Life Sciences Commons^™

Linseed Within The Clover Ley Farming System, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

LINSEED was one of the first crops to be widely used as an alternative to cereals in the over-17 inch rainfall areas. It is now an established crop with a total 1969 production worth just under half a million dollars.

Linseed is currently worth nearly twice as much as wheat per bushel, wih its short term prospects still attractive.

Weed Control Research Pays Dividends, G R W Meadly

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

On my bookshelf is a handbook entitled "War on Weeds" or "How to Double our Food Supply."

In many of these countries experiments have been made to ascertain as far as possible the exact damage done by weeds to crops.

Result: In all the experiments, whether made in England or abroad, the mean loss was over 50 per cent.

The level of loss is equally true today, but the methods at our disposal for handling weeds have improved tremendously.

List Of Experimental Programmes 1970 - 1971, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

L.T. Jones, Vines and vegetables. J.E.L. Cripps, Fruit tree management. R.N. Glencross, Nutrition of pastures and cereals in higher rainfall areas. M.D. Carroll, Fertility changes mineral deficiencies. D.L. Chatel, Soil Microbiology. C.M. Francis, Agronomy and adaptation of lupins. A.E. Oakley, Radioisotopes studies. J.W. Gartrell, Trace element nutrition of cereals and pastures. M.G. Mason, Nitrogen nutrition of cereals. D.A. Nicholas, Evaluation of perennial and annual pasture cultivars in higher rainfall areas. M.L. Poole, Agronomy of crops in high rainfall areas, oilseed and other new crops. D. Tennant, Soil-plant water relations and root growth of cereals. G.H. Walton Evaluation of pasture cultivars …

Grain Aeration On The Farm, G D. Rimes

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

ALTHOUGH grain aeration is a well known and widespread technique employed to prevent insect development in stored grain, the installations are invariably designed for large scale grain handling authorities.

Experimental work carried out in Western Australia over the last four storage seasons has shown that simple unsophisticated equipment can be of direct use in farm storage.

Rationing Standing Crops To Sheep, H E. Fels

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

This experiment was done at Merredin Research Station to develop and test a method of rationing standing crops to sheep, and also to find whether rationing would reduce the sheep's water consumption.

The experiment involved 60 sheep on 12 one-acre plots of drought affected Gamenya wheat.

Recommended Crop Varieties-1971/Vol11/Iss12, H M. Fisher

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

Cereal and linseed varieties recommended for 1971 should give the best returns to growers and benefit the industry in general, The main varieties are Gamenya, Bokal and Darkan wheats, Dampier and Beecher barleys, Swan oats and Kameniza linseed.

Superphosphate Deficiency Raises Pasture Oestrogens, H G. Neil, T. Marshall

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

A recent field experiment on established pastures at Esperance Downs Research Station has demonstrated a relationship between superphosphate application, pasture oestrogens and oestrogenic response in sheep.

Results of the experiment indicate that on phosphate deficient soils carrying oestrogenic clovers, the levels of oestrogenic materials in the pasture are increased if superphosphate applications are below those recommended for healthy pasture growth.

Linseed : An Alternative Crop For The South Coast. 2. What Is The Future For Linseed?, R J. Doyle, R. J. Guyton

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

In a preceding article* we stated that the expansion of linseed in Western Australia was due primarily to the ability to sell on the export market at current ruling prices.

This is necessary because Australia's domestic needs are likely to be supplied in most years by Eastern States producers.

Urea Drilled With Seed Affects Germination And Yield, M G. Mason, A. Loutit, J. A. C. Smith, D. Highman, P. Stallwood

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

Trials in 1968 at Burracoppin and York again showed it is safer to topdress urea just before seeding than to drill a mixture of seed and urea.

At all but the lowest urea rates, urea drilled with the seed reduced the number of plants emerging and surviving, and reduced final wheat yields.

The Western Australian Herbarium, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

The new Western Australian Herbarium building opened on March 5, 1970, provides for the first time, ideal storage conditions for the State's priceless collection of plants, and adequate facilities for botanists to study them.

The unique character of Western Australia's flora has attracted world-wide interest and the State needed a single herbarium recognised by the herbaria of the world.

