Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Leaf Rust And Stripe Rust And Their Management In Wheat, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) can be a significant threat to wheat crops in Western Australia in some seasons. Learn the symptoms and risk factors.

Managing Crop Weeds, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

In-crop weed competition causes losses costing around $1 billion per annum for Western Australia. There are effective strategic and tactical options available to manage weed competition that will increase crop yields and profitability.

Weeds with herbicide resistance are an increasing problem in grain cropping enterprises. Integrated weed management (IWM) is a system for managing weeds over the long term and is particularly useful for managing and minimising herbicide resistance.

Growers are advised to adopt integrated weed management (IWM) to reduce the damage caused by herbicide-resistant weeds.

Herbicide resistant weed populations are found throughout all cropping areas of Western Australia. The …

Chickpeas In The Ord River Irrigation Area (Oria), Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Kabuli chickpeas are a high value industry in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA). Largeseeded, high-quality grain is grown for domestic and export markets.

The Ord River District Co-operative Ltd markets locally grown Kabuli chickpeas. It mainly supplies domestic markets in Australian capital cities where chickpeas are sold as whole seed in specialty shops.

Information on the areas grown, yields and other details could not be obtained from the cooperative as they are regarded as commercial in-confidence. Chickpeas are also sold in larger volumes to Australian manufacturers to make falafel, hummus and other dips. The processing market requires varieties with …

Wild Oat And Its Management In Crops, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Wild oats (Avena fatua and A. ludoviciana) represent a large cost to cropping; they are highly competitive and when left uncontrolled, can reduce wheat yields by up to 80%.

The greatest yield loss occurs when wild oat plants emerge at the same time as the crop.

Brome Grass And Its Management In Crops, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Brome grass (Bromus spp.) is one of the most competitive grass weeds in wheat. Over the last 10 years, brome grass has increased in importance to a greater extent than any other weed species in Australia.

Recent changes in crop production systems, increased conservation tillage, a lack of available selective herbicides, and a decline in system diversity have seen an increase in the importance of this weed in Western Australia (WA).

Seed is the main source of brome grass infestation and, as few seeds remain dormant, the most important aspect of management is to reduce its seed bank.

Annual Ryegrass And Its Management In Crops, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) is one of the most serious and costly weeds of annual winter cropping systems in southern Australia. It is highly competitive and can compete with a crop as early as the 2-leaf stage.

Annual ryegrass is a winter to spring growing weed that can emerge from late autumn to early spring. The number of emergence flushes and the density of plants that emerge are related to initial seedbank levels and the frequency and amount of rainfall.

Deferred Grazing And Sheep At The Break Of Season In South West Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Grazing annual pastures in the first 12 days after germination can lower the productivity of pastures during winter by removing poorly rooted plants, and by reducing plant leaf area to sub-optimal levels. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) recommends deferring grazing of pasture paddocks at the break-of-season until feed on offer is at least 500–800 kilograms of dry matter per hectare (kg DM/ha). At this level, pasture plants are likely to be firmly rooted and have sufficient leaf area to be productively grazed.

Herbicides, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Herbicides play a vital role in integrated weed management programs. Knowledge of the mechanisms and activity of herbicides will improve the impact and sustainability of herbicides as a weed management tactic. This fact sheet is a guide to the types of herbicides available and when and how they should be used.

Manage Crop Weeds At Harvest, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

This management strategy provides an opportunity to control weed seed set in the pasture and during harvest. The strategy physically removes viable seed from the paddock by collecting weed seed and grazing crop residues.

Weed seed removal at harvest can be achieved in 2 ways:

1. collecting weed seeds from the system to prevent them being spread across the paddock or farm

2. grazing weed contaminated crop residue and pastures.

Herbicide Application, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Herbicides can be applied by a variety of means, including boom sprayers, aerial spraying, misters, blanket wipers, rope wick applicators, weed seekers and back-pack sprayers. This fact sheet reviews the different methods, including nozzles and calibration of equipment, used to apply herbicides.

Grazing Annual Pastures – Using Feed On Offer (Foo) As A Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Grazing management in winter and spring in South West Western Australia (SW WA) can manipulate the quality, quantity and composition of pasture. These pasture changes can increase livestock feed efficiency and productivity, reduce insect populations and improve pasture persistence. Seasonal grazing based on feed on offer (FOO) is described here to maximise stocking rate and pasture production.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends using feed measurements and feed budgeting to increase productivity and reduce livestock health risks.

