Plant Biology Commons^™

Bulletin 4397 - Stone Fruit From Western Australia - At A Glance, Glynn Ward, Geraldine Pasqual, Eleanor Melvin-Carter

Bulletins 4000 -

Western Australia produces a range of horticultural commodities including fruit, vegetables, flowers, nursery products and wine as part of its fast growing $400 million horticultural industry. Natural advantages such as climate and clean environment, soils and water make Western Australia an ideal place to supply a variety of high quality produce to domestic and international markets.

The stone fruit industry in Western Australia is booming with large production increases predicted. Production from well established plum, peach and nectarine orchards in 1996/97 is estimated at $17 million and exports have doubled in the past five years to $10 million in 1998/99. …

Weeds Can Poison Crops, Aik Hock Cheam

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

Weeds can interfere with the growth of a crop simply by competing with the crop for nutrients, moisture and light. But some weeds also release chemicals that inhibit the germination and growth of crop plants; the technical term for this is allelopathy. Aik Cheam outlines the problems caused by two common weeds and the discusses preventative measures.

Remnant Vegetation And Natural Resources Of The Blackwood River Catchment An Atlas, Shaun B. Grein

Agriculture reports

The Blackwood River is one of the longest rivers in the South-West of Western Australia, stretching 300 km from Moordjarrup to August. The catchment covers more than 28,000 square kilometres (2.8 million ha) from the Shire of Kent to the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. It incorporates 17 shires, more than 30,000 people, 18 Land Conservation District Committees (LCDCs) and 143 sub-catchment groups. Shires within the Blackwood Catchment cover 4.12 million hectares, over half of the total area of the shires that fall within the catchment boundary.

Canola : Golden Oil For Farmers And Consumers, Paul Carmody

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

It is feasible that canola could become Western Australia's fourth largest crop after wheat, barley and lupins by the turn of the century.

Without the stigma attached to its parent crop, rapeseed, canola has also become one of the most successful international agricultural product launches, proving itself not only a useful cropping alternative but a healthy oil for consumers. State Oilseeds Adviser PAUL CARMODY sets the scene.

Buntine-West Wubin And West Maya Catchment Management Report, William Oldfield, Natalie Hunt

Natural resources published reports

Buntine West/Wubin land Conservation District was formed when a number of landholders wanted to extend and join on to some existing deep drains. At first the group concentrated on the deep drains with some farmers joining on anda project to connect the drains up througha naturally occurring saline area and to run the main drain into a salt lake system. Funding was attained for 50% of the project and farmers with drains paid for the rest. It was considered unfair for landowners whose land this drain went through to pay all the cost as it was not draining arable land. …

Adaptation Of Lentil In Western Australia: Germplasm Evaluation In 1994, A. Sarker, K. H.M. Siddique, S P. Loss, Co-Operative Research Centre For Legumes In Mediterranean Agriculture, Department Of Agriculture Western Australia

Grain and other field crops published reports

Lentil is one of the grain legumes with potential for inclusion into Australian farming systems on fine textured, neutral to alkaline soils. It is an important protein source for the large populations of the Indian sub-continent and elsewhere, and the export market potential is excellent. Old Canadian varieties grown on a small scale in Victoria (Laird and Callisto) are poorly adapted to short season WA environments, A number of varieties have recently been selected from ICARDA material and released in Victoria and SA (Digger, Cobber, Matilda and Aldinga), and these have adequate adaptation to commence a lentil industry in WA. …

Grain Legume And Canola Autumn Updates 1995, David Williams

Grain and other field crops published reports

Grain legumes

- Chickpea

- Field pea

- Lentil

- Faba beans

Canola essentials:

Site selection -Paddock selection is critical for a successful canola crop. Avoid paddocks with waterlogging, wind erosion and broadleaf weeds - particularly wild radish, turnip, mustard and doublegees.

