Agricultural Science Commons^™

Low Recharge Farming Systems. Case Studies On The South Coast, Arjen Ryder, Jamie Bowyer, Gerry Skinner, Clare Mccarron

Natural resources published reports

This booklet is intended as a guide to assist land managers to design or select low recharge farming systems. Options that increase water use are described with benefits and issues for each option.

Case studies describe the experiences of landholders who have had a go at establishing and managing such systems. Examples are included from different rainfall zones. The systems mentioned in this manual are only a guide.

Case studies describe the experiences of landholders who have hada go at establishing and managing such systems. Examples are included from different rainfall zones. The systems mentioned in this manual are only …

Profiting From Adversity - Meeting The Challenge Of Salinity Through New Industry Development, Andrew Quinn, Tamara Law, Peter Rowe

Natural resources published reports

Salinity in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia is one of the most significant challenges facing the State's agricultural sector.

Efforts to manage the increasing effect of salt influenced and threatened farming land requires not only the implementation of new farming systems, but a new way of thinking and attitude to production more in tune with environmental and technological limitations.

While past environment lobby pressures have significantly focused on other production activities such as mining and forestry, the future is likely to see increased community interest in agricultural production systems.

Consumers World wide are becoming more environmentally sensitive, with global media …

Eucalypt Woodlands A Guide To Management, Liz Brown, Colin Holt

Natural resources published reports

This guide was mainly developed using information gathered from studies in Salmon gum (E. salmonophloia) woodlands. However, the principles in this guide can be broadly applied as it considers the general ecological processes that occur within most woodlands.

If your goal is to restore a woodland to a healthy, functioning unit with a range of original species, this guide provides a way of diagnosing the health of individual woodlands and some of the causes of poor health. It also suggests some relevant management actions.

There is a huge array of different types of Euclaypr Woodlands in the Western Australian Whearbelr, …

Community Support For Natural Resource Management. Future Frameworks: Future Needs, Fionnuala Frost, Wendy Dymond, Soil And Land Conservation Council Of Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

A report prepared for the Soil and Land Conservation Council of Western Australia.

Emerging from the Decade of Landcare is growing recognition that regional and local community involvement is integral to the success of any natural resource management (NRM) outcome. It is integral for a number of reasons:

1. Community support provides the capacity to develop plans and strategies at local, regional scale which are owned by the community who review (technical recommendations, advice and information and adapt them to suit local need;

2. Community knowledge provides an important balance to research knowledge and State and regional level strategies and …

Agriculture Western Australia's Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute Katanning, Agriculture Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Agriculture Western Australia's Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute has been established as a centre of excellence for research, development and extension into sustainable farming systems The. agency has a long association with the town of Katanning dating back to 1925 when the agency provided a general agricultural advisor.

The new Institute is strategically located in the heart of key sheep and cropping production areas with significant growth potential.

Its role is to stimulate the contribution of ideas from individuals, groups and organisations with an interest in research, development and extension relating to innovative, profitable and sustainable animal and cropping based …

Bulletin 4418 - Nebru Focus Catchment Report, Agriculture Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

Nehru Focus Catchment is located in the upper reaches of the Arrowsmith Catchment. It is roughly bounded by Sunset Road in the north, the north-south Kadathinni Hills to the east, the Three Springs - Eneabba Road to the south and Reed Road in the west. It changes in elevation from 372 metres Australian Height Datum (AHD) at roughly the intersection of Nehru Rd the Kadathinni Hills to the east and 220 metres AHD near the outlet of the catchment into the Arrowsmith River.

The total area of the catchment is just over 7,400 hectares.

One of the prime areas of …

Degradation In The Brockman River And Ellen Brook Catchments, Western Australia, Brian Lloyd

Natural resources published reports

An eight day survey of degradation in the Ellen Brook and Brockman River catchments revealed several areas of concern. Key concerns are:

Erosion and sedimentation

Various forms of erosion were observed during the survey that would cumulatively have an effect on the quality of both the Ellen Brook and the Brockman Rivers, and ultimately the Swan River. Erosion resulted from many situations including landholder management, subdivision design and infrastructure maintenance. Raising awareness as to consequences of erosion and sedimentation, along with remedial techniques and best management practices is recommended for the various levels of stakeholders.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication has been established …

Commercial Irrigation And Nutrition Practices For Strawberries In Western Australia, D. Phillips, D. Gatter, T. Calder, D. Pitman

Horticulture research reports

Irrigation practices employed by five commercial strawberry growers on sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near Perth Western Australia were monitored for two consecutive seasons, 1995 and 1996 during the Spring production period.

