Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Benchmarking Biodiversity: Land Resource Mapping In The Ord River Catchment., Tricia Handasyde, Peter J. Tille, Noel R. Schoknecht, Karen Carnes

All other publications

This 2009 report describes the mapping of landform, vegetation and soils undertaken in the Ord River Catchment in the East Kimberley of Western Australia in order to provide a basis for biodiversity benchmarking. The project: • brought together and standardised existing Ord River catchment land resource mapping held by the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in a format compatible with adjoining mapping in the Northern Territory • mapped to land unit level an additional 4400 sq km of the Ord River catchment. • re-digitised 2200 sq km of vegetation mapping previously not …

Western Australian Natural Resource Management Plan 09, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The purpose of the State Natural Resource Management [NRM] Plan is to communicate the direction for sustainably managing Western Australia's natural resources.

This direction has been informed by previous initiatives such as the 'Decade of Landcare', several programs focused on salinity, the Western Australian State Sustainability Strategy (2009), and more recently a report commissioned by the State entitled The delivery of Natural Resources Management in Western Australia - a review (2006), which recommended preparation of an NRM Plan. The review noted that the most important issue for the State to clarify first was the outcome it seeks rather than how …

Landscapes And Soils Of The Merredin District, D N. Sawkins, Department Of Agriculture And Food

Bulletins 4000 -

The publication aims to provide readers with the principles underlying the formation of local landscapes and soils, and the ability to identify landscapes and their associated soils.

Finfish Aquaculture In Western Australia. Final Esd Risk Assessment Report For Sea-Cage And Land-Based Aquaculture., Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

The Western Australian Department of Fisheries is responsible for the management of aquaculture in WA and is committed to implementing ESD. These principles are contained within the objectives of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Department is keen to demonstrate both to the Government and the broader community that these principles are being achieved. The Department developed a policy statement in 2002 - “Policy for the Implementation of Ecologically Sustainable Development for Fisheries and Aquaculture within Western Australia” (Fletcher 2002) – that described its direction on incorporating ESD within fisheries and aquaculture management.

Using the ESD Framework for …

Optlime, A Bioecenomic Model Of Soil Acidity Management In Agricultural Systems, Chris Gazey

All other publications

Optlime is a model that represents the essential biological, physical and economic factors related to soil acidity management in Western Australia. The model allows users to define site and soil characteristics for an acidic scenario and then simultaneously assess likely outcomes for 2 different lime sources and application strategies. With and without liming scenarios are examined over a 20 year simulation so as to capture the long-term impacts of soil acidity management. Output provided allows you to examine the likely effect of liming on pH, exchangeable aluminium, yields, and profits. An investment appraisal is provided to show you how liming …

Lime For High Rainfall Pastures: Above 800mm Average Annual Rainfall, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell

Bulletins 4000 -

Conventional agriculture acidifies soil. As your soil becomes more acid, productive pasture species disappear and are replaced by species of low agricultural value. It is a waste of money to apply expensive fertiliser to pastures which are inherently poorly productive because they are growing in an acid soil.

The paper examines the types of lime available, how to select lime for quality and when and how much lime to apply. Maganese toxity and aluminum toxicity are examine, how to test your soil, and affect of soil acidity on bacteria and other microorgansims.

Compost Production And Use In Horticulture, Bob Paulin, Peter O'Malley

Bulletins 4000 -

Maintaining and improving soil organic carbon levels is becoming an increasingly important aspect of modern farming. Compost provides potentially one of the most effective ways of applying organic matter to soils and improving organic carbon levels.

Improving soil organic carbon is directly related to soil quality and performance. Increased quality reflects improved biological function (soil health), fertility and physical attributes that include better drainage, reduced compaction and erosion, and improved moisture-holding capability, at least for lighter soils.

Compost is not the only option available. Others include the use of cover or break crops, reducing the use of cultivations, selecting safe …

Fisheries Research Report No. 177 - A 12-Month Survey Of Recreational Boat-Based Fishing Between Augusta And Kalbarri On The West Coast Of Western Australia During 2005-06, N. R. Sumner, P C. Williamson, Stuart J. Blight, Daniel J. Gaughan

Fisheries Research Reports

A 12-month survey of boat-based recreational fishing in the West Coast Bioregion (Augusta to Kalbarri) of Western Australia was conducted at boat ramps between 1st July 2005 and 30th June 2006. During the survey a total of 15,999 boat crews were interviewed, of which 13,185 (82%) had been undertaking some form of fishing activity and, of these, 10,382 (or 79%) of fishing boat crews had been ocean line fishing. The total annual recreational boat based fishing effort for the West Coast Bioregion was estimated to be 1,557,000 fisher hours (95%CI: 1,495,000 – 1,620,000), which is a 15.5% increase in nominal …