Soil type - Canela grows well on most soil types, however it prefers well drained gravel soils, red loams, sandy _loams and deeper duplex soils. Soil pH levels (in CaCl_²) of 4.5 to 8.0 are suitable. Soil test paddock for pH, phosphorus, and potassium levels.

Rotation - Grow canola after manipulated pasture, lupins or other grain …

Bulletin 4283 - Nitrogen Fertilisers For Cereal Production, M. G. Mason

Bulletins 4000 -

Because fertiliser prices are high, it is important to understand what affects the response to fertilisers by crops.

Among the many factors influencing crop response to nitrogen applications, the most important are the season, soil type, paddock history, time of application and source of nitrogen. Before deciding whether to use nitrogen on a cereal crop, which source to use and at what rate, you need some understanding of how these factors work.

Greatest responses to nitrogen fertilisers can be expected in areas with a relatively long growing season. In such areas light soils with a low nitrogen status give the …

Growing Lettuce, Margaret Graham

Horticulture published reports

The commonly cultivated lettuce, Lactuca sativa, is an annual belonging to the sunflower family. It has been cultivated for over 2500 years, and is a popular salad vegetable.

There are three main subspecies commonly grown.

• IL. sativa ssp capitata - Head type - Crisphead is a lettuce with a firm head and brittle leaves. It is the major lettuce type grown in Australia and is also known as iceberg lettuce. - Butterhead (buttercrunch, mignonette) lettuce has soft, pale leaves and a delicate buttery flavour. It is of major importance in Europe, where it is grown as a greenhouse crop.
• L. …

Gascoyne Research Station Field Day, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Horticulture research reports

Gascoyne Research Station Centenary Open Day Thursday 13 October 1994

100 years (1894-1994) Advancing Agriculture

Welcome to the 1994 Field Day at Gascoyne Research Station. At this day you'll have the opportunity to view and hear discussions of some of the latest Research and Development initiatives in horticulture in the region. We will commence activities at the Packing Shed at 3:00 p.m. with introductions and short discussions of new work which is currently in progress. This will be followed by field talks at the trial sites, as listed in this brochure. We are also pleased to include presentations by leaders …

Fast Tracking Barley Varieties Using Anther Culture, Sue Broughton, Penny Priest

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

Breeding new varieties of barley or other cereal crops usually takes between 12 and 15 years. five years of that time may be needed to stabalise the new varieties so that they breed trueto type, but anther culture can reduce this delay to only eight months. This technology will allow the Department of Agriculture's barley breeding programme to respond more rapidly to changes in goals set by industry and to meet market demands.

Miscellaneous Publication 42/93 - Development And Dissemination Of Design Methods For Rangeland Paddocks Which Maximise Animal Production And Minimise Land Degradation, Shane Cridland, Mark Stafford Smith

Animal production and livestock published reports

Surveys of rangeland resources in Western Australia to date have shown that 23% of the area surveyed is in poor range condition. Poor condition is characterised by the loss of perennial vegetation allowing wind and water erosion. Approximately another 37% is in only fair range condition (Curry and Hacker 1990).

The loss of range condition is partly due to uneven use of paddocks by sheep and cattle. The areas close to water and the preferred pasture types are often over-utilised, while areas well away from water and less preferred pasture types are under-utilised. The result is that rangeland in good, …

Establishment Of Lupin Seedlings, Miles Dracup

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

Good seedbed conditions lead to high and rapid seedling emergence and vigorous seedlings best equipped to avoid disease, weed competition and sand-blasting. Good establishment is needed for a high yielding crop.

In Western Australia, seedbed moisture and temperature are most likely to limit successful emergence of lupins, especially with the trend toward early sowing.

Research by the Department of Agriculture is helping to define seedbed temperature and moisture requirements for successful lupin establishment that will help future research for improving seedbed conditions.

