Members of the Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program (P2R) visited Mackay in December to collect soil cores for classification purposes. The P2R team travelled from Toowoomba and Brisbane to obtain soil measurements which are used in the P2R paddock water quality models. Accurate assessments of the soils in the paddocks are needed for these models.

Soil cores were gathered from four paddocks which had been used as trial sites for SRA’s recent Great Barrier Reef Foundation-funded water quality project: Cane to Creek Mackay Whitsunday. SRA has provided to P2R the anonymised nutrient, herbicide and imidacloprid paddock run-off data collected in this project which will be used to calibrate and validate the models.

In each paddock the P2R soil cores were taken close to the ends and in the middle of the paddock. Three of the four paddocks had been harvested so access was not a problem. The fourth paddock had standing cane but the grower agreed to cut sections manually which then allowed the soil core utility to reverse into the paddock (above).

P2R plays a critical role in Great Barrier Reef (GBR) protection efforts. It is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments and provides the framework for evaluating and reporting progress towards the Great Barrier Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.

Typically, any practice change made by a grower can be modelled by P2R to determine the effect on end of paddock run-off loads of nutrients, pesticides, and sediments. The results from multiple growers are aggregated by P2R to produce catchment loads, where these are later tracked by P2R’s marine modellers who assess the impacts of these nutrients, pesticides and sediments on the GBR lagoon.

“The more accurate the P2R models, the better they are able to understand the impacts of farming practices on water quality, and therefore assist our industry to make better informed decisions on farming practices to improve water quality,” said Project Manager of the Cane to Creek Mackay Whitsunday project, Dr Matt Schembri.  “The paddock run-off water quality data provided by SRA will ground truth this modelling.”

(Above): P2R team collects soil cores at the Cane to Creek Mackay Whitsunday’s Reliance Creek trial site.

Read more about the Cane to Creek project: Mackay Whitsunday Cane to Creek – Sugar Research Australia