Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Improving Sustainable Production From Water Repellent Sands, Paul Blackwell

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

The agricultural management of water repellent ( non-wetting) sands is difficult, and production from them is mostly low. However, there are ways to make them more productive.

Furrow sowing and the incorporation of dispersive clay are two likely methods to make these soils easier to manage, more productive and more profitable than they are now.

This article discusses several aspects of our research on water repellent sands. In addition, some of the costs and benefits of alternative management strategies are outlined.

Controlling Wind Erosion In Field Pea Stubbles, Jeff Russell

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

The area sown to field peas in Western Australia's eastern wheatbelt has increased from 4000 ha in 1985 to about 35, 000 ha in 1992.

While field peas can be grown on soil types not suited to lupins, their stubble is highly fragile and prone to wind erosion, even at low grazing pressure. This is one reason why some farmers are hesitant to grow field peas.

Haroest losses of field peas can also be high; levels of JOO to 200 kg/ha of seed on the ground are not uncommon. For this reason farmers believe the stubbles should be grazed.

Farmers …

Digital Information In The Peel-Harvey Catchment Area, Dennis Van Gool

Agriculture reports

This paper presents a summary of the main features of the digital mapping data available in the Peel-Harvey Catchment area. This type of information is essential for Geographic Information System (GIS) users to assess projects involving the use of digital data such as plotting of mapped themes, topological overlays, area calculations and reporting.

Honey Production In Western Australia, Rob Manning

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

the first ever survey of the potential production and value of apiary products from the south-west of Western Australia has shown beekeepers are collecting only 10 per cent of the potential honey crop.

The biggeest losses in honey production are caused by the enviroment, such as protracted drought, and extreme temperatures, heavy rain and cyclones during flowering. Fire, apiary sites leased but not used, and logging of forests also reduce the availability of apiary sites for honey production.

A Review Of Four On-Farm Water Supply Demonstration Farms, M H M Casey, I A F Laing

Resource management technical reports

In March 1982, the Western Australian Government allocated $100,000 to the Department of Agriculture to demonstrate appropriate, reliable, on-farm conservation technology on four farms in the north-eastern wheatbelt. The Government grant was matched dollar for dollar with the farmers funds with a maximum of $25,000 grant to any one farm. The demonstrations used existing techniques, such as dams and roaded catchments, to establish permanent drought-proof water supplies.

Data Set And Code Definitions For Soil Profile Description : Dawa Regional Mapping Program, B R. Purdie

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Soils Of The Northam Advisory District. Volume 3. The Darling Range And West Kokeby Zones, Ian Fulton, Neil Clifton Lantzke

Bulletins 4000 -

This manual describes the soils of the Department of Agriculture's Northam advisory district. Information is provided on the characteristics of each soil, its capability is discussed and yield estimates for the major land uses are given.

Designed for use by farmers and Department of Agriculture staff, the manual’s primary aims are to:

- Assist with the identification of the advisory district’s soils types

- Match land use with soil quality

- Improve farm productivity and efficiency

- Reduce the incidence of land degradation

Esperance Land Resource Survey, Tim D. Overheu, P G. Muller, S T. Gee, Geoff Allan Moore

Land resources series

The climate, geology, landforms, soils, native vegetation and land uses of the Esperance agricultural district of Western Australia are described, while the soil landscapes of the survey area of about 336,000 ha, covered by the Esperance and Merivale 1:100,000 topographic map sheets, are described in detail. The survey area represents most of the features and problems of the district, especially those of the Esperance sandplain for more resource information. An appropriate mapping scale was chosen from a preliminary survey of five farms on the Esperance sandplain. The study identifies five major land systems which are divided into map units on …

Coastal Rehabilitation Manual, Veronica P M Oma, D M. Clayton, J. B. Broun, C D M. Keating

Bulletins 4000 -

Provides an overview of the coastal environment to ensure that the natural environment and coastal processes are considered properly. Describes how to develop a successful coastal rehabilitation strategy and detail rehabilitation techniques applicable to Western Australia. Lists sources of further advice and information.

Integrated Catchment Management : Upper Denmark Catchment, R Ferdowsian, K J. Greenham

Resource management technical reports

The project mapped the landforms and land management units on cleared parts of the catchment ; defined the extent of, processes causing and options for solving the salinity problem in the Upper Denmark Catchment; developed a catchment management plan that would reverse the increasing soil and stream salinity trend within the catchment; encouraged and assisted the landholders to adopt the plan; and applied the results of the study to other areas.

