Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Meadow Hay, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

rriHE nutritive value of pasture is high in early spring and remains so until early flowering.

After this the protein content falls rapidly, the fibre content rises and the plants become more lignifled and their digestibility reduced.

Root Diseases In Wheat On Clover Ley : Factors Under Investigation. 4. Seed Bed Preparation, S C. Chambers

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

The occurrence of root rots in wheat crops in relation to seed bed preparation was studied in a series of field experiments.

Results suggest depth of cultivation has little effect upon the incidence of root diseases.

Ploughing of the seed bed reduced the amount of root rot compared with scarifying and also gave higher yields.

However, the increased yield appears to be mainly due to better control of weeds.

Silage Competitions In The South-West : 1960-1961, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Review and results of the 1960-61 Australian Dairy Produce Board Silage Competition, and an outline of the 1961-62 Competition.

Frost Injury Of Wheat, S C. Chambers

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

Late spring frosts commonly reduce yields and affect the quality of grain in many wheat crops- especially throughout the southern, eastern and north-eastern districts.

The damage is usually localised on individual farms, but occasionally widespread damage occurs in the south of the State.

Wimmera Rye Grass : Major Pasture Grass Of The Cereal And Sheep Areas, H G. Cariss

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

MANY of the volunteer pasture species of the cereal and sheep areas seed profusely, persist well and produce useful early green feed.

Mostly, however, they produce poor quality herbage of low forage value, particularly during the spring and summer months.

The seeds of many species cause problems in stock husbandry and lower the value of wool.

List Of Registered Fertilisers For 1962, H G. Cariss

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

IN accordance with the provisions of the Fertilisers Act, 1928-1955, it is required that—with the exception of bulk sales to a manufacturer and those made in accordance with a buyer's written prescription—all fertilisers sold must be registered annually.

The registration year is from November 1 to October 31 in the following year. The list of fertilisers registered for the year commencing November 1, 1961, is set out in the following tables.

Farming Without Fallow, H M. Fisher

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

UNDER the more intensive cropping rotations common in the early development of the cereal areas of Western Australia bare fallowing was a basic technique in cereal production.

By ploughing the land in July or August and keeping it bare of vegetation for nine or ten months, either by grazing or cultivation, a substantial beneficial effect on the subsequent crop could be expected.

Yield And Flour Quality Of Early Maturing Wheat Varieties, J A. Parish, J. T. Reeves

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

DESIRABLE milling characteristics have for many years ensured a ready market for Australian wheat. Present demand for Australian wheat is strong and the sale of the 1961 harvest is assured.

Cereal Products Adviser J. A. Parish, B.Sc. (Agric.) and Plant Breeder J. T. Reeves, M.Sc. (Agric.) describe and explain the tests on the results of which wheat variety recommendations are based.

Detailed results of yield and quality tests from early maturing wheat variety trials are included.

Barrel Medics For Eastern Wheatbelt Pastures, D B. Argyle

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

There is a big potential for the use of barrel medic in wheatbelt pastures, and prospects have been further improved by the advent of the early-maturing Cyprus strain.

In this article Merredin Agricultural Adviser D. B. Argyle gives some hints on establishment and management of barrel medic pastures in the eastern wheatbelt.

Much of what he says also applies to other areas; contact your local adviser for further information.

Growing Peas For Canning And Freezing In Western Australia, James P. Fallon

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

Canned and frozen peas to the total annual value of over a quarter of a million pounds are being imported into Western Australia from Eastern States.

Could our requirements be supplied from crops grown in this State?

The answer is "Yes" and this article gives a general background of information on pea growing and an indication of areas suitable for pea crops.

Cotton Growing On The Ord River, N J. Thomson

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

Cotton growing is nearing the commercial stages on the Ord River, with the first farm scale crops now ready to harvest on the Pilot farm, and the Kimberley Research Station.

It is already backed by some years of experimental work at K.R.S., which has provided the background for this article giving the first recommendations on cotton growing for future settlers in the Ord River Irrigation Area.

Bare Patch And Poor Emergence Of Cereals. 3. Crusting Of The Soil Surface, S C. Chambers

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

In some seasons extensive bare patches occur in cereal crops sown on the heavier wheat belt soils.