Oyster Harbour Catchment Appraisal 2007, Ron Master, South Coast Agricultural Rca Team

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Crop Updates 2008 - Cereals, Christine M. Zaicou-Kunesch, Shahajahan Miyan, Brenda Shackley, Steve Penny, Sarah Ellis, Darshan Sharma, Blakely Paynter, Jeff Russell, Andrea Hills, Glen Riethmuller, Bill Bowden, Paul Blackwell, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts, David Cox, Sally Cox, Jeremy Lemon, Paul Damon, Zed Rengel, Geoff J. Thomas, Ciara Beard, Anne Smith, Kithsiri Jayasena, Sean Kelly, Rob Loughman, Bill Macleod, Raj Malik, Ravjit Khangura, Vivien Vanstone, Colin Hanbury, Mehreteab Aberra, Gordon Masnish, Brenda A. Coutts, Geoff Strickland, Monica Kehoe, Dustin Severtson, Roger A C Jones, Dominie Wright, Megan Jordan, Xinhua He, Eli Manyol, Song-Ai Nio, Imran Malik, Tina Botwright-Acuña, Len Wade, Nigel Metz, Linda Price, Dean A. Diepeveen, Leisa Armstrong, Peter Clarke, Doug Abrecht, Rudi Appels, Matthew Bellgard

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty four papers from different authors:

WHEAT AGRONOMY

1. Wheat variety performance in the Northern Agricultural Region in 2007, Christine Zaicou, Department of Agriculture and Food

2. Wheat variety performance on the Central Agricultural Region in 2007, Shahajahan Miyan, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. Response of wheat varieties to sowing time in the Great Southern and Lakes Region in 2007, Brenda Shackley and Steve Penny, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Wheat variety performance in the South Coastal Region in 2007, Sarah Ellis, Department of Agriculture and Food

5. Flowering dates of wheat varieties in Western …

Wheat Variety Guide 2008 Western Australia, Christine Zaicou, Ben Curtis, Harmohinder Dhammu, Sarah Ellis, Dorthe Jorgensen, Shahajahan Miyan, Steve Penny, Brenda Shackley, Darshan Sharma

Bulletins 4000 -

This guide summarises performance characteristics of commercially available wheats and some pre-commercial lines. These lines have undergone testing in the National Variety Testing Project (NVT), Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) wide-scale crop variety testing (CVT) and/or variety specific agronomy projects. This information includes variety summaries (Table 1), agronomic, disease and herbicide tolerance characteristics (Tables 2 to 4), medium- to long-term yield performance by wheat grade and Agzone (Tables 5 and 6). A review of regional performance in 2007 is followed by a comprehensive summary of 2007 variety time of sowing experiments (Tables 7 to 14) and flowering …

Fisheries Research Report No.172 - Identifying Obstacles To Profitably Growing Out Western Rock Lobsters, Roy Melville-Smith, Danielle Johnston, B. Johnston, N. J. Thomson

Fisheries Research Reports

A Report Prepared for the Aquaculture Development Council.

The cost of growing out western rock lobsters from pueruli to marketable-sized lobsters has been modeled from available information. The model uses different scenarios of survival rates, marketing weights, market prices, feed costs, puerulus prices, labour costs, puerulus compensation costs, discount rates and capital costs. The sensitivity of estimated profitability to various input costs and rock lobster prices was assessed by estimating the impact of changes on the estimates of net present value (NPV) internal rate of return (IRR) and benefit:cost ratio. Importantly, the aim of the study was to identify key …

Drainage Benchmarking In The Northern Agricultural Region : Landholder Survey, Alison Beattie, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Wheat Invest. A Compelling Business Case For Investment In The Western Australian Wheat Industry, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Western Australia (WA) is an ideal location for wheat production. It has competitive advantages including:

• A proven track record in wheat production accounting for approximately 50 per cent of Australia's production. Based on a five year average from 2003/04 to 2007/08*, WA produces around 7.7 million tonnes of wheat per year.

• Over the past five years, the top 25 per cent of farmers averaged 10 per cent return on capital excluding changes in land value.

