Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA): Research LibraryNot a member yet
10920 research outputs found
Sort by
An Australian chickpea pan-genome provides insights intogenome organization and offers opportunities for enhancing drought adaptation for crop improvement
No full textSummary
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop that has been subjected to intensive breeding, resulting in limited genetic diversity. Australia is the world’s second largest producer and the leading exporter of chickpea; the genomic architecture of its cultivars remains largely unexplored. This knowledge gap hinders efforts to enhance their genetic potential for production, protection, and stress adaptation. To address this, we generated high-quality genome assemblies and annotations for 15 leading Australian chickpea cultivars using single-tube long-fragment read technology. The pan-genome analysis identified 34 345 gene families, including 13 986 dispensable families enriched for genes associated with key agronomic traits. Comparative genomic analysis revealed ~2.5 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms, nearly 200 000 insertions/deletions, and over 280 000 structural variations. These variations were found in key flowering time genes, seed weight-related genes, and disease resistance genes, providing insights into the genetic diversity underlying these critical traits. Haplotype analysis of key genes within the ‘QTL-hotspot’ region revealed the absence of superior haplotypes in Australian cultivars. Validation using Kompetitive allele-specific PCR markers confirmed these findings, highlighting the need to introduce beneficial haplotypes from diverse accessions to enhance drought tolerance in Australian chickpea cultivars. The genomic resources generated in this study provide valuable insights into chickpea genetic diversity and offer potential avenues for crop improvemen
Marine protected species identification guide 2025
No full textThe Western Australian aquatic environment is home to a number of species that are protected under international agreements and national or state legislation. Many of these species occur in areas where fishing takes place, sometimes resulting in interactions between fishers and protected species. An interaction is considered to be any physical contact between a person, fishing vessel or fishing gear and a protected species, including captures, entanglements and collisions.
This guide has been developed to help you identify some common marine protected species in Western Australia that you may encounter while fishing.
It has been divided into 5 sections:
• marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, dugongs, seals and sea lions
• reptiles (both freshwater and marine), including turtles, crocodiles and sea snakes
• bony fish and elasmobranchs, including sea horses, pipefish, sharks and rays
• seabirds
• shore birds
Please note that this guide is not an exhaustive list of marine protected species in WA.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_fop/1041/thumbnail.jp
WA Farming systems - initial findings
No full textAgronomy needs to adapt to deal with large changes in WA farming systems. The benefit of diverse rotations are already showing impact after two years. Nitrogen remains a key driver of productivity, even following a legume crop or pasture
Citrus gall wasp control
No full textCitrus gall wasp (Bruchophagus fellis) is an Australian native insect from northern NSW and Queensland and is now established in most Perth suburbs. It affects all citrus species, particularly lemons and grapefruit, and will be an ongoing pest to manage for Perth gardeners, like other common pests. It has not been found in commercial citrus orchards in Western Australia yet
Marine heatwave conditions in Western Australia marine waters - 26th March 2025
No full textMarine heatwave (MHW) conditions across the state have persisted. Category 1 – Moderate conditions continue for the Gascoyne and South Coast Bioregions. The North Coast Bioregion has returned to Category 1 – Moderate conditions. The West Coast Bioregion remains warm but is not categorised as experiencing MHW conditions
Transcriptional profiles reveal physiological mechanisms for compensation during a simulated marine heatwave in Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi)
No full textBackground
Changing ocean temperatures are already causing declines in populations of marine organisms. Predicting the capacity of organisms to adjust to the pressures posed by climate change is a topic of much current research effort, particularly for species we farm or harvest. To explore one measure of phenotypic plasticity, the physiological compensations in response to heat stress as might be experienced in a marine heatwave, we exposed Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) to sublethal heat stress, and used the transcriptome in gill and muscle, benchmarked against heat shock proteins and oxidative stress indicators, to characterise the acute heat stress response (6 h after the initiation of stress), and the physiological compensation to that response (24 and 72 h after the initiation of stress). Results
The heat stress experiments induced elevations in heat shock proteins, as measured in blood, demonstrating the sublethal stress level. The initial response (6 h) to heat stress included the expected cellular stress response. Exposure of 24 h or more led to altered transcriptomic patterns for protein degradation, membrane transporters, and primary metabolism. In the muscle, numerous transcripts with mitochondrial function had altered abundance. There was a profound change to the regulation of transcription, as well as numerous transcripts with differential exon usage, suggesting that this may be a mechanism for conferring physiological resilience to heat stress. Conclusions
These results demonstrate the processes involved in acclimation to heat stress in this species, and the utility of using the transcriptome to assess plasticity. It also showed that differential exon usage may be an important mechanism for conferring plasticity. Future work should investigate the role of genome regulation, and alternative splicing in particular, on conferring resilience to temperature changes. Graphic Abstrac
Fisheries research report no. 351: Ecological risk assessment for the Western Australian southern nearshore fish resource
No full textOn 3 December 2024, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, the Department) convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the Southern Nearshore Fish Resource (Resource). This Resource comprises a range of temperate fish species including Australian herring, Australian salmon, whiting, garfish, tailor and sandy sprat.
