Research interests

• Soil organic matter management in cropping systems 
• Sustainable management of cropping soils
• Impacts of agricultural inputs on soil biology
• Subsoil constraints to dryland cropping systems
• Crop nutrition management

Background

Graeme Schwenke is a soil scientist based at the Tamworth Agricultural Institute, working in a range of soils-related research and extension activities focused on the northwest NSW cropping region.

He joined NSW Agriculture* in 1994 as a project officer to investigate the effects of zero-tillage and pulse legume rotations on soil organic matter dynamics in northern NSW cropping systems, and in northern Pakistan.

Other research areas have included: measuring nitrogen fixation in pulse crops; emerging issues for crop nutrition for high-yielding cropping systems; and, management of subsoil constraints to crop production. Current interests include: effects of agricultural inputs on soil biology, understanding risk factors affecting nitrogen volatilisation from local soils, and soil health training for farmers.

Graeme has over 18 years scientific research experience in Australia, plus significant overseas project experience in Pakistan and Nepal. Graeme has written or contributed to many scientific journal papers, conference papers, magazine articles, workshop training materials and project results books.

*NSW Department of Primary Industries was formed on July 1, 2004 through an amalgamation of NSW Agriculture, NSW Fisheries, State Forests of NSW and the NSW Department of Mineral Resources.

Qualifications

• B.Agr.Sc. (Hons 1) – major in Land Resource Management. University of Queensland
• Ph.D – Soil organic matter dynamics in the post-mining landscape at Weipa, north Queensland. University of Queensland.

Current projects

• Soil-based risk factors affecting nitrogen volatilisation from fertilisers in northwest NSW cropping.
• Healthy soils for sustainable farming in broadacre cropping – workshop series development and delivery
• Combating subsoil constraints to crop production in the northern grains region
• Crop choice for vertosols with subsoil constraints in northwest NSW
• Emerging crop nutritional issues in vertosols of the Liverpool Plains.

Recent Publications

Schwenke GD (2007). 2.1 – Winter crops. In “Combating subsoil constraints: SIP08 Northern Grains Region; Project Results Book”. pp 20-31. (Qld Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries; Brisbane).

Schwenke GD (2007). 2.2 – Winter crop cultivars. In “Combating subsoil constraints: SIP08 Northern Grains Region; Project Results Book”. pp 32-40. (Qld Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries; Brisbane).

Hochman Z, Dang YP, Schwenke GD, Dalgliesh NP, Routley R, McDonald M, Daniells IG, Manning W, Poulton PL (2007) Simulating the effects of saline and sodic subsoils on wheat crops growing on Vertosols. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58, 802–810.

Bünemann EK, Schwenke GD, Van Zwieten L (2006) Impact of agricultural inputs on soil organisms—a review. Australian Journal of Soil Research 44, 379–406.

Dang YP, Dalal RC, Routley R, Schwenke GD, Daniells I (2006) Subsoil constraints to grain production in the cropping soils of the north-eastern region of Australia: an overview. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46: 19-35.

Schwenke GD (2004) Soil organic matter, biological activity, and productivity: myths and realities. In “Soil biology in agriculture”. Proceedings of a workshop on current research into soil biology in agriculture. Ed. Lines-Kelly R. pp 25-32. (NSW Department of Primary industries, Orange).

Farquharson, R.J., Schwenke, G.D., Mullen, J.D. (2003) Should we manage soil organic carbon in Vertosols in the northern grains region of Australia? Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43/3, 261-270.

Schwenke, G.D., Reuter, D.J., Fitzpatrick, R.W., Walker, J., O'Callaghan, P. (2003) Soil and catchment health indicators of sustainability: case studies from southern Australia and possibilities for the northern grains region of Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43/3, 205-222.

Aslam M, Mahmood IA, Peoples MB, Schwenke GD, Herridge DF (2003) Contribution of chickpea nitrogen fixation to increased wheat production and soil organic fertility in rain-fed cropping. Biology and Fertility of Soils 38, 59-64.

Shah Z, Shah SH, Peoples MB, Schwenke GD, Herridge DF (2003) Crop residue and fertiliser N effects on nitrogen fixation and yields of legume-cereal rotations and soil organic fertility. Field Crops Research 83, 1-11.

Khan, D.F., Peoples, M.B., Schwenke, G.D., Felton, W.L., Chen, D., Herridge, D.F. (2003) Effects of below-ground nitrogen on N balances of field-grown fababean, chickpea, and barley. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 54, 333-340.

Ali, S., Schwenke, G.D., Peoples, M.B., Scott, F., Herridge, D.F. (2002) Nitrogen, yield and economic benefits of summer legumes for wheat production in rainfed northern Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Agronomy 1, 15-19

Schwenke, G.D., W.L. Felton, D.F. Herridge, D.F. Khan, and M.B. Peoples. (2002). Relating particulate organic matter-nitrogen (POM-N) and non-POM-N with pulse crop residues, residue management and cereal N uptake. Agronomie 22:777–787.

Schwenke, G.D., Mulligan, D.R. and Bell, L.C. (2000). Soil stripping and replacement for the rehabilitation of bauxite-mined land at Weipa. I. Initial changes to soil organic matter and related parameters. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 38, 345-370.

Professional associations and activities

Australian Society of Soil Science Inc.

Fields of Research

• 050305 Soil Physics
• 050303 Soil Biology 
• 050304 Soil Chemistry (excl. Carbon Sequestration Science) 
• 050302 Land Capability and Soil Degradation
• 070306 Crop and Pasture Nutrition
• 050205 Environmental Management
• 050207 Environmental Rehabilitation
• 079902 Fertilisers and Agrochemicals (Application etc.)

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Soil organic matter management
• Soil management
• Crop nutrition 
• Subsoil constraints management
• Salinity