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DPIRD grains research and development (R&D) stakeholder update 2023
No full textThe Grains R&D (Research and Development) Stakeholder Update was developed to showcase the industry-leading work delivered by the Grains Research and Industry Development team at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in Western Australia (WA).
Grains R&D is critical to the ongoing productivity and international competitiveness of our industry and the economic prosperity of WA. This newsletter highlights some of the vital research helping farmers grow the industry
Pasture condition guides for the southern rangelands, including the Gascoyne, Murchison and Goldfields-Nullarbor
No full textThese guides address a recognised gap in readily applicable and easily accessible information on southern rangelands pasture condition and management.
These guides provide descriptions and images for southern rangelands pastures with similar management requirements for the grazing of native pastures by livestock. Therefore, the focus is on palatability of vegetation to livestock, and the effects of livestock management and external factors on the condition of the vegetation and soils.
The first section provides an overview and map, introduces concepts and terms important to understanding arid shrubland management in general, these guides in particular, and includes an economic analysis of the cost of land degradation specific to the southern rangelands.
The main body of the bulletin provides descriptions and information on maintenance, improvement and recovery or rehabilitation of each pasture group.
Twenty-three broad pasture groups are described, divided between 3 supergroups of chenopods, shrubs and grasses. Each description consists of: the broad pasture group title occurrence statement with estimated areal extent vegetation structure and composition description pastoral value statement with general management advice condition statement describing the likely changes that occur with transition from good condition through to fair and poor condition with photographs where available other relevant notes including suggestions for fire management and the reported condition of the pastures if known from department data or other sources species list showing relative desirability of common and important species for management and monitoring.
Appendixes include maps showing the estimated distribution of each broad pasture group, species lists, grass growth basics and a schematic diagram showing the effect of land degradation on fragile and productive sand sheets.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1293/thumbnail.jp
Landscape evolution and soil distribution in geologically dynamic central-eastern Cambodia
No full textDeveloping sustainable production on rainfed upland landscapes is important for Cambodia’s ambition to increase provision of high quality, nutritious food while safeguarding land, forest and fishery resources and supporting 13 million rural Cambodians. This ambition requires comprehensive soil resource information, which is currently sparse and fragmented. Much Cambodian earth science information derives from relatively old reconnaissance geology and soil maps. Information about landscape evolution is sparse, as are environmental datasets to inform soil distribution models. These limitations reduce efficiency for next generation Cambodian pedologists and agronomists and hinders creation of digital soil maps (DSM) at scales required to optimise production
PestFacts WA Issue 19 - October 2023
No full textPestFacts WA Issue 19 - October 2023 contents: Native budworm monitoring and management in maturing crops Barley leaf rust Fusarium crown rothttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fc_pestfactswa/1018/thumbnail.jp
ORIA Stage II Expansion: Keep River Post-Development Aquatic Fauna and Targeted Sawfish Survey - 2022
No full textThis report presents the results of the 2022 Keep River Aquatic Fauna and Targeted Sawfish Survey which represents the final post-development survey required as per the project conditions of the Goomig Irrigation Development. Unlike the 2021 survey, which was affected by pandemic related travel restrictions that prohibited some sites from being surveyed, all regular monitoring sites were able to be sampled in 2022. Field work was undertaken September 2022 and sampling and analyses undertaken during the current study aligned with standardised methodologies set forth in the Ord River Irrigation Area – Weaber Plain Development Project Aquatic Fauna Management Plan
Western Australian sheep producer survey 2022
No full textThe Western Australian Sheep Producer Survey is conducted to gather information on sheep enterprises and producer practices. It has now been conducted four times, in 2011, 2014, 2018 and 2022 with large random samples of sheep producers in the Medium Rainfall Zone (MRZ) and Cereal Sheep Zone (CSZ).
