Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Land Levelling With Scrapers, K R. Southon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A VARIETY of earth-moving equipment can be used in preparing land for flood irrigation, but the best machine for extensive earth moving over some distance is a power-driven, carry-all scraper.

Simple Evaporimeter For Timing Trickle Irrigation, C R. Coffman

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DIFFERENCES in soil types and size of trees in orchards make it impossible to give a single recommendation for trickle irrigation running time.

Daily running time for each situation can be simply and fairly accurately calculated from weekly readings of an easily constructed evaporimeter.

Tree Establishment In The Wheatbelt, F Batini

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Although most of the Forests Department's activity has centred around the State Forests in the higher rainfall areas, the Department has, for many years, encouraged the planting and conservation of trees throughout the farming areas.

Trickle Irrigation, B Swan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE introduction of trickle irrigation has caused tremendous interest among commercial irrigators. While not a new concept, its application was formerly restricted to glasshouse and nursery use.

List Of Experimental Programmes 1970 - 1971, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

L.T. Jones, Vines and vegetables. J.E.L. Cripps, Fruit tree management. R.N. Glencross, Nutrition of pastures and cereals in higher rainfall areas. M.D. Carroll, Fertility changes mineral deficiencies. D.L. Chatel, Soil Microbiology. C.M. Francis, Agronomy and adaptation of lupins. A.E. Oakley, Radioisotopes studies. J.W. Gartrell, Trace element nutrition of cereals and pastures. M.G. Mason, Nitrogen nutrition of cereals. D.A. Nicholas, Evaluation of perennial and annual pasture cultivars in higher rainfall areas. M.L. Poole, Agronomy of crops in high rainfall areas, oilseed and other new crops. D. Tennant, Soil-plant water relations and root growth of cereals. G.H. Walton Evaluation of pasture cultivars …

Reducing Evaporation From Farm Dams : A Progress Report December 1969, I A F Laing

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN most seasons in the Western Australian Wheatbelt evaporation reduction techniques rate a low priority due to either the expense or the relative inefficiency of the techniques.

It is generally agreed that a similar investment in deepening or enlarging existing dams, or making new dams larger from the outset, is likely to be more profitable.

Superphosphate Deficiency Raises Pasture Oestrogens, H G. Neil, T. Marshall

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A recent field experiment on established pastures at Esperance Downs Research Station has demonstrated a relationship between superphosphate application, pasture oestrogens and oestrogenic response in sheep.

Results of the experiment indicate that on phosphate deficient soils carrying oestrogenic clovers, the levels of oestrogenic materials in the pasture are increased if superphosphate applications are below those recommended for healthy pasture growth.

The Growing Season, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia, Bureau Of Meteorology

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN AUSTRALIA the seasons of summer, autumn, winter and spring do not have the importance that they have in the Old World, and though summer and winter weather are quite different, there is not the obvious difference in autumn and spring conditions that there is in the colder countries.

This is largely due to the difference in vegetation and in its life cycle in the different places.

Copper Requirements For The South-Eastern Wheatbelt, D J. Gilbey, K. D. Greathead, J. W. Gartrell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FARM experience and the results of five years intensive research have shown copper deficiency to be widespread in the south-eastern wheatbelt.

On many areas of the south-eastern wheatbelt, copper deficiency is likely to restrict wheat yields.

Likelihood Of Drought Years In South-Western Australia : How Often Can Droughts Such As That Of 1969 Be Expected In Western Australia's Farming Areas?, Eugene Adsil Fitzpatrick

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Because of the serious consequences of drought to individual farmers and to Western Australia's economy, it is worth making an early appraisal of the 1969 rainfall conditions that led to the State's most recent drought in an attempt to estimate how often such seasons might be expected in the agricultural areas.

Results Of Field Experiments 1970, M D. Carroll

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

1. 70M17 The effects of Cultivation on Soil Nitrogen and Wheat Production 2. 69N11 and 69ES30 Soil Nitrogen Build-up under Various Legumes at Different Plant Densities 3. 7ON021 (R.N. Glencross) Rates of Copper and Zinc on Daliak Sub. Clover.

