Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Work Completed Or In Progress 1970, R Weir

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

1. Yield selection characteristics - 70WH5, 70M15. 2. Sorghum development - 70GL2, 70GL9. 3. Moisture stress effects on wheat - 69GL15, 70GL3, 70GL8. 4. Flower abortion of Lupins - 70GL18, 70GL19, 70GL20, 70GL21, 70GL22. 5. Salarimeter Readings

Weed Control Research Pays Dividends, G R W Meadly

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

On my bookshelf is a handbook entitled "War on Weeds" or "How to Double our Food Supply."

In many of these countries experiments have been made to ascertain as far as possible the exact damage done by weeds to crops.

Result: In all the experiments, whether made in England or abroad, the mean loss was over 50 per cent.

The level of loss is equally true today, but the methods at our disposal for handling weeds have improved tremendously.

Annual Summary Of Experimental Results 1970-71 - Evaluation Of Pasture Species, G H. Walton

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

During 1970 interest in the small ungrazed Legume Species Trials was reduced to ten trials located in the more troublesome areas. Five of the trials are on the sandy soils of the Midland Plain three trials are in Merredin-Southern·cross region, one is on deep sand at Tincurrin and the other is at Pindar. All thesites are sandy soils on which the sub clover strains appear to perform the best. The newer trials are investigating the value of sub clover cultivars such as Northam A,Mt Helena A, Shenton Park A, and Daglish. These trials will be the subject of a special …

Progress In Research On Noxious Weeds, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

RESEARCH on noxious weeds has enabled the development of many practical methods for the control of these weeds.

Where the recommended treatments have been accepted by farmers, large scale operations have reduced the areas infested and stopped spread into new paddocks.

Weed Control In Linseed, J G. Paterson

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

In 1967, almost 7,000 acres of linseed were planted in Western Australia. The area increased to more than 25,000 acres in 1968 and it is expected that some 40,000 to 50,000 acres will be planted in 1969.

FOR MANY years linseed has been a comparatively unimportant crop, recently been highlighted both as a "cleaning" and as a "cash" crop. Its value has

Weed Control In Pastures : A Practical Approach For Sheep Areas, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

IN the past, chemical treatments for the control of weeds in pastures have been costly and severe on pasture, and have had to be repeated over a number of years. The method outlined in this article overcomes nearly all these disadvantages.

The Control Of Weeds In Cereals, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

PRACTICALLY all broadleaved weeds found in cereals can now be killed with herbicides and with most, the farmer has a choice of chemicals.

Two more new products are now available and these have several advantages over other herbicides.

Chemical Ploughing, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

PROGRESS in the field of chemical weed control has been spectacular in recent years. One field that is attracting interest is the idea of replacing cultivation with chemical sprays.

Progress In Weed Control, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

In May, 1967, the "Journal of Agriculture" printed a special issue on weed control, with the emphasis on chemicals for weed control in cereal crops.

This month, just two years later, enough new information has accumulated to warrant publication of another "theme" issue, this time with important articles on weed control in pastures, chemical firebreaks and chemical ploughing, as well as weed control in linseed and cereal crops.

How Important Are Wild Oats?, J G. Paterson

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

WILD OATS tend to grow best on heavy, fertile land. They can be a particular problem in wheat crops where soils of this type predominate.

Trials have shown that wild oat competition is more important in a high yielding wheat crop than it is in a low yielding one. The extent of this competition is described in this article.

Amsinckia Or Yellow Burr-Weed (Amsinckia Spp.), G R W Meadly

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

YELLOW BURR-WEED is widely established in the Wimmera and Mallee districts in Victoria, presumably introduced with fodder brought to this country from the United States about 1914.

It is a problem in Oregon and other north west wheat areas of America.

The weed is also widespread in New South Wales, being most troublesome in the wheat-growing sections of the Riverina. It is not established to the same extent in South Australia and Queensland.

The recent discovery of areas infested with yellow burr-weed at Merredin prompted the Agriculture Protection Board to declare it a primary noxious weed for Western Australia.

Stubble Burning Helps Control Wimmera Rye Grass, M G. Mason, W. J. Toms, J. W. Gartrell

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

In a trial at Wongan Hills Research Station, burning of wheat stubbie in a continuous cropping system, helped to control Wimmera Rye Grass in the crop and resulted in yields up to 25 bushels an acre higher than where the stubble was ploughed in.

WIMMERA RYE GRASS is the most widely used annual pasture grass in the agricultural areas of Western Australia.

It has proved valuable for sheep feed where legume pastures are not grown.

However, it has often proved a serious weed in cereal crops, causing large yield reductions.

Bulletin No 3547 - Kimberley Research Station - Progress Report 1968, Western Australian Department Of Agriculture

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Rivers flowing to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Timor Sea have been estimated by hydrologists to carry about three times the water transported annually over the Murray drainage system and the South Eastern slopes which, together, comprise the highly settled agricultural areas of South Eastern Australia.