Lucerne Establishment In High Rainfall Dairying Districts, R Sprivulis

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

LUCERNE is one of the oldest of perennial forage plants. It originated in the Middle East and because it flourishes under a wide range of climatic and soil conditions it is being grown in many parts of the world.

Lucerne was introduced to Australia in the early years of British settlement. The original introductions proved suitable for the alluvial flats of the Hunter and Peel River valleys of N.S.W.

Lucerne is basically a summer growing legume with or without winter dormancy.

Rapeseed Production In Western Australia, M L. Poole

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

RAPESEED production began in Western Australia in 1968 when a few acres were grown. In 1969, about 20 growers ptanted small acreages for about 80 tons of seed. In 1970, up to 20,000 acres will be grown, and a total of 40,000 acres seems possible within the next few years.

Copper Requirements For The South-Eastern Wheatbelt, D J. Gilbey, K. D. Greathead, J. W. Gartrell

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

FARM experience and the results of five years intensive research have shown copper deficiency to be widespread in the south-eastern wheatbelt.

On many areas of the south-eastern wheatbelt, copper deficiency is likely to restrict wheat yields.

Growing Barley For Grain In Western Australia : Varieties And Production Methods, H M. Fisher

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

BARLEY is an adaptable crop which can be grown successfully throughout the cereal areas of Western Australia. It is more suited to the wetter areas than wheat and tolerates the drier, shorter season of the eastern cereal districts better than oats.

The Outlook For Barley, P J. Hackett, E. J. O'Loughlin

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

World production of barley in 1968 was 4,107 million bushels—an increase of 7 per cent, on the previous year.

Further increases are estimated for the 1969 season, especially in Canada and France. World production is expected to be 3 per cent, higher than in 1968.

Lupins In Western Australia. 5. The Grazing Value Of Green And Mature Lupins, John Sylvester Gladstones

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

WHETHER or not lupins are grown primarily as a grain crop, grazing of standing crops and harvested stubbles will continue to be an important use. This article examines the uses of sweet lupins for forage, and the main problem of lupin grazing, lupinosis.

The Making Of A New Pasture Variety, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

FARMERS who attend field days at Department of Agriculture research stations are reasonably familiar with the procedure for producing a new cereal variety. It involves a painstaking and tedious process of crossing, followed by many years of segregation, selection and testing for yield, disease resistance, and other characters.

Although there are many pitfalls, the procedure for the creation of a new cereal variety is at least fairly well systematised.

Until recently the making of a new pasture variety was far from a systematic undertaking.

Progress In Research On Noxious Weeds, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

RESEARCH on noxious weeds has enabled the development of many practical methods for the control of these weeds.

Where the recommended treatments have been accepted by farmers, large scale operations have reduced the areas infested and stopped spread into new paddocks.

Phosphate Applications Affect The Coumestrol Level Of Medics, T Marshall, R. J. Parkin

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

Western Australia has a million acres of medics including various cultivars of barrel medic, Medicago truncatula, and strand medic, M. littoralis. Both species contain coumestrol, a chemical thought to have caused delayed conception and reduced twinning rates among grazing ewes in New Zealand.

No infertility has been reported among ewes grazing medic pastures in Western Australia, but coumestrol levels in both species have often been high enough to suggest the possibility of oestrogenic responses among sheep grazing them.

Fertiliser Recommendations For Citrus : Detailed Fertilizer Programmes For Citrus Growers, N H. Shorter, J. E. L. Cripps

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

CITRUS growers should adopt a well balanced fertiliser programme to safeguard tree health, cropping and fruit quality. While moderate dressings are a wise insurance in most situations the rates required vary with tree age and soil type.

The recommendations are given in detail in the tables in this article.

