Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Genetic Resources Of T. Cherleri (Cupped Clover) And A Selected Number Of Lines Of T. Resupinatum On Shallow Acid, Granitic Soils Of The Western Austalian Wheatbelt., R. Snowball

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Trial 90ME68

To evaluate Cupped clover (T. cherleri) and Persian clover (T. resupinatum) on a shallow, granitic, infertile soil, which is reported to be suitable for the growth of Cupped clover, but too acid to support medics successfully and where subterranean clover struggles to persist.

Evaluation Of Seeding Rates Of Au Triumph And Endophyte-Infected Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, D. M. Ball

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Increased difficulty in stand establishment of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) has been reported by producers since the introduction of endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum Morgan Jones and Gams)-free tall fescue seed into the market place. This has encouraged the use of higher seeding rates for endophyte-free tall fescue without scientific basis. The objective of this study was to determine whether ‘AU Triumph’, and endophyte-free cultivar, and endophyte-infected ‘Kentucky 31’ differ in minimum seeding rates for successful establishment. Experiments were established at two locations in each of two years, using a randomized complete block with four replications. Soils at the two locations …

Heritability Of Root Characteristics Affecting Mineral Uptake In Tall Fescue, J. H. Edwards, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, R. C. Kingery

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Modification of plant roots can potentially increase the area. of adaptation of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). Limited information is available on the heritability of root diameter and root volume in tall fescue. A greenhouse experiment was conducted with'50 random 'Kentucky 31' (Ky-31) tall fescue parents and their progeny grown in aerated nutrient solution during four separate time intervals. Measurements of root volume, root diameter, shoot Mg concentration, and shoot K/(Mg + Ca) ratio were made six weeks after clonal material was transplanted in nutrient solution. Heritability estimates for root volume, root diameter, shoot Mg concentration, and shoot K/(Mg …

A Review Of The Agronomic Characteristics Of Endophyte-Free And Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, G. D. Lacefield, D. M. Ball

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agronomic differences between endophyte- (Acremonium coenophialum Morgan Jones and Gams) free and endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) exist, and should be considered when implementing a management strategy. Although dry matter yield of tall fescue does not generally appear to be influenced by endophyte infection status, endophyte infection has been shown to improve seedling performance and survival, is associated with insect and nematode resistance, drought resistance, improved nitrogen assimilation, and higher seed set. Considering all biologically valuable characters of the endophyte-tall fescue relationship, survival of endophyte-infected tall fescue is probably better than that of endophyte-free tall fescue, especially in drought- …

Fescues With Large Roots Are Drought Tolerant, H. A. Torbert, J. H. Edwards, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Consideration of root/soil interactions is essential in, adapting tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) to soil and climatic conditions of the Coastal Plain region of the southeast. Sandy soils of the region are very susceptible to the formation of hardpans. These compacted layers often restrict plant root development to the plow layer (0 to 6 in.) and prevent plant roots from reaching available moisture and nutrients in the subsoil horizons. Plants grown under these conditions are shallow rooted and will be subjected to water stress up to 50% of the time during the growing season. Although implements are available to penetrate …

Potential Mechanisms Related To Salt Tolerance In Bean Plants, Sandra Baumgartner

Masters Theses

Phaseolus vulgaris (navy bean) and P. acutifolius (tepary bean) were grown hydroponically and stressed with -0.25 MPa NaCl for 9 days beginning 22 days after planting. Chloride and sodium distribution in leaves and roots as well as percent ion leakage as an indication of membrane integrity in leaves were determined. Chloride levels in NaCl treated plants were significantly higher than in controls. Chloride levels were not significantly different between plant parts or between plant species. Sodium distribution differed significantly between the roots of navy and tepary but not between the leaves of the two species. Navy root tissue contained twice …

Increasing Phosphorus Concentration In Lupin Seed Increases Grain Yield On Phosphorus Deficient Soil, Mike D. Bolland, Blakely Paynter, Mike Baker

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

In a field experiment on a phosphorus (P) deficient soil in south-western Australia, lupin seed ( Lupinus angustifolius cv. Danja) of the same size (157 mg/seed) but with 2 different phosphorus (P) concentrations in the seed (2.0 and 2.8 g P/kg) was sown with 4 levels of superphosphate (5, 20, 40 and 60 kg P/ha) drilled with the seed in May 1988 to examine the effect of seed P concentration on subsequent dry matter (DM) and grain yields. Increasing the amount of superphosphate applied from 5 to 60 kg P/ha almost doubled yields. In addition, lupins grown from seed containing …

Can Genetically Engineered Crops Become Weeds?, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