Rangeland Management In Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

Grazing the rangeland - towards and understanding, by Alec Holm and Donald Burnside Rangeland surveys, a basis for improved land use, by Peter Curry and Alan Payne. Monitoring Western Australia's rangelands, by Ron Hacker, David Beurle and Gorge Gardiner. Regenerating the rangelands, by Adrian Williams and Ron Shepherd. Station management planning in the rangelands, by John Morrissey. Planning for future development in the Murchison. Rangelands have many users. Plant regeneration and the control of dust on the South Common, Carnarvon, by Ian Watson. Mine dumps and dust towns, rehabilitation of mined areas and control of dust in the Goldfields. Rehabilitation …

Influence Of Water Supply On Farm Productivity In The North-Eastern Wheatbelt, E J. Hauck

Resource management technical reports

In the area with reliable reticulated water supplies, average what yield, average wool production and average number of sheep per pastured hectare showed a positive correlation with annual rainfall in all but one year. By contrast, in the area served by on-farm water supplies only, average wheat yield and annual rainfall were strongly correlated, whereas average wool production and average number of sheep per pastured hectare showed a weaker correlation with annual rainfall. These correlations suggest tt on farms with a reliable water supply, livestock numbers have been adjusted annually to ensure optimum utilisation of available feed in all seasons.

Effects Of Waterlogging On Crop And Pasture Production In The Upper Great Southern, Western Australia, J F. Wallace, G A. Wheaton, D J. Mcfarlane

Technical Bulletins

Separate estimates of the effect of waterlogging on cereal yields were made using rainfall and crop yield statistics, and remote sensing. Both methods showed that waterlogging costs tens of millions of dollars each year in lost crop production in the Upper Great Southern Statistical Division. The costs will be over $100 m in wet years. Losses in pasture production are likely to be of a similar magnitude, but are harder to quantify.

Monitoring And Managing Soil Acidity, Fionnuala Frost, Extension Officer, Northam

Bulletins 4000 -

This Bulletin provides information on how to identify acid soils and remedy the problem of excessive acidity. Material in this handbook is suitable for broadscale agricultural systems, and perennial and permanent pastures in the medium and higher rainfall areas of the State.

Acidity of both the surface and subsurface layers of soil is addressed. Each can be important in affecting plant growth and therefore the profitability of the farm.

Soils Of The East Beverley Annex Of The Avondale Research Station, Neil Clifton Lantzke

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Remnant Vegetation Protection Scheme 1988-1991 : A Report, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Soil And Land Conservation Council (W.A.)

All other publications

The objective of the Remnant Vegetation Protection Scheme is to encourage land owners to fence and protect areas of remnant vegetation for the purposes of flora and fauna conservation, land conservation and aesthetics. The means by which land owners are encouraged to protect remnant vegetation is the provision of a grant equal to half the cost of labour and materials to erect a stock-proof fence around the vegetation concerned. The RVPS is jointly administered by the Departments of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) and Agriculture (DAWA), with the latter as the lead agency. CALM contributes substantially to the RVPS through …

Quantifying Loss Of Yield Potential Due To Leaf Disease., B A. Peters, R Loughman

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

To determine the impact of Septoria and barley yellow dwarf virus on wheat grown under the package approach on the south coast using different levels of fungicide and insecticide control on a susceptible variety of an appropriate maturity for early sowing.

Examine if there is any benefit for disease control of S. tritici from Baytan seed dressing. 92AL16.

Time of sowing and variety effects on the Septoria diseases of wheat. 92AL17.

Time of sowing effect on barley foliar diseases. 92AL19.

Evaluating variety mixtures to reduce Septoria using a range of lines. 92AL24.

Fungicides for control of Septoria nodorum of wheat. …

Stubble Retention For Control Of Wind Erosion, Dan Carter, Paul Findlater, Steve Porritt

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

The surest way to control wind erosion in continuous cropping systems is to retain stubble. Over the past ten years, Western Australian research has focused on the amounts of stubble needed to prevent that erosion.

Stubble : Friend And Foe, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

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

Several articles in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture discuss some of the important issues of stubble management. The articles are condensed from some of the papers presented at a stubble workshop at Geraldton in 1991.

What Brings The First Rains Of The Season?, Ian Foster

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

There are two major sources of rainfall over south-western Australia.