Work Completed Or In Progress 1970, R Weir

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

1. Yield selection characteristics - 70WH5, 70M15. 2. Sorghum development - 70GL2, 70GL9. 3. Moisture stress effects on wheat - 69GL15, 70GL3, 70GL8. 4. Flower abortion of Lupins - 70GL18, 70GL19, 70GL20, 70GL21, 70GL22. 5. Salarimeter Readings

Soil Conservation Handbook, D J. Carder, G W. Spencer, Soil Consevation Service

Books & book chapters

Soil Conservation means, basically sound land management. With good management the Ste's resources of productive land can be bot only maintained but actually improved. It is a question of deciding the best use for each soil type and situation. Profitable Production must be kept up in changing economic conditions without destroying land assets in the process.

Sheep : Experimental Basis For Urea Feeding Recommendations, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Recent scientific reviews have concluded that in spite of the great number of experimental observations recorded throughout the world there is no evidence yet to prove that urea can be used profitably for sheep on low quality roughages in genuine grazing conditions.

An experiment is in progress at Merredin Research Station this season, especially designed to demonstrate a response to urea by sheep grazing wheat stubbles, if such a response is possible.

The Control Of Algae, G R W Meadly

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

CONDITIONS in areas of still, stored water in Western Australia can easily become ideal for the development of algae and control measures may become necessary in farm dams and swimming pools.

1970 Results Of Field Experiments, A C. Devitt

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Please find enclosed a summary of results obtained from a range of field trials. These include a study of some techniques to replace undesirable cultivars of subterranean clover; the competitive ability of some subterranean clovers; the evaluation of the sub clover cultivars, Dinninup 3, Midland B,some members of subspeciesYanninicum, the medic cultivars Cyfield and Tornafield; and the preliminary results from an exotic pasture species introduction trial at Shark Bay. In most cases complete results have been or will be circulated in report form.

Experimental Results 1970-71 - Phosphorus-Sulphur Maintenance Trials., R N. Glencross

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Medium Rainfall Zone Trials Eleven replications of the basic rate of P, rate of SO4-S and S experiments were maintained during 1970 in the 20in - 30 in. rainfall zone. Soil types examined were the very gravelly soils (5 reps, 4 sites), sands or loamy sands over gravel or clay (3 sites) and sandplain soils (3 reps, 2 sites). In all cases except one, fertiliser history was not reliable, but in every case well over one ton of super had been applied. over a period of over 15 years.

Anhydrous Ammonia, M G. Mason

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Anhydrous ammonia, as the name infers, is pure ammonia, It is kept in a liquid form under pressure and must therefore be stored in special vessels. When pressure is released it changes to gaseous form. Anhydrous ammonia is the most concentrated form of nitrogen fertiliser available. It has 82% nitrogen compared to 46% for urea, the most concentrated solid form of nitrogen fertilisers.

Trials carried out were:

1965 - 1967 Wongan Hills Research station (3)

1967 - Badgingarra (1)

1968 - Moulyinning (1)

1968 - North Lake Grace (1)

1969 - Westonia (1)

Merredin (1)

Tammin. (1)

Annual Summary Of Experimental Results 1970-71 - Evaluation Of Pasture Species, G H. Walton

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

During 1970 interest in the small ungrazed Legume Species Trials was reduced to ten trials located in the more troublesome areas. Five of the trials are on the sandy soils of the Midland Plain three trials are in Merredin-Southern·cross region, one is on deep sand at Tincurrin and the other is at Pindar. All thesites are sandy soils on which the sub clover strains appear to perform the best. The newer trials are investigating the value of sub clover cultivars such as Northam A,Mt Helena A, Shenton Park A, and Daglish. These trials will be the subject of a special …

Water Conservation : The Storage Life Of Farm Dams, D J. Carder

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

HOW MANY stock can a dam of a certain size and depth be expected to carry and how long will the supply last?

What size of dam is needed in case the winter rains fail? How many stock can a dam support and still provide a drought supply?

Emergency Chlorination Of Farm Water Supplies, H C. Hughes

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TOWARDS the end of summer (and especially in a drought) the risk of water in dams, soaks, wells or tanks becoming polluted is increased.

Bore water is much less likely to be affected unless the bore is poorly sited near a farm building, such as a shearing or milking shed, a pig pen, or a septic tank system.

