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Visions For Agriculture, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

This workshop grew out of a conversation between Maurice Barnes, a Trayning farmer and member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Dryland Research Institute, and Steve Porritt, the officer in charge of the Dryland Research Institute at Merredin. Maurice was interested in the idea of posing the question 'What would agriculture be like if we had known as much about this landscape in 1829 as we know now?', to a group of farmers and others interested in the central wheatbelt and its future. Maurice saw this question as a first step toward achieving some shared vision for the future …

Remnant Vegetation Protection Scheme 1991 Blocks, J E D Fox, P Read, J - Pg Orsini

All other publications

No abstract provided.

Australian Genetic Resources Of Trifolium And Ornithopus Species, Richard Snowball, Kevin Foster, Bill Collins

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

The introduction of improved pasture legumes into the cereal growing areas of southern Australia changed the face of our agricultural systems.

Subterranean clover was the first pasture legume to have a major impact, and the first varieties were available commercially in the 1930s. Since then, many varieties have been released, leading to the most recent release of Denmark, Gou/bum and Leura in 1992.

The development of burr, barrel and murex medics also had an impact on the pasture production of less acid heavy soils. Yellow serradella is still being developed for the more acid sandy soils.

This development of improved …

Domestication Of Rough-Seeded Lupins, Bevan Buirchell, Wallace Cowling

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

Since the beginning of civilisation, humans have been domesticating wild plants such as wheat, barley and rice. They have both conciously and unconciously selected plant types suited to cropping.

Reccently, there has been an increasing effort to domesticate a greater variety of wild plants, especially legumes.

Wheat Quality And Wheat Variety Decisions, Mark Stevens

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

The choice between which wheat variety to plant has always been a trade-off between yield and wheat quality. When wheat prices were higher and quality payments were less, quality considerations were of little importance and varieties were selected almost entirely on yield potential. Now, with low wheat prices and a greater emphasis on wheat quality from our customers, growers must place more importance on quality characteristics when selecting varieties. For example, should a grower select a higher yielding average quality wheat such as Spear, or a lower yielding, good quality wheat such as Machete? The important question a wheat grower …

Three New Late-Midseason Subterranean Clovers Released For High Rainfall Pastures, Phil Nichols, Donald Nicholas

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

Three new subterranean clovers - Denmark, Gou/bum and Leura - have been released in 1992 by the National Subterranean Clover Improvement Program. These subterranean clovers are black-seeded, have low oestrogen levels and improved disease resistance. Their release offers the potential for substantial improvements in pasture productivity in areas of southern Australia that have long growing seasons.

This article outlines some of the testing procedures and subsequent selection of these varieties and describes their characteristics and potential role in Western Australia.

New Yellow Serradella Varieties For Low Rainfall Pastures, Clinton Revell

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

Large areas of acidic, sandy soils in Western Australia's low and medium rainfall, wheatsheep areas are suited to the pasture legume, yellow serradella.

In the past, a lack of varieties with suitable maturity has limited the use of this species.

New varieties developed in Western Australia and significantly earlier in maturity than traditional types can now extend the use of yellow serradella into these regions.