Nutritional practices for the same grower group plus one Albany grower were monitored by plant, soil and sap analysis at 14 day intervals throughout the 1996 season.

Irrigation records showed that market quality strawberries could be produced at this time of year (August to December in Perth) on soils with very poor water retention properties with an average crop factor(E Pan) for the season of 0.7 …

The Wheat Book : Principles And Practice, W K. Anderson, J R. Garlinge

Bulletins 4000 -

Contents : Environment / revised by J. Cramb, J. Courtney and P. Tille - The structure and development of the cereal plant / revised by T.L. Setter and G. Carlton - Germination, vegetative and reproductive growth / revised by T.L. Setter and G. Carlton - Crop water use / D. Tennant - Nutrition / revised by M.D.A. Bolland, R.F. Brennan, J.W. Bowden, M.G. Mason, N.K. Edwards, M.M. Riley and S.W. Gartrell - Wheat in farming systems / revised by B. Bowden, P. Blackwell, P. Carmody, M. Ewing, R. Kingwell, R. L ghman, I. McFarlane, P. Michael, P. Nelson, I. Pritchard, …

Dalyup Catchment 2000, Esperance Catchment Support Team

Natural resources published reports

This 'State of the Dalyup Catchment' document is a snapshot of the condition of the Catchment in the year 2000. It records the current level of knowledge of the natural resources in the Catchment and discusses some of the management issues and options. This document is a benchmark and through ongoing monitoring, trends in the condition of the Catchment can be identified.

Its primary purpose is as a tool for resource planning such as a surface water management plan, river action plan or revegetation plan. It can also be used in the preparation of funding applications.

Bulletin 4446 - Ord Land And Water Management Plan 2000, Agriculture Western Australia, Community Of Kununurra

Bulletins 4000 -

The wise use of the land and water of the Ord has become an imperative driven by increasing awareness of the impacts of current uses on ground water and the on the quality of the Ord River itself.

We have been lucky as a community that these resources are still in reasonable order and that we have the time to address the resource management challenges associated with our use of them. There is a wide range of land and water management issues to be addressed and all those involved have responsibilities to address some of those issues.

Bulletin No 4315 - Western Australia's Agricultural, Food & Fisheries Industries 1999 - 2000, Besko Trhuij, Francis D'Emden

Bulletins 4000 -

Fifth Edition (revised and updated) December 2000.

Western Australia’s agriculture and fisheries industries have an international reputation for providing premium quality food and fibre produce to customers around the world.

The State of Western Australia is setting the international quality standard in the production of a vast array of food, fibre and fisheries products.

Agriculture Western Australia has developed the Safe Quality Food System (SQF2000), which not only meets stringent world food standards, but is being adopted in many countries as a unique trademark of quality.

Free of many pests, diseases and pollution found elsewhere, the State offers produce sourced …

Susceptibility Of The Legume Flower Thrips To Metarhizium Anisopliae On Different Varieties Of Cowpea, S. Ekesi, N. K. Maniania, W. Lwande

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The susceptibility of Megalurothrips sjostedti to Metarhizium anisopliae when reared on susceptible, tolerant, and moderately resistant varieties of cowpea at different constant temperatures was evaluated in the laboratory. Insects were exposed either to direct spray of the conidia or to fungus-treated floral tissues. Mortality was significantly higher on the moderately resistant variety at all temperatures compared to the susceptible and tolerant varieties. Correspondingly, lethal time and lethal concentration values were significantly shorter and lower, respectively, on the moderately resistant variety compared to the other varieties, thus indicating that the two control methods are compatible as part of an integrated pest …

Bulletin 4396 - Byenup Hill Focus Catchment Benefit: Cost Analysis, Allan Herbert

Bulletins 4000 -

The main text of this document concentrates on the costs of the proposed strategies, and the on-farm financial benefits from forecast production changes - in particular the production differences between the 'do nothing' and 'with strategy' scenarios.

