Crop Updates 2007 - Farming Systems

This session covers forty papers from different authors: 1. Quality Assurance and industry stewardship, David Jeffries, Better Farm IQ Manager, Cooperative Bulk Handling 2. Sothis: Trifolium dasyurum (Eastern Star clover), A. Loi, B.J. Nutt and C.K. Revell, Department of Agriculture and Food 3. Poor performing patches of the paddock – to ameliorate or live with low yield? Yvette Oliver1, Michael Robertson1, Bill Bowden2, Kit Leake3and Ashley Bonser3, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems1, Department of Food and Agriculture2, Kellerberrin Farmer3 4. What evidence is there that PA can pay? Michael Robertson, CSIRO Floreat, Ian Maling, SilverFox Solutions and Bindi Isbister, Department of Agriculture and Food 5.The journey is great, but does PA pay? Garren Knell, ConsultAg; Alison Slade, Department of Agriculture and Food, CFIG 6. 2007 Seasonal outlook, David Stephens and Michael Meuleners, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. Towards building farmer capacity to better manage climate risk, David Beard and Nicolyn Short, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. A NAR farmers view of his farming system in 2015, Rob Grima, Department of Agriculture and Food 9. Biofuels opportunities in Australia, Ingrid Richardson, Food and Agribusiness Research, Rabobank 10. The groundwater depth on the hydrological benefits of lucerne and the subsequent recharge values, Ruhi Ferdowsian1and Geoff Bee2; 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Landholder, Laurinya, Jerramungup 11. Subsoil constraints to crop production in the high rainfall zone of Western Australia, Daniel Evans1, Bob Gilkes1, Senthold Asseng2and Jim Dixon3; 1University of Western Australia, 2CSIRO Plant Industry, 3Department of Agriculture and Food 12. Prospects for lucerne in the WA wheatbelt, Michael Robertson, CSIRO Floreat, Felicity Byrne and Mike Ewing, CRC for Plant-Based Management of Dryland Salinity, Dennis van Gool, Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Nitrous oxide emissions from a cropped soil in the Western Australian grainbelt, Louise Barton1, Ralf Kiese2, David Gatter3, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl2, Renee Buck1, Christoph Hinz1and Daniel Murphy1,1School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 2Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, 3The Department of Agriculture and Food 14. Managing seasonal risk is an important part of farm management but is highly complex and therefore needs a ‘horses for courses’ approach, Cameron Weeks, Planfarm / Mingenew-Irwin Group, Dr Michael Robertson, Dr Yvette Oliver, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems and Dr Meredith Fairbanks, Department of Agriculture and Food 15. Novel use application of clopyralid in lupins, John Peirce, and Brad Rayner Department of Agriculture and Food 16. Long season wheat on the South Coast – Feed and grain in a dry year – a 2006 case study, Sandy White, Department of Agriculture and Food 17. Wheat yield response to potassium and the residual value of PKS fertiliser drilled at different depths, Paul Damon1, Bill Bowden2, Qifu Ma1 and Zed Rengel1; Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia1, Department of Agriculture and Food2 18. Saltbush as a sponge for summer rain, Ed Barrett-Lennard and Meir Altman, Department of Agriculture and Food and CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity 19. Building strong working relationships between grower groups and their industry partners, Tracey M. Gianatti, Grower Group Alliance 20. To graze or not to graze – the question of tactical grazing of cereal crops, Lindsay Bell and Michael Robertson, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems 21. Can legume pastures and sheep replace lupins? Ben Webb and Caroline Peek, Department of Agriculture and Food 22. EverGraze – livestock and perennial pasture performance during a drought year, Paul Sanford, Department of Agriculture and Food, and CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity 23. Crop survival in challenging times, Paul Blackwell1, Glen Riethmuller1, Darshan Sharma1and Mike Collins21Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Okura Plantations, Kirikiri New Zealand 24. Soil health constraints to production potential – a precision guided project, Frank D’Emden, and David Hall, Department of Agriculture and Food 25. A review of pest and disease occurrence in 2006, Mangano, G.P. and Severtson, D.L., Department of Agriculture and Food 26. e-weed – an information resource on seasonal weed management issues, Vanessa Stewart and Julie Roche, Department of Agriculture and Food 27. Review of Pesticide Legislation and Policies in Western Australia, Peter Rutherford, BSc (Agric.), Pesticide Legislation Review, Office of the Chief Medical Adviser, WA Department of Health 28. Future wheat yields in the West Australian wheatbelt, Imma Farré and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture and Food, Stephen Charles, CSIRO Land and Water 29. Organic matter in WA arable soils: What’s active and what’s not, Frances Hoyle, Department of Agriculture and Food, Australia and Daniel Murphy, UWA 30. Soil quality indicators in Western Australian farming systems, D.V. Murphy1, N. Milton1, M. Osman1, F.C. Hoyle2, L.K Abbott1, W.R. Cookson1and S. Darmawanto1; 1UWA, 2Department of Agriculture and Food 31. Impact of stubble on input efficiencies, Geoff Anderson, formerly employed by Department of Agriculture and Food 32. Mixed farming vs All crop – true profit, not just gross margins, Rob Sands and David McCarthy, FARMANCO Management Consultants, Western Australia 33. Evaluation of Local Farmer Group Network – group leaders’ surveys 2005 and 2006, Paul Carmody, Local Farmer Group Network, Network Coordinator, UWA 34. Seeding rate and nitrogen application and timing effects in wheat, J. Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery and A. Roe, ConsultAg, Northam 35. Foliar fungicide application and disease control in barley, J. Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery and A. Roe, ConsultAg, Northam 36. Brown manuring effects on a following wheat crop in the central wheatbelt, , J. Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery and A. Roe, ConsultAg, Northam 37. Management of annual pastures in mixed farming systems – transition from a dry season, Dr Clinton Revell and Dr Phil Nichols; Department of Agriculture and Food 38. The value of new annual pastures in mixed farm businesses of the wheatbelt, Dr Clinton Revell1, Mr Andrew Bathgate2and Dr Phil Nichols1; 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Farming Systems Analysis Service, Albany 39. The influence of winter SOI and Indian Ocean SST on WA winter rainfall, Meredith Fairbanks and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture and Food 40. Market outlook – Grains, Anne Wilkins, Market Analyst, Grains, Department of Agriculture and Foo

