovement of water

Barmah Sand Hills, Lake Kanyapella, and newcourses for the Murray and Goulburn Rivers. Otherfeatures include the Moira Lakes, Little LakeKanyapella, and the Barmah red gum forests. Somefeatures such as the Kanyapella Prior Stream defiedexplanation but, given time, a logical explanationwould have been found. Unfortunately we had tohead home after a wonderful two days.

The success of the excursion was in manyways due to the efforts of David Burrow and I amsure that all those present are most grateful for notonly the excursion booklet but also for all of the othernice touches. Thanks are also due to Bruce Cockroftand Jim Bowler.

through that land-scape. Since then,about 60,000 yearsago, the fault andclimatic change hasgiven rise to majorgeomorphologicalfeatures such as the

ABOVE: Jim Bowler, aided by Tim Stoneand a water diving stick, explains

some of the history of the Goulburnand Murray rivers.


Fixing the Foundations symposiumPresented here are abstracts from two of the key papers presented at therecent Australian Academy of Science symposium on the role of soil science

in sustainable land management.Held at the South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide 11-12 November 1999 , the

symposium challenged scientists to direct their thinking and effort to the processes in the soil which are criticalto a better understanding of ecosystem function as a basis for more sustainable management of Australia’s landand water resources. The speakers covered social, political and economic factors as well as science and pro-vided a major challenge to soil scientists as we move into 2000. Below are outlines of the talks given by JohnWilliams, CSIRO Land and Water and Kevin Goss, Murray-Darling Basin Commission. Mary White presenteda vivid and disturbing picture of the state of land across the Australian continent.

Soils, ecosystems and the functioningof the Australian landscape with

particular reference to ruralproduction

John WilliamsCSIRO Land and WaterGPO Box 1666, Canberra, ACT, 2601

Soil function is central to ecosystem functionand ecological sustainability. Soil is a seethingfoundry in which matter and energy are in constantflux as it provides the support services for ecosystemprimary production. A rich mix of mineral particles,biota, organic matter, gases, water and nutrients, soilconstitutes a self-regulating biological factory essen-tial for initiation and maintenance of life. Soildetermines the partitioning of rainfall, snowmelt orirrigation into overland flow, infiltration, storage,deep drainage and, in turn, groundwater recharge.The way soil accepts, stores, and transmits water andassociated solute, strongly influences the nature ofrivers, springs, lakes and wetlands. Organisms in soilrecycle residues converting them to nutrients andother compounds thereby providing the primary

cleaning and recycling function for ecosystems. This critical role of soil in ecosystem and

landscape function has rarely been the focus of soilscience. Much of soil science has been directed toserving a single production focus in agriculture. Thisis reflected in the fact that most Soil Science Depart-ments at our Universities have been historicallylinked with agronomy and agriculture. Few havebeen formally associated with ecology, ecosystemstudies or earth science, although a trend towardsassociation with natural resource management isincreasing.

Over the last decade there has been a clearrecognition in the move towards ecologically sustain-able development that this single focus on productionhas led to degradation of the natural resource and theenvironment. There is now increasing awareness thatecologically sustainable land and water managementrequires a shift to an ecological approach whichstudies agricultural production in the agro-ecosystemin which it is cast within the broader landscape. Soilfunction is fundamental to ecosystem health andenvironmental quality. It is therefore imperative thatthe soil science community moves its attention toincreasing knowledge and understanding of these lifesustaining processes in the soil. The challenge beforesoil scientists is to direct thinking and effort to theprocesses in the soil, which are critical to a betterunderstanding of ecosystem function as a basis formore sustainable management of Australia’s land andwater resources. In this way, soil science can play akey role in providing the scientific knowledge ur-gently required for more sustainable management ofour ecosystems in the Australian landscape.

Rural production has played a key role inAustralia’s economic development, but it has had aprofoundly detrimental impact on the quality of theland and water resources. Australian rural productionsystems have been built by drastically changing thenature and seasonal patterns in the hydrological andnutrient cycles of the native ecosystems. Tropicalrainforest made way for sugarcane monoculture;semi-arid clay plains became irrigated croplands; and


Soil Science and land and waterresource management

Kevin Goss General Manager, NaturalResources, Murray-Darling Basin CommissionGPO Box 409 Canberra, ACT [email protected]

heathlands on sand plains were converted to wheat,canola and lupin fields.

Consequently, the exotic agricultural produc-tion systems of Australia’s rural industries all face acommon core of resource and environmental prob-lems. These settle about the management of soilprocesses that determine the match between the sinksand the sources of water and nutrients in the ecosys-tem. Most of our farming operations leak water andnutrients. It is this very leaky nature of Australianagro-ecosystems, which lies at the heart of nearly allland and water degradation issues. This leakageresults in waterlogging, mobilization of salt and otherchemicals through the landscape, leaching of nutri-ents to generate soil acidification and leakage ofnutrients to water bodies. We desperately need newbiophysical solutions which can plug leaky systemsand capture the water and nutrient for productivepurposes. It is ironic that in Australian agriculture,where the shortage of both water and nutrients greatlyrestricts yield, it is the loss of both precious water andnutrient beneath crops and pastures that is the funda-mental cause of both salinity and acidification. Thisimmediately raises the prospect that if we can developsystems that make full use of available water andnutrients, they may be both more productive andmore ecologically sustainable. At the moment,unfortunately, we have few, if any, such solutions.

Our best farming practices have not beendesigned, at the outset, to operate in harmony with theuniquely Australian ecosystems in which they arecast. Progress towards ecologically sustainabledevelopment as reflected in improved quality of thenatural resource, will be made when our land usepractices have ecosystem and landscape functionalitywhich match those operating in the native ecosystemsand landscapes.

For success in this goal, the scientific effortmust first recognize that the soil/plant/animal agro-ecosystems must be studied in an integrated way andexamined as part of the larger-scale ecological andhydrological processes that operate over the land-scape. The solution must incorporate these functionsat a range of scales including paddocks, hillslope,catchment, whole landscape and the regional basin.The landscape design will need to integrate sustain-able production and maintenance of biodiversity forthe catchment and region. Any revegetation programmust have multiple objectives and, therefore, bedesigned to restore ecosystem function: hydrology,nutrient cycling, movement of biota and maintenanceof habitat. Focus on short-term animal or plantproductivity without consideration of the conse-quences on the other essential components of theagro-ecosystem and the larger-scale landscapeprocesses, can be shown to be a primary cause for

degradation of the natural resource. The way inwhich the production system interacts with thehydrological and nutrient balances, and the implica-tions of these interactions for the longer-term stabilityand ecological functionality, has been neglected orstudied in isolation from the production system. Thefirst step in our search for an ecologically sustainableagriculture, requires that we address agriculturalproduction as an agro-ecosystem which is part of thelarger-scale ecosystem and landscape processes.Knowledge of how best to rebuild the Australianlandscape and implement farming systems and landuse that is ecologically sustainable and which cansupport viable rural communities, is critical to anyregional development plan. At the moment, we runthe risk of stumbling from solving one problem whilstcreating another.

