Life Sciences Commons^™

The Black Beetle, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

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

Since first reported in Western Australia 27 years ago, the black beetle has spread widely to become a well-known pest in metropolitan home lawns and public grassed areas.

THE black beetle (Heteronychus sanctae-helenae Blanchard) is a native of South Africa which seems to have first gained a footing in Australia in about 1930, for it was then recorded as a pest of maize in New South Wales. (Gurney 1934).

Apple Dieback In Western Australia, Frank Melville

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

Dieback of apple trees has been a serious and persistent problem in Western Australian orchards for many years.

Field observations and trials suggest that it can be greatly reduced or avoided by spray thinning to control cropping, summer irrigation, light pruning, and avoidance of root damage by cultivation.

Nodulation Of Legumes On New Light Land. 2. Protection Of Rhizobia From The Toxic Action Of Superphosphate And Trace Elements, O M. Goss, W. A. Shipton

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

VAST areas of new light land being developed in Western Australia are deficient in trace elements such as copper, zinc and molybdenum as well as in phosphorus.

These fertilisers are known to be damaging to the rhizobial bacteria inoculated on the seed unless they are protected by lime pelleting.

Nodulation Of Legumes On New Light Land. 3. The Effect Of Rogor Seed Treatment On Legume Nodulation, O M. Goss, W. A. Shipton

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

SEED treatment with systemic insecticides is widely used for the control of insect pests. However, when seed inoculation is necessary for pasture establishment, seed treatment with insecticide is not advisable.

A field experiment conducted at Badgingarra Research Station in 1964 showed that the systemic insecticide Rogor was very damaging to the applied rhizobia even when the treated seed was held for a month before inoculation.

Sugar Beet Eelworm (Heterodera Schachtii Schmidt) On Cauliflowers And Its Control, O M. Goss

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

SUGAR beet eelworm causes severe damage to summer-grown cauliflowers in some areas in Western Australia, particularly those areas of Spearwood, Balcatta and Osborne Park which border the swamps.

Root-Bound Shrubs, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

THE illustrated garden shrub (Cotoneaster) strangled itself with its own roots.

When purchased several years earlier it had been in the pot too long and the young roots, not being able to grow straight down had spiralled round and round in the pot.

Damage Caused By Hormone-Like Herbicides, G R W Meadly

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

THE discovery of the selective action of herbicides such as 2,4-D and MCPA resulted in a rapid expansion in the use of these chemicals for agricultural purposes, particularly for the control of weeds in cereal crops.

Plant Diseases : Leaf Spot Of Celery, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

LEAF SPOT is the most serious disease of celery in Western Australia, and causes heavy losses in many crops during the cold wet months of June, July and August.

The disease is incited by the fungus Septoria apii Chester, and was first recorded in this State at Osborne Park in 1923.

Since then it has become a limiting factor in the production of marketable celery during the winter months.

Inoculation And Lime Pelleting Of Leguminous Seeds, O M. Goss, W. A. Shipton

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

MOST of the extensive areas of new land being brought into cultivation in Western Australia are very sparsely populated with the rhizobial root nodule bacteria which are essential for successful legume pasture establishment.

These bacteria, therefore, must be introduced into the soil where, under favourable conditions, they will develop nodules on the roots (Fig. 1).

White Rust Of Gerberas, R F. Doepel

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

WHITE rust has proved to be a most damaging fungal disease of Gerberas.

Frequent fungicidal sprays are recommended for susceptible varieties in late winter and spring.

Puccinellia : Outstanding Saltland Grass, C V. Malcolm, S. T. Smith

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

"Puccinellia" is a tussocky perennial grass with an outstanding ability to survive salty and waterlogged conditions.

Considerable areas of saltland in Western Australia are suited to its growth.

Seed is now available commercially and in this article the conditions to which the grass is suited are described and establishment and management methods are suggested.

Slime Moulds [Replaced By Farmnote 114/77], Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

DURING autumn and spring, yellow or grey masses of slimy or powdery material suddenly appear on the blades of lawn grass and other low-growing plants and render them unsightly.

The organisms responsible are known as slime moulds.

Plant Nutrition In Western Australia, George Henry Burvill

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

PLANT nutrition is of great practical importance in Western Australia.

Without a well developed fertiliser industry and research and experiments to guide farmers in appropriate fertiliser use the State's agriculture would be very restricted.

Clover Disease Of Sheep In Western Australia, A B. Beck, M. R. Gardiner

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

DURING the past five years there has been a marked increase in the incidence of breeding abnormalities of sheep associated with the grazing of subterranean clover pastures.

This complex of diseases first became a major problem in Western Australia in the years following 1940 and eventually became known as "clover disease".

Root Knot Eelworm And Its Control, O M. Goss

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

ROOT galling caused by root knot eelworm attack is very common in the lighter sandy soils of Western Australia.

This parasitic worm causes severe unthriftiness which may even result in the death of the plant, particularly during the summer months when the disease is most damaging.

Root knot eelworm has a wide host range.