A genome-wide association study identifies risk alleles in plasminogen and P4HA2 associated with giant cell arteritis

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of vasculitis in individuals older than 50 years in Western countries. To shed light onto the genetic background influencing susceptibility for GCA, we performed a genome-wide association screening in a well-powered study cohort. After imputation, 1,844,133 genetic variants were analysed in 2,134 cases and 9,125 unaffected controls from ten independent populations of European ancestry. Our data confirmed HLA class II as the strongest associated region (independent signals: rs9268905, P = 1.94E-54, per-allele OR = 1.79; and rs9275592, P = 1.14E-40, OR = 2.08). Additionally, PLG and P4HA2 were identified as GCA risk genes at the genome-wide level of significance (rs4252134, P = 1.23E-10, OR = 1.28; and rs128738, P = 4.60E-09, OR = 1.32, respectively). Interestingly, we observed that the association peaks overlapped with different regulatory elements related to cell types and tissues involved in the pathophysiology of GCA. PLG and P4HA2 are involved in vascular remodelling and angiogenesis, suggesting a high relevance of these processes for the pathogenic mechanisms underlying this type of vasculitis

Fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and idarubicin with gemtuzumab ozogamicin improves event-free survival in younger patients with newly diagnosed aml and overall survival in patients with npm1 and flt3 mutations

Purpose To determine the optimal induction chemotherapy regimen for younger adults with newly diagnosed AML without known adverse risk cytogenetics. Patients and Methods One thousand thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to intensified (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and idarubicin [FLAG-Ida]) or standard (daunorubicin and Ara-C [DA]) induction chemotherapy, with one or two doses of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO). The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Results There was no difference in remission rate after two courses between FLAG-Ida + GO and DA + GO (complete remission [CR] + CR with incomplete hematologic recovery 93% v 91%) or in day 60 mortality (4.3% v 4.6%). There was no difference in OS (66% v 63%; P = .41); however, the risk of relapse was lower with FLAG-Ida + GO (24% v 41%; P < .001) and 3-year event-free survival was higher (57% v 45%; P < .001). In patients with an NPM1 mutation (30%), 3-year OS was significantly higher with FLAG-Ida + GO (82% v 64%; P = .005). NPM1 measurable residual disease (MRD) clearance was also greater, with 88% versus 77% becoming MRD-negative in peripheral blood after cycle 2 (P = .02). Three-year OS was also higher in patients with a FLT3 mutation (64% v 54%; P = .047). Fewer transplants were performed in patients receiving FLAG-Ida + GO (238 v 278; P = .02). There was no difference in outcome according to the number of GO doses, although NPM1 MRD clearance was higher with two doses in the DA arm. Patients with core binding factor AML treated with DA and one dose of GO had a 3-year OS of 96% with no survival benefit from FLAG-Ida + GO. Conclusion Overall, FLAG-Ida + GO significantly reduced relapse without improving OS. However, exploratory analyses show that patients with NPM1 and FLT3 mutations had substantial improvements in OS. By contrast, in patients with core binding factor AML, outcomes were excellent with DA + GO with no FLAG-Ida benefit

Comparison of passive and active methods for improving transient performance of turbocharged engine systems

The drive to reduce engine emissions has placed an emphasis upon turbocharging especially with the trend of engine downsizing (C. Macrae, (2006), A. Lefebvre et al. (2005)). Turbocharged vehicles exhibit a weak point of poor drivability under transient running conditions. Previous work by Y. Matsura et al (1992), has reviewed various methods of improving the transient engine performance. This paper compares the passive method of reducing the inertia of the compressor wheel and the active method of injecting air into the inlet manifold. The work has shown that both these methods improve the transient response of the turbocharger. The effect of the active system is shown to be greater than that of the passive method