In the light of these driving forces, and the factthat knowledge of soil processes can make a keycontribution to finding solutions to the causes of landand water degradation, it is timely that action be takento refocus soil science on the fundamental role it hasin ecosystem and landscape function.

One of the big challenges for integrated catch-ment management in the Murray-Darling Basin issalinity. A recent Basin Salinity Audit has identifiedfuture impacts of salt mobilised from upland catch-

continued page 9


Brian Hughes, Richard Merry , TimHerrmann and others ran the final soil acidity andliming workshop for agribusiness early in December -an NHT funded activity. The SA Soil Acidityreference group is still going strong and meetingregularly.

Jon Fawcett, a University of Melbourne PhDstudent based in Horsham and working on the DundasTableland (western Vic), has been working throughhis soil samples with Rob Fitzpatrick and RichardMerry in Adelaide.

Angus Alston, who retired last year from theDepartment of Soil and Water at the Waite Institute,has finally cut loose and will spend a year travellingNorth America in a mobile home.

Alan Bird , a well-known nematologist andpost-retirement fellow at CSIRO Land and Water,passed away unexpectedly on 13th December.

QUEENSLAND Postgraduate Awards

Nominations for the 1999 ASSSI PostgraduateAward will be accepted up until 31 march 2000. Thisapplies to those students who have been awardedtheir degree in 1999. Students or supervisors who areinterested in making a nomination or anyone inter-ested in judging the awards should contact the Presi-dent, Rob Loch [email protected], (07) 46320410 for further details.

Plans to Video MeetingsASSSI’s Queensland branch hopes to video

presentations by guest speakers next year for distribu-tion to those members unable to attend meetings. TheCommittee is currently investigating the feasibility ofthis option and asks that Queensland membersregister their thoughts and suggestions about this ideato the President, Rob Loch (07) 4632 0410,[email protected] by 18 February 2000.

Training CourseExpressions of interest are being called for a

refresher training course “Understanding Soil Dataand its Application to Land Management” being heldin Toowoomba on July 4-5, 2000.

The 2-day course will give particular emphasisto the application of soil information and knowledgeto important and topical land management issues,including:* Land inventory and identification of good qualityagricultural land* Soil fertility and productivity* Identification and management of Acid SulfateSoils

SOUTH AUSTRALIADr Marian Skwarnecki (known as Swanny)

has recently been transferred from CSIRO QCAT inBrisbane to CSIRO Land & Water in Adelaide. He isa senior research scientist (geochemist) in CRCLEME with principal research interests in mecha-nisms of geochemical dispersion, the geochemicalsignature of mineralization in the regolith, andgeochemical techniques in mineral exploration. He iscurrently completing work on regolith and explora-tion geochemistry in the Arunta Inlier and AmadeusBasin in the Northern Territory. Swanny will shortlybe commencing a project in the Mt. Lofty Rangeswith Rob Fitzpatrick investigating the geochemistryand mineralogy of saline acid sulfate seepages withimplications for mineral exploration.

Dr Chris McLay of Waikato University de-parted Adelaide in December after a busy 4 monthswith Dr Mike McLaughlin’s group in CSIRO Landand Water. As well as packing in a considerableamount of research, Chris gave several seminarsduring his stay and interacted with many students ofthe Department of Soil and Water of Adelaide Uni-versity. Taking Chris McLay’s place, Dr CindyGrant arrived in December for a 4 month sabbatical,working with Dr Rebecca Hamon on Cd uptake bywheat in cereal/oilseed rotations. Dr Grant is aResearch Program Leader at Brandon ResearchCentre in Canada and has research interests in ureaseinhibitors, improving efficiency of N fertilizer,fertilizer management for linola production, Nplacement in reduced tillage and fertilizer manage-ment and Cd accumulation in crops. She can becontacted on [email protected] or phone08 8303 8400.

Bernie Zarcinas attended the Second Interna-tional Conference on Contaminants in the Australa-sia-Pacific Region in New Delhi, India on 12-17December and presented 3 papers on soil contamina-tion issues in south-east Asia. Also in December,Mike McLaughlin attended a risk assessmentworkshop in North Carolina organised by the Interna-tional Zinc Association.”

Wayne Meyer travelled to Sri Lanka in Decem-ber to undertake a review of the International Irriga-tion Research Institute.


* Soil erodibility, stabilisation of disturbed areas andoff-site impacts of sediment movements* Soil salinity and sodicity - issues for irrigation andeffluent disposal* Soil biology and organic carbon (soil health, carboncredits)* Introduction to soil water balance modelling

The course will be designed for environmentalmanagement professionals working for Shire and CityCouncils, State Agencies, Landcare groups, consult-ing firms, valuers, and in planning activities.

Past refresher training courses have been wellreceived, with the notes being a valuable referencesource. Course attendees will receive a book contain-ing all lectures and worked examples.

If you are interested in attending this course,please contact David Freebairn ph: (07) 4688 1391,email: [email protected] for furtherdetails. If you know of anyone else who would beinterested in the course, please forward this informa-tion onto them.

NEW SOUTH WALESWestern Field Tour February 2000

This 4-day field tour is being organised byOrange members (especially Graeme Tupper, JohnLawrie and company) and will be run in February.The tour will take in such sites as the Western PlainsZoo, Peak Hill Gold Mine, Forbes, Parkes Radiotelescope, the Central West Conservation FarmingAssociation Field Day, the Gearon Nature Reserve,Trangie research station and a cotton farm. The rangeof issues to be examined at these sites include soilhealth issues, waste treatment, environmental issues,urban salinity and sodicity. Soil pits will be exam-

ined throughout and soil landscape maps will be used/explained and local soil experts will be presentthroughout. The tour will travel by coach starting andfinishing at Dubbo and will run from the evening ofSunday 13th Feb - lunchtime Thursday 17th Feb.Costs are $200 for students and retired members,$275 for ASSSI members and $350 for others andincludes travel, meals and twin share accomodation.Special discount airfares from Sydney/Dubbo andreturn are available. For more information contactGraeme Tupper on (02) 6391 3143 [email protected] ASAP.

John Corbett Farewell DinnerAfter many years of dedicated service to soil

science, education and the ASSSI (especially theNSW branch), John Corbett has retired from theUniversity of Sydney. To celebrate John’s manyachievements for the Society and soil science ingeneral, the NSW Branch held a dinner in John’shonour after the August branch meeting. This meet-ing and the subsequent dinner was the best attendedbranch function for a long time, in no small measureto the high esteem with which John is held by mem-bers. Many speakers recounted some of their sharedexperiences with John over the past 40 years. Allattendees, especially the younger members, weretreated to a personal history of NSW soil science overthe last 40 years.

