Changes in some soil chemical and physical properties with development on an Addison gley podzol near Westport : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Agricultural Science and Honours in Soil Science

Abstract

The Buller County on the West Coast of the South Island occupies an area of 1,206,000 acres. Unfarmable land totals 1,120,000 acres, or 93 per cent of the total area; farmable land 40,000 acres or 3 per cent of the total area, and marginal land 46,000 acres or 4 per cent of the total area. Because of the restricted area of better class land the County has never been a strong primary producing one and its economy is based mainly on coal and timber. However, in recent years the demand for coal has declined and conservation practices in the indigenous forests have curtailed current timber production. A need exists then for significant increases in agricultural output both from existing farmable land, and from marginal land, to help boost the regional economy. The present study is an attempt to follow the changes in some chemical and physical soil properties with improvement. Two separate comparisons have been made : (1) between the improved trial area (pasture 4 1/2 years old) and an adjacent untreated block. (2) between main treatments (stocking/fertilizer) of the trial area. In this way it was hoped to gain a better appreciation of the soil processes occurring with a view to determining likely fertilizer requirements and the ability to withstand animal traffic.