There are significant differences if the distribution of weedy characteristics among weeds, normal plants, and crops. The world’s most serious weeds possess on the average 10 or 11 of these characters, a random collection of British plants have an average seven of the traits, and crop plants only five. For the average crop to become as “weedy” as the average weed, it would need to acquire five weedy traits. Even using the unlikely assumption that those traits are single loci in which a dominant mutation would provide the weedy character, this would require the simultaneous acquisition of five gene substitutions. …

Stubble Losses Of Kentucky Soybeans, Larry J. Grabau, Todd W. Pfeiffer

Agronomy Notes

Double crop soybeans in Kentucky tend to be shorter than plants from full season plantings. Since lowest pod height is related to plant height, double crop soybeans may be subject to greater harvest losses due to pods remaining below the level at which the combine header is operated. While it would be possible to lower the header closer to the soil to pick up some of those pods, that would slow down harvest and increase the risk of picking up stones and other trash. Although the actual cutting heights used in Kentucky are not known, some producers use combines with …

Studies On The Giant Mealie Witchweed, Striga Forbesii Benth., In Zimbabwe, David Allen Knepper

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Of the seven species of Striga found in Zimbabwe, S. forbesii Benth. is currently the most destructive in terms of crop damage. Owing to its limited occurrence worldwide as a pest of crops, relatively little work has been done on this species.

Striga forbesii has been found to be a consistent problem on both maize and sorghum in the Hunter's Road District of KweKwe, Zimbabwe. Results of a pot study and field observations, indicate S. forbesii can successfully parasitize Urochloa panicoides Beauv., Sorghum arundinaceum (Desv.) Stapf, and Rottboellia cochinchinensis (L.) L.f., all of which are widespread weeds of arable land. …

Bulletin 4133 - Fungal Diseases Of Pasture Legumes In Western Australia, M. J. Barbetti

Bulletins 4000 -

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) is the most important annual pasture legume in Western Australia, forming the basis of some 6.5 million ha of annual pastures. The success of subterranean clover may be attributed to its ability to increase soil fertility as a consequence of nitrogen fixed, to withstand heavy grazing, to control soil erosion and, with some cultivars, to tolerate waterlogging. Fungal diseases have been a major limitation to the productivity of subterranean clover, affecting both the amount of plant matter and the quantity of seed produced.

Annual medic (Medicago spp., in particular M. polymorpha L.) is also an …

Bulletin Ma 3/89 - Broccoli Growing In The South West, J. Burt, M. Hegney, H Gratte

Horticulture published reports

Manjimup Regional Office

Agdex No. 254/11

Broccoli (Brassica oleracae, variety italica) is closely related to cabbage, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts and kohl rabi. This group of plants may be referred to as crucifers, brassicas or cole crops.

Broccoli originated in Italy. The head consists of well developed green flower buds on a fleshy flower stalk. It is high in protein, calcium, fibre and vitamins A and C.

Broccoli are produced throughout the year for Western Australian markets, but mainly from January to August as there is more competition from Perth producers in spring. There is potential to export broccoli to South …

A Comparison Of Chemical Composition & Fermentation Patterns Of Alternative Silages To Whole Plant Corn Silage, Susan Fox

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A comparison of the relationship of fermentation to chemical composition was made for forages which were wilted and ensiled at 35 to 45 percent dry matter. Trial I consisted of three forages ensiled in October, 1981: interseeded soybeans and grain sorghum. whole plant corn with added anhydrous ammonia, and whole plant corn with shelled corn added at a rate of 150 kg/t of fresh forage. Trial II consisted of two forages ensiled in 1982: interseeded soybeans and pearlmillet, and wheat. Temperatures of fermentation were collected, and chemical composition during the first 25 days of fermentation analyzed.

Production data were also …

Long Term Effects Of Direct Drilling And Conventional Cultivation On The Distribution Of Nutrients And Organic C In Soils Of South Western Australia, P F. White, R K. Belford, A D. Robson, N D. Delroy, R J. Jarvis

Division of Plant Research : Technical Report Series

This experiment was part of a long term tillage trial designed to examine the effect of various tillage systems on the yield of wheat on a range of agricultural soils in Western Australia. A subset of results from the main experiment is presented here.This report describes the distribution of extractable P, extractable K, total N, organic C, and pH at 6 depths in the soil from 6 locations; Wongan Hills, Merredin (H) (calcic, red-brown earth), Avondale, Merredin (L) (acid, yellow earth), Esperance and Mt Barker. Three tillage systems (conventional cultivation, direct drilled with a combine, direct drilled with a triple …

Isolation & Characterization Of A Type I Topoisomerase From The Hypocotyls Of Etiolated Soybeans, Rick Dye

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Topoisomerases are enzymes of critical biological significance. Despite this fact, little data specific to the topoisomerases of higher plants has been published. This research was undertaken to isolate and characterize a higher plant topoisomerase from soybean hypocotyls to further the understanding of the structure and function of these enzymes.

