DPIRD Digital Library
Not a member yet
10818 research outputs found
Sort by
Managing frost risk
No full textFrost occurs on clear nights in early spring when the air temperature drops to 2°C or less. Crop damage from frost may occur at any stage of development but is most damaging at or around flowering.
Frost is difficult to manage, and damage will be unavoidable in some seasons. Risk management options proven to reduce frost risk include paddock zoning, crop and variety selection, time of sowing, stubble management and managing inputs. The greatest gains result from in paddock choice/zoning, crop and variety choice, and manipulating the canopy
Effective furrow sowing for water repellent soils
No full textFurrow sowing creates micro-relief, small ridges, and furrows into which water can be harvested. Sloping water repellent surfaces induce run-off, which collects at the base of the sown furrow, enhancing water entry through increased hydraulic pressure
Adverse consequences of herbicide residues on legumes in dryland agriculture
No full textContext or problem
Selective herbicides control weeds in cereal cropsand break down over time, allowing safe planting of legumes in the following years. However due to climatic inconsistencies and changing farming practices, this is not always the case, and residues can inhibit formation of legume/rhizobia symbioses. Objective or research question
The objectives were to determine whether: i) exposure to triasulfuron, even at extremely low levels, reduces shoot and root growth and nodulation of five diverse and widely sown legume pasture cultivars in Australian farming systems; and ii) sowing legumes prior to recommended plant-back criteria being met for chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron herbicide, clopyralid, and pyroxasulfone herbicides results in unacceptable damage to subsequently sown pastureand crop legumes, causing reduced root and shoot growth, nodulation and N fixation. Methods
A series of glasshouse and field experiments explored herbicide residue impact on commonly used legumes in dryland farmingsystems. Results
A glasshouse study determined triasulfuron at concentration 0.000225 g a.i/ha, a (1/100,000) dilution of the label rate caused significant (p \u3c 0.001) decrease in nodule count, root length, root, shoot weight for Trifolium spumosum cv. Bartolo and T. subterraneum cv. Dalkeith, and at 0.225 g a.i/ha and 2.25 g a.i/ha for all five cultivars tested. A bioassay assessed T. subterraneum cv. Dalkeith health when grown in field soil-cores taken 4, 7 and 10 months after herbicide application (chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron, clopyralid and pyroxasulfone) to a wheat crop. For all three, herbicide residues significantly decreased (p \u3c 0.001) nodule number, shoot weight, root length and whole plant weight of T. subterraneum cv. Dalkeith compared to control. A field experiment assessed nodulation of five pasture and two crop legumes sown dry (dormant summer sowing), or following rainfall 10.5 months after initial herbicide application. Nodulation of all legume cultivars decreased in plots treated with clopyralid. Chlorsulfuron decreased nodulation for all cultivars except T. glanduliferum and T. subterraneum. Triasulfuron reduced nodulation for all cultivars except Ornithopus sativus and T. spumosum. Pyroxasulfone decreased nodulation of Biserrula pelecinus cv. Casbah and Lupinus angustifoliuscv. Mandalup. Conclusions
Herbicide residues from preceding cereal crops reduced fitness and symbiotically fixed N in subsequently sown pasture or crop legumes. Implications or significance
Our study highlighted label plant-back recommendations should be strictly adhered to, despite conflict with modern farming approaches of dry or early sowing) to combat climate change. This outcome may consequently lower profitability and increase the carbon footprint of farming systems
Food Waste - An Industry Perspective
No full textJoin us for an eye-opening session led by Matthew Kronborg from Grainstone, as we explore the issue of food waste from an industry perspective
Directed conservation of the world’s reef sharks and rays
No full textMany shark populations are in decline around the world, with severe ecological and economic consequences. Fisheries management and marine protected areas (MPAs) have both been heralded as solutions. However, the effectiveness of MPAs alone is questionable, particularly for globally threatened sharks and rays (‘elasmobranchs’), with little known about how fisheries management and MPAs interact to conserve these species. Here we use a dedicated global survey of coral reef elasmobranchs to assess 66 fully protected areas embedded within a range of fisheries management regimes across 36 countries. We show that conservation benefits were primarily for reef-associated sharks, which were twice as abundant in fully protected areas compared with areas open to fishing. Conservation benefits were greatest in large protected areas that incorporate distinct reefs. However, the same benefits were not evident for rays or wide-ranging sharks that are both economically and ecologically important while also threatened with extinction. We show that conservation benefits from fully protected areas are close to doubled when embedded within areas of effective fisheries management, highlighting the importance of a mixed management approach of both effective fisheries management and well-designed fully protected areas to conserve tropical elasmobranch assemblages globally
Peel Development Commission
No full textPeel Development Commission boundaryhttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_maps/1048/thumbnail.jp
Estimating soil texture by hand
No full textEstimating or measuring soil texture provides valuable information about soil properties affecting crop and pasture growth. Soil texture affects the movement and availability of air, nutrients, and water in soil. A simple and quick measure of soil texture is the way a soil feels when manipulated by hand.