Experimental results from Beverley indicate that the poor emergence in some of these plantings may be due to crusting of the soil surface.

Working the surface with light harrows may destroy the crust and improve emergence.

Root Diseases In Wheat On Clover Ley : Factors Under Investigation. 2. Relative Susceptibility Of Wheat And Barley, S C. Chambers

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

ROOT ROTS of wheat and barley are caused by several fungi, the most important in Western Australia being Fusarium spp., Helminthosporium sativum and Ophiobolus graminis.

Local surveys have shown that the incidence of each organism varies with district and also depends on other factors, such as seasonal conditions and cultural practices.

The relative susceptibility of wheat and barley to these fungi has never been studied in detail under local conditions, although many such investigations have been conducted overseas.

Hard Seeds In Lupins, B J. Quinlivan

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

A study of hard seeds in the W.A. blue lupin is yielding some interesting facts about this important survival mechanism of pasture plants.

The knowledge gained will be useful in future pasture plant breeding projects.

SOME interesting facts on hard seeds in lupins have come from experiments commenced several years ago.

This article outlines the reasons for the experiments and the results with lupins so far.

Subsequent articles will cover subterranean clover and techniques for softening hard seeds in both species before planting.

Root Diseases In Wheat On Clover Ley : Factors Under Investigation. 5. The Evaluation Of Fungicidal Treatments, S C. Chambers

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

The use of fungicides, either as seed or soil dressings, for the control of root rotting diseases of wheat, was examined in a series of field experiments.

Results suggest that seed dressings have no effect on the incidence of root rotting fungi in the mature crop.

When fungicides were applied to the soil, a reduction in the incidence of take-all was noted in one experiment, but the same treatments had toxic effects on plants in a second similar experiment.

The Effects Of Irradiating Dormant Maize Seeds With Xrays And Thermal Neutrons, Rosalind Morris, E. F. Frolik

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

In 1951 a research program was started at the University of Nebraska to compare the developmental effects of thermal neutrons and X rays on different crop seeds. Three crops, barley, tomato and maize, were chosen for additional information involving induced chromosomal aberrations and seedling mutations. The maize investigations are presented in this bulletin, along with a comparison among the three crops with respect to irradiation effects.

The Performance Of Alfalfa Synthetics In The First And Advanced Generations, W. R. Kehr, H. O. Graumann, C. C. Lowe, C. O. Gardner

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

During alfalfa breeding investigations conducted at the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, numerous superior clones were selected and tested as clones, and in polycross progeny tests. Information was needed on the performance of synthetic varieties in the first and advanced generations, on the optimum number of clones to include in a synthetic variety, and on parent-progeny relationships. Clones with high general combining ability for forage yield as measured by polycross progeny tests, and in certain instances specific combining ability based on single-cross tests, were intercrossed in various ways to produce synthetic varieties. A group of synthetics varying in number of parents …

Progress From Recurrent Selection Procedures For The Improvement Of Corn Populations, John H. Lonnquist

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

The possibilities of developing synthetic varieties suitable for the fringe areas of the corn belt, where cost of hybrid seed is high relative to the value of the expected crop, and in areas where hybrid corn might not be a feasible approach for other reasons, made it seem a worthwhile objective for study. Effort has been made in recent years to increase the productivity of hybrid combinations through selection of new superior lines using standard breeding procedures. The limited progress realized has resulted in an increased interest in the possible use of alternate methods for the development of superior germplasm …

The Use Of Tetrazolium As A Measure Of The Salt Tolerance Of Alfalfa, Daryl A. Freter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The task of obtaining and selecting plants which may not only survive under salty conditions, but grow and produce satisfactory yields is varied and complex. It is becoming necessary to select and breed crops for salt tolerance. Plants can be grown in artificially constructed salt basins to test their individual salt tolerance, but this takes time, at least one year. It would be desirable to develop a rapid test to determine the salt tolerance of a given plant. The use of a dye in conjunction with a series of salt solutions has been suggested for determining the salt tolerance of …

Alfalfa Resistance To The Clover Seed Chalcid Bruchophagus Gibbus (Boheman), Gerald Douglas Minion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The destructive nature of the clover seed chalcid has been known since the latter part of the 19th century. This jet-black Hymenoptera, often called the "chalcis-fly," destroys from 10 to 20 percent of the alfalfa seed in Utah each year. Damage as high as 85 percent has been reported.