Soil Microbiology, D E. Chatel

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

SUBTERRANEAN CLOVER INOCULATION EXPERIMENTS Badgingarra and Newdegate Comparisons between Rhizobium trifolii strain WU290 and possible replacement strains were continued. The work was conducted for the following reasons 1. The need for information on "back-up" strains particularly since the inoculant manufacturers had experienced difficulty in producing high-count peat cultures of WU290. 2. Strain CC2480a had proved very satisfactory in the Eastern States. Although it did not show up to advantage under our conditions in 1968,further testing was indicated. 3. The need for information on inoculation needs on old land.

Dry Season In The Eastern And North-Eastern Wheatbelt, George Henry Burvill

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The drought of 1969 ended an 11-year run of good seasons in the eastern and north-eastern wheatbelt. Good years usually have above average rainfall; wheat yields and pasture growth are greatly reduced if rains are well below average. Eighty years records show that half the years must be expected to be below average and about one-third could be well below. This area produces one-third of the State's wheat and has 9 per cent, of its sheep.

The Agricultural Potential Of Owingup Swamp, C V. Malcolm, L T. Jones, J. P. Fallon

Technical Bulletins

1. Soil Survey of Owingup Swamp

2. Comparison of Owingup and Grasmere Swamps

The two swamps, Owingup and Grasmere, shown on the location map are practically identical with regard to soil conditions. Grasmere Swamp however has been cleared and used for agriculture for some 60 years while Owingup Swamp is as yet unalienated. Soils on both swamps consist of mainly organic diatomaceous clay. The survey reported here was aimed at assessing the agricultural potential of Owingup Swamp in the light of experience gained since the clearing of Grasmere Swamp. Findings of the survey indicate that some 2000 acres at Owingup …

Soil And Plant Water Studies On Wheat Summary Of Results 1969/70, D Tennant

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Location

Trials were carried out within a radius of 5 miles of

Tammin on the properties of Messrs P. York and B. Nottage.

Sites represented deep sand, sandy loam, sand/clay and grey

clay soil types.

The Agricultural Potential Of Owingup Swamp. 1. Soil Survey Of Owingup Swamp. 2. Comparison Of Owingup And Grasmere Swamps, L T. Jones, C V. Malcolm, James P. Fallon, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Technical Bulletins

The two swamps, Owingup and Grasmere are practically identical with regard to soil conditions. Grasmere swamp however has been cleared and used for agriculture for some 60 years while Owingup swamp is as yet unalientated. Soils on both swamps consist of mainly organic diatomaceous clay. Findings of the survey indicate that some 2000 acres at Owingup swamp would be suitable for vegetable growing following clearing and draining.

List Of Experiment Programmes 1969 -1970, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

T. Albertsen, maintenance phosphorus and sulphur, continuous cropping with NPS, sulphur status in high rainfall areas. J. Cripps, (jointly with B Luren), experiments at Stoneville research station and on growers’ properties. A.C. Devitt, replacement of legume pasture, evaluation of Midland b, competitive ability of some sub clovers. Evaluation of Dinninup 3. Evaluation of Tornafield medic 1967. Evaluation of some medics 1968. Evaluation of Northam A crossbreds. Effect of phosphate on growth of medics 1968. Effect of Urea on growth of subclover on new land. Effect of Urea on established legume pastures. Pasture species establishment and persistence. Evaluation of pasture species …

Overgrazing And Wind Erosion, J R H Riches

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

OVER the last few years wind erosion during the autumn in the wheatbelt districts has become increasingly evident.

This has occurred under normal seasonal conditions and observations in this article are not related to unusual conditions such as the extremely low rainfall during the current season.*

Shed Lambing In The Esperance Environment, T Marshall, F. F. Dixon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Neonatal lamb mortality is often high in Western Australia and losses as high as 33 per cent, have been recorded on private properties in the Esperance area. Surveys by Western Australian Department of Agriculture officers have indicated that more than threequarters of such lamb deaths occur after birth. About half these deaths result from the combined effects of weather and mismothering.

Work in Victoria has indicated that lamb mortality may be reduced by intensive lambing systems such as shedding and this trial was established to see if shedding could reduce lamb mortality in the Esperance environment.

Chemical Ploughing, Geoffrey A. Pearce

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

PROGRESS in the field of chemical weed control has been spectacular in recent years. One field that is attracting interest is the idea of replacing cultivation with chemical sprays.