Iaska

Rain in Keller

 Kellerberrin is a dry area of the country and rain is a welcome thing for farmers. As it is in much of Australia. Farmers are sowing their crops. It seems in the past farmers have waited until the first rain before they would sow. Over the past few years some farmers have begun to sowing before the rain as they cant rely on the rain coming in time.

But today there was rain.

Strangly enough rain is not always a good thing.

On one hand it is wanted and needed yet on the other hand, it contributes greatly to soil salinity.

This area was heavily cleared of trees 100 years ago. As a consequence of this clearing the landscape has been changed dramatically. It has become extremely salty, (see the image in the first blog entry.) Because the trees have been removed there are little to no deep roots left in the soil. The roots of the trees, held water in the soil profile, the roots also used 'ground water' that is deep below the soil surface. With no roots using and storing water, it is rising to the surface. When it does the water gets evaporated and the salt gets left behind.

And there it is.. a Salty landscape that nothing wants to grow in and no one wants to drink .... 'The Rise of the White Death' is the term I like the best.

2 million hectares are affected by salinity in WA. 5.7 million Australia wide.

There is no doubt that land clearing is the problem.

Land clearing is still continuing in Australia. It seems some people just cant get enough, send them a bag of salt today. salt for breakfast lunch and dinner, delicious.

Back to Kellerberrin where there are nearly no trees to clear, that job has already been done. So as the rain falls today the seeds that have been sown during the week will be loving it. The rest of the rain water, with its small traces of salt will be heading down to meet the water table and dragging the white death up with it on its return.

The problem with wheat and other annual crops is firstly it has shallow roots that doesn't lock enough water into the soil. It doesn't use any water from the water table. Secondly after harvest, during summer there is no wheat to absorb any water at all. The soil is left, naked, exposed.

Shallow

With all the talk of dryland salinity, it is not hard to see that it is one of the most far reaching and pressing environmental issues in Australia. It so cruelly describes the problem of land clearing and consequences of altering the landscape on such a large scale.

Many plans are in place and strategies are being explored to keep the salt in check. I'm discovering many different approaches and opinions.

Replanting trees is the best solution, making this practical is challenging.