Life Sciences Commons^™

Breeding For Improved Feed Conversion Efficiency, Alan Lymbery

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

Alan Lymbery reports on a trial that has started at Vasse Research Atation to investigate the impact of genetic improvement on feed conversion efficiency on costs of production.

Breeding Better Malting Barleys, Ross Gilmour, Allen Tarr, Stefan Harasymow

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

Development of new barley cultivars in Western Australia has substantially improved the grain yield and quality of the State's barley crop. This has increased returns to barley growers and enhanced Western Australia's reputation in export markets as a major supplier of barley for malting and feed.

The State exports more than 200, 000 t of malting barley, 60, 000 t of barley malt and 150, 000 t of feed barley each year.

The major challenge for the future is to develop new, high yielding cultivars with improved malting quality.

In this article, the authors discuss the achievements of the past; …

The Wokalup Beef Cattle Selection Experiment, Alan Lymbery, Mick Carrick, Patrick Donnelly

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

The aim of the Department of Agriculture's long-term beef cattle selection experiment at Wokalup is to examine the effects of selection for faster-growing cattle on biological traits that may influence the productivity of a commercial beef herd. Selection lines were established from Hereford and multibreed cattle in 1977. Twelve years of selection have produced an increase in growth rate to weaning of about 120 g per day in both lines. About 40 per cent of this increase is the result of permanent genetic improvement.

We plan to compare these characteristics in cattle from the selection lines with cattle that have …

Breeding Field Peas In Western Australia, T N. Khan

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

Field peas have grown dramatically in popularity in western Australia in the past five years, with the planted area increasing from a mere few hundred hectares to about 70,000 ha in 1988. This growth may continue, as more than 700,000 ha of agricultural land is potentially suitable for growing field peas.

However, any such growth of the pea industry will require new cultivars with improved yield, adaptation and quality characteristics to meet local and export demands. The Department of agriculture therefore decided to start a selection and breeding programme to support the pea industry.