Annual General MeetingThe NSW branch held its AGM at the Univer-

sity of Sydney on December 10th 1999. Prior toformalities a seminar was presented by GeoffHumphries of Macquarie University on “Bioturbationin Soil”.

ments on irrigation, agriculture, flood plain wetlandsand regional infrastructure. In addressing a problemof this magnitude the Murray-Darling Basin Commis-sion is reinforcing its approach to catchment manage-ment and facing up to some key questions:• Current farming systems, even at the ‘best practicelevel’ in many areas are inadequate to control salinity;• Current goals for revegetation are too small tobring about significant achievements, and at higherlevels of vegetative cover there are very significanteconomic and water yield trade-offs;• Remnant vegetation is at risk and may not contrib-ute as expected to catchment-scale water use;

• ‘Living with salinity’ is part of our future; and -Innovation and development of new land use options,new enterprises and new industries are very importantto future catchment management.

What role does soil science play in this? It isclear we have to think about 100% landscape man-agement to get the regional development outcomesoff part of that natural resource while providingecological services from the rest. This level ofplanning and management challenges the naturalresource sciences to provide contemporary andintegrated advice.

If our alternative land uses are to better mimicthe capacity of natural systems to ‘not leak’ water andnutrients, then the capacity of land systems to provideproductivity growth and eco system function must bebetter evaluated, worked into management systemsand better communicated.

Fixing the Foundationsfrom page 7


Carol Smith

BSc MSc PhD

Smith Soil Consulting

NSW Branch

Areas of Interest:

pedology, soil

chemistry and

computer aided

learning

Derek Poulten

B Sc

Goulburn-Murray

Water

Vic Branch

Areas of interest:

sub-surface drainage,

salinity, waterlogging

Rebecca Hamon

BSc PhD

CSIRO Land and Water

SA Branch

Areas of interest:

trace element

chemistry, rhizoshere

physiology,

contaminant policy

Jade Swain

BSc (undergraduate)

Griffith University

Qld Branch

Areas of interest:

environmental soil

science

Rutger Vervoort

PhD

University of Sydney

NSW Branch

Areas of interest: soil

physics, solute

transport

Cameron Vacher

B Eng (Civil;

undergraduate)

Nelson Irrigation

Corporation Australia

Qld Branch

Areas of interest:

irrigation systems

design, erosion

control

Neal Dalgliesh

C Agriculture

CSIRO

Qld Branch

Areas of interest:

development of

techniques for on-

farm nomitoring of

soil water and

nutrients

Geoff Moore

B Agr Sc (Hons)

Agriculture Western

Australia

WA Branch

Areas of interest:

land capability,

mapping, perrennial

pastures

Steve Vlatko-Rulo

B Env Planning

Studies

(undergraduate)

Duke Contracting

Services

Qld Branch

Areas of interest:

contaminated land,

acid sulfate soils

Raymond Nolan

B Sc Grad Dip (Natural

Res)

Nolan and Associates

Pty Ltd

NSW Branch

Areas of interest:

land evaluation

John Field

BSc (Hons) PhD

Australian National

University

ACT Branch

Areas of interest:

pedology,

geomorphology,

forest soils

Jennifer Lang

B Sc

Department of Land

and Water

Conservation

NSW Branch


survey

Catherine Evans

B App Sc M App Sc

NSW Agriculture

NSW Branch


acidity, sodicity and

salinity

Toby Smith

B Sc

Timbercorp

Treefarms Pty ltd

Vic Branch

Areas of interest:

land evaluation for

bluegum plantations

Vanessa Hood

B Sc

Agriculture Victoria

Vic Branch


organic matter

Brett Cocks

CSIRO

Qld Branch


characterisation

Shane Cawthray

CSIRO

Qld Branch

Areas of interest: on-

farm

characterisation and

monitoring of soil

water and nutrients

Robert Carter

B A (Physical Geog)

Environmental and

Earth Sciences

NSW Branch

Areas of interest:

contaminant soil

science and

hydrogeology

Membership

application forms

are available from

Executive Officer

Alice Bass

NEW MEMBERSThe ASSSI would like to welcome the following new members:


New Member ProfilesOnce again we have a host of new members to introduce, so I thought we

should get to know a few of them alittle better so I asked Isabelle Bertrandfrom the SA branch and Steve Vlatko-Rulo from Queensland to tell us about

their background in soil science and what they hope to get from ASSSImembership

Isabelle BertrandI am a new member of the CSIRO Land and

Water team since the middle of August 1999. I have athree year post-doctoral position in Adelaide and Iwill be working in collaboration with Dr M. J.McLaughlin from CSIRO (Adelaide), Dr B.Holloway from SARDI (Minnipa) and Dr R.Armstrong from the Victorian Institute of DrylandAgriculture i.e. VIDA (Horsham). The project willfocus on increasing our understanding of phosphorusbehaviour in highly alkaline soils. The aims of this

Steve Vlatko-RuloDuke Contracting Services was established in

1990. I am mainly involved with civil engineeringbased projects undertaking geotechnical and environ-mental investigations in the areas of contaminatedland, acid sulfate soil assessments, groundwatermonitoring and effluent disposal testing. I specialisein difficult access sites utilising investigation methodsthat create minimal or nil environmental damage.After several years working in soils laboratories,beginning in QLD in 1983, I moved across to thedrilling industry and gained experience in mineralexploration, seismic drilling, piling/ rock anchoringthroughout QLD, NSW and WA before concentratingon the geo-environmental field. It was from myinvolvement in numerous contaminated land andenvironmental investigations (some that could be bestdescribed as unmitigateddisasters), that made meaware of the poor deci-sions made in terms of theway we live and develop,even though we haveaccess to so much knowl-edge and are aware ofpast mistakes. More oftenthan not, it was always acase of poor planning.This motivated me toenrol as an undergraduateat the University of theSunshine Coast in 1998,in Environmental Plan-

ning Studies and Community/Social Studies. Thedegrees focus on human interaction with each otherand the environment, combined with urban andregional planning. There is an emphasis on consider-ing the inextricable links between the environment,science, politics, economics and society. The inten-tion is to create a broader understanding of environ-mental and social issues. As a graduate, I intend tocombine these degrees with my previous experienceto offer services using an approach best described,‘from the earth up’, to provide better options forprogress and development. I’m hoping through mymembership with ASSSI to make contact withscientists in the fields of soil management, quality andrehabilitation.

BELOW: Steve underaking an investigation at EmuSwamp in Noosa national Park

project are i) to identify the major constraints toadequate P nutrition of cereal crops in highly alkalinesoils, ii) to provide a better understanding of thebehaviour of P and micronutrient elements to cerealcrops in highly alkaline soils, and iii) to developfertilisation strategies to improve crop P nutrition inhighly alkaline soils.

I am a native of the South of France and I havea degree in Mineralogy and Mineral Chemistryobtained both at the University of Toulouse III. Aftera Master’s degree completed in Marseille, I wasoffered a PhD scholarship from the French govern-


ment. I then chose a PhD proposal offered by INRA(Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)dealing with the chemistry and bioavailability of plantnutrients, and especially phosphorus, in Mediterra-nean, calcareous soils. I completed my thesis in theDepartment of Soil Science of INRA in Montpellierunder the supervision of Dr Philippe Hinsinger andDr Benoît Jaillard who are both experts in soil-rootinteractions in the rhizosphere.

