Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Yellow Crazy Ant, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) are believed to be native to west Africa or Asia. They are not present in Western Australia (WA) and are prohibited.

Yellow crazy ants were first observed in Australia in the early 1900’s on the Cocos-Keeling Islands and Christmas Island, where they have now caused a massive decline in the population of iconic red crabs. More recently, they have been recorded in Queensland, the Northern Territory (NT), and New South Wales (NSW).

Gorse And Its Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Gorse (Ulex europaeus) is a declared pest in Western Australia (WA). This factsheet describes the nature of the plant with links to requirements that landowners/occupiers must adhere to, pest control methods and how to search, detect and report it.

Gorse is a Weed of National Significance (WoNS) present in Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory; it is not present in the Northern Territory. Gorse is a declared pest plant in WA.

European Wasp: Declared Pest, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

The European wasp is one of the worst wasps in the world — harmful to people, outdoor lifestyles, and horticultural and agricultural industries. Early detection of wasp activity is critical to prevent the wasp establishing in Western Australia (WA). This is achieved via collaboration between residents, businesses, industry, and government.

European Wasp Information For Local Government, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

The department’s European wasp surveillance and eradication program is a yearly campaign, aimed at detecting the presence of this destructive pest as early as possible so that nests can be found and eradicated.

The continued success of European wasp surveillance and eradication program relies on surveillance in metropolitan Perth and regional areas, strong community awareness, and participation between residents, business owners, community groups, industry, and government.

Confined Paddock Feeding And Feedlotting Of Sheep, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Confinement feeding (also referred to as lot feeding or feedlotting) is an intensive feeding system in a confined area where all, or the majority of, feed and water is supplied to the contained animals. The department recommends using confinement feeding as part of a whole farm livestock, pasture and erosion management program.

We recommend having a confinement feeding system as an integral part of a whole farm livestock, pasture and erosion management program. Guides and resources that provide more detailed information are listed at the bottom of this fact sheet.

Sheep Feed Value Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Sheep are supplementary fed for either survival or production purposes. Efficient supplementary feeding should aim to supply sheep with a diet that is sufficient in digestible energy and protein. We recommend testing feedstuffs, although the feed tables supplied here can be used to help roughly estimate the amount of grain and fodder required.

Knowing the value of different feedstuffs is critical when making decisions about livestock nutrition, for survival, maintenance and growth.

Supplementary feeding is a key part of a Western Australian (WA) sheep enterprise because most sheep systems are on annual pasture which is dry over the Mediterranean summer. …

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

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Cotton has been grown very successfully in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) of Western Australia.

Cotton was grown commercially in the ORIA between 1964 and 1974. The early industry was subsidised by the Western Australian Government. The industry failed due to an inability to control major insect pests, and problems with quality. The industry never achieved economic yields, and short fibre length and discolouration resulted in substantial discounts.

Cotton has been the dominant irrigated crop in the ORIA since 2021. A cotton production system based on genetically modified varieties has been developed for the ORIA, based on intensive local …

Evaluation Of Dual Purpose Canola And Cereals Grazed With Cattle, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development conducted research to investigate and demonstrate the importance of dual-purpose crops (canola, wheat and barley) to improve the feed availability for cattle (in late autumn to early winter) in mixed farming systems of the high rainfall environment of Western Australia (WA).

The grain yield of a wide range of canola and cereal varieties sown in mid-April were unaffected by the grazing of cattle at a stocking rate of 20 to 22 dry sheep equivalent (DSE) per hectare (ha) for up to 4 weeks at Esperance in 2011.

The grazed crops yielded the …

Electric Interrow Control Of Lupine Plants Does Not Adversely Affect The Neighboring Non-Target Lupine Plants, Catherine Borger, Miranda J. Slaven

Journal articles

Interrow weed control is used in a wide range of crops, traditionally applied via physical cultivation or banded herbicide application. However, these methods may result in crop damage, development of herbicide resistance, or off-target environmental impacts. Electric interrow weed control presents an alternative, although its potential impact on crop yield requires further investigation. One of the modes of action of electric weed control is the continuous electrode–plant contact method, which passes a current through the weed and into the roots. As the current passes into the roots, it can potentially disperse through the soil to neighboring root systems. Such off-target …

Subsoil Testing Required To Detect The Rundown Of Soil Potassium To Deficient Levels For Wheat Production On Loam-Textured Soils, Craig Scanlan, Richard Bell, Miaomiao Cheng, Tim Boyes

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Context

Long-term negative potassium (K) balances in crop production have depleted soil K levels in Western Australia (WA). Previous research has focussed on sand-textured soils, but recently, monitoring of crops grown on loam-textured soils has shown deficient or marginal shoot K concentrations where Colwell K 0–10 cm is above current critical levels.

