Agricultural Science Commons^™

A Historical Review Of Management Options Used Against The Stable Fly (Diptera: Muscidae), David F. Cook

Animal production and livestock research articles

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), remains a significant economic pest globally in situations where intensive animal production or horticultural production provide a suitable developmental medium. Stable flies have been recorded as pests of livestock and humans since the late 1800s to early 1900s. Over 100 years of research has seen numerous methodologies used to control this fly, in particular to protect cattle from flies to minimise production losses. Reduced milk production in dairy cows and decreased weight gain in beef cattle account for losses in the US alone of > $2000 million annually. Rural lifestyles and recreation are …

A New Direction For Salinity Management In Western Australia: A Consultative Review, Ghd

Natural resources commissioned reports

In May 2018, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) published an audit into the management of salinity and recommended that the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), in consultation with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), set a strategic direction for salinity management for WA and improve monitoring, cooperation, coordination, promotion of soil conservation, and compliance of salinity impacts and its management.

The OAG’s audit focused on two questions:

1. Do agencies know the extent and impact of dryland salinity in the South West agricultural regions?
2. Are …

Hybridisation-Based Target Enrichment Of Phenology Genes To Dissect The Genetic Basis Of Yield And Adaptation In Barley, Camilla Beate Hill, Tefera Angessa, Lee-Anne Mcfawn, Debbie Wong, Josquin Tibbits, Xiao-Qi Zhang, Kerrie Forrest, David Moody, Paul Telfer, Sharon Westcott, Dean A. Diepeveen, Yanhao Xu, Cong Tan, Matthew Hayden, Chengdao Li

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a major cereal grain widely used for livestock feed, brewing malts and human food. Grain yield is the most important breeding target for genetic improvement and largely depends on optimal timing of flowering. Little is known about the allelic diversity of genes that underlie flowering time in domesticated barley, the genetic changes that have occurred during breeding, and their impact on yield and adaptation. Here, we report a comprehensive genomic assessment of a worldwide collection of 895 barley accessions based on the targeted resequencing of phenology genes. A versatile target-capture method was used to …

Canola Agronomy Research In Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia, Jackie Bucat, Andrew Blake

Bulletins 4000 -

The Tactical Break Crop Agronomy Project and the Achieving Stable and High Canola Yield Across the Rainfall Zones of WA Project were initiatives originating from a Western Panel Spring Tour of the low rainfall zone. The panel was focussed on investing in research and development to support the expansion of canola into low-medium rainfall zones where it could be incorporated into short-phase cropping systems. The importance of managing nitrogen application in soil with declining organic matter as farms moved from a long pasture phase system was paramount. Furthermore, understanding the management changes required to transition from OP to hybrid canola …

2019 Barley Variety Sowing Guide For Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Georgia Trainor, Jeremy Curry

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin is designed as a reference to help determine which barley variety to grow in your region. It provides market feedback, relative grain yield and grain quality comparisons, disease ratings, agronomic information and herbicide tolerance ratings for all malt barley varieties segregated in Western Australia (WA), those in Stage 2 of malt accreditation with Barley Australia and selected feed varieties (Tables 1 to 11; Figures 1 to 16).

The decision whether to grow barley with a malt or feed classification depends on five main factors:

(1) Premium paid for different varieties when segregated.

(2) Relative grain yield of malt …

Skeleton Weed Program: Annual Report To Grain Growers 2017/2018, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry Management Committee (GSHIMC) believes the current program is delivering the best value for the funding provided and is achieving the Project Outcomes of eradication (where possible), management (on infested sites), and limiting the spread of Skeleton weed across the cereal growing districts.

There has been a significant increase in the infested area of Skeleton weed in 2017/18. Most of this increase was in the eastern zone where wet conditions favoured Skeleton weed in late 2017.

Many landholders in these areas also had difficulty achieving “long term” control over summer and infested areas needed monitoring …

Groundwater Prospectivity In The Midlands Area, L J. Baddock, S Johnson

Natural resources commissioned reports

As part of the Water For Food Midlands project, Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD) is undertaking mapping of high-quality agricultural land (HQAL) to identify areas of agricultural value. This mapping utilises data relating to soils, land capability and rainfall, that is being integrated into a GIS-format that is easy to comprehend and can be incorporated into planning processes. This report details the development and results of a GIS-based product that represents groundwater resource prospectivity for irrigated agriculture in the Midlands project area. The output maps will be useful for landowners and developers highlighting the opportunities and risks …

2018 Barley Variety Fact Sheets For Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Georgia Trainor, Raj Malik, Jeremy Curry, Sanjiv Gupta, Sarah Collins, Daniel Huberli, Harmohinder Dhammu, Geoff Thomas, Ben Biddulph

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin is designed as a reference to help determine which barley variety to grow in your region. It provides market feedback, relative grain yield comparisons, disease ratings, agronomic information and herbicide tolerance ratings for all malt barley varieties segregated in Western Australia (WA) and selected feed varieties.

