The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has made available for farmers a new online tool to help with the rehabilitation of salt-affected lands.
The Saltland Genie web-based app, developed in conjunction with Great Southern-based natural resource management group, Gillamii Centre, brings together information to help landholders implement solutions on their salt-affected land.
The Department said farmers and landholders could enter their water and soil salinity measurements to help find practical solutions, access information about on-site implementation and estimate the return on planned rehabilitation investment.
It said there were details on suitable plant species for salt-affected land, farmer case studies and a water salinity calculator to determine safe drinking water requirements for sheep and cattle.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Jackie Jarvis said dryland salinity was a critical issue on farms, reducing the growth of pastures and crops and affecting the biodiversity, water resources and remnant vegetation.
“The Saltland Genie online tool makes resources readily available for farmers to rehabilitate and improve the productivity of salt-affected land,” Ms Jarvis said.
“The website collates 30 years of producer and science-driven results, bringing together decision-making tools and on-farm experiences to help find practical management options to overcome salinity.”
Dryland salinity affects about 1.75 million hectares of public and private land in the South-West of the State, resulting in lost agricultural productivity.
Further information about the Saltland Genie project can be accessed at this PS News link.
