Wallaby browsing and seedling palatability

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Abstract
Relative palatability of seedlings commonly used in silviculture in Gippsland were compared based on the survival of seedlings when exposed to captive swamp wallabies. Pinus radiata was significantly less browsed than the least browsed eucalypt species Eucalyptus globulus. The survival of 6-month-old E. regnans seedlings was significantly lower than that of 6 or 18-month-old E. nitens or E. globulus. Survival of eucalypt seedlings was not significantly increased by growing them under different fertiliser regimes nor by growing them in the presence of Anipel tablets which contain bitrex (ai). Browsing was almost significantly reduced (0.1 <P<0.05) by treating them with an aqueous solution containing 1 mg of selenium dioxide 4 weeks before exposing them to wallabies.