Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Successful Cropping In The High Rainfall Zone Of Western Australia : Crop Research And Extension In The Zone, Narelle Hill, Heping Zhang Dr., Tim Trezise, John Young, Natahan Moyes, Laurence Carslake, Neil C. Turner Dr, Walter Anderson, Michael Poole

Bulletins 4000 -

This manual is a review of all the relevant and current information relating to cropping systems in the high rainfall cropping zone (HRZ) of Western Australia. It functions partly as the final report summarising research results and extension activities and discusses recommendations and potential outcomes of two 5-year GRDC-funded projects (DAW 673 and CSP 302), that aimed to increase the productivity of southern high rainfall cropping systems.

Potential Impacts Of Climate Change On Agricultural Land Use Suitability : Wheat, Dennis Van Gool, Luke Vernon

Resource management technical reports

This publication considers the impact of climate change on wheat crops. While a model was first used, it was only partially validated against real data, hence the model is now used as a decision support system that allows people with crop, land resource and climate knowledge to determine potential impacts of climate change on crop growth and production in Western Australia.

Diagnosing And Ameliorating Problem Soils : Decision Tree On How To Diagnose And Ameliorate Problem Soils, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

Most cropping paddocks in Western Australia have lower yielding areas within paddocks that perform poorly in most years. If the agronomy and management are good, the poor yields are usually due to soil-related problems. Some of these problems can be corrected or reduced by adopting certain proven practices. However, it is important to identify and quantify the problem so that decisions can be made on whether amelioration is possible and economically feasible. The objective is to provide a simploe decision tool for farmers and advisers to use in identifying and quantifying soil problems in agricultural soils in Western Australia. It …

Grass Patch-Salmon Gums Area : Catchment Appraisal 2005, Angela Alderman

Resource management technical reports

Rapid catchment appraisal to assess the condition of, and future risks to, agricultural and natural resources within the Grass Patch-Salmon Gums area in Western Australia.

Major Eastern Wheatbelt Soils To Characterise Soil Moisture Availability, Jeffrey Jon Russell

Resource management technical reports

In the Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia, there are seven major soil groups (acid sands, good soilplain soils, gravelly sands, duplex soils, medium-heavy soils, heavy non-friable soils and heavy friable soils. This report considers the ability of various soils to store or retain water in an attempt to partially determine the yield potential of crops.

Roaded Catchments To Improve Reliability Of Farm Dams, David Stanton

Bulletins 4000 -

Maintaining reliable on-farm water supplies is an on-going challenge for landholders throughout Western Australia. Improving reliability of dams by constructing a roaded catchment is one of the most cost-effective methods of improving the performance and reliability of a farm water supply.

A roaded catchment is a water-harvesting structure designed to increase the amount of run-off from the catchment above a dam. The 'roads' of a roaded catchment are parallel ridges of earth with batters (or side slopes) that cause run-off to be directed into troughs or channels. The surface is lined with clay and compacted to make it smooth and …

Producing Pulses In The Northern Agricultural Region, Peter White, Martin Harries, Mark Seymour, Pam Burgess

Bulletins 4000 -

Pulses, like most other temperate crops, are ideally suited to environments with mild temperatures, adequate rainfall and free draining soils that have a deep uniform profile, a medium to fine texture and slightly acid to neutral pH (6.5-7.5). Pulses when grown on these soils and in these environments produce reliable yields, are relatively easy to manage and achieve good returns on investment.

Pulses can be grown very successfully in less ideal situations, but must then be managed carefully to ensure reliable yields. The different pulse species, and even different varieties of the same species, vary in how tolerant they are …

Producing Pulses In The Southern Agricultural Region, Peter White, Mark Seymour, Pam Burgess, Martin Harries

Bulletins 4000 -

The development of pulses in Western Australia has undergone tremendous advances over the past 12 years. From a tiny industry in the early 1990’s where the knowledge of both scientists and farmers was very limited, we now have a robust industry with production packages and improved varieties for all the grain legumes species that are well suited to our environment.