In 1945, the North Australian Development Committee recommended research in the Ord-Victoria rivers region as a first step toward ultimate agricultural development of this Northern potential and, in 1946, the Kim- berley Research Station commenced operations under the joint control of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and the Western Australian Department …

The Control Of Doublegee, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

FOUR years ago no practical recommendations could be made for the control of doublegee.

With money provided by the State Wheat Research Fund, research has been undertaken into the control of this weed, and there is now no reason why most farmers cannot bring doublegee under control.

Control Of Wild Oats, J G. Paterson

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

WILD OATS are widespread throughout the world.

Their importance can be gauged from the fact that in the wheat growing areas of Canada and the U.S.A. some 60 million acres are infested.

Two chemicals are now available for the control of wild oats in wheat. This article compares their relative merits and gives recommendations for their use.

Linuron : A Success In 1966?, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

Although some of the farmers who used linuron last year reported poor results, there is little doubt that this is the best herbicide since the advent of 2,4-D for weed control in cereals. This article gives the reasons for failure in some of last season's crops, and recommendations for use of linuron in 1967.

The Control Of Weeds In Cereals, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

PROBABLY the simplest way of obtaining an increase in crop yield is to control the weeds present.

Nearly a million acres of cereal crops are sprayed by aircraft each year and when the area treated by ground units is added, something like 20 per cent of the total area sown is sprayed with herbicides.

Watch Out For Afghan Thistle, J G. Paterson

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

ALTHOUGH known throughout the cereal and sheep districts of Western Australia as Afghan thistle, this plant is not really a thistle at all.

It belongs to the large botanical family of the Solonaceae and is closely related to the garden vegetables tomato and potato.

Net Blotch Of Barley, W A. Shipton

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

NET BLOTCH is the most prevalent disease of barley in Western Australia, and is capable of reducing yields considerably.

It is caused by the fungus Pyrenophora teres Drechsl.

The Recent Story Of Skeleton Weed : A Menace To Our Wheat Industry, G R W Meadly

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

SKELETON WEED was first found in Western Australia at Ballidu in 1963.

No further recording was made until December of last year when a small area was located near Esperance, but, within a brief period, plants were reported from Geraldton and Kwinana.

Linuron : A New Herbicide For Cereal Crops, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

DURING two years of trials on both pastures and cereals Linuron has proved itself to be a valuable addition to the range of chemicals for the control of weeds in cereals.

It has a good crop tolerance safety factor and controls a wider range of weeds than most other herbicides.

Cultivation : Does Haste Mean Waste?, H M. Fisher

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

Many farmers believe that increasing the speed of cultivation and seeding implements will cause deterioration of soils and reduced crop yields.

In a three-year trial on clover ley land at Wongan Hills higher cultivation speeds tended to increase rather than decrease wheat yields. There was some deterioration in the physical structure of the soil.

Recommendations For Doublegee, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

Is it worth losing the legume component of the pasture in order to kill the doublegee?

The Control Of Weeds In Orchards, Geoffrey A. Pearce, S. E. Hardisty

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

THE use of herbicides for the control of weeds in orchards has become established during the past few years.

It has become more efficient with the introduction of newer herbicides which have proved more effective and less dangerous than some of those recommended in the past.

Watch Out For Wild Oats, J G. Paterson

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

SINCE the publication of the results of trials with Carbyne* on wild oats in cereal crops several enquiries have been received from farmers whose crops have been heavily infested with the weed.

A Chemical For Doublegee, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

DURING the past two years, finance has been made available from the State Wheat Research Fund for an intensive study on doublegee.

A newly-developed herbicide has been shown to give complete control of growing plants, while ecological studies have started to yield valuable information about seed behaviour.

The Doublegee, G R W Meadly

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

DOUBLEGEE, like a number of other major weeds, is native to South Africa. It was introduced to Western Australia during the first years of settlement.

There is no more troublesome weed in Western Australia than doublegee. It competes strongly with crop and pasture and its spiny fruits penetrate the hoofs of stock, causing lameness.

Control Of Weeds In Processing Peas, J G. Paterson

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

GROWERS of processing peas face many problems not the least of which is the control of weeds.

Crops which are to be harvested for canning or freezing must be practically weed free if good returns are to be obtained.

A summary of the results of trials carried out in 1962 to test recent developments in the chemical war against weeds in crops of processing peas.

Wild Oats In Wheat, J G. Paterson

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

Trials with a new chemical suggest that economical control of wild oats in wheat is only possible in heavily infested crops.

I N recent years there has been a marked increase in the incidence of wild oats in the wheat areas of this State. Three factors have been responsible.

Weed Problems In The Kimberleys, Rijn P J Van

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

AFTER fifteen years of irrigated agriculture, weeds have become a major problem at the Kimberley Research Station.

Since the Station is regarded as a type location for the potentially irrigable areas of the Ord River Valley, a similar problem is expected to arise when the surrounding areas have been under several years of commercial cropping.

An intensive study of weeds was therefore initiated at the Research Station in 1960.