Life Sciences Commons^™

Organic Horticulture: Strategic Opportunities In Western Australia, Steven Mccoy

Bulletins 4000 -

This report considers the potential to develop organic horticulture in WA. The study examines key factors limiting industry scale and scope and identifies preferred soil types, regional locations, prospective crops and potential scale where organic production may offer comparative economic advantage.

Growing Lavender In Western Australia, Aileen Reid

Bulletins 4000 -

Lavender oil is an essential oil, derived from plants (genus Lavendulai primarily by steam distillation of the flowers. There are several types of lavender oil. The 'true' lavender oil, and the most highly prized, comes from Lavendula augustifolia; it is primarily used in the fragrance and perfume industry. World production is about 200 tonnes per year. Spike lavender oil, derived from Lavendula latifolia, has a world production of about 150-200 tonnes per year. Lavandin oil is derived from hybrids of L. augustifolia x L. latifolia that yield much higher than L. augustifolia but the oil is lower quality, hence it …

Assessment Of The Suitability For Horticulture Of The Packsaddle Infill Area, Kununurra, N Schoknecht

Resource management technical reports

A brief assessment of the suitability of 142 ha in the Packsaddle infill area for horticulture was conducted in late August 1993. Of this area 100 ha is Crown Land, and 42 ha was recently sold as freehold. Eleven map units based on soil and landform were identified, and their suitability for horticulture assessed. The map units were based on field observations and extrapolation from existing surveys.

Pulses : Profitable New Crops For The Wheatbelt, Kadambot Siddique, Stephen Loss, Ian Pritchard

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

Narrow-leafed lupins have beeb produced on sandy acid soils throughout the wheatbelt for more than two decades. However, the wheatbelt contains large areas ofsoilsnot suited to narrow-leafed lupins. For several years reasearchers have been examining alternatives to narrow-leafed lupins for these soils.

Kadambot Siddique, Stephen Loss and Ian Prichard look at production of these new grain legumes, known as pulses.

Pink Lady & Sundowner Apples, A. G. Mackay, G. L. Godley, J E L Cripps, Eleanor Melvin-Carter, J G. Paterson, P. Wood

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin summaries for all Australian growers the present technical information concerning Pink Lady and Sundowner

Other On-Station Activities For Wool Pastoralists, Mark Stevens

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

The impact of low wool prices has been most severe on specialist wool growers who have little scope for diversification, particularly those in the pastoral area.

Although there are limited opportunities for new enterprises on all pastoral stations, individual pastoralists are examining other on-station activities to determine which ones might be suitable. In doing so, they are evaluating:

• location (proximity to a major highway or population centre);

• natural attractions (coast, gorges, river, wildflowers);

• natural resources (native fauna and flora); and

• water supply (quantity and reliability of good quality water).

Diversification In The Woolbelt, John Allen

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

The productivity and diversification initiative for wool growers incorporates two leves of diversification.

Greatest emphasis is placed on industry wide increases in cropping intensity and in the range of crop types grown.

The second level involves non-traditional, alternative enterprises, each offering prospects for expansion of a limited number of wool growing businesses, suited to particular parts of the woolbelt.

The alternative enterprises include floriculture, aquaculture, export hay, farm tourism, commercial timber, horticulture and new animal industries.

Holding Our Edge In Noodle Wheat, Graham Crosbie

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

For many years, the Japanese milling and noodle industries have regarded Australian Standard White (ASW) wheat from Western Australia as the best in the world for the manufacture of white, salted Japanese noodles known as 'udon' (pronounced oo-don).

Recently, the Australian Wheat Board has also developed a significant market for this wheat type in South Korea, where it has been readily accepted for the production of Korean dried noodles.

The Wheat Board has estimated the total market demand from Japan and South Korea for this type of wheat to be 1.0-1.2 million tonnes, equivalent to about 20-25 per cent of …

Crops In The Woolbelt : Current Options And Emerging Prospects, Wal Anderson, Ross Gilmour, Robyn Mclean, Peter Nelson, K H.M Siddique, Paul Carmody, Ian Prtichard

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

It has traditionally been more profitable to grow sheep for wool in the medium rainfall parts of the south-west of Western Australia than to grow crops . Crop production has been difficult owing to the hilly terrain, the frequency of waterlogging, the high incidence of damaging frosts in some areas, the frequency of losses from diseases, difficulties with wet weather at harvest, and a lack of adapted crop varieties.

Advances over the past decade have made cropping on a limited scale potentially profitable in the woo/belt.

This article is intended to bring the various options for crop production to the …

Floriculture : A Blooming Business, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

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

Over the past 1O years, Western Australia's ornamental plant industry has experienced significant growth in value. The industry has expanded and adopted new technologies, but some enterprises have closed There have also been major changes reflecting the economic climate and conservation pressures.

The ornamental plant industry in this State is valued at more than $70 million annually. It encompasses three areas: nursery production, exotic cutflower production, and native cutllower production. The native cutflower industry is by far the largest growth sector.