The decision whether to grow barley with a malt or feed classification depends on five main factors:

(1) Premium paid for different varieties when segregated.

(2) Relative grain yield of malt and feed grade barley varieties.

(3) Differences in input costs due to their agronomic and disease characteristics.

(4) Likelihood that grain …

Sales And Marketing, Nancye Gannaway

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Plan, prepare, Prosper - workshop

This document is part of the Plan, Prepare, Prosper program that was developed under the Pilot of Drought Reform Measures ('the pilot'), a joint initiative between the Australian Government and the Western Australian Government. The program aims to support businesses to prepare for drought, climate variability, financial and other challenges.

Today we will be working through your marketing program, and possible strategies for increasing its effectiveness and impact.

We will explore the advantages of target marketing - of focusing your marketing on those customers which best suit your business, and have the greatest potential for …

Improving Subtropical Grass Pastures On The South Coast Of Western Australia, Paul Sanford, Ron Master, Eric Dobbe

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin reports on the findings of a research project funded by DPIRD and MLA that investigated methods to improve legume content and increase production of both kikuyuand panic-based pastures on the south coast of WA.

Environmental Risk, Resource And Production, Nancye Gannaway

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Plan Prepare Prosper - workshop

Aims

• To identify and plan for projected changes in weather patterns and in the physical resources that underpin the productivity of the farm enterprise.
• To develop initiatives to manage observed and likely threats from the environment to farm enterprises.
• To support the achievement of long-term economic viability of land under production

Today's content will help develop risk management strategies for agricultural production systems.

Plan, Prepare Prosper - Farm Business Planning - Strategic Planning Overview, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Sustainable management of the land is a responsibility that is integral to Aboriginal Culture and has been successfully achieved for thousands of years.

In today's world land managers need to wear two hats __ the land management hat and the business management hat. Both hats working successfully together can create sustainably managed land that will benefit the Community, reinstating the land to its role as a fundamental core for Culture, as well as providing potential financial income.

The purpose of this workshop is to foster the awareness of strategic planning for Culture and Business to operate successfully within the same …

Peel Business Park Transition Strategy, Ghd

Natural resources commissioned reports

Transform Peel

Transform Peel is a $49m Royalties for Regions funded program aimed at achieving job creation, sustainable growth and economic development in the Peel Region. The Peel Development Commission and its partners, intend to implement this program over 35 years where projections estimate that 35,000 jobs will be created generating an approximate $16.2b per annum economic output by 2050. Located in the Shires of Murray and Serpentine Jarrahdale, the program comprises three integrated, strategic elements, the Peel Business Park (PBP), the Peel Food Zone (PFZ) and the Peel Integrated Water Initiative.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development …

Managing Opuntioid Cacti In Australia - Best Practice Control Manual For Austrocylindropuntia, Cylindropuntia And Optunia Species, M. R. Sheehan, S. Potter

Biosecurity published reports

The twenty-seven species of opuntioid cacti that are recognised as Weeds of National Significance are some of Australia's worst weeds. They grow over a wide climatic range and have impacted on pastoral and agricultural use of large tracts of land; pose an environmental risk to wildlife; and reduce aesthetic and recreational use, with direct impact on human safety.

Weedy infestations occur in all states and territories. Some are extensive, covering hundreds of thousands of hectares with a significant potential for range expansion

Over time there has been a substantial effort by government, industry, landholders and community groups to manage opuntioid …

Western Australian Arable Crops Industry - Overview For Potential Investors And Other Stakeholders, Virginia Wilkinson, Tim Morris, Nicki Hall, David Hughes Professor

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

When looking at opportunities for investment in the Western Australian arable crop production system, one must consider by whom? If you were to judge purely from the popular press, you would believe Western Australia agriculture was totally controlled by billionaires and foreign speculators. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The largest farmer, the largest farmland owner, the largest investor, the largest employer and the largest agrifood research funder in Western Australia (WA) is the government. The government is also the largest builder of the infrastructure used by the industry. At the same time, the government invests in food safety …

The Application Of Aem To Mapping The Aquifer And Groundwater Characteristics Of The La Grange Groundwater Area, Wa, David Annetts, Tim Munday, Richard J. George Dr, Nicholas J. Wright, Gregory Paul Raper, Kevin Cahill

Natural resources commissioned reports

This report describes the interpretation of a large airborne electromagnetic data survey that was designed to aid characterisation of groundwater systems in the La Grange groundwater allocation area which lies south of Broome, Western Australia. Characterisation of these systems is critical to developing policy around water use in the region, especially for the development of agriculture. This report is the second of two reports and it is designed to refine surfaces which are used as inputs to groundwater models. The volume defined by these surfaces viz. the seawater intrusion in the west, the top of the Jarlemai siltstone and the …

Skeleton Weed Program: Annual Report To Grain Growers 2016/2017, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

All program milestones have been met and the program has been delivered under budget.

