Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

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.

Understanding Session Disparities And Advancing Experiential Learning In Turfgrass Management, Luqi Li

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

PLAS 229: Introductory Turfgrass Management Laboratory is a sophomore-level course focusing on the practical skills required in turfgrass management. This portfolio documents the teaching methods, course materials, and an analysis of student learning outcomes with a focus on understanding disparities in student performance across sessions and enhancing practical skills through applied activities. Statistical analysis revealed that Session A outperformed Session B on two key field quizzes. This disparity is attributed to logistical differences: students in Session A attended the hands-on, field-based learning opportunities, while Session B faced scheduling conflicts that limited engagement with critical content. These findings underscore the importance …

Summer- And Fall-Planted Cover Crops Across Nebraska: Assessing Performance Using Aerial Imagery And Evaluating Short-Term Soil Impacts, Grace Emperatriz Pacheco Jiron

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cover crops are widely recognized for improving soil health and promoting sustainability in agricultural systems. Despite the increasing use of monitoring tools like aerial imagery, their application in evaluating summer-planted cover crops in the Great Plains remains limited, hindering effective management strategies. Fall-planted cover crops provide long-term environmental benefits, including enhanced soil quality and erosion control; however, understanding their short-term effects on soil properties is crucial for encouraging adoption. This study assessed summer- and fall-planted cover crops across Nebraska, integrating aerial imagery and soil health analyses.

Over two years, fifteen summer-planted monocultures and five mixtures were evaluated for establishment, biomass …

Arthropod Arbiters: Natural Enemy Communities Mediate The Effects Of Landscape And Local-Scale Complexity On Lygus-Induced Crop Loss In Organic Strawberries, Adrian Lu, David J. Gonthier, Amber Sciligo, Karina Garcia, Taiki Chiba, Gila Juárez, Claire Kremen

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sustainable pest management requires growers and regional land managers to consider the relationships among pest management practices, pest and natural enemy communities, crop loss, and multi-scalar habitat complexity. However, the causal links among these variables, in particular potential interactions between landscape and local-scale habitat complexity, remain underexplored. In the context of organically managed strawberry crops in California’s Central Coast, we tested the independent effects of landscape and local habitat complexity gradients on arthropod communities and crop loss using a piecewise structural equation model (PSEM). We found that landscape-scale woody habitat proportion indirectly decreased crop loss through its positive effect on …

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.

Resistance To Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase (Accase) Inhibitor In Lolium Multiflorum: Effect Of Multiple Target-Site Mutations, Gulab Rangani, Ana Claudia Langaro, Shilpi Agrawal, Reiofeli Algodon Salas-Perez, Juan Camilo Velasquez, Christopher E. Nelson, Nilda Roma-Burgos

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is a persistent weed species that poses significant management challenges in key agricultural crops such as wheat, corn, cotton, and soybean. This study investigated the prevalence of resistance to ACCase inhibitor herbicides, specifically diclofop and pinoxaden, among field-collected Italian ryegrass populations. The survey revealed widespread resistance to diclofop and emerging cross-resistance to pinoxaden. To elucidate the physiological mechanism of ACCase herbicide resistance, we investigated mutations in the carboxyl-transferase (CT) domain of the ACCase enzyme, a critical region for herbicide sensitivity. Using dCAPS assays and CT domain sequencing, several known resistance-conferring mutations were detected in …

Oxyfluorfen Use In Combination With Clomazone Or Quinclorac, Jason K. Norsworthy, Casey H. Arnold, Thomas R. Butts, Chad W. Shelton

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Oxyfluorfen is a herbicide that inhibits protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase and has shown significant potential in its ability to control barnyardgrass. Oxyfluorfen is categorized as a Group 14 herbicide by the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC)/Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). Despite its current lack of labeling for use on rice in the mid-southern United States due to its potential to cause crop injury, the introduction of a trait in rice that confers resistance to oxyfluorfen could provide producers with an effective alternative site of action for weed control. Field experiments were conducted during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons near …

Clomazone And Oxyfluorfen Combinations In A Flooded Rice System, Jason K. Norsworthy, Casey H. Arnold, Thomas R. Butts, Trenton L. Roberts, Chad W. Shelton

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rice producers battle herbicide-resistant weeds worldwide while producing rice for ≥50% of the world’s population. Oxyfluorfen can provide rice producers with an alternative site of action for barnyardgrass control, as there are no documented cases of grass weeds being resistant to the herbicide in the mid-southern United States. Oxyfluorfen is anticipated to be labeled in the Roxy Rice Production System and may be sold as a clomazone/oxyfluorfen premixture; hence, experiments were conducted in 2021 and 2022 to evaluate preemergence-applied clomazone/oxyfluorfen ratios compared to clomazone alone on silt loam and clay soils. All ratios of the herbicides caused less than 7% …

Minimizing Risks Of Off-Target Movement Of Florpyrauxifen-Benzyl By Coating Onto Urea, Bodie L. Cotter, Jason K. Norsworthy, Thomas R. Butts, Trenton L. Roberts, Andy Mauromostakos