Production And Marketing Of Vegetables And Fruit, John Burt

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

Vegetable and fruit production in Western Australia is a diverse, high value industry. Up to 75 different crops are grown from Kununurra in the north to Albany on the south coast.

Our horticultural industries were worth $238,127,000 in 1990-.91, which represented 18 per cent of all crops produced in Western Australia.

Markets for horticultural produce are volatile. For most lines, produce has been well supplied for the past four years, owing to an increasing area of production, higher yields, improved postharvest technology and reduced consumer demand in the recent recession.

A Tale Of Two Ladies : Pink Lady And Sundowner, John Cripps, Eleanor Melvin-Carter

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

It is five years since the first Western Australianbred Pink Lady and Sundowner apples were sold on the local market. In that time, these crisp, sweet flavoursome apples have become top-selling, premium fruit.

The story is no different overseas. Trial shipments to London, Taiwan and Singapore have indicated a big demand for the unique Pink Lady apple - far more than Western Australia can presently supply.

One million fruiting Pink Lady apple trees are needed to meet anticipated export sales. Today, there are only 100,000 trees in the ground, of which about half are bearing fruit.

New high quality apple …

Tree Crops For Profit And Land Improvement, John Bartle

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

Western Australian agriculture is deficient in good perennial species. The traditional segregation of agriculture and forestry has diverted attention from commercial wood producing trees as a potential perennial crop. Recently, scientists have made rapid progress in developing tree cropping systems suitable for extensive use in the wetter (more than 600 mm average annual rainfall) areas of the lower south-west. There is potential for a major industry based on fast-growing eucalypts for pulpwood. The foundations for this industry developed from work on agroforestry, forestry sharefarming and salinity control.

The Productivity Of Western Australia's Wheat And Sheep Industry, Tim Coelli, Ross Kingwell

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

A popular economic lament is that Australian industries and workers are not as productive as they should be. Politicians and economic commentators preach the need for productivity improvement and workplace reform, and criticise inefficiency and lack of endeavour. Can such criticism be fairly levelled at farmers and agricultural scientists? What is productivity and how is it measured? What is the productivity of Western Australia's main agricultural industry — wheat and sheep farming? This article addresses these questions and shows that our wheat-sheep industry can be moderately proud of its productivity record

Examination And Development Of An Essential Oil Industry In The Ord River Irrigation Area Of North Western Australia, Jean M.V. Bonnardeaux

Research Reports

The project aimed at establishing an essential oil industry in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA). This industry is particularly suited to the ORIA where transport costs often prohibit the development of some agricultural products. The oils are concentrated and highly valuable. In addition, the ORIA with its abundant water and high temperatures presents a unique opportunity to grow a wide range of crops for the production of essential oils used by the food, medicinal and perfume industries. Australia has therefore an opportunity to initiate a new industry capable of replacing imports and gaining access to world markets representing a …

Carnarvon's Horticultural Industry, John Roger Burt

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

No abstract provided.

Field Peas In The Wheatbelt, R J. French

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

Plantings of lupins in the Western Australian wheatbelt increased rapidly in the late 1970s and early 980s as improved varieties became available and farmers realised the benefits to be gained from growing grain legumes. Grain legumes are useful not simply as alternative cash crops. They provide 'fixed' atmospheric nitrogewn to following cereal crops and act as a cleaning crop to break cereal disease cycles. They are also valuable sheep feed.

In 1975, throughout the wheatbelt, the Department of Agriculture began a comparison of several alternative legumes. The crops included field peas, faba beans, chickpeas, lentills and various vetches. Field peas …

Serradella Prospects At Esperance, Michael D A Bolland

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

Yellow serradells is a promising introduced annual legume suitable for some of Western Australia's well drained sandy acid soils where other pasture legumes failto persist.

In the Esperance area serradella grows siccessfully on some sandy soils more than 0.5 metres deep. I develops deep roots rapidly - up to three times deeper than subterranean clover - and this is probably the main reason for its persistance.

At present only two late maturing, registered serradella cultivars are available to farmers in southern Australia. This article describes research at Esperance to delect earlier flowering cultivars for persistence in areas with less than …

Agricultural Progress On The Ord, D A. Mcghie

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

This is the first of occasional articles describing the experimental and commercial activity on the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) in Western Australia's Kimberley region.

Against a background of extensive recources of land and water, a sometimes cimatic advantage and a complementary disadvantage of a remote location, agriculture on the Ord has swung from various monocultures to a broadly based and diversified production. In 1986, the value of agricultural production on the Ord will approach values equivalent to those of the cotton era for the first time since the demise of that industry 12 years ago.

Cereal, Pasture Legume And Water Supply Prospects At Forrestania : Results Of Experimental Work East Of Hyden, Western Australia, T E. Mcdowell, M G. Mason, J W. Gartrell, William J. Toms, I A F Laing

Technical Bulletins

The agricultural potential of the Forrestania area appears at least equal to that of much of the settled eastern wheatbelt. The scrubplain soils of the Forrestania area have an average yield potential of at least 1 000 kg/ha wheat and carrying capacity of 1.8 to 3.7 sheep per hectare on improved pastures. The use of clover ley rotations would maintain these levels of potential yield. Partial crop failures caused by adverse seasonal conditions could be expected 10 years in every 100.