The objectives ofmy PhD programmewere to study theinteractions betweenplant roots and phospho-rus-bearing mineralscommon in calcareoussoils and their conse-quences for plantnutrition. My work hasthus focussed on therhizosphere of severalcrops (canola, maize,pea and white lupin). Inorder to understand theprocesses involved insuch interactions andespecially the potentialcontribution of protonrelease by plant roots, Ihave worked mostlywith simplifiedsubstrates which wereselected as models ofsoils.

My PhD work has given me the opportunity tocollaborate with some famous soil scientists fromFrance and overseas (S. Staunton, C. Morel, J.C.Fardeau, J. Torrent, V. Barron and B. Gilkes andothers). With the new position that I have now inCSIRO and my new subscription to the AustralianSoil Science Society Incorporated I hope to integrateinto the important Australian soil science communityand begin new collaborations and interactions.

ABOVE: Isabelle settling in to the lab at CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide

Contents of the Australian Journal of Soil Research, Volume 37, No 6, 1999.

AJSR ContentsVolume 37, No 6

Restorative crops for the amelioration of degradedsoil conditions in New ZealandG. S. Francis, F. J. Tabley, K. M. White

Physical and chemical characterisation of theagricultural lands of the Soan-Sakesar Valley, SaltRange, Pakistan. Shahzad Afzal, Mohammad Younas,Khadim Hussain 1035

Soil properties under organic and conventionalmanagement in southern New South Wales. J. W.Derrick, D. C. Dumaresq 1047

Influence of moist-dry cycles on pH changes insurface soils. K. I. Paul, A. S. Black, M. K. Conyers 1057

Annual denitrification rates in agricultural and forestsoils: a review. L. Barton, C. D. A. McLay, L. A. Schipper,C. T. Smith 1073

Fate of applied phosphorus in an effluent-irrigatedPinus radiata plantation. R. A. Falkiner, P. J. Polglase1095

Soil moisture profile estimation from surfacemeasurements at multiple frequencies. R. B. Keam, J. R.Holdem, J. A. Schoonees 1107

A comparison of three soil tests for assessing Cdaccumulation in wheat grain. D. P. Oliver, the late K. G.Tiller, A. M. Alston, R. Naidu, G. D. Cozens 1125

Index to Volume 37

88888 AJSR is available on the web atwww.publish.csiro.au/journal/ajsr/

index.html


ASSSI bids for 2010 Congress

New Structure for IUSSFollowing the formation of the International

Union of Soil Science (IUSS) from the ISSS after theacceptance of Soil Science as a member of theInternational Council of Scientific Unions, theCouncil of IUSS considered it appropriate to considerthe revision of the scientific structure of the Union.The guiding principles included the wish to have arelatively small number of Divisions (the highestlevel of organisation below Council) and the need tobe able to place all the activities of the Union within

this structure. Following extensive discussions at anExecutive Council meeting of IUSS in Vienna earlyin October, the Council has presented a first attemptat devising a structure following these guidelines.This structure will be published in the forthcomingissue of the IUSS Bulletin and has appeared in theBritish Society of Soil Science newsletter (a copy isavailable from the editor of Profile). The Council iscalling for comments on the proposed structure priorto its next meeting in April.

ASSSI General MeetingAll members are cordially invited to a General Meeting of the Society

7pm, 1st March 2000 Room 324, Hartley Teakle Building, School of Land and Food

University of Queensland, St Lucia

This general meeting has been called to satisfy the requirements of the Society’sConstitution to hold such a meeting at not more that two yearly intervals. The main business

to be conducted will be the presentation of the Society’s Annual Report and Accounts for1999. It is also envisaged that the next General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the

National Soils Conference in December 2000.

As foreshadowed in the last issue of Profile,President Graham Price and Secretary Steve Rainemet with representatives of the Brisbane ConventionCentre and Brisbane Tourism in October to discussthe Australian Society of Socil Science Inc bid tohold the 19th International Soils Congress in Brisbanein 2010.

Both organisations were prepared to provideorganisational and logistical support in thepreapration and running of the event.

Contact has also been made with SceretaryGeneral Blum of IUSS who advised that no othercountries had yet shown interest in hosting the 2010Congress, after the US Soil Science Society had putits hand up for 2006. The suggested that ASSSIsubmit its case to an Extraordinary meeting of IUSSto be held in Bangkok in April 2000. It was indicatedthat an invitation to attend this meeting will be sent in

the near future.According to IUSS by-laws, the host country

has an obligation to give 10% of the registration feeof the Congress (minimum $US10 000) to IUSS afterthe end of the Congress. The case supporting theapplication has to include official documents indicat-ing that ASSSI has the backing of institutions such asministries (presumably government departments orministers of the crown). and universities to ensure thatfinancial obligations can be met.

The pros and cons of committing ASSSI to aCongress such a long time in advance of the eventwere discussed at the November Federal Coucilmeeting. There was unanimous support for ASSSI toproceed in the preparation of its case, thereforeFederal Council expects to liase with the IUSS,Brisbance Convention Centre and Brisbane Tourismto assist in preparing the case.


Life Member ProfileThis issue we continue the life member profile series by talking to Bruce

Cockroft of the Victorian Branch about his career in soil science and wherethe future lies.

Born in Swan Hill on the Murray River, BruceCockroft attended Swan Hill High before undertakingan Agricultural Science degree at the MelbourneUniversity in 1949. As a new graduate Bruce beganwork at the irrigated agriculture research institute inTatura in 1953, before taking study leave to completea Masters Degree at Melbourne University and PhDunder Keith Barley and Bill Greacen at the WaiteInstitute in Adelaide on soil physics and the mechan-ics of root growth. Returning to Tatura he continuedinvestigating soil physics in the context of soilmanagement for irrigated agricultural systems, a topiche continues to actively pursue to this day. Brucewas appointed Director of the institute at Tatura in1970 and retired in 1989 to take on research consul-tancy in irrigated orchards and row crops.

Career HighlightsThroughout his career, Bruce has been integral

to the development and adoption of several improve-ments to soil management systems in irrigatedorchards. Conventional soil preparation methodsgave way to zero-till management in the 1960’s. Inthe early 1990’s this system was refined with theintroduction of more intensive soil preparationincluding ripping, addition of organic matter andhilling. Today research is focusing on furtherimprovements to this system. In conjunction withother agronomic advances, the improvement in soilmanagement systems has been responsible for a four-fold increase in theproductivity of irrigatedorchard systems in theGoulburn Valley withmore gains possible. Thefocus of this work hasalso been to make farm-ing systems less expen-sive and easier to under-take for growers.

Involvement withASSSI

Bruce became amember of te ASSSI inthe 1950’s, soon after theSociety was formed andhas served as Treasurer tothe Victorian Branch. He

was awarded life member status in July 1989 andcontinues to be involved with society activities suchas the recent Riverine Plains Tour.

