tHE EARLY DAYS OF eYRES GREEN SALTBUSH IN cORRIGIN wESTERN aUSTRALIA

 

    iN LATE SEPTEMBER 2000 3 jUMBUK cREEK FARMERS ACQUIRED 20,000 EYRES GREEN SALTBUSH PLANTS.  tHEY WERE

PRESUMED DEAD AS ALL THE LEAVES HAD DROPPED OFF AFTER 6 WEEKS IN A TRUCK.   wITH TENDER CARE IN A FARM

GREENHOUSE 17,000 REVIVED AND WERE PLANTED OUT IN EARLY nOVEMBER. dESPITE BEING PLANTED INTO BARE SALT SCALD

SUBJECT TO INUNDATION, DEEP VEED INSTEAD OF MOUNDED, OVER 90% SURVIVED.   tHEY GREW TO IMPRESSIVE PROPORTIONS

IN THE FIRST YEAR, 3-4 METRES ACROSS AND ALMOST 2 METRES HIGH.

    tHE SAME FARMERS AND OTHERS BOUGHT MANY MORE THE FOLLOWING YEAR WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF fEDERAL

eNVIROFUNDS AND THE SUSTAINABLE gRAZING OF sALINE lANDS (sgsl) PROGRAM.   oTHERS HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED WITH

FUNDS FROM THE aVON cATCHMENT cOUNCIL'S sALTLAND pASTURES aSSOCIATION PROJECTS.  bY 2007 OVER 90,000 eYRES

gREEN SALTBUSH PLANTS HAVE BEEN PLANTED ON 12 FARMS IN THE SALINE VALLEY FLOORS ACROSS cORRIGIN, ON sITES

RANGING FROM 10 HECTARES TO 100 HECTARES.

 

    tHE PLANTS RECOVER WELL AND QUICKLY FROM UP TO 3 HEAVY ANNUAL GRAZES AND MANAGE TO RE-LEAF DURING

CONTINUOUS GRAZING IN AUTUMN.   fENCING THE LARGE SITES INTO ROTATIONAL GRAZING SYSTEMS WOULD PROVIDE THE BEST

USE OF THE FEED AVAILABLE BUT IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE AND MOST SITES ARE TO BE SOWN TO BARLEY OR BETTER AS THE SOIL

IMPROVES.   sOME SITES HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED HIGH ALLEY CROP YIELDS.

 

    tHE STRUCTURE OF THE PLANT IS DIFFERENT TO MOST OTHER SALTBUSHES WITH STRONG LATERAL BRANCHES SPREAD

ACROSS THE GROUND WITH MASSES OF VERTICAL SHOOTS AND LARGE FLESHY LEAVES.  tHIS ALLOWS ACCESS TO ALL THE

TOP LEAVES AND SOFT STEMS.

 

   tHE STRONG HORIZONTAL BRANCHES AT GROUND LEVEL AND FLEXIBLE VERTICAL SHOOTS RESIST TRAMPLING, AND dURING

SUMMER FLOODS THE STUBBLE HAS BEEN CAUGHT BY THE BUSHES, WATER HAS BEEN SLOWED AND CONSEQUENTLY FENCES

WERE NOT FLATTENED.

 

Eyres Green Saltbush               

 Introduction

Eyres Green Saltbush is a selected cutting or clone taken from Old-man Saltbush, the original plant came

from the Eyre Peninsula hence the name.

 

We have spent many years doing research and development of selected cuttings from Old-man Saltbush and

because of the work and expense Eyres Green Saltbush is now protected by Plant Breeders Rights.  This

has been done to prevent other nurseries from propagating our clones for their financial gain.. 

 

 Management Essential

Eyres Green Saltbush is more vigorous than your normal saltbush it will grow 1 to 1.5 times quicker and will

also recover quicker from grazing.  Because of this vigor you must be prepared to manage your saltbush

plants to gain the maximum benefit from them.

 

If you plant the Eyres Green Saltbush in winter they should be grazed with sheep in March – April or mowed

off at 1 foot  (0.3048 metres) high.  This is very important to take the upward growth out and stool the bush

out.  By doing this you will build the structure of the bush its like a fruit tree, when it is pruned it will throw

extra branches and thicken up.

 

It is also recommended to straddle the bushes and mow the saltbush off once a year with your slasher at a

height of 1 (0.3048 metres) to 1.5 feet (0.4572 metres), preferably at the end of winter when you don’t need the

feed.

 

 Cost Effective

Because Eyres Green Saltbush grows a bigger bush than your normal open pollinated saltbush it needs

more room, so we recommend a spacing of 4 metres (13.1232 ft) between plants and either 4 metres (13.1232 ft)

or 6 metres (19.6850 ft) between rows.  This makes Eyres Green Saltbush cheaper to plant per hectare than

open pollinated saltbush seedlings that are normally planted at 2.5 metres (8.202 ft) between plants and 2.5

metres (8.202 ft) between rows.

 

                                                                                           Plants/Hectare                                                 Plants/Acre    
                  

         4 x 6  Metre (19.6850 ft) Spacing                         414                                                                             166  

 

         4 x 12 metre(39.3701 FT) spacing                        207                                                                               83                

 

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