Life Sciences Commons^™

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Western Rock Lobster Resource - Background Information, Jason How, Emma-Jade Tuffley, Rebecca Oliver, Scott Evans, Mathew Hourston, Simon De Lestang

Fisheries Research Reports

In April 2022, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, Department) convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the Western Rock Lobster Resource (Resource). ERAs are conducted by the Department as part of its Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) framework.

This report provides an overview of the Western Australian (WA) fisheries that access the Resource to support the ERA risk scoring process. The ERA considered the potential ecological impacts of the harvest of the Resource by all sectors, including the commercial fisheries; West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (WCRLMF) and South Coast Crustacean Managed …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 21 - November 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 21 - November 2022 contents:

• Final PestFacts WA newsletter for 2022!
• Green bridge management over summer
• PestFacts WA continues successful collaboration with Agworld and Back Paddock

Pestfacts Wa Issue 20 - November 2022, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas, Dustin Severtson

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 20 - November 2022 contents:

• Phomopsis can be a risk when grazing lupin stubble
• Meet PestFacts WA team member – Dusty Severtson

Wagin Townsite Borefield: Review Of Aquifer Performance, Rockwater

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Wagin Borefield was established by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia in 2000-2007 to control groundwater levels in the town that had risen to critical levels as a result of increased recharge and runoff following the clearing of native vegetation for urban development and agriculture. Similar investigations were conducted as part of the Rural Towns Program and Rural Towns-Liquid Assets projects in 41 other wheatbelt towns, but none, except perhaps from Merredin, have been as comprehensively implemented, operated and monitored as Wagin.

The Wagin Borefield comprises 8 production bores, of which only 3 have been operated. To …

Mitigating The Adverse Effects Of Semi-Arid Climate On Capsicum Cultivation By Using The Retractable Roof Production System, Giao N. Nguyen, Neil Lantzke

Horticulture Research Articles

Capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) belongs to the Solanaceae family and is an economically important vegetable crop. However, the crop is very sensitive to adverse weather conditions such as high temperatures and excessive sunlight, which cause flower and young fruit to drop and sunscald to mature fruits. Using protected cultivation such as shade covers or net houses is a feasible agronomic approach to protect the crop from high light intensity, which increases plant growth, reduces fruit damage, and increases marketable fruit yield and quality. Low-cost protected cropping options such as fixed-roof net houses have proved cost-effective and suitable for fruiting vegetable …

Smart Drumlines Ineffective In Catching White Sharks In The High Energy Capes Region Of Western Australia: Acoustic Detections Confirm That Sharks Are Not Always Amenable To Capture, Stephen M. Taylor, Jason How, Michael J. Travers, Stephen J. Newman, Silas Mountford, Daniela Waltrick, Christopher E. Dowling, Ainslie M. Denham, Daniel J. Gaughan

Fisheries Research Articles

The management of human-shark interactions can benefit from the implementation of effective shark hazard mitigation measures. A Shark-Management-Alert-in-Real-Time (SMART) drumline trial in the Capes region of Western Australia was instigated after several serious incidents involving surfers and white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). The project aimed to determine whether white sharks (target species), which were relocated after capture, remained offshore using satellite and acoustic tagging. Over a 27-month period, 352 fish were caught, 55% of which comprised tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). Ninety-one percent of animals were released alive in good condition. Only two white sharks were caught; both were relocated ≥ 1 …

Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia 2020/21, Karina L. Ryan, Eva Km Lai Dpird, Claire B. Smallwood

Fisheries Research Reports

The integrated surveys of boat-based recreational fishing include three components: (i) off-site Phone Surveys (encompassing an initial Screening Survey, a longitudinal Phone-Diary Survey, and Post-Enumeration Surveys); (ii) on-site Boat Ramp Surveys; and (iii) Remote Camera Surveys. The main data collection period from September 2020 to August 2021 (inclusive) provides comparisons with previous surveys in 2017/18 (September 2017 to August 2018), 2015/16 (September 2015 to August 2016), 2013/14 (May 2013 to April 2014) and 2011/12 (March 2011 to February 2012). A total of 3,044 fishers completed the Phone-Diary Survey with 206,230 individual fish (including invertebrates) caught (kept or released) by fishers …

2023 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide, B. Shackley, B. Paynter, J. Bucat, M. Seymour, H. Dhammu

Bulletins 4000 -

Welcome to the 2023 edition of the Crop Sowing Guide for WA, which introduces 31 new variety releases: two wheat, seven barley (one as feed only and six currently under malt evaluation), 15 canola, three hay-only oat and four lentil varieties.