Boosting Winter Pasture Growth, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Applying gibberellic acid or nitrogen fertiliser to pasture in winter can increase dry matter production of grasses and broadleaf weeds and help reduce feed shortages in winter.

Reduce Crop Weed Seed Numbers In The Soil, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

There are various methods of weed control in the pre-sowing phase, including removing weed seed numbers in the soil, fallow, stubble, and by various methods. This factsheet covers some of the methods, including:

• Burning crop residues to reduce the surface seed bank of many weeds

• Encouraging insect predation of seed

• Inversion ploughing to bury weed seeds at a depth they can’t germinate

• Autumn tickle to encourage earlier germination of weed seeds for destruction using a knockdown herbicide

• Delaying sowing to allow greater germination of weed seeds for destruction using a knockdown herbicide or cultivation, prior …

Hymenopteran Parasitoids Of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)) In Australia, With The Description Of Five New Species In The Families Braconidae And Eulophidae, Erinn P. Fagan-Jeffries, Melina M. Miles, Tareva-Chine C. Atkin-Zaldivar, Andy G. Howe, Siva Subramaniam, Donna M. Chambers, Frezzel Praise J Tadle, Saleh Adnan, Verni Sivasubramaniam, Alice Woodward, Helen Spafford, Brian Thistleton

Biosecurity Research Articles

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is an invasive pest of agricultural crops including sweet corn and maize. The moth was first recorded in Australia in January 2020 and is now considered established in most states and territories, and research is underway to develop management strategies. Extensive rearing of S. frugiperda larvae and eggs occurred from March 2020 to April 2023 to understand the parasitoid complex present in Australia and identify potential biological control agents. We report here on the hymenopteran parasitoids reared during this period, which were identified using a combination of morphology and COI DNA barcoding, and provide …

Rain And Potential Evapotranspiration Are The Main Drivers Of Yield For Wheat And Barley In Southern Australia: Insights From 12 Years Of National Variety Trials, Edward G. Barrett-Lennard, Nicholas George, Mario D'Antuono, Karen W. Holmes, Phillip R. Ward

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Context
Water is widely assumed to be the factor most limiting the growth of annual crops in rainfed environments, but this is rarely tested at sub-continental scale. Aims
Our study aimed to determine the key environmental and management variables influencing the yield of wheat and barley in the grain-production regions of southern Australia, using data from National Variety Trials. Methods
We used generalised additive models to determine the importance of climatic and management variables on wheat and barley grain yield. We determined the effects of the best one, two or three variables and their interactions. Key results
The aridity index, …

The De-Domestication Of Ornithopus Sativus Brot. To Develop Cultivars With Physical Dormancy (Hardseed), Robert J. Harrison, Bradley J. Nutt, Ronald J. Yates, Belinda F. Hackney, John G. Howieson

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Ornithopus sativus Brot. (French serradella) is a forage legume that is well adapted to acidic coarse textured soils (sands) which are characterized by poor nutrition and an inability to retain water. During the process of domestication of O. sativus, there was an unintentional loss of seed physical dormancy (PY) thus compromising its self-regeneration after a cropping interval. Through mass screening of seed, we identified for the first time that heritable sources of PY exist in three populations of O. sativus. This rare genetic material was then incorporated into suitable genetic backgrounds of differing maturity through targeted hybridization. We demonstrated …

Identifying High-Value Tactical Livestock Decisions On A Mixed Enterprise Farm In A Variable Environment, Michael Young, John Young, Ross S. Kingwell, Philip E. Vercoe

Animal production and livestock research articles

Context

Australia is renowned for its climate variation, featuring years with drought and years with floods, which result in significant production and profit variability. Accordingly, to maximise profitability, dryland farming systems need to be dynamically managed in response to unfolding weather conditions.

Aims

The aim of this study is to identify and quantify optimal tactical livestock management for different weather-years.

Methods

This study employed a whole-farm optimisation model to analyse a representative mixed enterprise farm located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Using this model, we investigated the economic significance of five key livestock management tactics. These included …

Annual Pasture Quantity And Quality In South West Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

The productivity of sheep is largely governed by the amount of pasture they eat and this is influenced by the quantity of the pasture on offer and its quality. Assessing pasture quantity and quality throughout the growing season gives managers the information they need to manage animal performance and pasture condition.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development provides this information for farmers to help improve the productivity and profitability of the livestock industry in Western Australia.

Managing Barley Powdery Mildew In The Face Of Fungicide Resistance, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Barley powdery mildew populations resistant to some fungicide active ingredients are present in the WA grainbelt. Integrated disease management strategies to manage the disease include growing varieties with improved resistance and strategic use of fungicides.

