PLANT MORPHOGENESIS FOR SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT OF RANGE RESOURCES 



129 



ing, and reseeding. Such treatments have gen- 

 erally been dismissed as uneconomic in Australia, 

 at least in the short term. Most trials have yielded 

 unspectacular results, but no serious attempts 

 have been made to design, from first principles, 

 specific methods for particular landscapes and 

 problems. When only spare time labor is used, 

 costs can be as low as 12 to 15 cents per hectare. 



Rangeland Types And Their Management 



Aiistralia's rangelands contain a multitude of 

 climate/soil/ vegetation types arranged in many 

 spatial combinations. Common features are in- 

 fertile soils and a low forage production of low 

 nutritive value. In recent years, several descrip- 

 tions using a similar broad general classification 



have been published (18, 22, 25). The classifica- 

 tion grossly oversimplifies the situation but pro- 

 vides a comprehensible framework within which 

 to discuss general management requirements and 

 strategies. The main types are Mitchell grass 

 grasslands, chenopod shrublands, low woodland, 

 spinifex, and floodplains. 



Mitchell Grass Grasslands 



These mainly occur in a broad arc across the 

 north and north-eastern part of the area (3, 21^, 

 28) (figure 1), and have a higher primary pro- 

 ductivity and higher stock carrying capacity than 

 other types. Rainfall is comparatively high 

 (mostly 200-500 mm.) and reliable, almost en- 

 tirely restricted to summer in the north but with 



s y<*ney 



Figure 1. — Map of Australia, showing rangelands. 