The Crop Sowing Guide for WA has been compiled by officers in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. It provides information to support variety decisions for each of the major crops for the upcoming season.

In this edition, the canola NVT series are now identified by GRDC/NVT as ‘Low-Med Rainfall’ and ‘Med–High Rainfall’ to reflect the environments …

European House Borer Regulations, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Pinewood movement restrictions

To minimise the spread of EHB in Western Australia (WA), restrictions on the movement of pinewood were implemented in 2006, and currently apply to areas where EHB occurs. By restricting the movement of pinewood from EHB infested areas, EHB has been contained to Restricted Movement Zones (RMZs) in the greater Perth metropolitan area.

The restrictions are described in the Agriculture and Related Resources Protection (European House Borer) Regulations 2006.

The regulations allowed for the establishment of quarantine zones, Priority Management Zones (PMZs) and RMZs, and placed restrictions not only on untreated pinewood movement from PMZs and RMZs …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 18 - October 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic, Alan Lord, Ciara Beard, Andrea Hills, Daniel Huberli

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 18 - October 2022 contents:

• Avoid snail contamination in wheat
• Be mindful of chemical withholding periods if spraying for native budworm
• Glume blotch and false (pseudo) black chaff in wheat
• Powdery mildew found in canola and lupin
• Rhizoctonia bare patches are common this year

Recreational Fishing For Western Rock Lobster: Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch In 2021/22, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Alissa C. Tate, Lucy J. Rudd

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Rock Lobster (WRL) (Panulirus cygnus) is the most commonly caught Rock Lobster (RL) species in Western Australia. Catches from the commercial and recreational sectors are required to determine and monitor Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC), Total Allowable Recreational Catch (TARC) and proportion of Allowable Harvest Level (AHL) achieved. The TARC is set at 5% of the AHL and evaluated in the harvest strategy based on a 5-year average. Since 2018/19, data for the recreational sector have been collected using phone- recall surveys to provide estimates of participation, fishing effort and retained catch (by numbers) from recreational fishers who …

Grains, Seeds And Hay Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2021/2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia, Grains, Seeds And Hay Industry Funding Scheme

Agriculture reports

No abstract provided.

Sheep And Goat Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2021/2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia, Sheep And Goat Industry Funding Scheme

Agriculture reports

No abstract provided.

Molecular Pathways Of Wrky Genes In Regulating Plant Salinity Tolerance, Lewis Price, Yong Han, Tefera Angessa, Chengdao Li

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Salinity is a natural and anthropogenic process that plants overcome using various responses. Salinity imposes a two-phase effect, simplified into the initial osmotic challenges and subsequent salinity-specific ion toxicities from continual exposure to sodium and chloride ions. Plant responses to salinity encompass a complex gene network involving osmotic balance, ion transport, antioxidant response, and hormone signalling pathways typically mediated by transcription factors. One particular transcription factor mega family, WRKY, is a principal regulator of salinity responses. Here, we categorize a collection of known salinity-responding WRKYs and summarize their molecular pathways. WRKYs collectively play a part in regulating osmotic balance, ion …

Relief Wells For Water Resources And Managing Salinity And Waterlogging, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Relief wells can provide water resources and help reduce the severity and extent of waterlogging and salinity caused by leaky artesian systems.

A relief well is a 'free flowing' groundwater bore driven by artesian pressure. Such a bore allows groundwater to flow continuously up to the surface by releasing confined pressure stored within the aquifer at depth. This confined artesian pressure is renewed by a percentage of rainfall that infiltrates the soil profile at a higher elevation and recharges aquifers that may be a source of water for a saline seep.