Nuclei were isolated from frozen hypocotyls of 4 day old etiolated soybeans by homogenization and centrifugation, then lysed by gentle stirring in the presence of 1.5 mM ammonium sulfate. The resultant extract was desalted and purified by column chromatography on DEAF sepharose, 5-200 sephacryl and CM cellulose. The components of the …

Effect Of Phosphorus Placement Methods On The Yield & Quality Of Tomatoes, Timothy Hambrick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research was undertaken in the summer and fall of 1988 to determine the effect of phosphorus placed below, below and to the side, banded and incorporated, and broadcast on the yield and quality of tomatoes.

The results of the field study were not statistically significant due to high levels of available soil phosphorus. However, there were trends toward higher total yields, higher yield of number one grade tomatoes, and higher tissue phosphorus levels when phosphorus was placed in a concentrated zone or band as contrasted with the more popular broadcast method.

The effect of phosphorus placement in the greenhouse was …

The Effects Of Spacings & Cultivars On Biological Yields, Yields, Component Of Yield & Harvest Index Of Green Bush Snap Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Widodo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The effects of cultivars and plant spacings on biological yield, seed yield, seeds per pod, average seed weight, and harvest index of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were studied in 1987 and 1988. Two cultivars, 'Blue Lake 27' and 'Kentucky Wonder 125' and four plant spacings -- 7, 14, 21, and 28 cm, constituted eight treatments that were arranged in a split-plot with four replications. Each experimental unit or hill consisted of five plants -- four in the corners and one in the center of a square. Spacings treatment were established by varying the distance between the center plant …

Bulletin No 4146 - Commercial Production Of Pawpaws In Western Australia, J. R. Burt, B. L. Toohill

Bulletins 4000 -

The papaw (Carica papaya L.) is a native plant of Central America. It produces its highest yields of good quality fruit in tropical regions.

The tree is short-lived and rarely produces crops for more than two or three years. It is quick growing and soon reaches a maximum height of 5 to 7 m. It is usually unbranched, but may branch after either injury to the top or cutting back.

Evalution Of Grain Legumes For Wheatbelt Rotations In Western Australia 1986 -1987, G H. Walton

Division of Plant Research : Technical Report Series

Conclusions about the geographic and climatic limitations to the economic production of some pulse species in Western Australia cannot be too definite after only two years of gathering data. The yield results confirm the superior adaptation of field pea and narrow-leaf lupin over the faba bean, chickpea, narbonne bean and lentil. In 1987, a relationship was found within specific crop cultivars / accessions, between seed yield and the spring (September + October) rainfall. It is expected that soil type will influence the yield response through variations in moisture retention capacity, fertility and root penetration. Any relationship between yield and environmental …

Some Effects Of Shifting To Conservation Tillage Systems For Intensive Production Of Corn And Soybean, Kenneth L. Wells, H. C. Vaught, David Heisterburg

Agronomy Notes

About three-fourths of Kentucky's cropland base occurs on sloping land with some degree of erosion hazard. During the past decade, production of soybeans and corn increased rapidly in Kentucky, particularly on sloping land. This resulted in severe erosion on many farms, particularly in the "intensive grain producing counties. Much of this field erosion could be greatly reduced by developing a system for each field that would incorporate use of such agronomic practices as sod waterways, no-till planting, contour plowing, minimum tillage, strip cropping, double-cropping, winter cover crops, crop residue management and rotations. It is believed that the current acreage of …

The Development Of An Efficient Lupin Harvesting Front, E D. Blanchard

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

Harvest losses represent a significant reduction in lupin production and farm productivity.

Since 1984, the Department's Farm Machinery Research and Liaison Unit at the Dryland Research Institute has studied the lupin harvesting operation to improve its mechanical efficiency. An experimental and a prototype harvesting front were built and tested in the field. Guidlines for efficient lupin harvesting were produced, and commercial modifications developed.

Tolerance Of Lupins To Simazine, K E. Oliver

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Tolerance of lupins to triazine herbicides, 89GL21, 89GL24. Application of atrazine post emergence of the soil, 89GL22, 89GL25. Application of atrazine post emergence to the foliage, 89GL23, 89GL26. Trials with mutated lupin population, 89WH72, 89MC32.