Production Of High-Value Wheats : One Sustainable Answer To The Cost:Price Squeeze, Wal Anderson, Alan Peggs, Doug Sawkins

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

Farmers and scientists alike over the past decade have sought to address the declining terms of farm trade (the cost.price squeeze) by increasing wheat yields in ways that will ensure both their economic and ecological survival. Nevertheless, costs have continued to increase as a proportion of the value of the product.

Many farmers have increased their wheat yields substantially and the industry as a whole is more conscious of the quality of its product.

Over the past 10 years or more there has been intense interest in, and considerable adoption of. conservation farming techniques such as minimum tillage, residue retention, …

Remnant Vegetation Protection Scheme 1991 Blocks, J E D Fox, P Read, J - Pg Orsini

All other publications

No abstract provided.

Description And Key To The Identification Of Grasses In South-Western Australia, J G. Paterson

Bulletins 4000 -

The grasses comprise one of the world's largest families of flowering plants, with about 670 groups or genera containing over 9000 individual types or species distributed throughout the world. Over 130 groups have been recorded in Western Australia but probable that the list is far from complete. About one third of these have been introduced from overseas.

New Yellow Serradella Varieties For Low Rainfall Pastures, Clinton Revell

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

Large areas of acidic, sandy soils in Western Australia's low and medium rainfall, wheatsheep areas are suited to the pasture legume, yellow serradella.

In the past, a lack of varieties with suitable maturity has limited the use of this species.

New varieties developed in Western Australia and significantly earlier in maturity than traditional types can now extend the use of yellow serradella into these regions.

Opportunity Knocks : Sowing Wheat Early In The North-Eastern Wheatbelt, Nicole Kerr, Doug Abrecht

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

Farmers consider many factors in deciding whether to start sowing wheat, but the most important are the amount of rain and time of year. In this study we assessed the chances of farmers in the north-eastern wheatbelt (less than 325 mm rainfall) receiving enough rain to sow wheat early. In low rainfall areas such as this, where an early finish to the season is likely, it is especially important that farmers take advantage of all early sowing opportunities. The potential benefits of sowing wheat early generally outweigh the associated risks, particularly in lower rainfall areas. However, early sowing depends on …

The Impact Of Red Kangaroos On The Rangelands, Grant Norbury, Dale Norbury

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

Kangaroos and other native animals should be maintained across their natural range, including areas set aside for pastoral use. But the added grazing pressure on native vegetation from sheep, cattle and feral animals, together with unnaturally high numbers of kangaroos, has seriously degraded much of our rangelands. Cattle and sheep numbers are relatively easy to control. The same cannot be said for kangaroos. Access to widespread man-made watering points has allowed kangaroos to continue breeding when normally a shortage of water would suppress reproduction.

Pastoralists complain that commercial kangaroo shooting is not always effective in preventing damage caused by kangaroos. …

Clearwing Moths Are Key To Dock Control, Kingsley Fisher

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

Two clearwing moths imported from Morocco and France could be the key to controlling dock (Rumex pulcher) - one of the worst weeds of high rainfall pastures in southern Australia

A Review Of Plant Introductions To The Kimberley 1955 To 1987, R Mccartney

Grain and other field crops published reports

This report summarizes the work done by the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, in the west and north Kimberley in introducing plant species during 1955-1987.

For the purposes of this repor1the following areas are defined thus:

• West Kimberley- lies between latitude 17°5 and 19°5 and longitude 121°E and 127°E, with an extension to the north of 1° between 121°E and I 24°20'E. The area is 118,000 km".

• North Kimberley - lies north of latitude 17°5 and between longitude 124°20'E and 127°30'E. The area is 85,000 km'.

• East Kimberley-lies north of latitude 19°5 and between longitude 127°30'E and …

1991 Catalogue Of The Australian Lupin Collection Including Field Evaluation Data For Wild, Semi-Domesticated And Fully Domesticated Accessions, J. C. Clements, W. A. Cowling

Grain and other field crops research reports

This report lists all wild, semi-domesticated and fully domesticated accessions in the Australian Lupin Collection to 1991. The Collection is composed of 2,264 accessions (Perth Numbers between 20629 and 27067) introduced to Australia or from naturalized populations and breeding programmes within Australia. Several accessions are selections from variable populations which were identified during field trials in South Perth, Western Australia. This catalogue lists the characteristics and field evaluation data for every accession where available. Plant breeders and crop scientists will find this information useful for the selection of lupin genotypes with desired characteristics.

