The development of Western Australian sand plain soils for agriculture

Authors

Richard Philip Roberts
F. L. Shier

Keywords

Sandy soils, Marginal land, Land capability, Land development, Cropping systems, Western Australia

Disciplines

Agricultural Economics | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Soil Science

First Page Number

855

Last Page Number

864

ISSN

0021-8618

Abstract

IN a recently published economic survey of the Australian wheat growing industry, it was reported that nearly two-thirds of the farms surveyed in Western Australia were located on lateritic "sand plain."

As a random selection was made of the eighty farms that were visited it is reasonable to conclude that a similar proportion of all the State's wheat producing farms are on that type of country.

This constitutes a remarkable change from the earlier days of wheat belt settlement when the sand plain soils were regarded as virtually useless and by-passed for development.

It is the purpose of this article to give a brief account of the agricultural development of those soils in the south-western part of Western Australia and to consider the factors which have been responsible for the change.

Recommended Citation

Roberts, Richard Philip and Shier, F. L. (1960) "The development of Western Australian sand plain soils for agriculture," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 1: No. 10, Article 3.
Available at: https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4/vol1/iss10/3