Life Sciences Commons^™

Wheat Breeding, J T. Reeves, N. Roy

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

In a normal harvest about 90 per cent of Western Australia's wheat production is exported overseas, where it is used in a wide range of products including noodles, bread, "steamed" bread, chapattis and biscuits

Wheat breeders in W.A. therefore have the problem of developing new varieties suited to many end uses, not all of which have the same quality requirements.

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 …

Crop Recommendations (1975) And Variety Trials (1973-1974), Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Variety recommendations for 1975 were derived mainly from results of 259 trials conducted at 60 sites in 1973. The main programme included wheat, oat, barley and lupin trials sown at 43 sites in wheatbelt areas; biscuit wheat trials on 12 sites in southern medium and high rainfall areas, and special hard wheat trials on 12 heavy land sites in low rainfall areas.

Also included was a series of early-sowing trials with lupins, wheat and barley; linseed trials in southern coastal areas, and preliminary wheat, oat and barley variety trials on research stations.

Department Breeds New Oat Variety, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

XBVT 189, the new oat variety which will be released to selected growers for the 1975 planting, is the product of cross-breed ng, selection and testing work conducted by the plant breeding and crop testing groups of the Department of Agriculture's Wheat and Sheep Division.

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.

Grain Moisture Problems On The South Coast, J A. Parish, G. H. Jones

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

In most West Australian grain growing districts high temperatures and dry weather at grain maturation are ideal for harvesting and enable delivery of grain with acceptable moisture levels. Grain from W.A. is known in world markets as a good quality dry product which is unlikely to deteriorate in storage. However, growers in coastal areas and particularly those south of Narrogin sometimes have trouble harvesting grain below the receival limit of 12 per cent moisture.

Grain Moisture And The Weather : What Can The Records Tell Us?, M W. Perry, P. A. Fievez

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

The expansion of cereal production in areas along the south coast has exposed harvesting problems associated with high grain moisture.

A grain delivery standard of 12 per cent moisture means that, in the absence of grain drying facilities, harvesting times in the field are restricted to those hours when grain moisture falls below this figure.

Grain moisture, however, remains the major problem and for planning purposes, producers require an estimate of the harvesting time available in a given year. This will depend on all the climatic variables which affect grain moisture. These include rainfall and dew which deposit water directly …

Reproductive Wastage Among Merino Ewe Flocks. 2. Non-Clover Areas, T Marshall, B. R. Beetson, R. J. Lightfoot, G. R. Mcmullen

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

This research sought to define the reasons for low fertility among Merino ewes in Western Australia.

This first article looks at wastage in Non-Clover areas

Nitrogen Fertilisers For Pasture Production, Walter Jacob Cox, K Hawley

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

At current prices nitrogen fertiliser is not an economic substitute for good clover pastures, but it can supplement the system by increasing nitrogen supply at peak growth periods. It can also provide useful increases in pasture production at critical feed times. Nitrogen usage for pasture production is still in the experimental stages and small areas should be tried before large-scale application.

Development Of A Selective Bait For Rabbits, A J. Oliver, S. H. Wheeler

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

It has long been recognised that a means of killing rabbits selectively in the presence of stock would be a major advance in rabbit control. It would enable a whole farm to be treated for rabbit control at one time, saving operational costs and cutting down reinfestation of rabbits into treated areas from untreated areas.

A literature search and some pilot trials indicated that indandione derivatives were more toxic to rabbits than to ruminants.

Pindone (2- pivalyl-l,3-indandione) was selected for evaluation.

The Effects Of Changing Flock Structure On The Amount And Type Of Turn-Off From Sheep Flocks, T Marshall

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

In the past the proportion of mated ewes in Western Australia's sheep flocks carried through summer has averaged about 40 per cent and sheep meat production has been basically lamb and old mutton.

If the proportion of mated ewes was lifted to an average of around 50 per cent and wethers were sold off at an average of about 2 1\ 2 years old, there would be substantial increases in sheep meat production. The extra meat produced would be young sheep meat ideally suited for table meats for consumers in W.A. and in many overseas countries.

As a result of …

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.

Some Concepts In Rangeland Management, R B. Hacker

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

The arid and semi-arid zones of Australia occupy about 75 per cent of the land mass. The pastoral industries are located within these zones and, although productivity per unit area is low, the region nevertheless constitutes one of the nation's valuable renewable resources.

If properly managed, such a resource may be maintained as a productive asset indefinitely.

Forage Production From Shrubs On Saline Land, C V. Malcolm

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

In the first volume of the Journal of the Department of Agriculture in the year 1900, the results of experiments at Tulare Experiment Station in California on the growing of Australian saltbushes are reported.