Peach Leaf Curl, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

PEACH LEAF CURL is a common disease in Western Australia during the spring and early summer.

Control Of Bamboos, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Bamboos can be controlled by spraying with a solution containing 2,2-DPA.

Vegetable Seed Treatments, G C. Macnish

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

Many common vegetable diseases can be carried over from one crop to the next by means of contaminated seed.

The use of such seed also results in contamination of the soil with the disease-causing organisms.

Prevention or control of seed-bome diseases can be achieved by the use of appropriate chemical or hot water treatments.

Blossom-End Rot Of Tomatoes, G C. Macnish

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

Complete control of this common physiological disorder of tomatoes cannot as yet be achieved, but a number of measures can be employed to reduce its incidence.

DURING the summer months many tomato specimens are received showing symptoms of blossom-end rot.

Many growers attribute this trouble to parasitic organisms and are anxious to prevent it spreading to the rest of their crop.

However as blossom-end rot is not a parasitic disease, it cannot be controlled by fungicidal or bactericidal sprays.

Brown Spot Of Passion Fruit, R F. Doepel

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

Brown Spot is a serious fungal disease of passion fruit in this State.

Successful crop production is dependent on adequate disease control in the plantation.

BROWN SPOT is found in plantings throughout Western Australia. Severe outbreaks of the disease have occurred in most districts, including Serpentine, Manjimup, Nannup and Denmark.

Although isolated young plantings may remain healthy for two or three years, the disease eventually becomes established in the vines.

Density-Gradient Centrifugation: Non-Ideal Sedimentation And The Interaction Of Major And Minor Components, Myron K. Brakke, J. M. Daly

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A small amount of southern bean mosaic virus was contained in a narrow zone after density-gradient centrifugation, but in a much wider zone after centrifugation with a large amount of a second virus. Zone-spreading of a major component by non-ideal sedimentation in density-gradient centrifugation can cause zone spreading of a minor component that the major component overlaps.

Biochemical Changes During The Growth Of Fungi: I. Nitrogen Compounds And Carbohydrate Changes In Penicillium Atrovenetum, David Gottlieb, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Changes in the biochemical constituents of cells were studied during the growth and development of Penicillium atrovenetum. Growth of the fungus, as measured by the dry weight, could be divided into four phases: lag, log, stationary, and death. The percentages of total nitrogen, cold trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen, ribonucleic acid (RNA), and protein increased to a maximum during the lag phase, and subsequently decreased as the fungus aged. The percentage of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was always slightly higher in the spores than in the mycelium. The DNA in the mycelium decreased in the lag phase, and then increased slightly to …

Black Spot Of Roses, G C. Macnish

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

ROSES are among the most popular and versatile ornamentals as they may be grown as climbers, bushes or standards.

Black Spot of roses can be prevented by combining good sanitary practices with the regular use of preventative fungicides such as maneb and folpet.

Mosaic Diseases Of Beans, H L. Harvey

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

TWO important diseases of beans in W.A. are common mosaic and yellow mosaic.

Both may cause malformation, stunting of growth and yield reductions and are most serious in the spring and early summer crops.

Identification Of Ninhydrin Positive Components In Ethanolic Extracts Of Rice Panicles By Paper Chromatography, C. I. Grable, J. E. Presley, George E. Templeton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Plant Diseases : Angular Leaf Spot Of Cucurbits, O M. Goss

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

ANGULAR leaf spot caused by the bactterium Pseudomonas lachrymans (E.F.Sm. & Bryan) Carsner, is common on cucumbers and gherkins grown late in the season.

The same disease has been recorded on rockmelons, watermelons and pumpkins but rarely occurs on these hosts in Western Australia.

Take-All Of Wheat On The Esperance Downs : The Ffect Of Nitrogenous Fertiliser, S C. Chambers

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

The number of wheat tillers affected by take-all was not influenced by the application of ammonium sulphate in an experiment at Esperance Downs Research Station.

However, its use stimulated tillering and increased yields by an estimated 7.4 bushels an acre.

Septoria Leaf Spot Of Tomatoes, S C. Chambers

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

SEPTORIA leaf spot was first observed on tomatoes in Western Australia in 1925.

Since then it has caused serious losses, both from seedling blight and defoliation of larger plants, on many occasions in autumn and spring crops.

Sclerotinia Disease Of Vegetables : Survival Of The Fungus In Soil, S C. Chambers, M. Hardie

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

Sclerotinia of vegetables is carried over in the soil of market gardens by means of resting fungal bodies called sclerotia.

Recent tests have shown that sclerotia may stay alive in the sandy soils of Spearwood for two years, but disappear from the wet peat soils of Wanneroo within six months

Establishing Wheatbelt Pastures? Don't Use A Cover Crop, J A C Smith, D. B. Argyle

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

One of the factors which influence the establishment of improved pasture in the West Australian wheatbelt is whether the pasture legume is sown with a cover crop or not.

Mediocre establishment can follow when a cover crop is used and it is recommended that, for rapid establishment, any pasture legume should be sown without a cover crop.