Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Crop Updates 2000 Cereals - Part 4, C. Tang, Z. Rengel, E. Diatloff, B. Mcgann, Mehmet Cakir, Nick Galwey, David Poulsen, M. Carter, A. Briney, R. Wilson, R. H. Potter, M. G. K. Jones, Ian Barclay, Robyn Mclean, Dean A. Diepeveen, Rob Loughman, Ross Kingwell, Michael O'Connell, Simone Blennerhasset, Benjamin Michael Tiller, Senthold Asseng, Holger Meinke, Bill Bowden, Jeff Russell, Ivan Lee, Clare Johnson, Chris Newman, Robert Emery, Romolo Tassone, Ernestos Kostas, Graeme Ralph, Robert Sudmeyer, David Hall, Harvey Jones

Crop Updates

This session covers twelve papers from different authors:

BREEDING

1.Response to subsoil acidity of wheat genotypes differing in Al-tolerance, C. Tang, Z. Rengel, E. Diatloff and B. McGann, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition/CLIMA, University of Western Australia

2. Application of molecular markers in Barley Improvement, Mehmet Cakir¹, Nick Galwey¹ and David Poulsen^{2, 1}Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, ²Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Hermitage Research Station, Queensland

3. Implementation of molecular markers for wheat improvement in the Western Region, M. Carter¹, A. Briney¹, …

Crop Updates 2000 - Cereals Part 1, Timothy G. Reeves, Sanjaya Rajaram, Maarten Van Ginkel, Richard Trethowan, Hans-Joachim Braun, Kelly Cassaday, R. A. Mcintosh, Rob Loughman, Ross Brennan, Mike Bolland, Zed Rengel, David Isbister, Paul Blackwell, Derk Bakker, Greg Hamilton, David Houlbrooke, Cliff Spann, Doug Rowe, Patrick Gethin, Stephen Loss, Frank Boetel, Tim O'Dea, Noeleen Edwards, Wayne Pluske, Ross Brennan, M. T. F. Wong, K. Wittwer, H. Zhang

Crop Updates

This session covers eleven papers from different authors:

PLENARY PAPERS

1. New Wheat for a Secure, Sustainable Future, Timothy G. Reeves, Sanjaya Rajaram, Maarten van Ginkel, Richard Trethowan, Hans-Joachim Braun, and Kelly Cassaday, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)

2. Managing Cereal Rusts - a National Perspective, R.A. McIntosh, University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute, New South Wales

3. Managing Cereal Rusts in 2000 - a regional imperative, R. Loughman, Agriculture Western Australia

4. Is nutrition the answer to wheat after canola problems?Ross Brennan¹, Bill Bowden¹, Mike Bolland¹, Zed Rengel^{2 …}

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, …

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 …

Agricultural Water Management In The Missippi Delta Region Of Arkansas, H. Don Scott, James A. Ferguson, Linda Hanson, Todd Fugitt, Earl Smith

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture is the largest use of soil and water resources in eastern Arkansas. This bulletin summarized the recent historical use of soil and water by agriculture and the impact of irrigation on yields of rice, soybeans and cotton. The experiments conducted in the field to quantitatively schedule irrigations of crops are summarized. The results show the close relationship between the irrigation of crops and the extraction of water from the Alluvial Aquifer. The implications of this relationaship for the future are discussed.

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 …

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

Trees Working In Western Australia, Dave Berry

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

There is an air of inevirability about farm forestry - no-one disputs that planting trees is a sure route to curbing agriculture's serious land degredation problem. Dave Berry talks with some of the key players developing the industry.

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 …

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.

Western Australian Salinity Action Plan, Agriculture Western Australia, Department Of Conservation And Land Management, Department Of Environmental Protection, Water And Rivers Commission

Natural resources published reports

Salinity is one of the State's most critical environmental problems, threatening major economic and social consequences. It is preventable and, in the long term, reversible. Complete elimination is not realistic, but we can dramatically reduce its impact.

Salinity is caused by replacing deep-rooted native plants with shallow-rooted crops and pastures. More rainfall passed below the root zone and accumulates as groundwater so that watertables rise. The groundwater mobilises natural salts in the soil as it rises and carries them towards the surface, eventually degrading land and streams.

Bulletin 4329 - Environmental Hazards Of Farming In Western Australia, Greg Hamilton, Ian Foster, Philip M. Goulding

Bulletins 4000 -

This Bulletin is one of a series on crop establishment practices which minimise soil disturbance and improve stubble retention. In partnership with primary producers, Agriculture Western Australia 1s focussed on improved and profitable farming which conserves or improves the quality of the State's soil resources.

Agricultural land in Western Australia is naturally fragile and susceptible to degradation. Salinity and wind erosion are the most visible and significant forms of degradation, but all forms are present over large areas of agricultural land (House of Representatives Enquiry into Land Degradation in Western Australia, 1988).