As stated in the 2015/16 Annual Report – the program budget has been set at its current level of (approximately) $3.5m for the foreseeable future and program activities need to be framed within this parameter.

The Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry Management Committee (GSH IMC) believes the current program is delivering the best value for the funding provided and is achieving the Project Outcomes of eradication (where possible), management (on infested sites), and limiting the spread of skeleton weed across the wheatbelt.

There has been no …

Early Growth Stages Salinity Stress Tolerance In Cm72 X Gairdner Doubled Haploid Barley Population, Tefera T. Angessa, Xiao-Qi Zhang, Gaofeng Zhou, Sue Broughton, Wenying Zhang, Chengdao Li

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

A doubled haploid (DH) population of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) generated from salinity tolerant genotype CM72 and salinity sensitive variety Gairdner was studied for salinity stress tolerance at germination, seedling emergence and first leaf full expansion growth stages. Germination study was conducted with deionized water, 150 mM and 300 mM NaCl treatments. Seedling stage salinity tolerance was conducted with three treatments: control, 150 mM NaCl added at seedling emergence and first leaf full expansion growth stages. Results from this study revealed transgressive phenotypic segregations for germination percentage and biomass at seedling stage. Twelve QTL were identified on chromosomes 2H–6H each …

Planning For The Proposed Peel Food Zone, Ghd

Natural resources commissioned reports

Transform Peel is a $49m Royalties for Regions funded program. This program is broadly regarded as transformational for the Peel region in terms of job creation, sustainable growth and economic development. The Peel Development Commission and its partners, intend to implement this program over 35 years where projections estimate that 35 000 jobs will be created generating an approximate $16.2b per annum economic output by 2050. Located in the Shires of Murray and Serpentine Jarrahdale, the program comprises three integrated, strategic elements: Peel Food Zone; Peel Business Park; Peel Integrated Water Initiative.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia …

Succession; A Business Strategy, Jan Miller, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Plan, Prepare, Prosper - workshop

This document is part of the Plan, Prepare, Prosper program that was developed under the Pilot of Drought Reform Measures ('the pilot'), a joint initiative between the Australian Government and the Western Australian Government. The program aims to support farmers and rural communities to prepare for drought, climate variability and other challenges.

The Succession planning: A business strategy workshop will help participants to begin and maintain the succession planning process.

This workshop will guide you through the process of exploring, planning and enacting succession planning.

Please use this manual as a checklist to help you …

Frost: Frequently Asked Questions, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grain and other field crops published reports

Frequently asked questions regarding frost from the National Frost Initiative.

Rabbit Control: Bait Stations, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information on using bait stations for rabbit control.

Biological control agents such as the myxoma virus (myxomatosis), and rabbit haemorraghic disease virus (RHDV) or rabbit calicivirus disease, will not provide ‘magic bullets’ for reducing the impact of rabbits on agricultural production and the environment. Biological agents are more effective when they form part of an integrated approach to rabbit control. An integrated approach should use all available control options, including biological control, the use of vertebrate pesticides, shooting, and trapping programs. Control programs are most effective when they include the greatest number of properties possible (that is, …

Report Card On Sustainable Natural Resource Use In The Rangelands - Status Trend In The Pastoral Rangelands Of Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

This report card provides a regional overview of the status and trend of the natural resource base of the pastoral rangelands in Western Australia (WA).

The overview information is intended for the use of pastoral lessees, other rangeland and pastoral managers, and industry and government decision-makers with an interest in pastoral areas.

