Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Meadow Hay For The Dairy Herd, F E. Ryan

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

CONSERVATION is the basis of progress in dairy farming and the major form is meadow hay, but unfortunately relatively few dairy farmers give enough attention to the quality and quantity of this important feed.

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.

Septoria Leaf Spot And Glume Blotch Of Wheat, W A. Shipton

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

SEPTORIA leaf spot and glume blotch of wheat occur throughout Australia and are capable of reducing crop yields.

While no estimates of yield losses are yet available in Western Australia both diseases can cause serious damage to crops.

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.

Black Spot Of Peas, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

THIS fungous disease of peas causes "black spot" and "stem rot" on affected plants. During the wet winter months the disease is often so severe that it is difficult to grow garden pea varieties satisfactorily; but in summer when hot, dry conditions usually prevail the disease is of little consequence.

Strains Of Stem And Leaf Rust On Wheat In Western Australia Since 1951, I A. Watson, W. P. Cass Smith, W. A. Shipton

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

THE most important wheat rust in Western Australia is stem rust,

Leaf rust occurs infrequently and has not been known to cause serious damage.

Pasture Seed Production, 1966 : Statistics And Comments, B J. Quinlivan

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

THE marketing of pasture seeds differs from that of some other primary products in that there are no guaranteed prices.

A knowledge of potential supply and demand for the various species and strains is just as important to the seed producer as good production techniques.

Stocking Rate And Rate Of Superphosphate In A Higher Rainfall Area, P P. Mann, B. J. Gorddard, R. N. Glencross, E. N. Fitzpatrick

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

In its virgin state the area carried a forest association of red-gum and jarrah, and the soils are typical of large areas in the south-west of Western Australia.

These gravelly soils have a high requirement for phosphate during their first years under pasture, and this trial was designed to investigate the relationship between rate of phosphate, stocking rate and pasture production over a number of seasons.

Rose Clover, E T. Bailey

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

Description, use, and varietal differences of rose clover in Western Australia.

ROSE CLOVER is a native of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region.

Until recently, it was used only as a sown pasture in California.

Its commercial use dates back to 1949, after five years of range plot trials (Love and Sumner), but even though the species has been in commercial use for 16 years, no attempt seems to have been made to develop uniform lines from the very mixed seed in common use.

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.

Is Your Farm A Haven For Grain Pests, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Overseas markets insist that the grain they buy must be in sound condition and free of insect pests.

Keep your farm free of stored grain pests and you will help to protect our export markets and reduce the cost of treatment that you and your neighbours will bear.

Cereal Variety Testing : A New Approach, H M. Fisher

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

One hundred and twenty large scale trials will be planted at 38 centres in the Department of Agriculture's expanding cereal variety testing programme.

ACCORDING to statistical returns West Australian farmers grow well over 100 varieties of cereals. More than 80 of these are different varieties of wheat.

Only a few varieties are widely grown so one might ask why farmers continue to grow so many of the less popular types.

The obvious answer is that they believe such varieties to be both suitable and profitable for their particular conditions.

Summer And Autumn Rainfall In Relation To Epidemics Of Wheat Stem Rust In Western Australia, W A. Shipton

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

High summer and autumn rainfalls, followed by rust infection of volunteer plants and favourable conditions during late winter and spring, lead to rust epidemics.

WIDESPREAD outbreaks of wheat stem rust are rare in Western Australia.

Early Spraying Esential For Webworm Control, J A. Button

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

Results of trials conducted during the last two seasons have emphasised the need for very early treatment of webworm infested crops.

Where heavy infestations occur every effort should be made to apply treatments during the first fortnight after crop emergence

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.

Agriculture In Williams-West Arthur : Report Of A Survey Of Farm Practices, A W. Hogstrom

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

THIS article summarises the results of a survey of 81 farms in the Williams and West Arthur Shires, carried out by officers of the Department of Agriculture at the request of the Central South Zone Development Committee.

Field work for the survey started in 1961.

Irrigation In The South-West : Report On Government-Controlled Areas, 1965-66, G Gauntlett

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

LARGE scale irrigation in the south-western part of Western Australia is confined to the coastal plain, west of the Darling Range where the three irrigation districts of Waroona, Harvey and Collie have been established.