The department recommends laboratory testing of soil texture (and other factors) for all critical soil uses, including farm dam construction and claying
Low-emission beef production in the Southern Rangelands of Western Australia: an analysis of herd structure and stocking rate experiencing droughts
No full textReconciling profitable cattle production with rangeland health and reduced emissions is a key challenge in the southern rangelands of Western Australia (WA). Stocking rate and herd structure selection are crucial decisions to achieve this balance. This study assessed the emission profiles of three contrasting herd structures (weaner production, live export, and slaughter production), and three stocking rates within a herd–carbon accounting modelling framework. The analysis considers the impact of varying drought frequencies on these cattle production systems. Herd models were developed for the semiarid southern WA rangelands. Stocking rates were set at 100%, 80% and 66% of the government recommended rate. Drought events (represented by Decile 2 rainfall years) were introduced at different frequencies within a 30-year simulation period. Slaughter production with a 66% stocking rate exhibited the lowest and most consistent carbon footprint, averaging around 15 kg CO2 equivalents/kg liveweight sold. Higher stocking rates and weaner production systems generally resulted in increased carbon footprint variability. Selecting a herd structure producing heavy steers and heifers for slaughter, combined with a conservative stocking rate (66% of recommended), offers a combined economic and environmental benefit for cattle production in the southern rangelands of WA. This strategy promotes financial sustainability while minimising emissions and enhancing resilience to drought events
Spatial characterisation and drivers of catch and effort in highly specialised recreational pelagic fisheries
No full textLarge pelagic finfish are highly mobile, distributed across broad geographical scales, and often targeted by both commercial and recreational sectors. Fishing effort in these fisheries is variable due to seasonal patterns in fish behaviour and accessibility of fishing locations. Similarly, fisher behaviour and access are likely to differ within the recreational sector, between private boat-based fishing and charter (or for hire) fishing. Here, we compare spatio-temporal patterns in catch per unit effort (CPUE), effort (boat days) and catch (total catch per fishing party) for private boat-based and charter fishing, and identify environmental variables that may influence those patterns, for two pelagic species (the tropical narrow-barred Spanish mackerel and temperate Samson fish) in Western Australia. Spatial and temporal patterns of CPUE were investigated using geostatistical indices, such as the global and local index of collocation which compares the spatial distribution of CPUE locations across years and CPUE values at common locations respectively, and the centre of gravity which calculates the mean fishing location weighted by CPUE, along with the influence of environmental variables (including rainfall and sea surface temperature) on catch using generalised additive models (GAMs). The global index of collocation showed consistency in spatial distribution of CPUE and effort between private boat-based and charter fishing for both species. In contrast, the local index of collocation showed differences in the ranges of CPUE and effort within common locations. Private boat-based fishing often occurred close to the coast and adjacent to population centres, while charter fishing occurred further offshore. Spatial shifts over time were more prominent for Spanish mackerel with an overall northerly shift. For private boat-based fishing, higher catches of Spanish mackerel were associated with higher rainfall, along with an increase in ambient air temperature. For charter fishing, higher catches of Spanish mackerel occurred with ambient air temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius and a decrease in rainfall, where high catches of Samson fish were associated with a decrease in sea surface temperatures and austral winter months. This study highlights changes in the distributions of pelagic species over time and the potential to incorporate spatio-temporal monitoring of recreational harvest into fisheries management
BEN Signage Installation Map – Shire of Gingin - North
No full textBeach Emergency Number (BEN) Signage Installation Map – Shire of Gingin - Northhttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_bens/1030/thumbnail.jp