Members of the catchment group indicated however that their main focus was on preserving their capital base. Hence some discussion of the values of land lost to salt and premiums/discounts for 'landcared' vs 'unlandcared' land appears later in the report. Economics literature suggests that including changes in land values into these analyses is incorrect. It is argued that production differences are actually captured …

Miscellaneous Publication 53/99 - Ideas A Diversification Manual For The Pastoral Rangelands, Kaz Price, Lee Verios

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

In 1993 the Pastoral Wool Industry Task Force recognised the diminishing returns to wool production and the need for Rangeland enterprise diversification and other risk management strategies

This manual has been developed to assist pastoralists through the decision making process when considering diversification and contains:

• business and finance planning;
• business structures;
• legislative requirements and also includes;
• current contacts for a range of industries

The manual has been produced in response to a range of questions from pastoralists wishing to investigate and develop alternate enterprises for the semi-arid Rangelands of Western Australia.

Bulletin 4369 - Ord River Irrigation Area - Kununurra Western Australia, Agriculture Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

The Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) in the Kimberley Province of Western Australia is the product of a bold and imaginative plan to develop part of the nation's tropical north for intensive agriculture by harnessing the waters of the Ord River. The principal features of the scheme are:

* A major storage reservoir formed by a dam constructed where the Ord River enters the Carr-Boyd Ranges, 160 kilometres south-east of Wyndham.

* A diversion dam, 50 kilometres further downstream, to raise the river level and divert water to be released from the major storage reservoir onto the irrigable lands.

* …

Bulletin 4359 - Soils Of The Swan Coastal Plain, Mike Bolland

Bulletins 4000 -

Almost all the soils of the Swan coastal plain are formed by material deposited by sea, rivers and wind. The Yilgarn Block, east and south of the Scarp bordering the Swan Coastal Plain (Fig. 1), rose about 40 to 50 million years ago. This caused erosion of the block by rivers and streams, and the eroded material was either deposited onto the Swan Coastal Plain or washed into the sea. The eroded material formed new soils on the Plain.

Broadly there are two major types of soils on the Coastal Plain. The first is a series of dune system near …

Horticulture Research Report 1994 - 1998, Frank Wise Institute, Kununurra, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia, D. Robinson, M. Howes, R. Randell

Horticulture research reports

This report summarises horticultural research, development and extension activities undertaken by staff from the Kununurra District Office during the period 1993 to 1998 and reported annually at the Frank Wise Institute Horticultural Research Review. The range and extent of activities presented and supported by Agriculture Western Australia with industry collaboration indicates the importance of horticulture in the economies of the Kimberley Region and Western Australia. Further support by funding bodies and agribusiness, and collaboration with other research organizations is also acknowledged. Since the early 1980's, horticultural output and value of production from the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) have risen …

Bulletin 4357 - Fertilisers For Pastures On Sandy Soils Of The Swan Coastal Plain, K. W. Angell

Bulletins 4000 -

When newly cleared for agriculture, the sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain were acutely deficient in phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and the trace elements copper ( Cu) and zinc (Zn) and sometimes molybdenum (Mo). Phosphorus deficiency was overcome by applying single superphosphate. Trace element deficiencies were overcome by adding Cu, Zn and Mo to superphosphate during manufacture, allowing P, Cu, Zn and Mo to be applied to the pasture in the one operation.

It was subsequently found that low sulphur (S) and potassium (K) were limiting production and persistence of subterranean clover-based pastures on the sandy soils of the …

A Snapshot Of Horticulture Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Horticulture published reports

Western Australia's horticultural industry is one of 'the fastest growing primary production sectors. Gross value of production in 1996/97 was $383 million dollars according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. However, we know that these data underestimate the value of the industry by about 12 per cent for the fruit sector and by over 50 per cent for the vegetable sector. The true GVP is closer to $500 million.

Good quality land and water resources in areas suitable for horticultural production are available for industry expansion. Some of the traditional enterprises on the irrigable land in the south-west are becoming …

The Use Of Bauxite Residue As A Soil Amendment In The Peel -Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment - Environmental Monitoring Report August 1999, Mark Rivers

Natural resources published reports

The Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment is located immediately south of Perth in Western Australia and covers approximately 190,000 ha. It extends from Forrestdale in the north to Harvey in the south, and west from the Darling Scarp to Mandurah on the coast. The boundary of the catchment, as illustrated in Figure 1, represents the area which has been approved by the DEP for the broadscale application of Alkaloam as a soil amendment. (This figure also indicates features and regions of importance in this project).

The region experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters with most …

Guidelines Of Activities And Costs Of Establishing A Vineyard For Winegrapes, Alex Sas, Roslyn Hanna, Diana Fisher

Viticulture published reports

This document is intended as a starting point for those interested in growing wine grapes and highlights the management techniques, labour requirements, and costs involved with such an enterprise. Budgeting methods are used to determine the profitability of investing in a 10 ha vineyard in the south-west of Western Australia. The document should not be used as a recipe with which to develop a vineyard, but rather as a guide.

