Rain, rain, gone away. Decreased growing season rainfall for the dryland cropping region of south-western Australia

The shift in Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures in 1976 led to a change in rainfall for the broad-scale winter annual grain cropping and pasture region in the south-west of Western Australia (the WA wheatbelt). Agriculture in the eastern part the WA Wheatbelt was particularly sensitive to the change in rainfall because it is a marginal area for agronomic production, with low rainfall before changes in sea surface temperature. A second shift in sea surface temperature occurred in 2000, but there has been no analysis of the resulting impact on rainfall in the eastern WA wheatbelt. An analysis of rainfall pre- and post-2000 was performed for sites in the eastern WA wheatbelt in three groups: 19 sites in the west, 56 central, and 10 east. The analysis found a decline in growing-season rainfall (i.e. April–October), especially during May–July, post- 2000. Rainfall declines of 49.9mm(west group), 39.1mm(central group) and 28.0mm(east group) represented respective losses of 20.1%, 17.4% and 14.2% of growing-season rainfall. Increases in out-of-season rainfall in the respective groups of 31.0, 33.6, and 50.7 mm (57.8%, 60.8% and 87.6%) meant that annual rainfall changes were smaller than growing-season losses. The west and central groups lost 17.5 and 6.16 mm annual rainfall, whereas the east group gained 15.6 mm. Analysis of wheat yield indicated reductions of 13.5% (west) and 9.90% (central) in the eastern WA wheatbelt; the small group of east sites had a potential yield gain of 8.9% arising from the increased out-of-season rainfall. Further, increased out of- season rainfall will exacerbate weed and disease growth over the summer fallow

Evaluación de soluciones nutritivas con cinco dosis de calcio en el cultivo de fresa (Fragaria ananassa) cultivar albión mediante fertirriego en la parroquia San Luis cantón Riobamba

La siguiente investigación propone: evaluar soluciones nutritivas con cinco dosis de calcio en el cultivo de fresa (Fragaria ananassa) cultivar Albión mediante fertirriego en la parroquia San Luis cantón Riobamba; usando el modelo estadístico de bloques completo al azar (BCA), con seis tratamientos y tres repeticiones. Se evaluó parámetros como: necrosis en los bordes de hojas nuevas en plantas por deficiencia de Calcio (%), número de flores por planta, número de frutos por planta, diámetro ecuatorial y polar del fruto, grados Brix, días mostrador, peso del fruto, categorización de frutos (g), rendimiento por PN y por hectárea, y un análisis económico en base a su relación Beneficio Costo. Los mejores resultados alcanzados en la mayoría de los parámetros evaluados como eldiámetro ecuatorial y polar del fruto, grados Brix a la madurez 4 y 5, días al mostrador a temperatura ambiente y a 2°C, peso del fruto, categorización de frutos según el peso extra, primera, rendimiento a los 172 y 179 ddt, se obtuvieron con la aplicación de calcio en 137,5 mg/l (T3) mediante la solución nutritiva conformada por: N: 195, P: 90, K: 199, Ca: 50, Mg: 64, S: 40 Kg/ha respectivamente y los micronutrientes correspondientes durante el ciclo del cultivo frente al tratamiento testigo (T6), la misma que estuvo acompañada con Lr acumulada de 325 mm, y frecuencia de riego cada tres días, presentando una huella hídrica de 43 l/Kg, obteniéndose así un rendimiento promedio de 61,2 Tm/ha año,y un beneficio-costo de 2,34 por lo que se recomienda su utilización. Palabras clave: FERTIRRIEGO – FRESA – SOLUCIONES NUTRITIVAS - CULTIVO DE FRESAThe following research proposes: to evaluate nutritive solutions with five doses of calcium in the strawberry farming (Fragariaananassa) to cultivate Albión through fertigation in San Luis parish, of Riobamba canton; using the randomized complete block statistical model (RCB), with six treatments and three repetitions. Some parameters were evaluated such as necrosis at the borders of new leaves in plants due to calcium deficiency (%), number of flowers per plant, number of fruits per plant, equatorial and polar diameter of the fruit. Brix degrees, counter days, fruit weight, fruit categorization (g), yield per PN and per hectare, and an economic analysis based on their Benefit Cost relation. The best achieved results in most evaluated parameters as the equatorial and polar diameter of the fruit, Brix degrees at maturity 4 and 5, days at the counter at room temperature and at 2 ° C, fruit weight, fruit categorization according to extra weight, first, yield at 172 and 179 ddt, were obtained with the application of calcium at 137.5 mg/l (T3) through the nutritive solution consisting of: N: 195, P: 90, K: 199, Ca: 50, Mg: 64, S: 40 Kg/ha respectively and the corresponding micronutrients during the crop cycle compared to the control treatment (T6), the same that was accompanied with accumulated Lr of 325 mm, and irrigation frequency every three days, presenting a water footprint of 43 l/Kg, thus obtaining an average yield of 61.2 Tm/ha year, and a benefit-cost of 2.34 for which its use is recommended. Keywords: FERTIGATION – STRAWBERRY- NUTRITIVE SOLUTIONS - STRAWBERRY FARMIN