The Potential For Avocados In Western Australia, Michael Gregory Hawson

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

"The flesh of the ripe fruit is ivory yellow, framed in a surround of exquisite green"

There is only one fruit to which this comment can apply and that is the avocado.

While now regarded as a luxury, avocados have met ready demand on major markets indicating that limited expansion of avocado growing in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australiacouldmprovide quite profitable returns.

Stonefruits Have A Future, Geoffrey L. Godley

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

Over the 10 year period from 1966/67 to 1975/76, stonefruit production has not greatly expanded. The area planted has declined and the number of young, non-bearing trees also has declined.

Trends in the price ofsdtonefriut for the past decsde have revealed no real improvement on local or export markets but it is unlikely that these trends will continue. While costs will continue to rise, profitability of stonefruit is likely to be helped by cost saving techniques. Mechanical equipment changes and changes to management techniques will mean reduced management costs.

Progress In The Nursery Industry, W J. Heggers

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

The demand for ornamental plants in Western Australia is sat an unprecedented level, making the nursery industry a relatively prosperous branch of horticulture.

One reason for the continued demand for nursery lines is probably that people are concerned about the environment - "green survival", as it is often refered to in promotional literature.

In rural areas, farmers are becoming increasingly aware of the value of planting windbreaks, shade and ornamental trees, while mining companies and the Forests Department are actively engaged in re-afforestation.

As a result the nursery industry is in a healthy situation and can continue to develop in …

Comparison Of Economic Returns From Grain Crops, H M. Fisher

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

While wheat is still generally the most profitable crop in Western Australia the relative profitability of barley and linseed has risen in the last few years; in southern areas they are likely to be at least as profitable as wheat.

Oats has fallen in profitability relative to wheat, and grain legumes have suffered a marked fall. Yields of these grains have increased with the introduction of new varieties but their price increases have not kept pace with those of wheat and barley. The present relationship of yields and costs indicates that substantial price changes will be needed to change the …

Kenaf : A Possible Multi-Purpose Crop For The Ord River Irrigation Area, I M. Wood

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

Kenaf is a tropical crop which shows promise for use in paper pulp, oil and protein production; the young growth is a nutritious animal feed.

It has proved a highly productive crop in the Ord River Irrigation area, raising speculation about its possible use as a commercial crop there. In this article a CSIRO research worker describes the properties of kenaf and reviews research results with the crop on the Ord

Promising Results With Pineapples At Carnarvon, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Pineapples were investigated commercially in Carnarvon in the early 1930's but drought, sunscorch, alkaline soils and problems with transport and marketing caused the infant industry to collapse in 1936.

Recently however, trials at Gascoyne Research Station have shown that pineapples can produce good yields of high quality fruit in the area.

The trials have been aimed at establishing the viability of pineapple production at Carnarvon and have been carried out by officers of the Horticulture Division.

Prospects For A Successful Rape Crop, M J. Barbetti, A. G. P. Brown, P. Mcr. Wood

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

Since the disastrous 1972 season, when blackleg disease reached epidemic proportions, rapeseed production has declined dramatically. With attractive prices for rapeseed in prospect many farmers may be trying this crop again.

If the risk of loss from blackleg could be assessed early in the season it would assist in deciding whether rape would be an economic proposition.

Pasture Seeds : Production Techniques And The Future Market Situation, B J. Quinlivan

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

Like other farming and grazing industries, pasture seed production has its share of booms and slumps —perhaps more than its share. In Western Australia, the industry reached a high point during the mid-1960's when land development along the south and west coastal districts was at its height.

The drought year of 1969 and the subsequent rural depression saw pasture seed production fall to its lowest level for ten years and it is only in the last 12 months that there has been a revival.

With the sudden upsurge of interest last summer there will be many potential seed producers now …

Linseed : A Forgotten Crop, M L. Poole, R. J. Guyton, H. M. Fisher

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

Linseed has become a forgotten crop in Western Australia. From a peak production of 6 200 tonnes from 12 500 hectares in 1969, and an apparently bright future, it dwindled to a bare 80 tonnes from 250 hectares in 1973.

This article looks at some of the reasons for this decline and, with linseed fetching all-time record prices on world markets, gives reasons why the crop should be grown.

The Place Of Lucerne In Western Australian Agriculture, N J. Halse, C. M. Francis

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

Lucerne, the world's most important fodder legume, has never won largescale acceptance in West Australian farming, largely because of our success with productive subterranean clover pastures. But recent disease problems on sub. clover stands have led to greater interest in alternative species, especially lucerne, for higher rainfall areas.

This article summarises our knowledge of lucerne establishment and management in W.A. and reviews current research aimed at achieving better results from lucerne.