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The water balance and water sources of a Eucalyptus plantation over shallow saline groundwater

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Abstract

Eucalypt plantations have been trialled in recent years as a control measure for shallow groundwater associated with secondary salinity. Uncertainty still remains as to the potential growth and water use of these plantations; these relate mainly to the problems associated with drought stress and accumulated solutes in the root zone resulting from saline groundwater uptake. This study investigates the water balance and identifies water sources of a 21 year old unirrigated Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden (flooded or rose gum) and E. camaldulensis Dehnh. (river red gum) plantation over shallow saline groundwater in the Shepparton Irrigation Region of northern Victoria, Australia. Water sources used by the plantation were identified using a monthly water balance approach, together with investigations of stable isotopes of water (deuterium and oxygen-18), soil water and chloride. We found these trees to be heavily reliant on rainwater, and derive approximately 15% of their transpiration requirements from saline (10,000 mg l−1) groundwater at the capillary fringe. Rainfall at the site is relatively low (465 mm year−1 on average) and groundwater uptake provides a stable water source that leads to a slight extension of the growing period of these trees. There is little potential for recharge, with subsurface water moving into the groundwater depression created by tree water uptake.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Prof Russell Mein, Dr Glen Walker and Alfred Heuperman for their input to this study, and Dr Ian Cartwright, Ms Mary Jane, Ms Kerryn McEwan, Ms Megan Eaterbrook, and Messrs Andrew Holub, Fred Leaney and John Dighton for assistance with stable isotope analysis. Ms Louise Mann provided technical support, and Peter Clayton assisted with obtaining twig samples from tree canopies. We thank Dr M. Bari and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on earlier drafts. The first author acknowledges the assistance of an Australian Postgraduate Award. This work was funded by the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation, and Monash University.

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  1. Luke D. Connell

    Present address: CSIRO Petroleum Resources, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Paul M. Feikema & Luke D. Connell

  2. Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, 3121, Australia

    Jim D. Morris

  3. Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne, 221 Bouverie St, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia

    Paul M. Feikema

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  1. Paul M. Feikema
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  2. Jim D. Morris
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Correspondence to Paul M. Feikema.

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Responsible Editor: John McPherson Cheeseman.

Jim D. Morris - Deceased.

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Feikema, P.M., Morris, J.D. & Connell, L.D. The water balance and water sources of a Eucalyptus plantation over shallow saline groundwater. Plant Soil 332, 429–449 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0309-2

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