Section A of this catalogue should be …

Propagation Of Yellow Bells (Geleznowia Verrucosa Turcz., Rutaceae) From Seed, Blakely Paynter, Kingsley Dixon

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Geleznowia verrucosa Turcz. (Rutaceae) is a commercially important, bush-picked wildflower that has no known commercial means of propagation. This study examined factors influencing seed dormancy and likely to restrict germination of the species. Germination of entire, untreated seed was low (less than 2%), but removal of a small portion of the testa at or near the radicle end of the seed improved germination. This response was affected by the temperature under which the seed germinated, but was unaffected by exposure of the seed to light while germinating. The percentage germination of nicked seeds 52 days after sowing increased from 8% …

Bulletin No 4220 - Growing High Yielding Wheat Crops In The Central Wheatbelt, Michael Perry

Bulletins 4000 -

In this Bulletin we hope to provide you with what we believe is the best and most up-to-date information about growing wheat in your particular environment.

It is now more important than ever for producers to get the most out of their resources of land, labour and capital. The key to doing that is the knowledge to do even better what you probably do well already-growing wheat.

Monitoring Western Australia's Rangelands, Ron Hacker, David Beurle, George Gardiner

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

Rangelands, native pastures used for grazing domestic livestock, occupy about 100 million hectares or 40 per cent of Western Australia, extending from the tropical grasslands of the Kimberley to the arid shrub steppe of the Nullarbor Plain.

The rangelands are characterized by highly variable seasonal conditions. Carrying capacity can fluctuate dramatically from year to year. Grazing management requires a tactical approach from one season to the next because of the great variation in the capacity of the land to support stock.

Rangeland monitoring provides pastoralists with objective information on these changes to assist their management decision making. The Western Australian …

Waterlogging : How It Reduces Plant Growth And How Plants Can Overcome Its Effects, Tim Setter, Bob Belford

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

Lack of oxygen is the major cause of limited plant growth in waterlogged soils. When soils become waterlogged less gas diffuses to and from the roots through the soil pores; there are changes in concentrations of mineral elements in soil solutions; and toxic products of roots and soil microorganisms begin to accumulate. These changes adversely affect germination, growth and development of plants.

Biological Control Of Doublegee, Dane Panetta

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

Doublegee (Emex australis) is one of the worst agricultural weeds in Western Australia. To date, however, biological control of this weed has proved elusive. Multiple releases of two weevils which attack doublegee have not led to insect establishment. For one of these species, further research has shown that doublegee control would probably not be achieved in the wheatbelt even if insect establishment were enhanced by growing its host during the summer months. A joint Western Australian Department of Agriculture/ CSIRO project is investigating the virulence and host specificity of an undescribed South African species o/Phomopsis fungus. Should this pathogen prove …

Bulletin No 4168 - Plants In Australia Which When Eaten Produce Photosensitization In Livestock, T E H Aplin

Bulletins 4000 -

Photosensitization is the term used to describe inflammation of the skin (usually unpigmented) caused by photodynamic compounds, circulating in blood stream, becoming bound to dermal cells and fluorescing when the animal is exposed to ultraviolet light (290-400 nm).

Photosensitization usually occurs when an animal eats certain plants that contain photodynamic compounds. These compounds can be deposited unchanged in the skin after ingestion, the normal liver being incapable of excreting the native fluorescent compound. This is termed type 1 photosensitization and the compounds involved are naphthodianthrone derivatives. Photodynamic compounds can also be produced through aberrant metabolism by the liver due to …

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 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.