• Export focussed due to WA's small population. 90 per cent of WA's wheat is exported

• Abundant land at competitive prices and …

Reclamation Of Saline Soils Through Revegetation In Australia: Plants, Processes And People, Edward G. Barrett-Lennard

Conference papers and presentations

Secondary salinity (salinity induced by human activity) is a major world problem. Hydrological imbalances in landscapes cause watertables to rise, drawing salt from deeper in the soil profile to the soil surface, where the combined stresses of salinity and waterlogging threaten the growth of crops and pastures. The reversal of salinity by the broad‐scale reintroduction of perennial plants back into landscapes may not be economically feasible, but watertables may be at least partly directly drawn‐down by the grow th of salt tolerant plants (halophytes) on saltland . This review summarises data from Australia in which the water use by perennial …

Setting Targets For Resource Condition In Narrakine Gully And Highbury Catchments, Leon Van Wyk, Gregory Paul Raper

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Lead Concentration Of Soils In Sorby Hills Area Of Proposed M2 Irrigation Area, East Kimberley, Edward (Ted) Arnold Griffin, Noel R. Schoknecht, Ross Brennan, Jane Speijers, Dave Allen, Mike Freeman

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Climate Change, Vulnerability And Adaptation For South-West Western Australia: Phase One Of Action 5.5, Western Australian Greenhouse Strategy, Luke Morgan, Jo Anne Molin, Ross George, Richard Mckellar, Janet Conte

Bulletins 4000 -

This report outlines preliminary findings about the impacts of climate changes that occurred during 1975 to 2005 on the South West’s people, its economy and natural ecosystems. The report focuses on vulnerability and adaptation, identifying useful pointers for future work, particularly in relation to how well the community, stakeholders and decision-makers understand climate change as an issue and a threat.

Fisheries Research Report No. 166 - Stock Enhancement Of Haliotis Laevigata In Western Australia - A Preliminary Assessment, Anthony M. Hart, Frank Fabris, Sabine Daume

Fisheries Research Reports

A preliminary assessment of stock enhancement of Haliotis laevigata (Greenlip abalone) in Western Australia was undertaken with the release of 6,000 abalone near Augusta in 2004. The objective of the project was to obtain quantitative data on the likelihood of enhancement, as an additional management tool to TACs and size-limits, being successful in natural habitats in Western Australia. Baseline surveys coupled with an assessment of growth and survival of released 1+ and 2 + animals were undertaken at 12 sites within Flinders Bay, Augusta. Overall survival was 19% for 1+ age abalone and 27% for 2+ animals after 9 months. …

Soil Survey Of The Bettink Dairy Farm, Riverway Road, Northcliffe, Peter J. Tille, Tilwin Westrup

Resource management technical reports

This soil survey of the Bettink dairy farm in Northcliffe, Western Australia aimed to: provide detailed soil descriptions to add to information associated with the environment in which the dairy industry in Western Australia is located; collect soil samples at predetermined standard depths from documented farm locations for nutrient analysis; map soils with similar characteristics based on description and analysis.

Tree Windbreaks In The Wheatbelt, Robert Sudmeyer, David Bicknell, Neil Coles

Bulletins 4000 -

Windbreaks comprising trees, or tree and shrub combinations, can offer many benefits on wheatbelt farms, particularly for protection of soil, stock, crops and pastures from damaging winds and erosion. Additional benefits include reduced evaporation from farm dams, reduced groundwater recharge, their use as nature conservation corridors and habitats, increased biodiversity including predators of crop and pasture pests, fire control, tree products and improved lifestyle and aesthetics.

In other areas and farming systems such as intensive horticulture, man-made windbreaks may be used, but their higher cost makes them unsuited for broadscale agriculture. Man-made windbreaks can be effective in reducing evaporative losses …

State Of The Fisheries Report 2006/2007, W J. Fletcher, Karen Santoro

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

The State of the Fisheries Report is published annually to provide a detailed level of reporting on the management of fish stocks and their environment undertaken by the Department of Fisheries. A summary report from this document is included in the Department's Annual Report to Parliament, which includes the Department's nonfinancial (fishery) performance indicators. The Annual Report is no longer printed but is available through the Department's website. The State ofthe Fisheries Report summarises the outcomes of many departmental activities including management changes, compliance work and research to assess stock levels, monitor breeding stocks and undertake environmental assessments. This document …

Outcomes Of The Wetline Review. The Minister For Fisheries’ Decisions In Relation To The Future Management Of The West Coast And Gascoyne Commercial “Wetline” Fisheries, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia.

Fisheries Management Papers

This document details my final decisions on the new management arrangements for the West Coast and Gascoyne commercial ‘wetline’ fisheries. The decisions that are set out in this document will form an important part of the holistic management package required to ensure the long-term sustainability of our demersal scalefish resources in the West Coast and Gascoyne bioregions. The new Management Plans will provide the framework within which commercial scalefish catches can be explicitly managed to sustainable levels and will promote greater commercial certainty and confidence for those operators who gain access to the fishery.