Favourite SoilBruce confesses that his favourite soils are the

chernozem-like, recent volcanic soils found in south-western Victoria, chosen because of their structure.

Future for Soil ScienceAccording to Bruce soil science is crucial to the

economic and environmental future of Australia’sfarming lands. He contends that in Australia, irri-gated agricultural yields are well below potential, andbelieves that productivity gains must be targeted insoil research. This is because the per hectare profit-ability of agricultural systems will determine ifconservation is affordable, and whether soil manage-ment issues such as salinity and waterlogging can bemanaged sustainably.

Bruce is enthusiastic about how Australian soilscience has developed a wonderful fraternity andenjoys catching up with friends at conferences andfield excursions. This extends internationally, whereAustralian soil scientists are made welcome by theircolleagues everywhere, due to the high regard thathas developed for Australian soil science.

BELOW: Bruce (far right) explains anexample of the Riverine K2 on the

recent Riverine Plains Bus Tour.


Biological Factors in RegolithFormation - Symposium

Preliminary Notice and Call for Expressions of Interest

Recently, a number of workshops and publications have included mention of the importance of BiologicalFactors in the Formation and Management of Regolith. Following on from the very successful workshop on

Aeolian Dust, the CRC for Landscape Evolution and Mineral Exploration will be sponsoring a two dayworkshop on the 29th and 30th of June in Canberra with a 1 day (2 days if sufficient interest) field trip on

the 1st of July between Canberra and Sydney (ending in Sydney with free connection to the AustralianGeological Conference which follows immediately).

Some of the issues that might be addressed:* Increasingly authors describe the importance of soil biota to soil formation and management.

* Explorationists are researching the role of microbes in the transfer and concentration of metals(eg. gold) in the regolith.

* Regolith scientists are describing the role of organisms in mobilising aluminium and silica inambient conditions that will not normally lead to dissolution.

* Microbial fossils are being found in ferricretes and silcretes* The number and diversity of organisms that exist in ground water are rapidly proving to be as

great as many complex terrestrial ecosystems.* “Superbugs” operating at scales up to kilometres in depth in weathering reactions.

Those interested in taking part in such a workshop, particularly if willing to present a paper in written orposter form, are asked to advise [email protected], (02) 6249 3566 with their contact details and adescription of their contribution as soon as possible. The organisers will acknowledge these contacts andconstruct a program. Already a number of leading scientists have agreed to take part, offering papers on

topics as diverse as those described above.John Field Convenor BFRF

YEAR 2000 SUBSCRIPTIONSBy now all members should have received a subscription renewal notice for theyear 2000 fees. If you have not, please contact me. These fees are due byMarch 31st 2000 and as always, if you pay by this date you will be able to takeadvantage of the $10 discount in fees.

Unfortunately, we still have members who have not paid their 1999 membershipfees. If you are one of these members, the amount owing is listed on the form.The Federal Council decided at its meeting on November 25th 1999, that any

member who has not paid the 1999 and 2000 fees by March 31st 2000, will be removed to an inactivelist. These members will not receive any correspondence from the Society including the ProfileNewsletter or Branch newsletters until they pay all fees owing.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE CLOSUREThe Executive Office will be closed from Monday January 10th 2000 and will re-open on Monday January 31st 2000. If you wish leave a message on 08 83515084, fax on 08 8351 5184, email me on [email protected] or wait until Ireturn! Alternatively, if you feel it is urgent you may be able to contact one of themembers of Federal Council.

Remember that I am only here on a part-time basis. My normal hours are:Monday and Tuesday: 10am - 4.30pm and Wednesday: 10am -1.30pm.

Have a happy year 2000! Alice Bass, Executive Officer


Soil Scientist’s Scrapbook

This picture of a field day held on the Darling Downs shows us how little haschanged in how we share information. The only clues to when this event was heldis in the very smart attire of the participants and the style of the vehicle. Some

members might like to hazard a guess as to which year this photo was taken.

Soils ThesesBrendan George“Comparison of techniques for measuringthe water content of soil and other porousmedia”University of Sydney, Department ofAgricultural Chemistry and Soil ScienceAwarded: M Sc [email protected]

Robert Kelly“The effects of vesicular arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi on the nutrition ofsugarcane”University of Queensland, School of Land andFoodSupervisors: Prof DG Edwards, Dr JPThompson, Dr RC MagareyAwarded: PhD [email protected]

Soils on the WebThe following sites may come in handy nexttime you go surfing for some soils relatedinformation:

International Soil Reference and InformationCentre (ISRIC)www.isric.nl

Approximate correlations between Australianand other soil classifications (cty ACLEP site)www.cbr.clw.csiro.au/aclep/asc/append5.htm

Australian Soil and Plant Analysis Councilwww.42south.com/aspac/

Periodic Table of Elements (cty WebElements)www.webelement.com/


“How well do we promote interest in soilscience?” In Toowoomba an Agricultural Business& Technology Careers Expo to interest Grade 11 and12 students from southern Queensland schools incareers in agriculture and related industries was heldlast August . Almost 300 students came from 22schools as far afield as the Lockyer Valley,Goondiwindi and Miles .

“I was fortunate enough to have prepared adisplay showing analytical equipment used for soil,plant and pesticide analyses with surrounding postersdescribing acid sulfate soil studies, salinity andnumerous photos of field trials as well as careerinformation from the University of Queensland. Theinterest by the students in the application of chemistryto agricultural and environmental problems was sogreat that I soon ran out of publicity brochures,intended mainly as information to be held in schools,and was one of the last exhibitors still talking at theend of the evening !

Maybe Society members should make better useof the promotional opportunities offered by participat-ing in such activities.”

John Standley

Careers Expo uncovers interest in soil science

Vice-president, Lyn Abbott is interested in wayswe can encourage and improve student involvewmentwith the ASSSI. If you have any ideas or commentson this topic please contact Lyn - details on page 23.

After attending a careers event recently, John Stadley shares a fewthoughts on the scope of interest in soil science careers.

ABOVE: An enthusiastic John Standleypromoting the benefits of a career in

soil science. The title of the display was�Analytical Chemistry: Detectives at

Work�. This photo was taken just beforethe invasion of students began.

Soil Scientists from China, India, Israel, NewZealand and USA will be heading towards regionalVictoria to participate in a three day “Sodicity Con-ference” that will be held at the Institute of Sustain-able Irrigated Agriculture (ISIA), Tatura from 28February-1 March 2000.

Some of the prominent scientists attending thisconference include: Prof J. D. Oster (University ofCalifornia), Dr Donald Suarez (US Salinity Labora-tory USDA-ARS), Prof Issac Shainberg and Dr ArieNadler (Institute of Soil and Water, The VolcanicCentre, Israel), Prof R. W. Tilllman (Massey Univer-sity) and Dr Bob Sojka (USDA) along with Austral-ian scientists of the calibre of Dr A. P. Hamblin, ProfJ. P. Quirk and Dr P. Rengasamy.

