Many of the temperate and subtropical species such as Lucerne, Rhodes grass, any of the Panics and Setaria are not suited to heavily waterlogged sites. Kikuyu, Phalaris, Tall Wheat grass and Tall Fescue, however, are very waterlogging tolerant. In general, look for sites with some drainage, short duration transient waterlogging will generally be tolerated, prolonged waterlogging usually will not.

In the next newsletter we can discuss in more detail some of the species of perennial grasses and legumes that are available so watch this space!
Ronald Master Dept. of Agriculture Albany

"We are always looking for ways to improve our return on our pastures. We already have quite a bit of our farm under kikuyu. Kikuyu is all right in some respects, it is hardy because it is a deep rooted perennial but it is low on nutritional value. If it gets rank its palatability goes right down. We put in a small one hectare trial of a whole range of different perennial grasses in 2002. The results were pretty impressive for some of the species so we decided to put in 11 hectares spring 2003. We sprayed the area with 1.5 litres/hectare of roundup in September 2003 to knock out the competition especially the guildford grass and kikuyu. Then we ploughed and harrowed to level it off. The sub tropical grasses only germinate when the soil temperature is up around 15C - 18C. If it is not warm enough the seed will just sit there. We direct drilled the seed in 7 inch (17.5cm) rows and fertilised with 130kg/hectare of dairy perfect. After looking at the germination results from the first trial we decided to put in the Irwin Hunter Evergreen Mix which is made up of 4 types of grasses: 20% Rhodes grass - sub species callid, katambora and fine cut; 20% Panic - sub species bambasti and gatton, 30% Signal and 10% Splenda sentaria. The seed was $16/kg and we used 4kg/hectare. We had great germination and held off grazing until February this year. We have had good grazing on it three or four times since February. We have been pretty pleased with the results so far, we are interested to see how they go this summer. My son, Bruce, felt it would have been good to put on a bit of urea before the flush of growth. We are learning all the time." Phillip Marshall

The Torbay Catchment Group urges landholders large and small to soil test and CUT YOUR LOSSES.

Pressure from the Torbay Catchment Group for indenpendent advice on soil tests resulted in funding being made available by the Department of Environment to provide a round of subsidies to the tune of 50% for soil tests earlier this year. John Grant from the Department of Agriculture coordinated and undertook the sampling and test results just before the break of the season.

Interpretation of the results was provided back to the 22 participating landholders and an opportunity given for detailed discussions with Department of Agriculture officers about the implications for long term management of soils on individual properties. One landholder commented that

"My soil tests showed that I don't need so much fertiliser but I do need more gypsum to make best use of the fertilisers I apply."

The landholder emphasised the need to get an analysis of lime from the different pits as their neutralising values can differ significantly.

The 2004 soil test results for 137 samples were compared to the analysis of soil tests for the 507 samples done in 1988/89.

The comparison suggests commitment

	pH acidity/alkalinity		P phosphorus
Soil Status	1988-89	2001	1988-89	2001
High	17%	26%	51%	75%
Medium	36%	36%	20%	18%
Low	46%	37%	29%	7%

to lime application as the number of soils with high pH has been increasing over the last 15 years as shown in the table. pH is critical to the ability of plants to take up nutrients already in the soil or applied in fertilisers. The lower the pH the less plants can utilize nutrients applied in fertilizers. If nutrients are not taken up by plants, there is more likelihood of nutrients escaping and contributing to the nutrient issues in the catchment.

The results in the table also suggest that there has been continued use of Phosphorus based fertilisers over the last 15 years causing increased levels of P in the soils. The median soil P level increased from 26ppm to 32ppm over the 15 year period, and the percentage of soils with a

This change in soil P levels unfortunately increases the risk of nutrient loss offsite, and increases the risk of poor water quality and algal blooms. It is important to put on the right fertilisers at the right time to avoid wasting money and losing nutrients.
Dave Weaver Department of Agriculture 9892 8429.

European wasps are in the eastern states but not WA where they are a declared pest. Please report any sightings of suspicious wasps to the Department of Agriculture or local shire office.

European wasps pose a health risk to the public, pets and livestock. Horticulture, viticulture, tourism and apiculture industries would suffer with establishment of this pest in WA. The wasp would also directly compete with native fauna, such as nectar feeding birds, small mammals and some invertebrates. The cost of nest treatment would be substantial.

Don't confuse the European wasp with the introduced yellow papernest wasp. Diagnostic features of the European wasp are:

• European wasps are brightly coloured only in yellow and black.
• They are squat in appearance, much like a bee.
• The back legs do not hang down in flght.
• The antennae on their heads are entirely black.

Nests are usually underground, but may be concealed in a hollow tree, roof or wall cavity. Activity at the nest entrance may be dozens per minute.

Wasps are usually most noticeable near the entrance of their nests where streams of wasps may be seen entering and leaving a hole, usually the size of a 50 cent piece. European wasps are unusual as they feed on meat and fish products which means they are sometimes seen around barbeques or pet food.
Marc Widmar Department of Agriculture