Plant Breeding and Genetics Commons^™

Samphire For Waterlogged Salt Land, C V. Malcolm, G. J. Cooper

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

For non-waterlogged and mildly waterlogged salt land a number of salt-tolerant shrubs may be used for forage production.

Areas which are highly saline and regularly waterlogged are not suited to these shrubs. However, during trials with shrub species, samphires (Arthrocnemum spp.) were found to volunteer and grow well on these sites.

Research into the use of samphires has shown that it is possible to harvest seed and obtain a seed sample suitable for sowing through a drill. Established samphire stands provide useful grazing in many parts of the Western Australian wheatbelt.

Forage Production From Shrubs On Saline Land, C V. Malcolm

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

In the first volume of the Journal of the Department of Agriculture in the year 1900, the results of experiments at Tulare Experiment Station in California on the growing of Australian saltbushes are reported.

Seed was first sent from Australia by Baron von Mueller in June, 1881. Three species of saltbush (A. semibaccata, A. numularia and A. vesicaria) are all reported to have grown well.

Although C. A. Gardner in 1929 suggested the growing of saltbushes for forage, the earliest and clearest recommendations are those of Teakle and Burvill in 1945.

Early research tended to concentrate mainly on the possibility …

Wheat Quality In W.A, J A. Parish

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

Three separate quality classes or categories of wheat are now received by C.B.H. These are a soft biscuit wheat, a hard bread wheat and a mixed grain suitable as a filler wheat in bread-making and for making noodles.

In this article the basis of quality differences between these classes of wheat is described and some of the terms and concepts used in distinguishing between cultivars (varieties) and classes of wheat are discussed.

Crop Variety Recommendations For 1973, H M. Fisher

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

Detailed wheat, barley, oats and linseed variety and planting time recommendations for the 1973 cropping season.

The Art And Science Of Plant Breeding, John Sylvester Gladstones

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

The first part of this article described the evolution of crop varieties and their improvement by simple selection. This part discusses cross-breeding and the other techniques which underly most modern plant breeding programmes.

The purpose cf crossing is to generate new combinations of varietal characteristics. It does not create anything basically new. All the genetic "ingredients" of a new variety must be present in one or other of the parents.

Grain Hardness Investigation, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

No abstract provided.

Crop Variety Recommendations For 1974, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Crop variety recommendations are reviewed each year and reflect trends in the market situation and the availability of new varieties with specific applications and advantages.

The following recommendations for 1974 cover a wide range of grain crops grown in the agricultural areas of W.A.

The Art And Science Of Plant Breeding, John Sylvester Gladstones

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

Whether he has known it or not, man has influenced the evolution of plants throughout his whole existence. In the pre-agricultural state he collected fruits and seeds from plants chosen for their useful or desirable qualities, and dispersed them wherever he went. With the neolithic revolution and the development of agriculture, some of these plants were taken into cultivation.

Consciously or unconsciously he selected types with higher yield, which germinated readily when planted, and whose seeds stayed in the head at maturity rather than being shed as in the wild grasses and legumes. Over thousands of years this "guided evolution" …

Biscuit Wheat In W.A, G H. Jones, J. A. Parish, H. J. Moss

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

Following small scale trials in the production and evaluation of Gluclub wheat in 1970 and 1971, farmers have been asked to produce 20,000 tons of this variety for the 1972/73 season.

The background of this attempt to establish a class of soft or biscuit wheat in world markets is described in this article.

Kimberley Research Station Review Of Progress, 1968-71, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

The potential for harnessing northern rivers flowing to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Timor Sea was realised many years ago.

These rivers together are estimated to carry about three times the water transported annually over the Murray drainage system and the South Eastern slopes, which comprise the closely settled agricultural areas of South Eastern Australia.

The Kimberley Research Station was established in 1946 to investigate the potential for irrigated agriculture in the Ord River valley. This is a review of the Station's sixth progress report which is being published as Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 3861.

A New Look At Sweet Lupins In Western Australia, C M. Francis, M. L. Poole, M. H. Chopping

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

BECAUSE they have a seed protein content of 30 to 45 per cent., sweet lupins are playing a growing role in animal feeding, particularly in the poultry industry. Their value as a protein supplement should ensure a continued local market as at current prices they are highly competitive with soya beans in cost per unit of protein.

W.A. Wildflowers Are Unique, Alexander S. George

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

Western Australian wildflowers are some of the most unusual and fascinating in the world. Of the 3,000-odd species growing in the southwest, about 85 per cent, grow nowhere else in the world.

Pasture Legume Varieties And Ewe Fertility, T Marshall, H. E. Fels, H. G. Neil, R. C. Rossiter

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

ALTHOUGH it was first thought that all varieties of subterranean clover would cause ewe infertility, research in the last 10 to 15 years has shown that varieties differ in potency.

The relative level of potency has also been shown to remain consistent for any one variety under normal conditions.

Grow Barley For Malt Or Feed, G B. Crosbie, J. A. Parish

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

MALTING barley can be grown in certain areas receiving more than 13 inches annual rainfall, and farmers have to make a choice between growing barley for malt or feed in these areas.