The Victorian and the Riverina branches ofASSSI are among the many sponsors. Other sponsorsinclude: DNRE/Agricultural Victoria, MDBC,DRDC, GVRDC, GRDC, Goulburn Valley Water(GVW), Goulburn-Broken Catchment ManagementAuthority (GBCMA), Natural Gypsum Miners

Sodicity Conference attractsinternational guests

Association of Victoria Inc, (NGMA), GypsumMiners in Victoria (Northern Gypsum, CUMCOGypsum, and Polisbet Natural Gypsum), ProcessedGypsum Products Australia Pty. Ltd., John MoratoEnterprises (Gypsum distributors in Queensland).

The proceedings of the conference will bepublished in a special issue of Australian Journal ofExperimental Agriculture (AJEA).

The topics that will be covered in the confer-ence include sodicity in irrigation waters(groundwater, wastewater and drainage water),sodification of agricultural soils, sodicity problems inagricultural systems, amelioration and managementof sodic soils.

For more information contact : Dr AravindSurapaneni, Institute of Sustainable Irrigated Agricul-ture (ISIA), Private Bag, Ferguson Road, Tatura,Victoria 3616, AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 3 5833 5223Fax: +61 3 5833 5299 Email: [email protected]. Conference web page: http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/conf/sodicity/


The192nd ASSSI Federal Council Meeting was heldon the 25th November 1999 at the University ofSouthern Queensland, Toowoomba

1. WelcomeThe President opened the meeting at 10.27 am with aspecial welcome to L Abbott attending her firstmeeting in person and R Loch in his capacity as thenew Queensland Branch President.

2. AttendancePresent: G Price, L Abbott, S Raine, J White, DLester, R Loch (Qld), J Standley (Riv proxy), DEdwards (SA proxy), C Ahern, A Bass (executiveofficer on telephone for item 6)Apologies: L Sullivan, N Menzies,

3. Minutes of the 191st CouncilmeetingS Raine noted that the sub-section numbers in Section5 were incorrect and that the first sentence of Section10.4 should have been “L Sullivan reported that, aswith all scientific journals, the long-term future ofAJSR is under pressure due to a number of factorsincluding the level of subscriptions and asked theCouncil to consider options for supporting and/orpromoting the publication”. S Raine moved that, withthe above amendments, the minutes of the previousmeeting be accepted as a true and correct record,seconded D Edwards. Motion carried.

4. Business arising from theminutes4.1 Re: 4.6 G Price and S Raine are still to reviewBy-laws 25 & 28 and prepare a submission toCouncil.

4.2 Re: 4.7. R Fitzpatrick is still to prepare asubmission in relation to By-Law 29 for considera-tion by Council.

4.3 Re: 5.1 CPSS Agreement with AIAST has beensigned. J White to include a copy of the substan-tive sections of the agreement in the next issue ofProfile.

4.4 Re: 8.2: The 1997 Annual Return has beenlodged with the ACT Department of Justice andCommunity Safety. The 1998 Annual Return isexpected to be lodged within the next month but isdependent on the 1998 audit report being finalised.The ASSSI Public Officer, W Bond, has also indi-cated that he is unwilling to continue in this role. SRaine to contact ACT Branch to confirm a suit-able replacement.

4.5 Re: 8.3: Auditor’s report from the 1998 na-tional conference sent to Vic Branch as requested.

4.6 Re: 10.2 The replacement ASSSI representa-tive on the CPSS Soil Science Assessment Panel isyet to be confirmed.

4.7 Re: 10.3 The ASSSI representatives on theCPSS Standards Committee are still being finalised.

5. President�s ReportG Price reported that he attended the last meeting ofthe National Conference Organising Committee andvisited the conference venue, Lincoln University.The Committee appears to be well on target and thevenue appropriate. Discussion of the draft publicityand registration documents ensued with G Price toconvey comments back to the Committee. It wasalso suggested that, if possible, G Price should attendthe meeting of the Committee planned for June 2000.

6. Executive Officer�s Report6.1 A Bass reported that the reminder notices tounfinancial members has been sent out in September.As at the 24th November the Society had 952 mem-bers of whom only 647 were financial. During theyear, the Society has had 51 members resign and 60new members apply. Only 157 of our members areIUSS members and only 104 members are currentlyCPSS accredited. A Bass to provide to the Treas-urer a breakdown of the number of financial/unfinancial members in each Branch for use indispersing funds.

6.2 The issue of unfinancial members was discussed.It was resolved that members owing dues for 1999 asat the 31st March 2000 should be moved to theinactive list. A Bass will forward a list of the


breakdown of financial/unfinancial members toeach Branch Treasurer.

6.3 A Bass indicated that renewal notices should beready to be sent out in December and that she wouldinvestigate the production of the membership certifi-cates during January/February. D Edwards alsoraised concerns over the lack of quality certificateswhich could be provided in association with Societyawards including the granting of Honorary Member-ship status. A Bass to investigate options.

6.4 A Bass indicated that she would be meeting withA Millman (AIAST) in early December to confirmthe administrative issues in relation to the CPSSscheme.

6.5 Discussion of the processing of new membershipapplications was invited by the chair. After a discus-sion principally of the delays in the current approvalprocess it was pointed out that there should be nodelays if the process as outlined in the by-laws isfollowed. Hence, new applications for membershipshould be sent directly to the Executive Officer forprovisional approval and a copy of the application issent to the relevant Branch only for their informationand records. Formal approval is received at the nextFederal Council meeting.

7. Treasurer�s Report7.1 The draft audit of the 1998 Society Accounts hasbeen received but the final audit report is yet to theproduced by the auditors.

7.2 D Lester expects to distribute the 1999 Branchfees to the Branches before the end of December.

7.3 A request was received from the AustralianContaminated Land Association for the distribution oftheir share of the surplus from the Workshop held in1998. As it is assumed that this is the last request forfunds in relation to this workshop, D Lester willfinalise the workshop accounts.

7.4 A discussion of the framework for the establish-ment of an “educational fund” using the contaminatedlands workshop surplus as suggested by the previousCouncil ensued. C Ahern proposed that as a generalprinciple applications for seed funding should befrom an ASSSI Branch or member for the purpose ofconducting soils related training workshops whichintend to at least cover the full costs of the workshopthrough fees. Applications should include a fullycosted budget showing repayment of the seed funding

(maximum of $2000 per workshop) plus a minimum10% surplus within three months of the workshopbeing conducted. The support of the ASSSI wouldnormally expect to be acknowledged in all publica-tions and at the workshop. Seconded L Abbott.Motion carried.

7.5 D Lester opened debate on the Federal Councilbudget for 2000 by noting that there is an expected$10000 operating deficit due to the relatively lownumber of financial members. General debate ensuedbut there was no support for an increase in fees at thistime given the increase at the start of 1999. It wasresolved that fees would be reviewed again at the endof 2000.

7.6 D Lester moved that the accounts paid during theprevious period be endorsed and the outstandingaccounts be approved for payment. Seconded SRaine. Motion carried.