Barley Production: Effects Of Weather Damage And Varietal Purity On Quality, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Australian barley is regarded for its quality and suitability for both malting and animal feed, although varietal differences and environmental conditions during production can influence its quality.

Malt Quality Parameters For Malting Barley, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Have you ever wondered how beer is made and what makes barley varieties different from each other in the eyes of the brewer? The barley malting process and main barley malt quality characteristics are briefly described on this page.

Effective Furrow Sowing For Water Repellent Soils, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Furrow sowing creates micro-relief, small ridges, and furrows into which water can be harvested. Sloping water repellent surfaces induce run-off, which collects at the base of the sown furrow, enhancing water entry through increased hydraulic pressure.

Grains, Seeds And Hay Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2022/2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) has been operating since 2010 to address biosecurity threats relevant to Western Australia’s (WA) grains, seeds and hay industry. The Scheme was established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable growers to identify the pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and raise funds for activities to address these priorities.

There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS, there is a Cattle IFS and a Sheep and Goat IFS. The three IFSs operate in a similar manner. …

Adverse Consequences Of Herbicide Residues On Legumes In Dryland Agriculture, Ronald J. Yates, Emma J. Steel, Tom Edwards, Robert J. Harrison, Belinda F. Hackney, John Gregory Howieson

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Context or problem

Selective herbicides control weeds in cereal cropsand break down over time, allowing safe planting of legumes in the following years. However due to climatic inconsistencies and changing farming practices, this is not always the case, and residues can inhibit formation of legume/rhizobia symbioses.

Objective or research question

The objectives were to determine whether: i) exposure to triasulfuron, even at extremely low levels, reduces shoot and root growth and nodulation of five diverse and widely sown legume pasture cultivars in Australian farming systems; and ii) sowing legumes prior to recommended plant-back criteria being met for chlorsulfuron, …

Australian Cool-Season Pulse Seed-Borne Virus Research: 1. Alfalfa And Cucumber Mosaic Viruses And Less Important Viruses, Roger A C Jones, Benjamin S. Congdon

Biosecurity Research Articles

Here, we review the research undertaken since the 1950s in Australia’s grain cropping regions on seed-borne virus diseases of cool-season pulses caused by alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). We present brief background information about the continent’s pulse industry, virus epidemiology, management principles and future threats to virus disease management. We then take a historical approach towards all past investigations with these two seed-borne pulse viruses in the principal cool-season pulse crops grown: chickpea, faba bean, field pea, lentil, narrow-leafed lupin and white lupin. With each pathosystem, the main focus is on its biology, epidemiology and management, …

Powdery Mildew And Its Management In Wheat, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Powdery mildew is a fungal leaf disease that reduces yield and grain quality in susceptible wheat varieties. Disease is both stubble-borne and carried over on green bridge (secondary spread by wind borne spores). It has multiple, fast life cycles in a growing season and can be difficult to control once established. The best approach is an integrated disease management strategy.

With wheat area in Western Australia dominated by susceptible varieties, such as Scepter, powdery mildew remains a concern for growers statewide and has been particularly persistent and damaging in the Esperance Port Zone.

Stop Crop Weed Seed Set, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Numerous options can be used to prevent weed seed set, which provides an opportunity to control weeds in the pasture, late fallow, late stubble, and in-crop phases for the next season.

Wa Insecticide Guide 2024 - Autumn Winter, Rebecca Severtson, Svetlana Micic

PestFacts WA

Registered chemicals for broadacre crops in Western Australia.

The insecticides listed in the tables within this guide can be used on any crop appearing on the chemical label, if the rate used does not exceed the highest rate that is registered for use on that crop.

There are many products with different trade names that contain the same active ingredient. This list is not exhaustive and does not imply any specific recommendations of brand names.

Unless otherwise specified, all insecticides listed are emulsifiable concentrates (EC). Other insecticide formulations are suspension concentrate (SC), wettable powder (WP), capsule suspension (CS), wettable granules …

Prevent Weed Seed Introduction And Spread, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Growers can implement strategies to reduce and avoid unnecessary introduction and spread of weeds. These strategies will also reduce the risk of importing herbicide resistant weeds.

Smut And Bunt Diseases Of Cereals And Their Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Cereal smut and bunt diseases are caused by fungi that parasitise the host plant and produce masses of soot-like spores in the leaves, grains, or ears. The diseases can reduce yield and quality of harvested grain.