Staff profile

Graduated B.Rur.Sc. with Honours from the University of New England in 1966. He then returned to his family property near Dalby on the Darling Downs in south-eastern Queensland where he was involved in cattle breeding and field crop production. In the early 1970's he was associated with root-vegetable production on a property near Deepwater, northern New South Wales managing a highly-mechanised operation that provided produce for the Brisbane summer markets. After obtaining a Commonwealth Postgraduate Research Award in 1977 he carried out research on the mineral nutrition of soybeans and was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney. In August 1981 he took up the position of AMRC Research Fellow and later as Lecturer in the Department of Agronomy and Soil Science at the University of New England. There his research was directed towards the evaluation of partially acidulated rock phosphate formulations for use on temperate, perennial pastures.

His current research interests are in pasture nutrition, pasture management and the adaptation of crop and pasture plants to problem soils. He also has interests in the adoption of new farming practices by primary producers. He joined the staff in 1988. He was the project leader for the National Reactive Phosphate Rock Project from 1991 to 1996 and has supervised numerous postgraduate students in the field of pasture and crop agronomy. In 1994, he published 'Agriculture in Australia: An Introduction' with Bill Malcolm and Adrian Egan from the University of Melbourne. In 1998, he was awarded the National University Teaching Award in the section for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. His interests in agriculture in developing countries resulted in a University Teaching Grant from the Rotary Foundation, to teach at Universities in Uganda in 2007.

Research interests

• Improving performance of crop & pasture plants growing in infertile soils
• Ameliorating dense, sodic, clay subsoils in cropping land in south west Victoria
• Assisting farmers to adopt improved practices in south Australia and developing countries

Teaching

• AGR1SYS - Agricultural Systems
• BOT2MPN - Plant Molecular Biology, Physiology and Nutrition
• AGR4ACS - Agricultural Case Studies
• AGR3CVA - Crop and Vine Agronomy
• AGR3AEI - Agriculture Environment Interactions
• AGR3ANM - Animals and Mankind

Publications

- view a list of recent publications (PDF 15KB)

1. Clark G.J., Dodgshun N., Sale P.W.G., Tang C. (2007) Changes in chemical and biological properties of a sodic clay subsoil with addition of organic amendments. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 39, 2806-2817.
2. Sargeant M, Sale P, Tang C. (2006). Salt priming improves establishment of Distichlis spicata under saline conditions. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57, 1259-1265.
3. Singh, D.K. and Sale, P.W.G. (2000). Growth and potential conductivity of white clover roots in dry soil with increasing phosphorus supply and defoliation frequency. Agronomy Journal 92, 868-874.
4. Trompf, J.P.T., Sale, P.W.G. and Graetz, B. (2000). Factors affecting the adoption of productive pastures by participants in a paired-paddock extension program. . Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 40, 1089-99.
5. Waller, R.A. and Sale, P.W.G. (2001). Persistence and productivity of perennial ryegrass in sheep pastures in south-western Victoria: a review. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 117-144.