Siphons For Managing Groundwater Discharge And Salinisation In Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Siphons are a way of passively moving water from areas of higher hydraulic head to areas of lower hydraulic head, through a pipe. Siphons can be used to lower the watertable under a seepage site if the flow from the siphon (or multiple siphons) is greater than the flow of groundwater to the site. Siphons can reduce surface salt levels at the seepage, but the discharge needs to be to a safe disposal site.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that siphons are used as part of an integrated water and salinity management program.

Australian Cleotychini Planthoppers: Review Of The Genus Cleotyche Emeljanov, 1997 With Three New Species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Dictyopharidae), Jérôme Constant, Linda Semeraro, Melinda L. Moir

Biosecurity Research Articles

The genus Cleotyche in the monotypic Australian planthopper tribe Cleotychini (Fulgoroidea: Dictyopharidae) is reviewed. The subgenus Griseotyche subgen. nov. is described to accommodate one species Cleotyche blanda Emeljanov, 2011 while the second species, C. mariae Emeljanov, 1997, is retained in the subgenus Cleotyche (Cleotyche) Emeljanov, 1997. Three new species of Cleotyche (Cleotyche) from Queensland, C. (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov. from Cania Gorge National Park, C. (Cleotyche) francescoi sp. nov. from Eurimbula National Park and C. (Cleotyche) montana sp. nov. from Blackdown Tableland National Park are described and compared to the …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 16 - September 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Dusty Severtson, Alan Lord, Jean Galloway, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas, Andrea Hills

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 16 - September 2022:

• Spring control of redlegged earth mites
• Native budworm update
• Botrytis grey mould
• Anthracnose and Phomopsis in lupins
• Leaf rust in oats and wheat

Skeleton Weed In Western Australia / Management Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

Skeleton weed is a declared plant which can reduce crop yields by competing for moisture and nutrients (mainly nitrogen).

This Management Guide has been designed to assist landholders and increase their capacity to manage and eradicate skeleton weed infestations on their properties and to prevent further spread within the State.

Without the coordinated program aimed at controlling spread, skeleton weed would now be much more abundant and widely established throughout the cereal growing areas.

Pestfacts Wa Issue 17 - September 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic, Alan Lord, Ciara Beard, Andrea Hills, Daniel Huberli

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 17 - September 2022 contents:

• Armyworm update
• Clean augers, field bins and silos to prevent insects contaminating grain
• Flag smut in wheat
• PestFacts WA Reporter app now available for android devices

Shore-Based Recreational Fishing In The Perth Metropolitan Area: 2022, Alissa Tate, Lucy Rudd, Claire B. Smallwood

Fisheries Research Reports

Recreational fishing is a popular activity in Western Australia (WA), occurring throughout the state from boats, and from a variety of natural and man-made structures along the shore. Ongoing monitoring of the shore-based recreational fishery is essential to assist with resource allocation, management evaluation and stock assessments for nearshore species. Especially for species such as Australian Herring and Southern Garfish which had management changes including a reduction in bag limit from 30 to 12 in 2015 and closure of Perth Metropolitan waters in 2017, respectively. An on-site roving creel survey to collect effort and catch data from shore fishers has …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 15 - September 2022, Svetlana Micic, Cindy L. Webster, Jean Galloway, Mark Seymour, Kithsiri Jayasena, Andrea Hills, Ciara Beard

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 15 - September 2022 contents:

• Managing diamondback moths late in the season
• Chocolate spot in faba beans
• Loose smut in barley

Skeleton Weed In Western Australia : Control Program 2022/23, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

No abstract provided.

Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia Annual Report 2021/2022, Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Understanding the needs and challenges of industry, community and government is key to providing relevant and constructive advice to government. During 2021/22, the Council continued to monitor biosecurity-related developments at national and State levels and proactively engaged with industry, community and government on biosecurity matters.

The key areas of advice that were progressed during the year were:

• The use of biological control agents to manage pests;
• Mechanisms for funding biosecurity and pest management; and
• Other matters as requested by the Minister.