This document contains the results of the ERA as well as the background information used to support the ERA risk scoring process. This includes an overview of the Western Australian commercial, recreational and charter fisheries that access the Resource
Fisheries Management Paper No.286: Western Australian Octopus Resource Harvest Strategy
No full textHarvest strategies for Western Australia’s (WA) aquatic resources are formal documents developed to support decision-making processes that ensure the outcomes are consistent with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD; Fletcher 2002a) and Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM; Fletcher et al. 2012). Harvest strategies are a key component of all contemporary fishery management systems and a requirement for certification under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The objectives of ESD are reflected in the objectives of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA).
This Octopus Resource Harvest Strategy (Harvest Strategy) has been developed and revised in line with the Harvest Strategy Policy for Aquatic Resources (Department of Fisheries 2015; Fletcher et al. 2016) and is consistent with relevant national harvest strategy policies and guidelines (e.g. Sloan et al. 2014; Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 2018a, b). It establishes the specific set of decision rules that determine the appropriate harvest levels for all sectors to meet the ecological, economic and social objectives established for the resource.
The publication of this Harvest Strategy is intended to make the decision-making considerations and processes for the management of the Octopus Resource transparent and provide a basis for informed dialogue on management actions with resource users and other stakeholders (Department of Fisheries 2015).
The Harvest Strategy provides guidance for decision-makers but does not derogate from or limit the exercise of discretion required for independent decision-making by the Minister for Fisheries, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, the Department)
Recreational boat fishing participation varies across bioregional fisheries in Western Australia, with persistent patterns within fisheries and fisher typologies over time
No full textRecreational fishing is popular worldwide and understanding variability in participation can inform policies that seek to improve sustain[1]ability of recreational fisheries and amenity for recreational fishers. However, not all recreational fishers are alike in their demographics or behaviours. This study explores temporal and spatial variability in licensed boat-based recreational fishing participation in Western Australia using data from a consistent survey design delivered 12 times from 2011 to 2024. Five fisher participation typologies were identified across four marine bioregions (North Coast, Gascoyne Coast, West Coast, and South Coast) and four fishery types (demersal, nearshore, pelagic, and invertebrate) with varied fisher characteristics (residence, age, gender, and avidity) associated with the likeli[1]hood of membership to each typology. West Coast casual fishers (32% of licensed fishers) were typically older, metropolitan residents that fished rarely or occasionally and were not associated with any fishery type, while West Coast specialist fishers (26%) were typi[1]cally younger, metropolitan residents and avid fishers that were associated with nearshore, invertebrate, and demersal fisheries. The remaining groups were typically younger, regional residents that fished in South Coast nearshore (16%), North Coast demersal (14%), and Gascoyne demersal (11%) fisheries. This study contributes to global issues regarding the impact of fisher heterogeneity on recre[1]ational fisheries, particularly in the context of increasing and ageing populations, which impacts fisher representation for monitoring and management, and perceived equity in resource allocation. Improved understanding of fisher typologies can be used to address management objectives and to develop appropriate education and communication strategies
Western Australian Regional Development Trust Annual Report 2024-25
No full textThe Trust is an independent statutory advisory body to the Minister for Regional Development, established under the Royalties for Regions Act 2009 (Act).
The functions of the Trust are to provide advice and make recommendations to the minister: for the purposes of sections 5(2) and 9(1) of the Act; and on any other matter relating to the operation of the Fund that is referred to it by the minister.
In addition to its monitoring and advisory role, the Trust also works to engage and enhance relationships with key regional stakeholders and influencers to promote greater collaboration and innovation in the delivery of regional development in Western Australia.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/ar_wardt/1013/thumbnail.jp