8. Secretary�s ReportS Raine tabled a full listing of correspondence in andout for Council. Substantive matters arising from thecorrespondence and other secretariat responsibilities:

8.1 A request for sponsorship was received from theVictorian Branch to support the travel costs of aninvited speaker to the sodic soils conference beingheld in February 2000. In accordance with earlierdecisions in these matters, it was resolved not tosupport travel costs of speakers which could reason-ably be covered by registration fees. There was alsosome discussion in relation to the possibility ofoffering to provide matching funding for studentattendance, but this was not supported on the groundsthat the conference has a narrow discipline focus andis not being promoted as an ASSSI event.

8.2 The Society is still seeking a representative forthe IUSS Soil Organic Fertiliser and Amendmentscommittee.

8.3 There has been some correspondence with IHollingsworth regarding the possibility of establish-ing an ASSSI Branch or regional representative in theNorthern Territory. As the number of members in theNT is currently too small to form a separate Branch,this matter has been referred to the Qld Branch toconsider regional representation for the area.

8.4 Applications for membership from eighteenpeople were tabled. S Raine moved that all the


applicants be admitted to the Society, seconded JStandley. Motion carried

8.5 S Raine moved that the inwards correspondencebe accepted and that the outwards endorsed. Sec-onded R Loch. Motion carried.

9. Editor�s Report9.1 J White has spoken to the printer with regard tosome delays which have been experienced and willreassess their performance after the next issue.

9.2 J White invited comment on the content of the lastissue of Profile. D Edwards suggested that it might bean opportune time to create an historical sectionwhich includes reminiscences from members aboutthe establishment and initial activities of the Society.

10. General Business10.1 Accreditation sub-committee report: R Lochreported that he had co-opted L Sullivan and KCoughlan for the sub-committee. He also indicatedthat he had started reviewing the operation of severalother professional accreditation schemes including theexpertise and products supplied as part of the accredi-tation process. This preliminary investigation hasalready revealed that most schemes of note include aprocess for the registration of grievances and for theimposition of fines and/or penalties.

10.2 Student development sub-committee report: LAbbott reported that she is still awaiting expressionsof interest from prospective committee members andis still particularly looking for student participation.

10.3 Marketing sub-committee report: J Whitereported that she has co-opted I Fillery (WA), GBeecher (Riv) and A Smith (Vic) and that the com-mittee is initially focusing on identifying opportuni-ties and existing resources to support a marketing

program.

10.4 IUSS Congress in 2010. S Raine reported thatthere has been strong support from the Branches andthe Brisbane Convention Centre in relation to hostingthe 2010 Congress. The response from the IUSSindicates that a nomination could be assessed at theApril 2000 IUSS Extraordinary Council meeting inBangkok. After discussion, D Edwards moved thatFederal Council prepare a submission to host the2010 Congress for consideration at the IUSS meeting.Seconded L Abbott. Motion carried. G Price & SRaine to prepare a draft submission for considera-tion at the next Federal Council meeting.

10.5 The WA Branch has indicated that they aresupportive of holding a tour in collaboration with the2002 IUSS Congress in Bangkok. S Raine to com-municate with the IUSS and identify the proposeddates and requirements.

10.6 G Price noted that there is a requirement underthe Society’s Constitution for a general meeting to beheld at an interval of not more than two years. As thelast general meeting had been held on the 27 April1998 there is a need for a meeting prior to April 2000.It was resolved that the next ASSSI General Meetingbe held in conjunction with the Qld Branch Meetingin March 2000. J White to ensure that a meetingnotice is included in the next issue of Profile.

10.7 Federal Council meeting dates were confirmedas the 24th February 2000, 25th May 2000, 31stAugust 2000 and 8th December 2000.

11. ClosureThe president declared the meeting closed at 5.10pm.The next meeting of the Federal Council will be heldat USQ on the 24th February 2000.

Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award

This prestigious annual Award was introduced in 1991 by the Ian Clunies RossMemorial Foundation. It has now honoured forty-six special Australians who

have made an outstanding contribution to the application of science andtechnology for the benefit of Australia.

Award recipients will be publicly honoured with a silver medal at a formalpresentation and dinner to be held at Hoel Sofitel, Melbourne on Wednesday

29th March 2000.

Information from Mary Bolger on (03) 9854 6266, [email protected] orwww. cluniesross.org.au


Queensland Rail Sponsors Soils DaysA recent series of soil management workshops

in rural Queensland were sponsored by QueenslandRail, the state rail network. The Soil Matters work-shops were designed around the publication of thesame name (see Profile 119 for a review), and held onfarms at several centres in Queensland’s croppingregions during August.

Soil cores from contrasting profiles in neigh-bouring properties were available for ‘hands on’discussions of soil chemical and structural propertiesaffecting management. ASSSI stalwart, CliffThompson was on hand to explain how these relatedto paddock history and how the soil was formed.

Participants also discussed the methods andtools for taking soil samples in a fertility and moisturemonitoring programme. The concept of plant avail-able water and the use of computer models to predictit was discussed with specialists from the AgriculturalProduction Systems Research Unit of the CSIRObased in Toowoomba.

ABOVE: Over fifty primary producersattended the Soil Matters field dayat Moura. It was hands on action at

four different �activity stations�.

Seeding Fund Reminder

Members are reminded that the FederalCouncil has available an ‘Educational Fund’which is to be used as a seeding fund to helplaunch workshops.

This fund was established after a successfulcontaminated land management workshopheld in 1998 by the previous federal councilnetted approximately $9000 for the society.

Applications for seed funding should be froman ASSSI Branch or member for the purposeof conducting soils related trainingworkshops which intend to at least cover thefull costs of the workshop through fees.Applications should include a fully costedbudget showing repayment of the seedfunding (max. $2000 per workshop) plus amimimum 10% surplus (to ensure the growthof the fund) within three months of theworkshops being conducted.

Agreement with AIAST

Included with this issue of Profile you will finda copy of the relevant parts of theMemorandum of Agreement between theAIAST and the ASSSI for the implementationof the standards for professional soilscientists.

A great deal of effort has been expended inensuring that this agreement meets therequirements of the ASSSI and is providedhere for the benefit of members. A completecopy is available by contacting the FederalSecretary Steve Raine(contact details onp23).

This agreement came into force on 1 July1999 and is due for renewal on 1 July 2001.It is important that those members who areaffected by the agreement (ie. those withCPSS status) advise the Federal Council ofany problems with the agreement ordifficulties with the CPSS process.