This report covers the pastoral lease areas of the 2.2 million square kilometres of rangelands in WA (87% of the state). Pastoral leases cover 857 833km* or 40% of the rangelands, based on active leases as at June 2016. The rangelands and lease areas cover 20 Australian bioregions …

Agronomic Options For Profitable Rice-Based Farming System In Northern Australia, Siva Sivapalan

Books & book chapters

Minimum air temperatures less than 15°C had biggest impact on varietal performance. Cold damage during the months of June and July warrants selection of varieties with cold tolerance for this environment, especially for the aerobic rice system. Ponded water has 4-8°C advantage over the air temperature, thus providing some protection against such cold damage. This has resulted in higher yields under flooded system. Planting dates, varying from late-February to late-May, were found to play a crucial role for plants to escape the low temperature damage at critical growth stages. Among the varieties tested, selected tropical varieties yielded higher than the …

A Hydrochemical Assessment Of Groundwater Recharge And Flow In The Broome Sandstone Aquifer, La Grange Area, Western Australia, Glenn A. Harrington, Nikki M. Harrington

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia has undertaken a four-year Royalties for Regions funded project in the La Grange Groundwater Area south of Broome. The purpose of the project was to provide improved knowledge and confidence about soil suitability and water availability for potential expansion of irrigated agriculture in the region. A range of complementary techniques have been used to assess the groundwater resources in the Broome Sandstone aquifer, including contemporary approaches such as drilling and aquifer pumping tests, and state-of-the-art approaches such as airborne geophysical surveys and hydrochemistry investigations.

This report presents a synthesis of all hydrochemistry …

Review Of Land Capability Assessment For The Swan Valley, Peter Tille, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

Land capability review for the Swan Valley.

The land capability review of the Swan Valley examined and updated previous soil and capability studies done in the area, which are still considered highly relevant for the planning requirements of the Swan Valley. As a result we have updated information on the potential for irrigated agriculture in the Swan Valley which will guide decision-making in the future.

This review uses a modified version of a new approach to presenting information for land use planning, developed by DAFWA in the Mid West region.

The main findings of the review include:

• The alluvial terraces …

Management Options For Water-Repellent Soils In Australian Dryland Agriculture, M. M. Roper, S. L. Davies, P. S. Blackwell, D. J. M. Hall, D. Bakker, R. Jongepier, P. R. Ward

Natural Resources Research Articles

Water-repellent (‘non-wetting’) soils are a major constraint to agricultural production in southern and south-west Australia, affecting >10 Mha of arable sandy soils. The major symptom is dry patches of surface soil, even after substantial rainfall, directly affecting agricultural production through uneven crop and pasture germination, and reduced nutrient availability. In addition, staggered weed germination impedes effective weed control, and delayed crop and pasture germination increases the risk of wind erosion. Water repellency is caused by waxy organic compounds derived from the breakdown of organic matter mostly of plant origin. It is more prevalent in soils with a sandy surface texture; …

Zernike Moments And Genetic Algorithm: Tutorial And Application, Oluleye Babatunde, Leisa Armstrong, Jinsong Leng, Dean Diepeveen

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Aims/ objectives: To demontrate effectiveness of Zernike Moments for Image Classification. Zernike moment(ZM) is an excellent region-based moment which has attracted the attentions of many image processing researchers since its first application to image analysis. Many papers have been published on several works done on ZM but no single paper ever give a detailed information of how the computation of ZM is done from the time the image is captured to the computation of ZM. This work showed how to effectively apply ZM on RGB images. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of Zernike moment in image classification system. A neuro-genetic …

A Neuronal Classification System For Plant Leaves Using Genetic Image Segmentation, Oluleye Babatunde, Leisa Armstrong, Dean Diepeveen, Jinsong Leng

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

This paper demonstrates the use of radial basis networks (RBF), cellular neural networks (CNN)and genetic algorithm (GA) for automatic classification of plant leaves. A genetic neuronal system herein attempted to solve some of the inherent challenges facing current software being employed for plant leaf classification. The image segmentation module in this work was genetically optimized to bring salient features in the images of plants leaves used in this work. The combination of GA-based CNN with RBF in this work proved more efficient than the existing systems that use conventional edge operators such as Canny, LoG, Prewitt, and Sobel operators. The …

Morphological And Moisture Availability Controls Of The Leaf Area-To-Sapwood Area Ratio: Analysis Of Measurements On Australian Trees, Henrique Furstenau Togashi, Iain Colin Prentice, Bradley John Evans, David Ian Forrester, Paul Drake, Paul Feikema, Kim Brooksbank, Derek Eamus, Daniel Taylor

Natural Resources Research Articles

1. The leaf area-to-sapwood area ratio (LA:SA) is a key plant trait that links photosynthesis to transpiration. The pipe model theory states that the sapwood cross-sectional area of a stem or branch at any point should scale isometrically with the area of leaves distal to that point. Optimization theory further suggests that LA:SA should decrease toward drier climates. Although acclimation of LA:SA to climate has been reported within species, much less is known about the scaling of this trait with climate among species.
2. We compiled LA:SA measurements from 184 species of Australian evergreen angiosperm trees. The pipe model was …