The fragility of Western Australia's soils has been …

Wildlife As Natural Enemies Of Crop Pests, Ron J. Johnson, James R. Brandle, Natalie Sunderman, Rebecca Fitzmaurice, Nancy A. Beecher, Ronald M. Case, Mary Dix, Linda J. Young, Mark O. Harrell, Robert J. Wright, Laurie Hodges

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 8th (1996)

One asset of wildlife to landowners is the potential but understudied role of birds and other species as endemic natural enemies of crop pests. Enhancing such natural enemies as part of sustainable agricultural systems offers promise for maintaining agricultural competitiveness while providing wildlife habitat in intensively farmed areas. The University of Nebraska has established an agroforestry research team to address interdisciplinary questions and outreach associated with this topic. Included are studies of bird, mammal, and insect use of woody and herbaceous corridors and adjacent cropfields in east-central Nebraska. Uncultivated areas needed to sustain natural enemies of crop pests also provide …

Esperance Region Catchment Planning Strategy, John Platt, Brendan Nicholas, Rod Short, Stephen Gee

Natural resources published reports

The Esperance Region Catchment Planning Strategy project was initiated by the Esperance Land Conservation District Committee.

This report provides a reference document for farmers and other land managers such as government agencies and local government, and should help them to strategically focus their catchment planning activities.

It will help land managers to identify the major catchments and land systems in their area, management issues for long term sustainability, and a regional strategy for catchment planning.

Catchment planning involves both technical and social processes.

Technically it is a process of planning the sustainable use of water resources within a catchment.

Bulletin No 4315 - Western Australian Agricultural & Fishery Exports At A Glance...1995/96, Graeme Robertson Dr, P. P. Rogers

Bulletins 4000 -

Second edition (revised and updated) January 1997.

Western Australia's economic growth and high productivity is based on a well established export-oriented economy that relies heavily on primary production.

Our abundant and diverse range of agricultural and fish products is supported by highly innovative and dynamic primary industries. These are backed by modern financial and physical infrastructure.

Western Australia's agricultural industries and fisheries have an international reputation for a professional approach to business and a proven track record in producing and supplying food and fibre products of consistently high quality. Clean air, unpolluted oceans and waterways, and abundant quality farmland are …

No-Till Sowing : Helping To Keep Cropland Soils In Place, Kevin Bligh, Paul Findlater

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

Repeated erosion of tilled land can ;ower crop and pasture yields because of reduced available moisture and nutrient storage. Kevin Bligh and Paul Findlater look at the causes of water and wind erosion and the role of no-till sowing in minimising erosion.

Improving Dairy Farm Performance, Ruth Dilley

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

Western Austraian sairy farmers produce more milk per cow and per farm than their eastern Sttates counterparts and the milk is also of higher quality. But there is always room for improvement and as grain prices rise it is crucial that maximum benefit is derived from the cheapest feed source - the pasture.With this in mind Ruth Dilley looks at the Dairy Farm Performance Program - a comprihensive farm database developed by Agriculture Western Australia.

Effects Of Tactical Responses And Risk Aversion On Farm Wheat Supply, Ross S. Kingwell

Natural Resources Research Articles

A discrete stochastic programming model of the farming system of the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia is used to examine the effect of tactical responses and risk aversion on wheat supply. Including within-season tactical changes to wheat areas decreases the own-price elasticity of supply. By contrast, introducing risk aversion has no consistent effect on the own-price elasticity of supply. The implications for supply models are discussed.

Buntine-West Wubin And West Maya Catchment Management Report, William Oldfield, Natalie Hunt

Natural resources published reports

Buntine West/Wubin land Conservation District was formed when a number of landholders wanted to extend and join on to some existing deep drains. At first the group concentrated on the deep drains with some farmers joining on anda project to connect the drains up througha naturally occurring saline area and to run the main drain into a salt lake system. Funding was attained for 50% of the project and farmers with drains paid for the rest. It was considered unfair for landowners whose land this drain went through to pay all the cost as it was not draining arable land. …

Storm : [Wind Erosion In The Great Southern], Dan Carter

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

On Thursday 11 May 1995, a low pressure system with central barometric pressure of 990 hPa formed of south-western Australia. This depression directed gale force winds over the South-West Land Division for some seven hours.

Dan Carter reports on the widespread damage to soils and property, and management practices that would have reduced the problem.

Understanding Fertilisers For Table Grapes, B. H. Goldspink, I. Cameron, J. Campbell-Clause, N. Lantzke, C. Gordon

Viticulture research reports

A course run by the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, August 1995.

The purpose of this publication is to clarify the role fertilisers play in commercial table grape production and to detail methods of selecting fertilisers. This selection process however is not easy as there are over 600 registered fertilisers in Western Australia.

In deciding which is the best fertiliser for a particular property many factors have to be considered. These include:

* Age of vine

* Rootstock

* Variety of table grape

* Soil type

* Soil chemistry

* Irrigation methods

* Previous fertiliser history Previous yield, vigour and …