This book, which is both comprehensive and practical, collates much of the information gathered through pulse research and commercial experience over the past 10 years and will be valuable to all pulse growers, agronomists, students and industry advisors alike. The …

Tonebridge-Frankland Area Land Resources Survey, Angela Stuart-Street, National Landcare Program (Australia), Natural Heritage Trust (Australia)

Land resources series

This report presents the results from soil and landform mapping at a scale of 1:100,000 in the Tonebridge-Frankland area of Western Australia. One map representing the Tonebridge (2229) and Frankland (2329) map sheet areas, covering approximately 511,000 hectares accompanies the report on a CD-ROM. The Tonebridge-Frankland survey area covers major parts of the Warren-Tone and Frankland-Gordon River catchments. It also covers the upper catchments of the Kent and Deep Rivers, a small part of the Blackwood River catchment in the north western corner, as well as the Lake Muir-Unicup sub-catchments. The Tonebridge-Frankland survey falls within the Manjimup, Katanning and Albany …

Groundwater Study Of The Boddington Townsite, Gregory Paul Raper

Resource management technical reports

A study of the groundwater beneath the Boddington townsite was carried out in April 2002. The aim was to assess the salinity risk to the townsite infrastructure and to accelerate the implementation of effective salinity management for the town. The study consisted of field reconnaissance, a drilling program, expansion of a groundwater-monitoring network installed in March 2001, and groundwater monitoring.

Greenough Region Catchment Appraisal, Angela Stuart-Street, M Clarke

Resource management technical reports

This report discusses a range of options for the Greenough region, which is comprised of eight shires including the Shires of Northampton, Chapman Valley, Mullewa, Greenough, Morawa, Irwin, Mingenew and Three Springs, and also the city of Geraldton. A range of options for reducing land degradation is discussed. Factors such as soil type, annual rainfall, enterprise mix and financial structure are also considered.

Natural Resource Management Issues For The South Coast Regional Strategy, B Nicholas

Resource management technical reports

This report has been prepared by the Agricultural Resource Management Program of the Department of Agriculture to assist SCRIPT (South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team) in preparing the regional strategy. It records the key natural resource management issues threatening agricultural land on the south coast of Western Australia. Managing agricultural land effectively should be a priority in reducing the risks of land degradation on all assets-productive agricultural land, biodiversity and waterways.

Agricultural Resource Priorities And Recommendations For The Avon River Basin Natural Resource Management Strategy, Paul D. Galloway, C E. Mcconnell, D W. Cummins, K Ohlsen

Resource management technical reports

This report for the Avon Natural Resource Management Strategy provides an assessment of the current status of land resources throughout the Avon River Basin in Western Australia. It identifies the sub-regions and landscape components of the area and the land resource assets. The greatest threats are salinity, soil acidification, subsurface compaction, waterlogging, water and wind erosion, and biosecurity.

Gibson Oil Mallee Study : Drill Completion And Preliminary Hydrogeological Interpretation Report, John Andrew Simons, Peter Taylor, D L. Bennett, Western Australia. Department Of Conservation And Land Management

Resource management technical reports

Oil mallees are being planted in Western Australian wheatbelt farms with the expectation that they will reduce land salination by lowering watertables as well as providing income from combinations of eucalyptus oil distillation, power generation, activated carbon production and carbon sequestration in the future.

Land Evaluation Standards For Land Resource Mapping : Assessing Land Qualities And Determining Land Capability In South-Western Australia, Dennis Van Gool, Peter J. Tille, Geoff Allen Moore

Resource management technical reports

This report describes the standard method for attributing and evaluating conventional land resource survey maps in the south-west agriculture region of Western Australia so that strategic decisions about the management, development and conservation of land resources can be based on the best information available. The standards described are similar to the land suitability assessment (stage one of the two stage) methods described by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO, 1976, 1983).

Wagin-Woodanilling (Zone 5) : Catchment Appraisal 2005, K Ohlsen, T Schulz, T W. Mathwin, Gina Pemberton, Henry Brockman, J Firth, Mitchell Davies, Heather M. Percy

Resource management technical reports

The aim of this report is to assess the current extent of salinity and other natural resource degradation issues and provide landholders with the best current management options to address natural resource management issues and enhance sustainable agricultural production.