Adaptation Of Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd.) To Australian Environments, Richard Snowball, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Mario Francesco D'Antuono, David Troldahl, Ian Biggs, Callen Thompson, Mark Warmington, Amanda Pearce, Darshan L. Sharma

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Quinoa is being evaluated in cropping systems in many countries outside of its natural range of South America. Very few attempts have been made by farmers or researchers to grow or evaluate quinoa under Australian environments. Given the growing popularity of quinoa with consumers, new commercial opportunities for farmers and international interest in the crop, it was timely to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of quinoa in Australia. Two advanced selections and nine germplasm lines (six of Chilean and three of Bolivian origin) identified in an earlier project were tested in 23 field trials at 14 locations on …

Improving Australia’S Containerised Grain Exports, Ross Kingwell, Scott Mckay, Peter White Dr

Research Reports

This report provides an overview of Australia’s containerised grain export supply chains and compares them to Australia’s bulk grain supply chains. The report outlines the main broad ways in which Australia’s containerised grain supply chains can be improved by investment, policy or regulatory change and education.

Western Australia's Bulk And Containerised Grain Exports In A National Context, Ross Kingwell, Dipesh Maharjan

Research Reports

This report describes containerised and bulk grain exports from Western Australia and all other main grain-producing Australian states. The types of grain, their export volumes and destinations, since 2011-12 until 2021-22 are described.

Genome Architecture And Diverged Selection Shaping Pattern Of Genomic Differentiation In Wild Barley, Wenying Zhang, Cong Tan, Haifei Hu, Rui Pan, Yuhui Xiao, Kai Ouyang, Yong Jia, Xiao-Qi Zhang, Camilla Hill, Penghao Wang, Brett Chapman, Yong Han, Gaofeng Zhou, Le Xu, Yanhao Xu, Tefera Angessa, Hao Luo, Sharon Westcott, Darshan Sharma, Eviatar Nevo, Roberto Barrero, Matthew I. Bellgard, Tianhua He, Xiaohai Tian, Chengdao Li

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Divergent selection of populations in contrasting environments leads to functional genomic divergence. However, the genomic architecture underlying heterogeneous genomic differentiation remains poorly understood. Here, we de novo assembled two high-quality wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum K. Koch) genomes and examined genomic differentiation and gene expression patterns under abiotic stress in two populations. These two populations had a shared ancestry and originated in close geographic proximity but experienced different selective pressures due to their contrasting micro-environments. We identified structural variants that may have played significant roles in affecting genes potentially associated with well-differentiated phenotypes such as flowering time and drought response between …

Investigations Of The Potential For Irrigated Agriculture On The Bonaparte Plains: Hydrogeology, Aquifer Properties And Groundwater Chemistry, Don Bennett, Paul Raper, Robert Paul, Tim Pope, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

‘Cockatoo Sands’ is a common name for the Cockatoo Sands family of soils (comprising red to yellowish-red sands, sandy earths, and loamy earths) that have formed from quartz sandstone colluviums in relatively isolated patches throughout the East Kimberley region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Cockatoo Sands are recognised as potentially suitable for irrigated agriculture because they are generally well drained and not subject to waterlogging or inundation. These characteristics allow them to be cultivated and prepared for planting various crops during the wet and dry seasons of northern Australia.

Expanding agricultural production onto the Cockatoo Sands around Kununurra …

Effects Of Shade Nets On Microclimatic Conditions, Growth, Fruit Yield, And Quality Of Eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.): A Case Study In Carnarvon, Western Australia, Giao N. Nguyen, Neil Lantzke, Andrew Van Burgel

Horticulture Research Articles

Carnarvon has a hot, semi-arid climate with high temperatures and solar radiation during spring–summer, which damages crops and limits the production season for the local vegetable industry. Protective cultivation is one of the promising approaches to mitigate these adverse weather conditions and avoid the resulting damage to vegetable crops. This study, which is part of the protected cropping research program for vegetable crops in Western Australia, was conducted to understand how the shade nets of a protective net house modify the microenvironment affecting the growth, physiology, and fruit yield of eggplants, a model vegetable crop. The eggplant crop was grown …