More from the President


13-18 Feb 2000NSW Branch WesternField Tour, Dubbotel: (02) 6391 [email protected]

14-18 Feb 2000Internationalconference onmanaging naturalresources andsustainableagriculturalproduction in the21st century, NewDelhi, IndiaISSS Dr A.K. Singh,Indian AgriculturalResearch Institute,New Delhi 110 012,India,tel 91 11 573 1494,fax 91 11 5755

28 Feb-1 Mar 2000Sodicity Conference:Sodicity Issues inAgriculturalIndustries, TaturaVictoriatel (03) 5833 5223fax (03) 5833 [email protected]/conf/sodicity/

2-5 March 2000InternationalLandcareConference,Melbourne(03) 96906744

11-17th MarchWorld WaterCongress, Melbournetel (03) 96820244fax (03) 96820288

9-13 April 20005th Australian WasteConvention: NewMillenium, NewOpportunities,Sydneytel (02) 9410 1302fax (02) 9415 [email protected]

26 April 20004th WA Symposiumon Ions in the Soil-Plant-WaterContinuum, Perthtel (08) 9222 3031fax (08) 9325 [email protected]

29-30 June 2000Biological Factors inRegolith FormationSymposium,Canberratel 02 6249 3566fax 02 6249 [email protected]

2-7 July 2000Tillage at theThreshold of the21st Century:Looking Ahead, 15thInternationalConference of theInternational SoilTillage ResearchOrganisation, Texaswww.agen.tamu.edu/organizations/istro

Any conferences, courses,seminars or workshops

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4-5 July 2000Understanding SoilData and itsApplication to LandManagement,Toowoomba, QLDtel: (07) 4688 [email protected]

11-12 July 2000Soils 2000 - ASSSI WABranch triennialconference, AvonValley, WAtel (08) 9333 6299fax (08) 9387 [email protected]

12-18 July 2000First InternationalConference on Soilsof Urban, Industrial,Traffic and MiningAreas, IUSS, Essen,Germanywww.ni-essen.de/bodenkunde

21-25 Aug 2000InternationalSymposium ofAdvances in Carbonand Nutrient Cyclingand CatchmentProcesses inManaged Forests,Brisbanetel (07) 38757494fax (07) [email protected]

4-6 Sep 2000Eurosoil 2000,University ofReading, UKDr JH Gauldtel 01221 318611fax 01224 208065www.bsss.bangor.ac.uk

17-23 Sep 2000The FirstInternationalSymposium onPhosphorus in theSoil-PlantContinuum, Beijing,Chinawww.general.uwa.edu.au/u/soilweb/welcome

3-8 Dec 2000NZSSS/ASSSI NationalSoils Conference2000. New Horizonsfor a New Century,Lincoln University,New [email protected] 64 3325 2811fax 64 3325 384www.lincoln.ac.nz/cted/NZSSS

200217th World Congressof Soil Science,Bangkokwww.17wcss.ku.ac.th


FEDERAL COUNCILPresidentGraham PriceIncitec Ltd, PO Box 140Morningside QLD 4170tel 07 3867 9430fax 07 3867 [email protected]

Vice-presidentLyn AbbottUWA, Nedlands, WA 6009tel 08 9380 2499fax 08 9380 [email protected]

SecretarySteve RaineUniversity of SthnQueensland, ToowoombaQLD 4350tel 07 4631 1691fax 07 4631 [email protected]

TreasurerDavid LesterIncitec Ltd, PO Box 623Toowoomba QLD 4350tel 07 4639 7403fax 07 4639 [email protected]

Executive officerAlice BassPO Box 396, Daw Park 5041tel 08 8351 5084fax 08 8351 [email protected]

Profile editorJonnie WhitePO Box 936Biloela QLD 4715tel 07 4992 6041fax 07 4992 [email protected]

WESTERN AUSTRALIAPresidentIan FilleryCSIRO Division of PlantIndustries, Private Bag PO,Wembley 6014tel 08 9333 6681fax 08 9387 [email protected]

SecretaryMike WongCSIRO Land & Water,Private Bag PO, Wembley6014tel 08 9333 6299fax 08 9387 [email protected]

TreasurerKeith LindbeckPO Box 144, Bull Creek6149tel 08 9332 0671fax 08 9332 [email protected]

Newsletter editorDavid AllenChemistry Centre, 125 HayStreet, East Perth 6004tel 08 9222 3031fax 08 9325 [email protected]

SOUTH AUSTRALIAPresidentRob FitzpatrickCSIRO Land and WaterPMB 2 Glen Osmond 5064tel 08 8303 8511fax 08 8303 [email protected]

SecretaryPaul DalbyPrimary Industries andResources SAGPO Box 1671Adelaide SA 5001tel 08 8303 9332fax 08 8303 [email protected]

TreasurerBernie ZarcinasCSIRO Land and WaterPMB 2 Glen Osmond 5064tel 08 8303 8429fax 08 8303 [email protected]

ACTPresidentJohn FieldDepartment of Forestry,Australian NationalUniversityCanberra ACT 0200tel 02 6249 3566fax 02 6249 [email protected]

VICTORIAPresidentAustin BrownState ChemistryLaboratoryCorner Sneydes & SouthRoad Werribee 3030tel 03 9742 8728fax 03 9742 [email protected]

SecretaryAravind SurapaneniInstitute for SustainableIrrigated Agriculture,Tatura 3616tel 03 5833 5222fax 03 5833 [email protected]

TreasurerRobert EdisInstitute of Land & FoodResourcesUniversity of MelbourneParkville 3052tel 03 9344 7131fax 03 9344 [email protected]

NEW SOUTH WALESPresidentLeigh SullivanSouthern Cross UniversityPO Box 157, Lismore 2480tel 02 6620 3742fax 02 6621 [email protected]

SecretaryBrendan GeorgeState Forests, PO Box 100,Beecroft 2119tel 02 9872 0136fax 02 9871 [email protected]

TreasurerChris ConoleyDept of AgriculturalChemistry & Soil Science,University of Sydney 2006tel 02 9351 2089fax 02 9351 [email protected]

RIVERINAPresidentGeoff BeecherYanco AgriculturalInstituteYanco 2703tel 02 6951 2725fax 02 6955 [email protected]

SecretaryFiona MacdonaldState Forests of NSWTywnam StNarrandera 2700tel 02 6959 1233fax 02 6959 1596

Soils ContactsTreasurerHarnam GillYanco AgriculturalInstituteYanco 2703tel 02 6951 2725fax 02 6955 [email protected]

QUEENSLANDPresidentRob Loch67 Bridge StToowoomba Q 4350tel 07 4632 0410fax 07 4632 [email protected]

SecretaryPax BlameyUniversity of Qld,St Lucia 4072tel 07 3365 2081fax 07 3365 [email protected]

TreasurerAngus McElneaDNR, 80 Meiers RdIndooroopilly 4068tel 07 3896 9553fax 07 3896 [email protected]

TASMANIAPhilip SmethurstCSIRO Forestry & ForestProducts, GPO Box 252-12,Hobart 7001tel 03 6226 7953fax 03 6226 [email protected]

NEW ZEALANDPresidentPaul GreggMassey UniversityPrivate Bag 11222Palmerston North, NZ

EditorAlastair CampbellDept of Soil ScienceLincoln UniversityPO Box 84Canterbury NZ

Please notifyAlice Bass andyour branchsecretary of

any change ofoffice oraddress

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