Crop Updates 2010 - Weeds

This session covers eighteen papers from different authors: Herbicides 1. Herbicide control of slender iceplant, Lorinda Hunt, and Andrew Blake Department of Agriculture and Food 2. Herbicide tolerance of saltbush and bluebush, Lorinda Hunt, and Andrew Blake Department of Agriculture and Food 3. Chemical control of windmill grass, Catherine Borger, Glen Riethmuller and Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food 4. Use high water rates when applying pre-seeding herbicides to fields with high stubble density, Catherine Borger and Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food 5. Herbicide tolerance of lupins – influence of soil type and rainfall, Harmohinder Dhammu and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture and Food 6. Response of new barley varieties to herbicides, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert and Russell Quartermaine, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. Herbicide tolerance of new wheat varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture and Food Herbicide Resistance 8. Use of below label rate can lead to evolution of herbicide resistant weeds, Roberto Busi , Todd Gaines, Sudheesh Manalil and Stephen Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia 9. Herbicide mixtures can effectively kill herbicide-resistant weeds, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture and Food 10. Selective spray-topping: Does it abort seed production of herbicide-resistant radish? Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture and Food 11. The search for a new lupin herbicide, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food Integrated Weed Management 12. Colonisation of agricultural regions in Western Australia by flaxleaf fleabane, Catherine Borger, Greg Doncon and Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Weed suppression by crop competition in barley, canola and wheat, Abul Hashem and Catherine Borger, Department of Agriculture and Food 14. Mouldboard plough continues to kick goals, Peter Newman and Dr Steve Davies, Department of Agriculture and Food 15. The answer my friend is to burn in light wind, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food, and Michael Walsh, Weeds Researcher, University of Melbourne 16. Using image analysis to detect three-horned bedstraw seed in grain samples, John Moore, Department of Agriculture and Food, Murray Gillespie, Lygil Holdings, Albany 17. Can we manage brome and barley grass in cereals? Sally Peltzer, Abul Hashem and Alex Douglas, Department of Agriculture and Food 18. Control of mature fleabane, Sally Peltzer, Department of Agriculture and Foo

Comparative agriculture methods capture distinct production practices across a broadacre Australian landscape

© 2016 The Authors In farming systems research the link between farm resources, management and performances is often described, but rarely confirmed or quantified. Problems arise in formalising such linkages because substantial spatial and longitudinal whole-farm data are difficult to acquire. This study used the integrative discipline of comparative agriculture to collect such information and address a wide range of related farming system questions. The mixed method procedure included a landscape analysis, a historical investigation, and the collection of current farm information from 36 farms, representing half the farming businesses of a 4 000 km 2 area in a region of the Western Australian wheatbelt (˜300 mm/year) with highly variable soils. Land types influenced management, including cropping specialisation, and explained some of the regional variability in grain yield and enterprise mix. Rotations varied by soil type and farm type. On average their duration was 3–4 years, typically starting with a 2–3 years of wheat, resulting in overall composition of 64% cereals, 20% break crops and 16% pastures/fallows. Break crops were grown more on light sandy soils than on heavier fine-textured soils. Lights soils were managed similarly by all farmers but distinctions occurred on heavier soils between mixed crop-livestock farmers and cropping specialists. This divergence in farming production was explained by farm soil composition: whilst cropping appears more profitable in the region, mixed farmers retained animals and pastures as a strategy to cope with having greater proportions of land less suited to crop production. Typical farm grain yields were indeed found to vary in relation to farm soil composition. The location of the original family farm in the landscape is likely to explain these differences in farm land resources, and subsequently current farm performance, production strategies and trajectories. This study highlighted the potential of a method that deserves wider application: comparative agriculture helped identify and establish complex relationships within the farming system, some of which challenge common assumptions. Further applications to define typical farms, monitor practices, and contribute meaningful divisions of agricultural landscapes are also discussed