Establishing a vineyard involves a large initial investment with no returns until usually three years after planting. Factors such as site selection, environment, seasonal conditions and management, will all affect …

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of The Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find Area, Western Australia, A L. Payne, A M E Van Vreeswyk, K A. Leighton, H J. Pringle, P Hennig

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of the Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) between 1992 and 1993, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the area’s natural resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The area surveyed covers about …

Linking People, Purpose, And Place: An Ecological Approach To Agriculture, Heidi Carter, Richard Olson, Charles A. Francis

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Linking Ecology and Agriculture

Whole Farm Planning

Soil Quality

Agroforestry

Grazing Systems

Weed and Insect Management

Farmer Groups

Farmland Conversion

Resources and Information Sources

Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy. Weeds Target List, B. M. Waterhouse, A A. Mitchell

Biosecurity published reports

Second edition.

The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) was established in 1989 as an outcome of a major evaluation of quarantine in Australia (AGPS 1987, 1988). NAQS activities include surveying for weeds,insect pests and diseases of plants; and pests and diseases of animals in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The primary goal is to provide early detection and warning of new quarantine threats or incursions.

A targetted approach was adopted for all pests, diseases and weeds. For each category of pest, experts in the discipline compiled lists of organisms not known from Australia but known to occur in …

Focus On The Future Agriculture Western Australia's Strategic Directions 1998 - 2008, Agriculture Western Australia

Reports

Strong growth in global demand combined with productivity gains, product innovation and sustainability improvements throughout the 1990s enable Western Australia agriculture to look to the 21st century with confidence.

This optimistic outlook is largely the result of innovation across the agricultural industries based on research, development and extension - activities in which Agriculture Western Australia continues to be the State's leading provider.

Focus on the Future is ambitious, and sends a unequivocal message about our strategic directions and the rationale guiding the agency in allocating resources to those areas which offer the biggest benefits to the Western Australian agriculture, food …

Yuna Farm Improvement Group - Conservation Farm Planning Manual, Mike Clarke, Cecilia Mcconnell, Nancye Gannaway

Natural resources published reports

A landcare group formed on Tuesday, 30 June 1998 due to growing concern about land degradation. The main interests and objectives of the group where discuss and were outlined as follows:

1. Wind Erosion

2. Soil Acidity

3. Soil Degradation

4. Remnant Vegetation Decline

5. Tree Placement and Survival

6. Oil Mallees

7. Water Erosion

8. Non Wetting Soils

9. Salinity

10. Waterlogging

The first step toward addressing these issues was to organise two workshops with Mike Clarke, Cecilia McConnell and Nancye Gannaway from Agriculture Western Australia. The first workshop was held on the 4/8/98 and the second on the …

Bulletin 4328 - Soil Testing For Vegetable Production On The Coastal Plain, Ian Mcpharlin, Murray Hegney

Bulletins 4000 -

Vegetable growers need to use fertiliser efficiently. Under-fertilising can reduce yield, which results in economic losses. Over-fertilising can reduce yield and contribute to nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of ground and surface waters. Concerns have been expressed that fertilisers applied to horticultural crops contribute to the phosphorus pollution of the rivers and estuaries of the west and south coast of Western Australia.

Soil testing is a technique that can be used by growers to make better fertiliser decisions. When soil tests show high levels of nutrients, growers can reduce fertiliser application for the current crop. This should enable growers to maintain …

Bulletin 4333 - Furrow Sowing On Water Repellent Soils, Paul Blackwell, Grant Morrow

Bulletins 4000 -

This Bulletin discusses the benefits that furrow sowing brings to crop growth and production on water repellent sand, based on research and farm observations in Western Australian. By understanding the benefits and risks of several key processes, producers can better evaluate the potential role of furrow sowing in combating water repellency. This is true whether one is using direct drilling, no-till (narrow points or discs) or zero till (single, double or triple disc openers) methods.

A Guide To Mechanical Rangeland Regeneration, J. Addison

Bulletins 4000 -

The main objective of this Bulletin is to describe mechanical methods of promoting rangeland regeneration and how to determine which is the most appropriate to use on any particular site. Mechanical regeneration methods are not 'quick fix' but may be used to advantage in some rangeland regeneration strategies.