Silage Competition : 1959-1960, H G. Elliott

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

THE Australian Dairy Produce Board Pasture Improvement Committee (W.A.) have sponsored a silage competition in the dairying areas over the past three years and this has been judged by officers of the Dairying Division of this Department.

Bare Patch And Poor Emergence Of Cereals : Factors Under Investigation. 1. Seed Treatment And Moisture Content, S C. Chambers

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

UNDER the relatively dry climatic conditions of Western Australia, over-dosages of organic mercury dusts had no apparent ill-effects upon wheat emergence, irrespective of the initial moisture content of the seed.

However, seedling counts were significantly less, with seed of a high moisture content.

A Calendar Of Farming Operations For Cereal And Sheep Areas Of Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

THIS calendar of farm operations for the Cereal and Sheep areas replaces the calendar published in the December 1949 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and reprinted as a leaflet.

This leaflet was subsequently reprinted twice with some amendments.

Rice Growing In The Ord River Valley, C B. Langfield

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

THE first commercial rice crop in the Ord River Valley was planted late in I960 and plans are in hand for some 35,000 acres of land to be subdivided for irrigation settlement by 1964, with rice as a major crop.

Castor Beans : Ricinus Communis Linn, T Pavy

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

MANY people have seen the wild castor oil plants around the metropolitan area, growing in rubbish dumps, and waste lands.

But they have not realised that the demand for castor oil has been increasing over the last 15 years.

Although one of its main uses is in the lubrication of jet engines, it is also used in plastics, special low temperature lubricants, hydraulic fluids, paints, varnishes, textiles and pharmaceutics.

Potato Variety Trial, James P. Fallon, G. C. De Haan

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

DELAWARE has been the only variety of Potato grown commercially in Western Australia. This is due to the fact that in the past an early maturing variety with a short dormancy period has been required to suit both hill plantings and swamp crops.

However, with the advent of sprinkler irrigation and hence better control of moisture and growing conditions, the need for early maturing varieties has ceased to exist in some districts.

There has been consequently an increasing interest in testing varieties which have proved high yielding and of good quality in other parts of the world.

The Use Of Nitrogenous Fertilisers For Cereal Grain Production In Western Australia, William John Toms, G. H. Burvill

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

NITROGENOUS fertilisers have so far been little used in Western Australia for wheat, oats and barley grown for grain.

However, profitable results can follow their use under some conditions. Farmers who have seen field experiments are now interested in the use of nitrogenous fertilisers.Further interest will be stimulated by recent reductions in price.

This article answers common questions asked by farmers about nitrogenous fertilisers for cereals. It is based on over 100 experiments conducted by the Department of Agriculture during the past 30 years.

Weed Control In Cereals : Aerial Spraying Trials, G R W Meadly

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

SPRAYING cereal crops for weed control is now standard farming practice in Western Australia. Almost 500,000 acres of cereal crops, mainly wheat, are sprayed each year, and approximately three-quarters of this area is treated by aircraft.

Recent trials have shown that aerial application of 'extra low" volumes of hormone-like herbicides, with oil or water solvents, does not damage cereals if spraying is done at the right stage of growth.

Bare Patch And Poor Emergence Of Cereals : Factors Under Investigation. 2. Depth Of Planting, S C. Chambers

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

DEPTH of planting appears to have an important influence upon the emergence of a cereal crop. Increasing the depth by one inch within the range 1-5 inches, not only depressed the emergence counts of wheat seedlings, but also increased the number which emerged abnormally.

Net Blotch Of Barley, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

NET Blotch is the commonest disease of barley in Western Australia, attacking all commercial varieties and causing considerable damage to foliage of maturing crops.

Despite its prevalence, net blotch is rarely the cause of a serious crop loss.