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Commercialization of florpyrauxifen-benzyl as Loyant^® in 2018 as a synthetic auxin herbicide in rice was followed by soybean injury due to off-target movement of spray applications in the mid-southern United States. Concerns surrounding off-target movement led to the exploration of an alternative application method to help alleviate the issue. Field experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021 to explore the likelihood of a reduction in soybean injury following applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl coated on urea in narrow- and wide-row soybean systems and to determine the likelihood of volatilization from this novel application method. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl spray-applied at 0.18 g ai ha …

Foliar Application Of Vermitea On Wheat Against Salt Stress Under Hydroponic Condition, Basir Ahmed, Anser Ali, Muhammad Sarwar, Wajad Nazeer, Imdad Ullah

Journal of Bioresource Management

Salinity is one of the major issues that drastically reduce wheat production. In a hydroponic investigation, vermitea was employed to evaluate the impact of salinity on wheat. The vermitea is a by-product of the vermicomposting process that has both macro- and micronutrients. When these plants reached full maturity, they were harvested. The evaluation was based on their morphological characteristics, such as root/shoot dry weight, root/shoot ratio, plant height, root/shoot length, number of spikelets per spikelet, spike length, number of grains per spikelet, and biological yield per plant. The leaves relative water contents and other biochemical parameters including K+, Na+, chlorophyll …

Incorporation Of Undissolved Lime From Previous Applications Can Ameliorate Subsoil Acidity Promptly And Improve Crop Performance On Sandy Soils Of The Semi-Arid Regions Of Western Australia, Gaus Azam, Md. Shahinur Rahman

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Background and aims

Repeated surface application of lime for managing subsoil acidity is slow and ineffective, resulting in an accumulation of undissolved lime (carbonate) in the topsoil. We investigated the impact of the incorporation of undissolved lime into the subsoil to improve acidity and crop performance.

Methods

The undissolved lime in 2-cm layers of topsoil (0–10 cm) from three long-term experiments in Western Australia was measured. Both limed and unlimed topsoil with the acidic subsoil of the same profile was incubated at eight incorporation rates for six weeks, followed by growing barley and wheat in the incubated soil for two …

Climate Smart Agriculture, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

There are several programs encouraging producers to reduce their carbon intensity, including United States Department of Agriculture climate-smart agriculture programs, the 2024 Nebraska Climate Action Plan, and the 2024 Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act. The hope is that producers with lower carbon intensity (CI) scores will receive a premium for their products. Producers would be well advised to learn more about these programs, as reducing carbon intensity in agriculture seems to be an emerging agricultural policy trend that will be with us for some time to come.

Development Of Intensive Grassland Systems: From Science To Practice, D G. Mccall, G W. Sheath

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Level of nnimal production from grassland is determined by the amount of pasture grown, pasture utilisation and animal conversion efficiency. The key components affecting production are pasture growth and animal conversion efficiency. These arc mainly influenced by environment, genetics and through inputs to maintain soil fertility or animal health. Systems development aims to link pasture growth and animal conversion through efficient strategies for pasture utilisation. The means of influencing pasture utilisation is through adjustments to animal feed demand, feed supply or grazing management. Stock policies that adjust the pattern and level of feed demand are of greatest significance in developing …

The Ecology Of Grazing Management, R K. Heitschmidt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The broad objective of this paper is to review the fundamental principles of grazing management as a means of assessing the inherent value of intensive and extensive grazing systems. Conceptual analyses of intensive and extensive grazing systems reveal that the fundamental differences between intensive and extensive grazing systems are related to differences in non-grazing rather than grazing tactics. Intensive grazing systems employ a wide array of non-grazing tactics in an attempt to overcome the inherent ecological constraints that limit secondary (i.e., livestock) productivity in extensively grazed systems. Moreover, analyses of the ecological or true efficiency of various agricultural production systems …

An Analysis Of The Dry Matter Intake And Rate Of Live-Weight Gain Of Growing Cattle Fed Forage Diets, J G. Buchanan-Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The intake and rate of live-weight gain of 500 growing steer calves fed experimental forage diets in 7 trials were compared with corresponding values predicted using the Na1ional Research Council (NRC) model (1984). The cattle were predominantly weaned calves and most of the experimental diets were alfalfa-grass silage, either unsupplemented or supplemented with various protein sources, but some diets were based on maize silage or maize grain. The feeding period evaluated in this study ranged between the first 84 and 147 days when protein accretion rate in the cattle would be relatively high. Dry matter intakes were overpredicted by the …

Management Of Extensive Pastures For Dairy Youngstock, G.E J. Fisher, D J. Roberts

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effects of low input systems on the ground cover of species and yield and chemical composition of herbage cul from extensive lowland swards was studied over 3 years. The live-weight gain of dairy heifer replacements offered grazed or conserved forage from these pastures was also assessed, The swards were sown with a mixture of grasses, wildflowers and herbs and received no inorganic fertilizers, Applications of slurry in January and February increased herbage yield by 43%, but reduced the cover of flowers and herbs. Using a 2- cut conservation system improved yield of metabolisable energy/ha in herbage by 33%, and …