Rapeseed. 3. Varieties And Their Growth Patterns In Western Australia, M L. Poole

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

RAPE belongs to the genus "Brassica" which also includes such plants as the garden cabbage, wild turnip and cultivated mustard.

The name is derived from the Latin word "rapum". meaning turnip.

New Varieties Could Extend The Peach Canning Season, S R J Newton

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

THE peach canning industry in Western Australia at present has only a limited period of operation, coinciding with the harvest time of the major variety, Golden Queen.

New canning peach varieties tested at Stoneville Research Station could be used to extend the harvest period of canning peaches beyond that of the present standard variety, Golden Queen.

This would have obvious advantages for growers and a canning industry.

The South African variety Keimoes was the most promising canning peach tested. Tests on other varieties are continuing.

Market Prospects For W.A. Wheat, William John Toms, J. A. Parish

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

WITH the Western Australian wheat industry valued at $100 million per year and subject to production restrictions, can market prospects be improved?

What types of wheat should we produce? Can we increase sales by segregating specific types from the present crop? This article discusses the changes in W.A. wheat production that would be necessary to suit specific markets.

High Yields From Improved Onion Strain, M Hardie, R. G. Nailard

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

FOLLOWING an intensive programme of bulb selection over a period of 10 years, a special strain of the locally developed Spearwood Brown Globe onion has been produced by the Department of Agriculture.

Barley Staining, J A. Parish, G. B. Crosbie, A. G. P. Brown, P. A. Portmann

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

GRAIN discolouration or "staining" is a quality defect in W.A. barley which substantially reduces the marketable value oi the crop. It also causes heavy losses to individual growers whose grain is docked or rejected.

Correct Common Names Of Herbage Plants, B J. Quinlivan

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

NEARLY all plants have both a scientific name and a common name. Some, unfortunately, have two, three, four or more common names, and this causes a great deal of confusion, particularly in the buying and selling of pasture seeds.

Testing Grain Crops, H M. Fisher

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

TODAY'S competitive markets for crop products stress the need for greater awareness of buyers' requirements and more detailed knowledge about our ability to supply them.

Crop varieties and their performance in different environments are important aspects of production potential.

Rapeseed. 4. Grain Quality, G B. Crosbie, M. L. Poole

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

RAPESEED is capturing an increasing share of the world edible oilseed market.

It competes with other oilseeds such as soyabeans, peanuts, sunflower and safflower seed.

If Western Australia is to share in these markets it is essential that only high quality seed is produced.

Commercial Production Of Egg-Plant, James P. Fallon

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

The egg-plant or aubergine (Solarium melongena) is a sub-tropical plant which is not only very tender to frost and low temperature, but requires a long growing season.

Alternative Crops To Wheat : An Assessment, H M. Fisher

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

INTRODUCTION of wheat production quotas in 1969 promoted widespread interest in suitable alternative crops.

The only other crops grown on a significant scale in W.A. were barley and oats and farmers were quick to substitute these cereals in their cropping programmes.

Recommended Crop Varieties : 1972, H M. Fisher

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

RECOMMENDATIONS on crop varieties for 1972 continue to place emphasis on grain quality in relation to the requirements of overseas buyers. Gamenya, Falcon and Bokal wheats, Dampier and Beecher barleys, Swan oats and Kameniza linseed are the main varieties recommended.

Wheat Quality Surveys In Western Australia, J A. Parish, G. H. Jones

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

SINCE 1956 a number of collaborative wheat quality surveys have been carried out in Western Australia by Co-operative Bulk Handling Co. Ltd. and the Department of Agriculture.

The work was undertaken to provide facts which may be used to determine the possible advantages to this State's wheat industry of alterations in the receival and marketing arrangements.

The various surveys are described in this article.

Barley And Oat Yield Tests In W.A, H M. Fisher

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

BARLEY production has increased sharply over the past two seasons to compensate reduced wheat acreages.

The change over to barley has been supported by the availability of suitable varieties, notably Dampier, and a good demand for West Australian barley overseas.

Wheat Yield Tests In W.A, H M. Fisher

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

WHEAT production is the major crop industry in Western Australia so emphasis has been placed on this crop in variety tests.

Over the last 5 years 61 wheat varieties, including 30 named varieties from various sources, have been tested in variety trials.

Rapeseed Production In Western Australia, M L. Poole

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

RAPESEED production began in Western Australia in 1968 when a few acres were grown. In 1969, about 20 growers ptanted small acreages for about 80 tons of seed. In 1970, up to 20,000 acres will be grown, and a total of 40,000 acres seems possible within the next few years.

Lucerne Establishment In High Rainfall Dairying Districts, R Sprivulis

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

LUCERNE is one of the oldest of perennial forage plants. It originated in the Middle East and because it flourishes under a wide range of climatic and soil conditions it is being grown in many parts of the world.

Lucerne was introduced to Australia in the early years of British settlement. The original introductions proved suitable for the alluvial flats of the Hunter and Peel River valleys of N.S.W.

Lucerne is basically a summer growing legume with or without winter dormancy.