Angelos Tsitsilas, PhD Candidate

Windbreaks have been extensively used for many years in providing benefits to farmland.Some of these benefits include: shelter for stock, reduction of wind and water erosion, reduction in moisture loss by reducing wind effects, increases in pollination and crop yield, economic benefits (timber & firewood), and decreasing salinity by reducing water seepage into the water table.Windbreaks also provide year-round havens for many invertebrates that cannot persist in ephemeral crops and pastures (simple and homogeneous habitats).Many studies have shown that windbreaks, weed strips and other long-term habitats have real effects on adjacent crops and grasslands.For instance, spiders, predatory beetles and parasitoids have provided greater pest control in farmland when complex revegetated habitats were nearby.

The effects of differing windbreak characteristics on pasture pests (e.g. lucerne flea, red-legged earth mite, blue oat mite) and beneficial invertebrates will be examined.Preliminary data indicate that windbreaks with a more complex understorey (tall grass and high percentage ground-cover) are correlated with reduced numbers of pasture pests in adjacent paddocks.This study will look at the influences of two types of windbreaks on adjacent pastures.The windbreak types that will be studied are: windbreaks with tall grass and high ground cover versus windbreaks with short grass and/or low grass cover.