The 1965 Ord River Cotton Crop, G D. Oliver, A. W. Hogstrom

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

THE financial results of 18 cotton growers in the Ord River Valley during the 1965 season were obtained during a survey conducted in August, 1965.

All farmers who have been allocated blocks and who grew cotton in 1965 were included in the survey.*

Nodulation Of Legumes On New Light Land. 1. Survival Of Rhizobia On Inoculated Pelleted Seed Held For Varying Periods Before Sowing Into Dry Soil, O M. Goss, W. A. Shipton

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

MOST of the light land areas being opened up in Western Australia are very sparsely populated with the rhizobial bacteria so essential for successful legume establishment.

Seed inoculation is therefore a necessity.

Farmers often have to resort to dry sowing because of the large acreages being planted or late opening rains.

Dairy Farming In The Busselton-Margaret River District. Part 3. Fodder Conservation, R A. Bettenay

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

An analysis of fodder conservation indicates that farmers in the Busselton-Margaret River district are conserving less than half the amount of fodder considered desirable.—Third in a series reporting a survey of farm practices in the district.

Nodulation Of Legumes On New Light Land. 4. Rhizobial Strains For Pasture Establishment, O M. Goss, W. A. Shipton

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

LEGUMES are the basis of improved pastures in Western Australia.

Successful establishment of these legumes depends on the presence in the soil of suitable bacteria which will invade the roots and develop nodules in which nitrogen fixation is carried out. The nitrogen compounds produced are utilised by the plants, making them independent of soil nitrogen.

At the end of the season, the decomposition of the plant residues improves soil fertility.

Recommended Oat Varieties, J L. Mcmullan

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

THE varieties Kent, Ballidu, Avon and Fulmark are recommended for sowing in 1965 by the Department of Agriculture and the Coarse Grains Advisory Committee.

The areas suitable for these varieties, when planted for various purposes, are given in the map and tables.

Wheat Quality Surveys In Western Australia. Part 1. The Distribution Of Areas Producing High And Low Protein Wheat, J A. Parish

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

THIS article reports results from survey work carried out by the author, in collaboration with Co-operative Bulk Handling Ltd., on wheat drawn from all receival points in Western Australia during the period 1956-63.

Kimberley Research Station Progress Report, 1964 : Soil Fertility And Plant Nutrition, D B. Parbery, R. Wetselaar

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

BEFORE 1963, very little work, other than that described in Burvill's original report, had been done on the analysis of Ord soils, nor had their fertility status been clearly defined.

Kimberley Research Station Progress Report, 1964 : Cotton, Jan Jerzy Basinski, J. P. Evanson, W. R. Stern, N. J. Thomson

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

SINCE 1960 cotton has occupied the prominent place in the Station's research programme.

Considerable progress has been made in all aspects of cotton culture (Thomson and Basinski 1962b; Thomson 1962.)

Recommended Barley Varieties, J L. Mcmullan

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

THE varieties Prior and Beecher are recommended for 1965 by the Coarse Grains Advisory Committee and the Department of Agriculture.

The areas suitable for these varieties when planted for various purposes, are given in the map and table.

The Production Of Pasture Seeds : Facts And Figures, B J. Quinlivan

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

THE production of grass and legume pasture seeds in Western Australia has expanded noticeably in the last two or three years

With this expansion has come some publicity, at times accurate at other times not so accurate.

Control Of Prodenia Litura On Cotton In The North Of Western Australia, P N. Forte, D. G. Shedley

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

COTTON is subject to considerable insect attack at the new Ord River irrigation area in the East Kimberleys of Western Australia.

Although a long list of insects have been recorded as damaging cotton in this area there are two which have proved so far to present the biggest problem.

These are Heliothis punctigera and Prodenia litura.

Maintaining The Quality Of Western Australia's Oat Harvest, J L. Mcmullan, J. A. Parish, C. V. Honner

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

WESTERN AUSTRALIA deservedly enjoys the reputation of being a producer of oats of high milling quality.

Because of this, we have been able to develop valuable export markets which pay a premium for our oats.

For some time Ballidu has been rated as the best milling oat in W.A.

The work reported in this article indicates that other recommended varieties are equal to or better than Ballidu for milling.

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?