Mole Drainage For Increased Productivity In The South West Irrigation Area, D L. Bennett, Richard George, Bill Russell

Bulletins 4000 -

Heavy soils, with low rates of soil-water movement, such as those found in the South-West Irrigation Area (SWIA), require closely spaced (2-6 m apart) subsoil drainage systems to provide sufficient water movement to control the effects of salt-waterlogging on pastures. Such close spacing using traditional buried pipe or tile drainage systems is impractical. As a result, mole drainage systems, used in other parts of the world for over 50 years, have gained popularity in the SWIA in recent years.

This Bulletin Farmnote reports the current ‘best-bet’ mole draining technique for SWIA conditions gathered from observations over a number of years …

Pingrup Townsite : Drilling Completion Report, Louise Hopgood, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia. Rural Towns Program

Resource management technical reports

Initial drilling was carried out in the townsite of Pingrup in Western Australia in April 2002. This report shows the findings of the study in terms of soil characteristics, watertable management and groundwater monitoring.

Salinity Investment Framework : Agricultural Land And Infrastructure, Richard J. George Dr, Ross Kingwell, J Hill-Tonkin, R A. Nulsen

Resource management technical reports

Greater awareness of the potential impact of salinity has led to increased public and private expenditure. The Salinity Investment Framework was developed to insert rigour and accountability into decision-making processes and guide future development. This report focusses on the economic impact of salinity on private and public land and the infrastructure of areas in Western Australia, including towns, railway systems, roads and the like.

Upper Yilgarn Catchment Appraisal 2005, Keith Ohlsen, Susan Murphy-White

Resource management technical reports

Soil degradation on farmland reduces agricultural production and will often lead to damage to natural resources such as remnant vegetation and waterways, as well as to infrastructure, including roads and townsites. This report provides current information on the land degradation status for the Upper Yilgarn Catchment area in Western Australia by outlining: condition of the soils, hydrology, natural vegetation, farming systems and agricultural production and risks to natural resources.

Goodlands Oil Mallee Study : Drill Completion And Preliminary Hydrogeological Interpretation, D L. Bennett, Russell John Speed, Peter Taylor, Joint Venture Agroforestry Program (Australia), Western Australia. Department Of Conservation And Land Management

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Avon Hotham Catchment Appraisal 2005, S Sharafi, H Lauk, Paul Galloway

Resource management technical reports

This report summarises current information on risks and impacts to agricultural production and natural resources within the Avon Hotham study area. It then identifies suitable options to manage such risks. The Avon Hotham study area is 1.9 million hectares and is made up of three sub catchments: West Avon, South Avon and Hotham, in south west Western Australia. Among the risks and impacts discussed are rainfall, surface drainage; major land degredation hazards are subsurface compaction and acidification.

Silcrete Hardpan In The North-Eastern Wheatbelt : Hydrological Implications For Oil Mallees, D L. Bennett, Russell Speed, Adrian Goodreid, Peter Taylor

Resource management technical reports

Silcrete is a brittle, intensely indurated rock comprising primarily quartz grains cemented with siliceous allophane. It occurs at 1.5 to 7 metres deep and is often several metres thick and extremely hard, requiring excavation. This Report discusses the extent of silcrete layers in the north-eastern wheatbelt area of Western Australia, the effects of silcrete on water absorption by the soil, and the effects of this physical obstacle on the growth and expansion of oil mallee trees of the region.

An Inventory Of Rangelands In Part Of The Broome Shire, Western Australia, W E. Cotching

Technical Bulletins

The inventory of rangelands in part of the Broome Shire in Western Australia was undertaken by DAFWA between 1989 and 1990. It describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The survey of part of the Broome Shire …

Managing Grey Clays : To Maximise Production And Sustainability, Greg Hamilton, Peter Fisher, Matt Baimbridge, Jennifer Bignell, Jessica Sheppard, Rod Bowey

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin discusses the identification, understanding and management of grey clay soils in the south-west of Western Australia.

A Salt On The Land: The Osmolyte Production And Physiological Responses Of Selected Myrtaceae Species Exposed To Salt And Water Stress, Janelle Atkinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Glasshouse trials were conducted on Calothamnus quadrifidus, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Melaleuca uncinata

to test relative tolerance and uniformity of response in the Myrtaceae family to salt, waterlogging and salt x waterlogging. Seed sources from both saline (SA) and non-saline areas were used to compare differences in survival, growth and proline production to these stresses.