Life Sciences Commons^™

Managing For Stubble Retention, Linda Leonard

Bulletins 4000 -

One of the objectives of sustainable farming systems is to retain as much cover on the soil as possible – this helps to maintain soil structure and protects the soil from erosion.

Improving productivity, maintaining soil structure, and stabilising fragile soils are some of the desired aims of farming. Sound rotations, reduced tillage, effective use of herbicides, maintenance of ground cover and careful management of stock are part of the management process used in achieving these goals.

This Bulletin provides an introduction to stubble retention systems. Its purpose is to create an awareness of the benefits and principles of stubble …

Saving The Catchments Of Albany's Harbours, Ashley Prout

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Fertiliser, particularly phosphorus, running off farm land is a major source of nutrient entering Albany's harbours. Oyster Harbour, which has a large rural catchment, is especially at risk.

The build-up in nutrients in the harbours has caused nuisance algal growth since the early 1970s and subseuent death of more than half the seagrass beds, which are vital to the areas marine life.

The Department of Agriculture, at the request of the Environmental protection Authority, has developed and promoted catchment management plans that enable rural land holders to reduce the amount of run-off into the harbours without necessarily sacrificing farm productivity. …

Eradication Of Apple Scab, John Cripps, Ralph Doepel

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The detection of apple scab in two orchards at Pemberton and New/ands in December 1989 ended Western Australia's 41-year, scab-free span for apple growers .

Without eradication orchardists would have had to apply up to 20 fungicidal sprays a year, at an annual cost of $1-2 million, to be able to market a high proportion of scab-free fruit. The industry chose eradication as the cheaper alternative, but the location of infected orchards at Pemberton in particular, with its high rainfall, suggested that it would be difficult .

Scab, or black spot, is the most serious fungal disease of apples in …

Agriculture's Economic Performance, Ross Kingwell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Changes within and outside of agriculture have affected the nature and econoicperforrmance of the industry. Some clear trends have emerged and they are discussed here.

As Australian economy grows and increasingly diversifies, agriculture will become a less important sector.

However, as long as agriculture fulfils its economic role, it will support and promote economic development elsewhere in the country.

Honeybee Pollination Of Crops, Lee Allan, V. Kesvan, G. Kleinschmidt, P. Anning

Bulletins 4000 -

Pollination of horticultural and agricultural crops is being recognised throughout Australia by quality growers who wish to improve crop quality and quantity, to increase their returns from produce sold on local and export markets. Some growers are able to target specific high value markets using planned pollination to maximise their income.

Development Of Redglobe Table Grapes For Export, Ian Cameron

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Exports wereonce a major outlet for the Western Australian table grape industry.

Over the last 20 years however, exports have fallen from 500 to 00 tonnes per year, despite an increase in the area planted to table grapes and an increase on overseas demand for our produce.

By 1993 less than 3 per cent of the table grapes produced in the State were exported.

The introduction of Redglobe, a new table grape varietyy from California, is expected to increase the export of table grapes from Western Australia to 1000t by 1997, when the variety will represent 90 per cent of …

Progress Toward Eradication Of Virulent Footrot, Bob Mitchell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia is well placed to eradicate virulent footrot from the State's sheep and goat populations.

Between 1950 and 1993 the proportion of sheep flocks with footrot fell from about 15 per cent to less than 2 percent, and the 1990-92 outbreak has been turned around. One hundred and eighty properties (]. 7 per cent) of flocks, mostly in the high rainfall South-West, are in quarantine for footrot today.

This high level of footrot control is the result of strong support from the sheep industry and years of good cooperation between farmers and the Department of Agriculture.

Western Australia leads …

Production Of High-Value Wheats : One Sustainable Answer To The Cost:Price Squeeze, Wal Anderson, Alan Peggs, Doug Sawkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Farmers and scientists alike over the past decade have sought to address the declining terms of farm trade (the cost.price squeeze) by increasing wheat yields in ways that will ensure both their economic and ecological survival. Nevertheless, costs have continued to increase as a proportion of the value of the product.

Many farmers have increased their wheat yields substantially and the industry as a whole is more conscious of the quality of its product.

Over the past 10 years or more there has been intense interest in, and considerable adoption of. conservation farming techniques such as minimum tillage, residue retention, …

Development Of The Export Wine Industry, Tony Devitt

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In 1936-37, Australia exported 18.6 million litres of wine, a level not achieved again for 50 years. World War II, the price, quality and style of Australian wine all contribuited to the demise of our wine export markets.

Australia's 'new' wine industry, which surfaced in the 1960s, has re-established our position as a significant exporter of high quality wines that are competitvely priced and percieved tobe 'pure and of integrity.

Western Australia is well placced to have a significant role in the expansion of Australia's wine exports.

A Review Of Four On-Farm Water Supply Demonstration Farms, M H M Casey, I A F Laing

Resource management technical reports

In March 1982, the Western Australian Government allocated $100,000 to the Department of Agriculture to demonstrate appropriate, reliable, on-farm conservation technology on four farms in the north-eastern wheatbelt. The Government grant was matched dollar for dollar with the farmers funds with a maximum of $25,000 grant to any one farm. The demonstrations used existing techniques, such as dams and roaded catchments, to establish permanent drought-proof water supplies.

Esperance Land Resource Survey, Tim D. Overheu, P G. Muller, S T. Gee, Geoff Allan Moore

Land resources series

The climate, geology, landforms, soils, native vegetation and land uses of the Esperance agricultural district of Western Australia are described, while the soil landscapes of the survey area of about 336,000 ha, covered by the Esperance and Merivale 1:100,000 topographic map sheets, are described in detail. The survey area represents most of the features and problems of the district, especially those of the Esperance sandplain for more resource information. An appropriate mapping scale was chosen from a preliminary survey of five farms on the Esperance sandplain. The study identifies five major land systems which are divided into map units on …

Soils Of The Northam Advisory District. Volume 3. The Darling Range And West Kokeby Zones, Ian Fulton, Neil Clifton Lantzke

Bulletins 4000 -

This manual describes the soils of the Department of Agriculture's Northam advisory district. Information is provided on the characteristics of each soil, its capability is discussed and yield estimates for the major land uses are given.

Designed for use by farmers and Department of Agriculture staff, the manual’s primary aims are to:

- Assist with the identification of the advisory district’s soils types

- Match land use with soil quality

- Improve farm productivity and efficiency

- Reduce the incidence of land degradation

Brood Diseases Of Bee, G. L. Griffiths, Lee Allan

Bulletins 4000 -

American foul brood (AFB) also know as American brood disease (ABD) is an infectious disease of honey bees cause by bacteria, Bacillus larvae. This bacteria forms spores which will survive many years in the environment and the bee larvae become infected by swallowing the spores with teir food. The spores then develop and multiply within the larvae.

Digital Information In The Peel-Harvey Catchment Area, Dennis Van Gool

Agriculture reports

This paper presents a summary of the main features of the digital mapping data available in the Peel-Harvey Catchment area. This type of information is essential for Geographic Information System (GIS) users to assess projects involving the use of digital data such as plotting of mapped themes, topological overlays, area calculations and reporting.

Soils Manual North Stirling Land Conservation District, Justin Hardy, Peter J. Tille

Agriculture reports

The North Stirlings Land Conservation District is located between Katanning and Albany on the northern edge of the Stirling Ranges in south-western Western Australia. This manual has been produced to help you identify and map the soils on your farm. The manual has been compiled for the north Stirling Land Conservation District (L.C.D.) and a list of its members is included. As well as assisting you to identify soil types, the manual encourages everyone within the L.C.D. to use the same terms so that individual soil maps can be compared.