Diseases Caused By Nematodes., J M. Stanton

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Annual ryegrass toxicity roadside survey, 88PE99.

Location, aim, methods, sampled, results, comments.

Effect of benzimidazoles on ARGT, 88NA75

Location, aim, treatments, methods, results, table one.

Relationships between organisms involved in ARGT, 88KA103.

Location, aim, methods, results, comments, table two.

Sampling patterns for ARGT diagnosis, 88KA102.

Location, aim, methods, results, comments, table four.

Distribution of cereal cyst nematode, 88PE20.

Location, aim, methods, results, comments.

Hatching pattern of cereal cyst nematode, 88NO71, 88GE30.

Location, aim, methods, results, comments.

Sowing date and cereal cyst nematode, 88NO70.

Location, aim, treatments, methods, results, table three, figure one and two.

Herbicide Residues, T Piper

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Pea growth following Sulphonyl urea herbicide, 88SG28, 88SG29. Medic regeneration following Sulphonyl urea herbicide, 88SG30, 88SG31, 88LG68, 88LG69, 88LG70.

The Biology Of Skeleton Weed In Western Australia, J Dodd

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Effects of height of cutting on the rate of stem regrowth, 89ME116. Response of Gorteria to grazing, 88PE28. Biology of P. globifera in stubble paddocks, 89ME75, 89ME76. Comparative phenology of P. globifera suffruticosa, 89ME77. Establishment and spread of the leaf mining moth, Dialectica scalariella. 89PE8. Intensive monitoring of the leaf mining moth and Patersons curse at Muresk, 89NO65 - 89NO670.

Weed Control In Lupins With Simazine Topping Up, D J. Gilbey, R Klemm, B Roberts

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Weed control in Lupins with simazine “topping up”, 89GE62, 89TS40, 89NO59. Doublegee control in Lupins with Brodal plus simazine, 89GE63, 89TS41, 89NO60. Post emergence doublegee control in lupins, 89NO92, 89MO65. Doublegee control in peas, pre-emergence, 89TS47, 89MO38, 89M38, 89NO63. Doublegee control in peas, post-emergence, 89TS48, 89MO39, 89ME87, 89NO64.

Control Take-All And Gain Other Benefits Of Eliminating Grass From Ley Pastures By Chemical Manipulation, W J. Macleod, Gordon Macnish

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

Take-all is the most serious root disease of wheat and barley in Western Australia.

The fungus which causes take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis var tritici) is wide spread throughout the wheatbelt but is most common in the high and medium rainfall regions (400mm to 750mm average annual rainfall, see map).

Elsewhere in the wheatbelt the presence of take-all affected cereal plants and the loss of crop yield may go unnoticed unless the roots of cereal plants are examined in detail.

Melamine/Urea And Oxamide Fertilization Of Kentucky Bluegrass, David J. Wehner, Dennis L. Martin

Office of the Dean (CAFES) Scholarship

The commercial lawn care industry represents a large market for N sources. A formulated melamine (2,4,6-triamino-s-triazine) plus urea combination (MLU) (45% melamine by weight) and oxamide were evaluated for use by the lawn care industry by comparing turfgrass response from these fertilizers to that from urea, sulfur coated urea (SCU), ureaformaldehyde (Nitroform), and a non-fertilized check. Fertilizers were applied four times per year to field plots of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) growing on a Flanagan silt loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Aquic Argiudoll) at a rate of 49 kg N ha^-1 per application. Color ratings and clipping weights …

Breeding Phomopsis-Resistant Lupins, John Sylvester Gladstones

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

The release of Gungurru and Yorrel lupins marks the coming of age of the narrow-leafed lupin as a crop plantt. These are the first cultivars of the species th have substantial resistance to Phomopsis stem blight, which will make the stubbles much safer for grazing stock.

This article describes the new lupins, their background, and how they were bred. It also acknowledges the contributions of colleagues who helped in important ways.

Economic Impact Of Growing Phomopsis-Resistant Lupins, J M. Warren, Jeremy Allen, Wallace Cowling

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

The planting of Phomopsis-resistant lupins will increase net farm income. They will also alter the traditional blend of pastures and cropping, depending on grain and wool prices. In mixed farming areas of Western Australia's southern wheatbelt, they will allow more land to be sown to lupins rather than cereals on farms in which the lack of sheep feed over summer severely restricts wool production.

The benefits of Phompsis-resistant lupins arise from a reduction in sheep deaths due to lupinosis, a longer safe grazing period (free from lupinosis) on lupin stubbles, a decrease in the need for supplementary sheep feed over …