Acoustic diagnosis of driving belt physical condition in enclosures

Timing belt transmission is a key subsystem of international combustion engines. Faults in such belt systems lead to power loss, increased emissions and, in case of failure, may even cause severe damage to the whole engine. Hitherto, the physical condition of the belt has been assessed manually, which is both inconvenient and inaccurate. It is well known that driving belts emit noise according to parametrical conditions such as speed of rotation, tension, structural integrity, etc. The analysis of belt behaviour and subsequent diagnosis of potential failure should preferably be carried out using non contact methods and, as such, acoustic diagnostic stands out as a promising method. One added problem in the diagnosis process is the noise generated by the engine and the acoustic behaviour of the enclosure where the measurement is taking place. This study investigates new approaches to measuring and analysing the acoustic emission from a belt at different conditions inside an enclosure. Techniques employing a combination of microphones in directional near-field and omni-directional elsewhere are used in order to obtain a better signal. Transfer function measurement techniques are applied in order to separate belt noise from engine noise and the acoustic response of the enclosure. The method allows the extraction of useful diagnostic information about the condition of the belt and indicates areas for further research

Transient response of turbocharged diesel engine for transient operation using air injection assist system

Great improvements have been made in engine performance and emission control due to recent intensive research on engine systems. Further improvements are still required and turbocharging is aiding further improvements in emissions, power and downsizing. Turbocharged vehicles, however, exhibit a weak point of poor drivability under transient running conditions. This poor drivability has a detrimental affect on the engines emission output during the transient phase. Various methods are being researched to improve transient performance of turbocharged engine systems. This study analyses the effectiveness of injecting air into the inlet manifold and the compressor at improving the transient performance of a turbocharged diesel engine when performing rapid load changes. The paper expands upon previous work carried out which demonstrates the potential of the system. Computer simulations have been used to analyse the transient engine performance including the drive train. The transient engine models have been developed to analyse the transient engine performance with various injection strategies. The air injection system was modelled by injecting air into the plenum on the intake manifold and using an additional torque on the compressor wheel. The injection pressure was set at a pressure of 3 bar, which is in commonly used range. The valve and additional compressor torque were programmed to activate at the same instant that the transient regime begins. To assess the effectiveness of the air injection strategies at improving the transient response of the engine the load step simulation was undertaken. During the simulations the air was injected either into the inlet manifold, compressor or both manifold and compressor also known as two point injection. A parametric study has been undertaken analysing vehicle speed, outlet pressure of the compressor, turbine inlet temperature and driver demand. It has been observed that the air injection systems improve the transient response of the turbocharger and the overall performance of the engine. The vehicle speed response has been shown to be greatly improved, with the time required for the engine to reach 30kph when air injection is used, reduced by 71% with an additional minor gain for two point injection. These Improvements to the transient performance lead to a significant reduction in engine emissions

Unsteady Interaction Of Turbocharger Compressor With IC Engine

Growing global concern pertaining to climate change has meant that engine development has become more focused on engine emissions. A method of reducing the emissions of an internal combustion (IC) engine is to use smaller engines but recover power lost due to reduction in size by using a turbocharger or supercharger. To ensure that a turbocharger is appropriate for a given engine it has to be matched correctly. This process is called turbocharger matching. Turbocharger matching ensures that the compressor is providing sufficient air to the engine over a wide range of operating conditions. Currently compressors are mapped by carrying out controlled experiments which put limits on its applicability to real world situations

Computer simulation of air injection to the inlet manifold on turbocharged engines

The drive to reduce engine emissions has placed an emphasis upon turbocharging especially with the trend of engine downsizing (1, 2). Turbocharged vehicles exhibit a weak point of poor drivability under transient running conditions. Reduced air flow in the combustion chamber while fuel is injected causes inadequate air fuel ratio (i.e. rich mixture). The result is an increased formation of emissions such as CO, NOx which contribute to environmental pollution. Air injection increases the air flow during the transient phase reducing the harmful emissions. Experimental work has shown that injecting air into the manifold greatly improves the transient response of the turbocharger (3, 4). This work has shown that air injection has a large effect upon improving the transient response. This paper shows the effects of air injection using computer simulations and the improvement that the air injection has on the response of the turbocharger within the engine system

Study of friction characteristics of a diesel engine running on different viscosity grade engine oils using conventional and acoustic emissions technique

Experimental studies were conducted on an off highway heavy duty diesel engine running on different viscosity grade engine oil, for determining the friction power in a firing engine by measuring the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) by in–cylinder pressure sensor and calculating the Indicated power and Brake power. It is known fact that hydrodynamic friction is related to the viscosity of engine oil and it has been shown that this friction can be reduced by using low viscosity grade engine oil [1]. Experimental results of friction power are compared with the novel use of non-intrusive acoustic emission (AE) technique to provide information pertaining to engine friction. Conventional method of friction assessment revealed that there is some improvement in reducing engine friction power when lower viscosity grade engine oil is used in place of recommended grade viscosity oil. These findings were corroborated with the modern AE technique which also indicated the benefits of using lower viscosity grade engine oil in reducing the friction. This paper will extend the scope of AE technique for analyzing friction of an engine and may provide an opportunity for inservice monitoring of efficient engine operation