1970 Results Of Field Experiments, T O. Albertson

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

"1970· Progress Eight of the 5 unreplicated trials were cropped without fertiliser. Seven were harvested (severe weed infestation ruined 66KA 7). Three trials left under pasture responded to the fertiliser treatments and were cut for dry matter production. The remaining four trials left under pasture grew badly, became weed dominant and were not rated for growth differences between treatments or cut for dry matter production. The replicated trials at Avondale and Newdegate were also cropped, without fertiliser. The replicated trials at Wongan Hills Research Station and Chapman did not visually respond to treatments and were not cut. 69WHl5 succumbed to …

Results Of Field Experiments 1970, M D. Carroll

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

1. 70M17 The effects of Cultivation on Soil Nitrogen and Wheat Production 2. 69N11 and 69ES30 Soil Nitrogen Build-up under Various Legumes at Different Plant Densities 3. 7ON021 (R.N. Glencross) Rates of Copper and Zinc on Daliak Sub. Clover.

Pasture Species Investigations - High Rainfall Area, D A. Nicholas

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Clover cultivar grazing trial Gilros Pastoral Company North Bannister - 68NA1 Tone River Pastoral Company Chowerup - 70BR15 Low Eostrogen Clover Cultivar Trial R Hughes Mobrup - 68BR27 Legume Species Grazing Demonstration JB Wood - Lancelin - 67M016

Trial Results 1970 - Yield Data, M L. Poole

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

This Report Summarizes Yield Data for the following Trials:- Trial 1 - 70 WH 16 - Rates of Seeding Arlo and Target Rapeseed - Wongan Hills Research Station. Trial 2 - 70 MT 19 - Rates of Seeding Arlo and Target Rapeseed - Mt. Barker Research Station. Trial 3 - 70 E 25 - Rapeseed Variety Trial - Esperance Downs Research Station. Trial 4 - 70 MT 27- Rapeseed Variety Trial - Mt. Barker Research Station. Trial 5 - 70 MT - Competition between Wheat, Linseed, Rape and Wimmera Rye Grass - Mt. Barker Research Station. Trial 6 - 70 …

Work Completed Or In Progress 1970, R Weir

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

1. Yield selection characteristics - 70WH5, 70M15. 2. Sorghum development - 70GL2, 70GL9. 3. Moisture stress effects on wheat - 69GL15, 70GL3, 70GL8. 4. Flower abortion of Lupins - 70GL18, 70GL19, 70GL20, 70GL21, 70GL22. 5. Salarimeter Readings

New Early Maturing Serradella Available To Seed Producers, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Seed of a newly-developed yellow serradella cultivar, "Uniserra," will be released to seed producers for sowing this autumn.

Release of the seed was announced this month by the Chairman of the Western Australian Herbage Plant Liaison Committee, Mr. E. N. Fitzpatrick.

Recommended Crop Varieties, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

RESULTS of variety trials carried out in 1968 by the Department of Agriculture were considered by the State Wheat Advisory Committee and the State Coarse Grains Advisory Committee in making recommendations on leading varieties of wheat, oats and barley.

Details of the recommendations are set out below.

Recommendations on linseed varieties have been included in view of the growing significance of the industry and representations from farmers for consideration of this crop along with the cereals.

Establishing Pastures Under Wheat Crops, M L. Poole, J. W. Gartrell, D. A. N. Nicholas

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

RECENT surveys indicate that in the medium and high rainfall cereal and sheep areas as much as half the new pasture sown is sown with a crop.

In the drier wheatbelt areas the figure is 20 to 30 per cent.

Soil Microbiology, D E. Chatel

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

SUBTERRANEAN CLOVER INOCULATION EXPERIMENTS Badgingarra and Newdegate Comparisons between Rhizobium trifolii strain WU290 and possible replacement strains were continued. The work was conducted for the following reasons 1. The need for information on "back-up" strains particularly since the inoculant manufacturers had experienced difficulty in producing high-count peat cultures of WU290. 2. Strain CC2480a had proved very satisfactory in the Eastern States. Although it did not show up to advantage under our conditions in 1968,further testing was indicated. 3. The need for information on inoculation needs on old land.

Glasshouse Trials 1970, M G. Mason

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Two glasshouse trials were carried out - ( 1) Ef'fect of Placement of' Urea and Soil Moisture Level on Germination of Wheat. (2) Effect of Placement of Urea on Germination of Wheat Oats, Barley, Linseed and Rape. ·