Intensive Grazing Of Alfalfa By Beef Steers, M Rasnake, W R. Burris, G D. Lacefield, J Randolph, N Gay, L Davis

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the temperate region of North America, high temperature and moisture deficit cause low forage growth during the summer of most years, making it difficult to grow beef (Bos taurus), calves through summer grazing. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), offers some potential to provide high dry matter production during summer if an effective system of grazing can be developed. The objective of this study was to test a system of intensive grazing of beef steers on alfalfa to maximise live-weight gains/ha and maintain plant population. Alfalfa was no-till seeded into a 6.5 ha field in autumn 1988 after …

Variance Across Years In Growth Of Cattle On Annual Pastures In A Mediterranean Climate, K D. Greathead, J Zorrilla Rios

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Annual pastures were continuously grazed by new drafts of yearling cattle each year for 4 years at 2 sites. The variability of weight gained across years at any date was not different between sites. The level of rainfall in April, but strongly influenced weight gained by the cattle in any year. Variances in weight change were small up to April, they increased rapidly from April to late July and were not different after July (P<0.05).

Modification Of The Botanical Composition Of Perennial And Annual Temperate Pastures By Strategic Grazing Practices, D R. Kemp, P M. Dowling

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Where livestock production depends upon pastures, management is more difficult in environments where rainfall varies considerably from season to season and year to year. Flexible grazing practices are needed to optimise species composition and pasture productivity. Results presented in this paper show that pasture composition can be improved within climatic constraints, by grazing practices within seasons, In temperate annual pastures, long rests in winter (similar to a long rotation during that season) increased annual legume content in early spring from 20 to 50%. Annual grass content was unchanged. In perennial (phalaris) pastures, the dominant legume can change over years from …

Development Of Grass-Clover Pasture Systems For Autumn-Calving Beef Cows. I. Forage Production, G D. Mooso, D G. Morrison, J I. Feazel, D R. Morris

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Four 8-ha areas of bermudagrass-based (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) grazing systems were sodseeded and received annual N fertiliser as follows: I) clover (Trifolium sp.)+81 kg Nnm, 2) annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam)+clover +81 kg N/ha, 3) ryegrass+clover+l39 kg N/ ha, and 4) ryegrass+139 kg N/ha. Monthly forage accumulation was estimated for 3 years by clipping samples from 2 exclosures/pasture. Environmental conditions had a significant effect on total annual forage dry matter (DM) production. Systems 3 and 4 produced more (P<0.05) forage DM than Systems 1 and 2 (11.0 v. 10,3 Mg/ha). System I produced more (P<0.l) forage DM than 2 (10.6 ll, 9.8 Mg/ha). Systems 3 and 4 were similar, producing I 1.0 Mg/ha. Monthly forage accumulation was lowest in winter (December to February) and highest in spring and summer (March to August). The results of this study demonstrate that at a low N level, there was no benefii from including ryegrass in the system and al a moderate N level, there was no benefit from including clover.

Development Of Grass-Clover Grazing Systems For Autumn-Calving Beef Cows. Ii. Cow-Calf Production And Economic Analysis, D G. Morrison, J I. Feazel, G D. Mooso

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Four 8-ha areas of bermudagrass-based (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) grazing systems were sod seeded and received annual N fertiliser as follows: I) clover (Trifolium sp.)+81 kg/ha, 2) annual rye grass (Lolium multiflorum Lsm.)+clover +81 kg/ha, 3) ryegrass+clover+139 kg/ha, and 4) ryegrass+l39 kg/ha. Each system was stocked year-round with 20 (2,5/lla) cows each with crossbred suckling calf. Cow and calf performance data for 3 of 4 years are included. Year affected (P<0.01) cow and calf live weight, Cows in System 2 were 25-50 kg lower in live weight in autumn and winter than cows in other systems. From February to July, cow daily live-weight gains were 0.11 kg higher (P<0.01) for Systems 2 and 3, Cow live weight in July was affected by N level (Systems 1,2<3,4; P<0,01), Year by system interactions (P<0.05) occurred for cow live weight in February, April and July because of live weight increasing over years in Systems 3 and 4 but not in Systems 1 and 2. Calf daily live-weight gain February to weaning (July) was higher (P<0.01) for System 2 v. 1 (0.06 kg), Syuem 3 v. 4 (0.07 kg), and Systems 3, 4 v. 1, 2 (0.07 kg), Estimated net returns favoured Systems 3 and 4 over Systems 1 and 2.

Improved Grazing Systems For Lamb Production On Appalachian Hill Farms, R L. Reid, J R. Puoli, G A. Jung, D P. Belesky

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Improved grazing methods were tested to increase lamb outputs per ha from Appalachian hill farms. Components of a grazing system were cool-season grass [tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), Grasslands Matua prairie grass (Brom us willdenowii Kunth)J or grass­legume [Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.)•red clover (Trifolium pralense L.)] pastures in spring and early autumn, warm-season grass [switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)] in summer, and brassicas in late autumn and early winter. Matua was highly productive in cool weather but was subject to fungal infection and grazing ewes had low Mg status in spring. Rotationally grazed switchgrass maintained high numbers …