Some questions were included in all four surveys providing a chance to examine trends over time. Many of the results have remained stable over time giving some confidence that significant changes in survey responses are reflecting trends in the broader population of WA sheep producers
Improved whole-farm planning for mixed-enterprise systems in Australia using a four-stage Stochastic Model with Recourse
No full textFarm management occurs against a backdrop of weather-year variation. In Australian mixed enterprise farming systems, how important is it for farm optimisation models to capture this variation and the management tactics matched to that variation? This study compares two whole farm optimisation models of an Australian mixed enterprise farming system. One model represents weather-year variation and the short-term tactical management responses tailored to the unfolding weather-year conditions. The other model is a traditional deterministic steady state model that employs the key assumption that every year is an expected weather-year. Both models require the farm manager to select a profit-maximising suite of enterprises and activities relevant to either the expected weather-year or the suite of weather-years that typify weather-year variation where the farm is located. Comparison of the models’ results reveals key differences in farm strategy, farm tactics and farm profit. The model that includes tactics aligned to the weather-year variation reveals that tactical decision-making increases expected farm profit by about 18 per cent
Workshop abstracts: The International Conference & Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management
No full textThe theme of the 12th ICWL is ‘ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM)’. EBFM is a holistic approach to fisheries management that recognises all the interactions within an ecosystem rather than considering a single species or issue in isolation. We consider this represents best practice for fisheries management and reflects that fisheries research and management focus is now broader than just sustainability. Therefore, in addition to presentations that focus on lobster (and crab) biology and stock assessment, we have also welcomed presentations that examine other aspects of EBFM, such as ecosystem effects of fishing, economic assessments, social issues, governance, and compliance with management regulations
Genetic resources and precise gene editing for targeted improvement of barley abiotic stress tolerance
No full textAbiotic stresses, predominately drought, heat, salinity, cold, and waterlogging, adversely affect cereal crops. They limit barley production worldwide and cause huge economic losses. In barley, functional genes under various stresses have been identified over the years and genetic improvement to stress tolerance has taken a new turn with the introduction of modern gene-editing platforms. In particular, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) is a robust and versatile tool for precise mutation creation and trait improvement. In this review, we highlight the stress-affected regions and the corresponding economic losses among the main barley producers. We collate about 150 key genes associated with stress tolerance and combine them into a single physical map for potential breeding practices. We also overview the applications of precise base editing, prime editing, and multiplexing technologies for targeted trait modification, and discuss current challenges including high-throughput mutant genotyping and genotype dependency in genetic transformation to promote commercial breeding. The listed genes counteract key stresses such as drought, salinity, and nutrient deficiency, and the potential application of the respective gene-editing technologies will provide insight into barley improvement for climate resilience
Why humans kill animals and why we cannot avoid it
No full textKilling animals has been a ubiquitous human behaviour throughout history, yet it is becoming increasingly controversial and criticised in some parts of contemporary human society. Here we review 10 primary reasons why humans kill animals, discuss the necessity (or not) of these forms of killing, and describe the global ecological context for human killing of animals. Humans historically and currently kill animals either directly or indirectly for the following reasons: (1) wild harvest or food acquisition, (2) human health and safety, (3) agriculture and aquaculture, (4) urbanisation and industrialisation, (5) invasive, overabundant or nuisance wildlife control, (6) threatened species conservation, (7) recreation, sport or entertainment, (8) mercy or compassion, (9) cultural and religious practice, and (10) research, education and testing. While the necessity of some forms of animal killing is debatable and further depends on individual values, we emphasise that several of these forms of animal killing are a necessary component of our inescapable involvement in a single, functioning, finite, global food web. We conclude that humans (and all other animals) cannot live in a way that does not require animal killing either directly or indirectly, but humans can modify some of these killing behaviours in ways that improve the welfare of animals while they are alive, or to reduce animal suffering whenever they must be killed. We encourage a constructive dialogue that (1) accepts and permits human participation in one enormous global food web dependent on animal killing and (2) focuses on animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Doing so will improve the lives of both wild and domestic animals to a greater extent than efforts to avoid, prohibit or vilify human animal-killing behaviour