Aims

The aims were to examine whether grain yield responses to fertiliser K can be detected on loam-textured soils and if soil test calibration curves can be identified for these soils.

Methods

Eight field trials were conducted with wheat on loam-textured soils. The same experimental design was used …

Significance Of Honeybee Pollination In Increasing Seed Yield Of Trifolium Alexandrinum (Fabales: Fabaceae) And Its Impact On Economic Sustainability Of Smallholder Farmers, Muhammad Shoaib Tufail, Gaye L. Krebs, Alison Southwell, John Piltz, Peter C. Wynn, David F. Cook

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

A major limitation to producing high seed yields in berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is failure to set seed, predominantly due to lack of pollination. Despite the importance of berseem clover as a leading forage legume, the contribution of pollinators to seed set is scarce. In Pakistan, the honeybee population is declining mainly because of the extensive use of neonicotinoid pesticides and habitat fragmentation. This, combined with the region’s harsh environment and the use of inferior, locally bred genotypes, has resulted in low seed yields. Insufficient seed availability leads to limited forage supply, resulting in poor livestock nutrition, which …

Genetic Diversity Of Soybean Dwarf Virus In Two Regions Of Mainland Australia, Benjamin S. Congdon, Murray Sharman, Monica Kehoe

Biosecurity Research Articles

Soybean dwarf virus (SbDV; family Tombusviridae, genus Luteovirus, species Luteovirus glycinis) is an RNA plant virus that is transmitted solely by aphids in a persistent, circulative and non-propagative manner. SbDV causes significant losses in cultivated Fabaceae, especially in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) pastures of mainland Australia. SbDV isolates are classified into four phenotypically distinguishable strains: YP, YS, DP, and DS. Y and D strains differ primarily in their host range, and P and S strains in their primary vector species. Genetically, Y and D strains separate into two clades in every genomic region except for …

2025 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide, Stacey Power, Brenda Shackley, Blakely Paynter, Mark Seymour, Harmohinder Dhammu, Bronte Wackett

Bulletins 4000 -

The 2025 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide has been compiled by officers of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. It provides information to support variety decisions for each of the major crops for the upcoming season.

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

Biosecurity factsheets

The introduced common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a pest in eastern Australia. It damages commercial fruit crops and may compete with native birds. The species is prohibited in Western Australia and individuals found here are destroyed.

The Western Australian Organism List (WAOL) contains information on the area(s) in which this pest is declared and the control and keeping categories to which it has been assigned in Western Australia (WA). For more information, see our website at dpird.wa.gov.au.

Spot Form Net Blotch And Its Management In Barley, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Spot form net blotch (SFNB) has become increasingly more common in Western Australia (WA) due to the widespread cultivation of susceptible varieties, such as Spartacus CL and RGT Planet.

These crops generate large amounts of inoculum, which is carried between seasons on infected stubble. Crops grown onto or located close to infected stubble are at greatest risk of infection. The disease can be effectively managed using a combination of varietal selection, crop rotation, and fungicides.

Control The Green Bridge For Pest And Disease Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

In Western Australia's climate, the survival of pests and diseases over summer is often critical in determining outbreaks of pest and disease epidemics in broadacre crops during the subsequent cropping season.

Desi Chickpea – Essentials For Growing A Successful Crop, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Chickpeas are a suitable break crop for heavier soils with pH above 5.5 in calcium chloride. For trouble free chickpea growing, select a current variety with tolerance to Ascochyta, have a disease management plan, use an inoculant at sowing, and sow into a clean paddock, as post emergent broadleaf herbicide application can be ineffective.

Calculating Canola Seeding Rate And Recording Sheet, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Canola seeding rate needs to be high enough to get a good establishment to set up the crop for its potential yield and provide insurance against slugs, mites, disease, and other seeding issues. However, there is no point spending more on seed than needed.

This is the companion page for the online Canola seeding rate calculator, which enables you to calculate the seed rate you require for your target plant density.