Seed was first sent from Australia by Baron von Mueller in June, 1881. Three species of saltbush (A. semibaccata, A. numularia and A. vesicaria) are all reported to have grown well.

Although C. A. Gardner in 1929 suggested the growing of saltbushes for forage, the earliest and clearest recommendations are those of Teakle and Burvill in 1945.

Early research tended to concentrate mainly on the possibility …

Water Economy For Lawns And Gardens, K S. Cole

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

Much of the summer water consumption occurs because it is widely believed that heavy summer watering is necessary. Householders often mistakenly water heavily to keep their gardens green and growing. Many may not realise that gardens can be kept vigorous and healthy with much less water than is commonly applied.

Samphire For Waterlogged Salt Land, C V. Malcolm, G. J. Cooper

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

For non-waterlogged and mildly waterlogged salt land a number of salt-tolerant shrubs may be used for forage production.

Areas which are highly saline and regularly waterlogged are not suited to these shrubs. However, during trials with shrub species, samphires (Arthrocnemum spp.) were found to volunteer and grow well on these sites.

Research into the use of samphires has shown that it is possible to harvest seed and obtain a seed sample suitable for sowing through a drill. Established samphire stands provide useful grazing in many parts of the Western Australian wheatbelt.

Why New Land Farmers Need A Super Bounty, Edgar Noel Fitzpatrick

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

Development of farming land in Western A ustralia's agricultural areas requires the application of large amounts of superphosphate. Since 1963, the Phosphate Fertiliser Bounty applied to superphosphate manufacture has ensured that this superphosphate has been available to farmers at reasonable cost and has helped to make new land development economically worth while.

Originally applied as an incentive to agricultural development, the bounty is now to be withdrawn and it is feared that the resulting increase in the cost of superphosphate will retard development of many West Australian farms and reduce many farm incomes to an unsatisfactory level.

These effects will …

Annual ('Wimmera') Ryegrass Toxicity, Geoffrey A. Pearce, O. M. Goss, P. H. Berry, J. L. Wise

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

Because annual ryegrass is one of the most widespread pasture plants in Western Australia, annual ryegrass toxicity is a threat to livestock in many agricultural areas—even though the area now affected is small.

The problem is being intensively studied by the Department of Agriculture and a working group has been set up to investigate potential control measures.

In this article the group reviews the problem and reports progress in its investigations to the end of 1973.

Forty Years Of Weeds And Seeds, G R W Meadly

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

The Chief of the Department of Agriculture's Biological Services Division, Mr G. R. W. Meadly, retired on November 12, after more than 40 years with the Department.

Mr Meadly who has an international reputation for his work in weed control and seed certification, was Officer-in-Charge of the Department's Seed Certification and Weed Control Branch from 1950 to early 1972, when he was appointed Chief of the Biological Services Division.

Beef Marketing As A Guide To Production Techniques, D J. Barker

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

Until about a year ago beef was in strong demand. Almost anything was marketable at favourable prices and good profits could be made even if the production process was wasteful in some respects.

Now the tide has turned. The demand for beef is weak, prices are low and some types of beef are virtually unsaleable. Now more than ever it is important to look critically at the factors which affect beef quality and to seek ways of reducing waste in both feed used and end products marketed.

This article examines production and marketing of beef and points out some inadequacies …

Skeleton Weed : The 1974 Narembeen Campaign, C R. Chambers

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

Skeleton weed took an alarming, historic turn in Western Australia at the 1974 New Year.

After a decade of an almost complacent pattern—control of one or two small outbreaks annually by the Agriculture Protection Board— general alarm erupted with the discovery of big areas at Pithara and mainly Narembeen.

What followed was a massive movement and engagement of not only Department staff but also the farming community in an attempt to beat this outbreak.

The Medina Pig Research Station, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Before the Department of Agriculture's Medina Pig Research Station was established in 1964, pig production research had been carried out on Denmark Research Station, Muresk Agricultural College and in some commercial herds.

However, with increasing specialisation in the pig industry better facilities were needed. Medina Research Station provides such facilities, allowing it to carry out research to provide detailed information of immediate practical value for both extensive and intensive pig production enterprises.

The Effect Of Applied Nitrogen And Subterranean Clover On The Growth Of Doublegee, D J. Gilbey

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

Until 20 years ago doublegees in Western Australia were mainly confined to the red-brown earth soils of the wheatbelt.

Since then, they have spread to light loamy sand soils in the wheatbelt, many of which have carried subterranean clover from the mid-1940s onwards.

It has been widely presumed that the spread of doublegees on to the lighter sandy soils of W.A. can be associated with the establishment of subterranean clover on these soils.

This report summarises the results of a glasshouse experiment on the effect of clover and nitrogen on the growth of doublegee.