Sedimentology Of Acid Saline Lakes In Southern Western Australia: Newly Described Processes And Products Of An Extreme Environment, Kathleen Counter Benison, Brenda Beitler Bowen, Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe, Elliot A. Jagniecki, Deidre A. Laclair, Stacy L. Story, Melanie R. Mormile, Boyoung Hong

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Naturally acid saline systems with pH values between 1.7 and 4 are common on the Yilgarn Craton of southern Western Australia. a combination of physical and chemical processes here yield a previously undescribed type of modern sedimentary environment. Flooding, evapoconcentration, desiccation, and eolian transport at the surface, as well as influx of acid saline groundwaters, strongly influence these lakes. Halite, gypsum, kaolinite, and iron oxides precipitate from acid hypersaline lake waters. Shallow acid saline groundwaters affect the sediments of the lakes and associated mudflats, sandflats, channels, and dunes by precipitating early diagenetic halite, gypsum, iron oxides, clays, jarosite, and alunite. …

Returns To R&D Investment Of Dafwa: Benefit Cost Analysis, 2005-2006, Nazrul Islam

Bulletins 4000 -

The primary outcome or objective of the projects that are assessed, is to increase the market competitiveness and profitability of agri-industry.

Crop Updates 2007 - Farming Systems, David Jeffries, A. Loi, B. J. Nutt, Clinton K. Revell Dr, Yvette Oliver, Michael Robertson, Bill Bowden, Kit Leake, Ashley Bonser, Ian Maling, Bindi Isbister, Garren Knell, Alison Slade, David Stephens, Michael Meuleners, David Beard, Nicolyn Short, Rob Grima, Ingrid Richardson, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Geoff Bee, David Evans, Bob Gilkes, Senthold Asseng, Jim Dixon, Felicity Byrne, Mike Ewing, Dennis Van Gool, Louise Barton, Ralf Kiese, David Gatter, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Renee Buck, Christoph Hinz, Daniel Murphy, Cameron Weeks, Meredith Fairbanks, John Peirce, Brad Rayner, Sandy White, Paul Damon, Qifa Ma, Zed Rengel, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Meir Altman, Tracey M. Gianatti, Lindsay Bell, Ben Webb, Caroline Peek, Paul Sanford, Paul Blackwell, Glen Riethmuller, Darshan Sharma, Mike Collins, Frank D'Emden, David Hall, G. P. Manango, D. L. Steverson, Vanessa Stewart, Julie Roche, Peter Rutherford, Imma Farre, Ian Foster, Stephen Charles, Frances Hoyle, N. Milton, M. Osman, L. K. Abbott, W. R. Cookson, S. Darmawanto, Rob Sands, David Mccarthy, Paul Carmody, J. Russell, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery, A. Roe, Phil Nichols, Andrew Bathgate, Anne Wilkins

Crop Updates

This session covers forty papers from different authors:

1. Quality Assurance and industry stewardship, David Jeffries, Better Farm IQ Manager, Cooperative Bulk Handling

2. Sothis: Trifolium dasyurum (Eastern Star clover), A. Loi, B.J. Nutt and C.K. Revell, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. Poor performing patches of the paddock – to ameliorate or live with low yield? Yvette Oliver¹, Michael Robertson¹, Bill Bowden², Kit Leake³and Ashley Bonser³, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems¹, Department of Food and Agriculture², Kellerberrin Farmer³

4. What evidence is there that …

Integrated Fisheries Management Allocation Report Western Rock Lobster Resource, Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

This report, prepared by the Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee (IFAAC), contains the committee’s advice and recommendations to the Minister for Fisheries on allocations for the western rock lobster resource. The setting of explicit allocations to sectors (Customary, recreational and commercial) is integral to Integrated Fisheries Management (IFM) in Western Australia.

Impact Of More Intensive Grazing On Nitrogen And Phosphorus In Shallow Aquifers Of The Southern Perth Basin, D L. Bennett, Patrick Donnelly, Peter J. Tille

Resource management technical reports

This study reports on the nutrient content, pH and salinity of groundwater samples collected from the watertable and within the Superficial and the upper Leederville Aquifers from the Southern Perth Basin, south of Pinjarra, Western Australia. Sampling was undertaken to determine the impact of intensification of broadscale grazing on groundwater nutrients in the area.

Boyup Brook - Upper Warren Area : Catchment Appraisal 2007/ Prepared By The South West Arm Region Appraisal Team., Henry Brockman

Resource management technical reports

The aim of this Resource Management Technical Report is to assess the current extent of salinity and other natural resource degradation issues in the Boyup Brook - Upper Warren area and provide landholders with the best current management options to address natural resource management issues and enhance sustainable agricultural production.

Potential Capture Of Surface Run-Off For Reliable Water Supplies In The 500-825 Mm Rainfall Zone Of South Western Australia, D L. Bennett, Peter J. Tille, Ned Stephenson, Tilwin Westrup

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.