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Evaporation basins for salinity management
No full textAn evaporation basin is an engineered earth structure designed to safely store and evaporate saline water discharged from drainage or pumping, while protecting high-value agricultural land, natural assets or built infrastructure.
DPIRD recommends that evaporation basins should form part of an integrated water and salinity management program. Information on this page is a guide only.
It is recommended that landholders seek expert advice plus engineering design and related support from qualified contractors
Mesquite and its control: Prosopis species and hybrids
No full textMesquite (all Prosopis species and hybrids) are declared pests in Western Australia (WA). This factsheet describes the nature of the plant with links to requirements landowners/occupiers must adhere to and pest control methods
Saltland pastures in Western Australia
No full textSaltland pastures are associations of salt and waterlogging-tolerant plants that produce fodder for grazing animals from saline and waterlogged soils. Saltland pastures can improve production from saltland sites, reduce salt movement from the site, and improve soil structure.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that saltland management is part of a whole-farm, and preferably whole-catchment, plan
Cotton in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA)
No full textCotton has been grown very successfully in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) of Western Australia.
Cotton was grown commercially in the ORIA between 1964 and 1974. The early industry was subsidised by the Western Australian Government. The industry failed due to an inability to control major insect pests, and problems with quality. The industry never achieved economic yields, and short fibre length and discolouration resulted in substantial discounts.
Cotton has been the dominant irrigated crop in the ORIA since 2021. A cotton production system based on genetically modified varieties has been developed for the ORIA, based on intensive local research which started in 1996
Value of horticulture industries in Western Australia 2022-2023
No full textThe horticulture sector in Western Australia (WA) produces high quality fruit, vegetables, nuts and amenity horticulture. Western Australians benefit from consuming this steady supply of diverse, affordable and sustainably grown fresh fruit and vegetables. Amenity horticulture, in the form of parks and gardens, adds a great richness to the quality of life in WA.
It is estimated that WA produced 831 million worth of vegetables, 343 million of nuts and amenity horticulture. Carrots were the largest vegetable crop both by quantity and value, constituting 13% of the total value of vegetables. However, when fresh market (ware) and seed potatoes are combined, the potato industry is valued at $126 million, which is 15% of the total value of vegetables. Avocados were the largest fruit crop, representing 21% of the total value of fruit production
A novel method for robust marine habitat mapping using a kernelised aquatic vegetation index
No full textEfficient and timely mapping and monitoring of marine vegetation are becoming increasingly important as coastal habits have experienced significant declines in spatial extent due to climate change. Recent advances in machine learning and cloud computing, such as Google Earth Engine, have demonstrated that online analysis platforms make global-scale habitat mapping and monitoring possible. However, the mapping and monitoring of marine ecosystems with remote sensing is challenging, and we lack reliable, generalisable and scalable indices such as NDVI to assess spatiotemporal change in marine habitats. Here, we present a novel method for mapping coastal marine habitats using a kernelised aquatic vegetation index (kNDAVI) with spatially balanced in-water ground truthing and compare it to existing indices and mapping approaches. The kernelised vegetation index provides a simple, consistent, scalable and accurate method for mapping shallow marine vegetation across ~ 400 km of coastline along mid-west Australia (31.58◦S − 29.56◦S). This region has significant coastal macroalgae cover that provides critical recruitment habitat for many invertebrates, including commercially valuable fisheries, and has experienced significant loss due to climate-induced heatwaves. We extensively validate kNDAVI and satellite-derived covariates for their utility in mapping SAV using three approaches 1] cross-validation, 2] block cross-validation and 3] site validation. Habitat models that included the kernelised vegetation index achieved excellent agreement (Accuracy \u3e 0.90 and Cohen’s kappa \u3e 0.80) for classifying submerged vegetation. We demonstrate that the kNDAVI index has considerable potential for large-scale vegetation monitoring and provides an applicable metric to map spatiotemporal dynamics and more effectively manage these changing coastal habitats
Blue aleurone and its management in barley
No full textA blue colouring in the aleurone layer of barley grain (the layer immediately below the husk) may be present in some varieties. While it is genetically controlled, it is also influenced by the conditions under which the crop is grown.
Australia is committed to supplying customers of malt, food, and feed grade barley with grain that has a white aleurone
Lupins – essentials for growing a successful crop
No full textNarrow leafed lupins are a grain legume crop for the deep sandy acidic soils of Western Australia. Growing a successful lupin crop is not technically difficult. New varieties and machinery are making lupins a more reliable and profitable cropping option
Alternative energy and protein feed sources for sheep and cattle
No full textDuring dry times and drought there are a wide range of alternative feedstuffs producers may consider using to maintain stock. Some of these feeds can have health risks associated with them and should not be used as the sole food source as they often lack sufficient energy and protein