Red Kangaroos Can Set Back Range Regeneration, Andrew Mclaughlin

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

After years of severe drought, stocking rates in Western Australia s arid rangelands have been kept low since the 1970s to allow native pastures to regenerate. As well, extensive re-seeding programs have started and sheep and cattle grazing on these areas has been restricted or eliminated. However, pasture regeneration in the rangelands can only succeed when grazing by all animals - sheep, cattle, kangaroos, goo.ts, camels, brumbies and donkeys - is controlled Many more red kangaroos roam throughout Western Australia's pastoral areas today than 20 years ago. The installation of windmills and troughs to water domestic livestock has allowed kangaroo …

Results Of Stubble Research In Western Australia, Michael Perry, Ron Jarvis, Mel Mason, David Tennant

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

Few farmers would question the desirability of retaining stubbles, both for control of erosion by wind and water, and to return organic matter to the soil. While the present debate is focused on the short term management of stubbles, longer term effects also need to be considered.

The Department of Agriculture has several long-running trials intended to measure long term effects.

Land Resources Study Of The Carnarvon Land Conservation District And Part Of Boolathana Station, Western Australia, M R. Wells, C D M Keating, J A. Bessell-Browne

Land resources series

A survey of the land resources of 36,343 ha covering the Carnarvon Land Conservation District and an adjoining portion of Boolathana station was conducted to assist future land use planning and management. This report describes the soil, landform and vegetation conditions of land units shown on an accompanying 1:50,000 scale map. These land units are components of land systems previously mapped at 1:250,000 scale for the Carnarvon Basin by Payne et al. (1987). As part of the study, further, more detailed land resource mapping and land capability assessments were conducted at specific locations. Land use planning and management considerations arising …

Land Resources Map In The Southern Section Of The Peel-Harvey Catchment, Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia, Dennis Van Gool, Bev Kipling

Land resources series

Soil-Landscape map prepared to assist nutrient management and land use planning in the southern section of the Peel-Harvey catchment.

How To Reduce Spending On Land Conservation, Tim Negus

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

Heavy spending on capital works for land conseroation is usually out of the question in the present financial climate, but the recession does not mean that landcare must be abandoned. There are many aspects of landcare that involve little or no extra cost. Soil conseroationist Tim Negus discusses them in this article.

Wider Spaced Rows For Lupins, Ron Jarvis

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

In this farm scale trial at Wongan Hills, a lined combine was used to seed lupins into rows spaced 380 mm apart in wheat stubble.

New Yellow Serradella Varieties For Low Rainfall Pastures, Clinton Revell

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

Large areas of acidic, sandy soils in Western Australia's low and medium rainfall, wheatsheep areas are suited to the pasture legume, yellow serradella.

In the past, a lack of varieties with suitable maturity has limited the use of this species.

New varieties developed in Western Australia and significantly earlier in maturity than traditional types can now extend the use of yellow serradella into these regions.

Fodder Trees And Shrubs For High Rainfall Areas Of South Western Australia, Daya Patabendige, P R. Scott, Edward C. Lefroy

Resource management technical reports

In south Western Australia, the lack of good quality feed in late summer and autumn is a major constraint to livestock production. This feed gap is usually filled by costly supplementary hand feeding of grain or hay. The ability of some trees and shrubs to provide good quality forage during summer and autumn has generated interest for many years (Corbett, 1951; Everist, 1969; Snook, 1987;Oldham et al., 1991, Lefroy, 1991). The dual benefits of reducing the need for supplementary hand feeding and deferring the grazing of annual pastures until they are well established has recently led to the recognition of …

Deep Drains : A Case Study And Discussion, Russell John Speed, John Andrew Simons

Resource management technical reports

Typically, deep, open drains are about 2 in deep and about 1 in wide at the base and dug with a backhoe or excavator. The movement of groundwater is controlled by two factors. One is the physical ability of the material to transmit fluid. Permeability is the measure used to describe the ability of a material to transmit fluid through pores and cracks. It depends largely upon porosity (the percentage of the total volume of thematerial that is pore space) and the degree of interconnectedness of the pore spaces. The other factor controlling groundwater flow is gradient. George (1985) found …

Groundwater Investigations In The Jerramungup Shire, S B. Martin

Resource management technical reports

Drilling was carried out with a dry rotary auger rig, with a depth limit of 31 m for the first 28 piezometers and 40 m thereafter. Farmers assisted in the site selection and construction of the piezometers in most cases and will in the future be responsible for monitoring their piezometer(s) regularly. The average depth to bedrock was 18 m and the average dept to groundwater was 9 m, with an average salinity level of 3600 mS/m. The average total salt storage was approximately 2800 tonnes per hectare.