Increasing protein content of wheat by breeding

The most efficient means of increasing protein content of WesternAustralian wheat is by breeding new varieties with higher inherent protein in their grain. But is this possible without sacrificing yeild or other desirable characteristics

Variation in wheat protein content : the effect of environment

Over the past 20 years, the average protein content of WesternAustralian wheat has ranged from 9.3 to 12.0 per cent, with a mean level of 10.4 per cent. At most grain receival points, in any one season, individual loads can often vary in protein content by as much as 5 per cent protein or more. Rainfall and soil fertility account for much of this variation

Rapeseed. 4. Grain quality

RAPESEED is capturing an increasing share of the world edible oilseed market. It competes with other oilseeds such as soyabeans, peanuts, sunflower and safflower seed. If Western Australia is to share in these markets it is essential that only high quality seed is produced

Grow barley for malt or feed

MALTING barley can be grown in certain areas receiving more than 13 inches annual rainfall, and farmers have to make a choice between growing barley for malt or feed in these areas

Lupin wild types introduced into Western Australia to 1973

Collection site data, preliminary rating of field characteristics and disease reactions, and measurements of seed protein oil contents

Trends in wheat protein/yield relationships

The major concern of wheat breeders in WesternAustralia has been to increase grain yield while maintaining quality at an acceptable level. There has been no concious effort to select for protein content. It is of interrest, therefore, to compare the relationship between yield and protein of varieties which have been prominent in Western Australia at various times, to see what effects yield increases have had on protein content and the extent of any variation which might exist

Tincurrin : a new biscuit wheat

Although a demand has existed both locally and overseas for soft wheat suitable for biscuits, cakes and various confectioneries, production has been very limited. In 1978 farmers in the soft wheat area will be able to grow the higher yielding variety Tincurrin. It is recommended for general sowing to replace all varieties grown at present in the soft wheat areas as defined.Exceptions may prevail in areas prone to rust snd septoria problems

Cyclic hypoxia exposure accelerates the progression of amoebic gill disease

Amoebic gill disease (AGD), caused by the amoeba Neoparamoeba perurans, has led to considerable economic losses in every major Atlantic salmon producing country, and is increasing in frequency. The most serious infections occur during summer and autumn, when temperatures are high and poor dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions are most common. Here, we tested if exposure to cyclic hypoxia at DO saturations of 40–60% altered the course of infection with N. perurans compared to normoxic controls maintained at ≥90% DO saturation. Although hypoxia exposure did not increase initial susceptibility to N. perurans, it accelerated progression of the disease. By 7 days post-inoculation, amoeba counts estimated from qPCR analysis were 1.7 times higher in the hypoxic treatment than in normoxic controls, and cumulative mortalities were twice as high (16 ± 4% and 8 ± 2%), respectively. At 10 days post-inoculation, however, there were no differences between amoeba counts in the hypoxic and normoxic treatments, nor in the percentage of filaments with AGD lesions (control = 74 ± 2.8%, hypoxic = 69 ± 3.3%), or number of lamellae per lesion (control = 30 ± 0.9%, hypoxic = 27.9 ± 0.9%) as determined by histological examination. Cumulative mortalities at the termination of the experiment were similarly high in both treatments (hypoxic = 60 ± 2%, normoxic = 53 ± 11%). These results reveal that exposure to cyclic hypoxia in a diel pattern, equivalent to what salmon are exposed to in marine aquaculture cages, accelerated the progression of AGD in post-smolts

Barley staining

GRAIN discolouration or staining is a quality defect in W.A. barley which substantially reduces the marketable value oi the crop. It also causes heavy losses to individual growers whose grain is docked or rejected