Control Small Weeds In Crops, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

In an integrated weed management program, control of weeds should occur in the fallow, pre-sowing, early post-emergent, and in-pasture phases. Weed control can be achieved through killing weeds (particularly seedlings) with cultivation, herbicides, targeted weed control in wide-row cropping, targeted control of small patches of weeds, and biological control tactics.

Field Pea – Essentials For Growing A Successful Crop, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

This factsheet provides essential management practices for growing a successful field pea crop.

Managing Frost Risk, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Frost occurs on clear nights in early spring when the air temperature drops to 2°C or less. Crop damage from frost may occur at any stage of development but is most damaging at or around flowering.

Frost is difficult to manage, and damage will be unavoidable in some seasons. Risk management options proven to reduce frost risk include paddock zoning, crop and variety selection, time of sowing, stubble management and managing inputs. The greatest gains result from in paddock choice/zoning, crop and variety choice, and manipulating the canopy.

Estimating The Size Of Retained Canola Seed, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

The size of canola seed (or number of seeds per kilogram) is essential in calculating the seeding rate for the crop. The rate needs to be high enough to get good establishment and protect against pests, diseases, or other seeding issues.

To work out the seeding rate, the seed size or number of seeds per kilogram. This can be easily calculated by farmers who retained seed.

Three-Horned Bedstraw, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Three-horned bedstraw (Galium tricornutum), otherwise known as bedstraw, rough bedstraw, rough fruit corn bedstraw, and corn cleavers, is an annual weed that poses a significant threat to Western Australia’s grains industry. It is a declared pest in Western Australia (WA). A weedy member of the Rubiaceae (madder family), it is closely related to cleavers (Galium aparine)

Bedstraw is a high priority eradication target for Western Australia.

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

Biosecurity factsheets

Fumigation for rabbit control involves the introduction of poisonous gas into a warren. It is one of the best control methods to use where low numbers of rabbits live in a few widely scattered warrens. The threat to non-target animals is minimal. This factsheet should be read in conjunction with registered product labels and directions for use. Check the Department of Health, Western Australia website (health.wa.gov.au) for public health requirements for the use of phosphine fumigation.

Fumigation may be used in areas where access is limited, such as fence lines, around trees, and on riverbanks, but it may be difficult …

Assess Weed Population Density, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

The most accurate way to estimate the weed population of a paddock is to count the number of plants in an area of known size at numerous locations.

Use a quadrant, which may be square or circular, to carry out weed plant counts. The number and location of counts needed to estimate the weed population will vary depending on the distribution pattern.

Canola – Essentials For Growing A Successful Crop, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Ensuring the basics of canola agronomy are followed can minimise the financial risk of growing canola, which can be higher than other crops due to high input costs, particularly seed and fertiliser.

Barley Leaf Diseases And Their Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Barley leaf diseases such as scald, net blotches (net form and spot form), powdery mildew, ramularia leaf spot, leaf rust, and barley yellow dwarf virus, and cereal yellow dwarf virus can reduce yield and grain quality. Correct identification is important in disease management, as diseases differ in their best management strategies.

Hay Production, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

There are specific requirements for hay for the export market that are different to usual on-farm requirements. These include earlier cutting times, green hay colour, low moisture content, freedom from weeds, and thin-strawed varieties.

Some oat varieties do not meet the exporter’s standard and therefore will not be accepted for delivery. Growers interested in the export market should check with individual exporters for their requirements.

Variety information can be found in the department’s current Western Australian crop sowing guide, available on the website at dpird.wa.gov.au.

Insect Pests And Their Management In Oats, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Field pests

Damage from invertebrate pests is generally not a major factor for oat crops, however there is a zero tolerance to live pests in export hay.

Significant damage can occur if pest populations build up. Planning rotations to minimise pest carryover, timely sowing, adequate crop nutrition, and good control of weed and root diseases will assist in reducing the likelihood of crop damage by insect pests. Check crops regularly throughout their growth for field insects.

• Control redlegged earth mite and lucerne flea during the seedling stage if necessary.

• Aphids should be checked for and controlled from flag …

Factors Affecting Herbicide Performance, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Herbicide performance can vary greatly depending on factors including compatibility of herbicides, water quality, sprayer decontamination, and controlling stressed weeds. This page outlines these issues and demonstrates how to assess herbicide performance to achieve the best from your herbicides.