Opportunities and trade-offs in dual-purpose cereals across the southern Australian mixed-farming zone: a modelling study

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Relative Reduction ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Dual-purpose cereals are employed in the high-rainfall zone of southern Australia to provide additional winter forage. Recently there has been interest in applying this technology in the drier environments of South and Western Australia. It would therefore be useful to gain an understanding of the trade-offs and risks associated with grazing wheat crops in different locations. In this study the APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator) crop and soil simulation models were linked to the GRAZPLAN pasture and livestock models and used to examine the benefits and costs of grazing cereal crops at 21 locations spanning seven of the regions participating in the Grain & Graze research, development and extension program. A self-contained part of a mixed farm (an annual pasture–wheat rotation plus permanent pastures) supporting a breeding ewe enterprise was simulated. At each location the consequences were examined of: (i) replacing a spring wheat cultivar with a dual-purpose cultivar (cv. Wedgetail or Tennant) in 1 year of the rotation; and (ii) either grazing that crop in winter, or leaving it ungrazed. The frequency of early sowing opportunities enabling the use of a dual-purpose cultivar was high. When left ungrazed the dual-purpose cultivars yielded less grain on average (by 0.1–0.9 t/ha) than spring cultivars in Western Australia and the Eyre Peninsula but more (by 0.25–0.8 t/ha) in south-eastern Australia. Stocking rate and hence animal production per ha could be increased proportionately more when a dual-purpose cultivar was used for grazing; because of the adjustments to stocking rates, grazing of the wheat had little effect on lamb sale weights. Across locations, the relative reduction in wheat yield caused by grazing the wheats was proportional to the grazing pressure upon them. Any economic advantage of moving to a dual-purpose system is likely to arise mainly from the benefit to livestock production in Western Australia, but primarily from grain production in south-eastern Australia (including the Mallee region). Between years, the relationship between increased livestock production and decreased grain yield from grazing crops shifts widely; it may therefore be possible to identify flexible grazing rules that optimise this trade-off.

Quality and potential utility of ENSO-based forecasts of spring rainfall and wheat yield in south-eastern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Anwar ◽  
D. Rodriguez ◽  
D. L. Liu ◽  
S. Power ◽  
G. J. O'Leary
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Good Reliability ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Reliable seasonal climate forecasts are needed to aid tactical crop management decisions in south-eastern Australia (SEA). In this study we assessed the quality of two existing forecasting systems, i.e. the five phases of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and a three phase Pacific Ocean sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), to predict spring rainfall (i.e. rainfall from 1 September to 31 November), and simulated wheat yield. The quality of the forecasts was evaluated by analysing four attributes of their performance: their reliability, the relative degree of shift and dispersion of the distributions, and measure of forecast consistency or skill. Available data included 117 years of spring rainfall and 104 years of grain yield simulated using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model, from four locations in SEA. Average values of spring rainfall were 102–174 mm with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 47%. Average simulated wheat yields were highest (5609 kg/ha) in Albury (New South Wales) and lowest (1668 kg/ha) in Birchip (Victoria). The average CV for simulated grain yields was 36%. Griffith (NSW) had the highest yield variability (CV = 50%). Some of this year-to-year variation was related to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Spring rainfall and simulated wheat yields showed a clear association with the SOI and SST phases at the end of July. Important variations in shift and dispersion in spring rainfall and simulated wheat yields were observed across the studied locations. The forecasts showed good reliability, indicating that both forecasting systems could be used with confidence to forecast spring rainfall or wheat yield as early as the end of July. The consistency of the forecast of spring rainfall and simulated wheat yield was 60–83%. We concluded that adequate forecasts of spring rainfall and grain yield could be produced at the end of July, using both the SOI and SST phase systems. These results are discussed in relation to the potential benefit of making tactical top-dress applications of nitrogen fertilisers during early August.

A new genus for an Australian thrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) presumed predatory on a waxy eriococcid (Hemiptera, Coccoidea)

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1645 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURENCE A. MOUND ◽  
ALICE WELLS
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Immature Stages ◽  
Single Female ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Callococcithrips gen.n. is erected for the species Rhynchothrips fuscipennis Moulton that lives only among the protective waxy secretions of an eriococcid on Kunzea in south-eastern Australia. Larvae and adults of this thrips move rapidly amongst the sticky wax strands, and their maxillary stylets are unusually long and convoluted. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the thrips is predatory on immature stages of the eriococcid. Also transferred to this genus is Liothrips atratus Moulton, based on a single female from Western Australia.

Evaluating the accuracy of the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) simulating growth, development, and herbage nutritive characteristics of forage crops grown in the south-eastern dairy regions of Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Pembleton ◽  
R. P. Rawnsley ◽  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
F. J. Mickan ◽  
G. N. O'Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Crop Phenology ◽  
Forage Crop ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Forage Rape ◽  
Agricultural Production Systems ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Pasture-based dairy farms are a complex system involving interactions between soils, pastures, forage crops, and livestock as well as the economic and social aspects of the business. Consequently, biophysical and farm systems models are becoming important tools to study pasture-based dairy systems. However, there is currently a paucity of modelling tools available for the simulation of one key component of the system—forage crops. This study evaluated the accuracy of the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) in simulating dry matter (DM) yield, phenology, and herbage nutritive characteristics of forage crops grown in the dairy regions of south-eastern Australia. Simulation results were compared with data for forage wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), oats (Avena sativa L.), forage rape (Brassica napus L.), forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), and maize (Zea mays L.) collated from previous field research and demonstration activities undertaken across the dairy regions of south-eastern Australia. This study showed that APSIM adequately predicted the DM yield of forage crops, as evidenced by the range of values for the coefficient of determination (0.58–0.95), correlation coefficient (0.76–0.94), and bias correction factor (0.97–1.00). Crop phenology for maize, forage wheat, and oats was predicted with similar accuracy to forage crop DM yield, whereas the phenology of forage rape and forage sorghum was poorly predicted (R2 values 0.38 and 0.80, correlation coefficient 0.62 and –0.90, and bias correction factors 0.67 and 0.28, respectively). Herbage nutritive characteristics for all crop species were poorly predicted. While the selection of a model to explore an aspect of agricultural production will depend on the specific problem being addressed, the performance of APSIM in simulating forage crop DM yield and, in many cases, crop phenology, coupled with its ease of use, open access, and science-based mechanistic methods of simulating agricultural and crop processes, makes it an ideal model for exploring the influence of management and environment on forage crops grown on dairy farms in south-eastern Australia. Potential future model developments and improvements are discussed in the context of the results of this validation analysis.

Larvae of Leptus (Acarina : Erythraeidae) ectoparasitic on higher insects of Australia and New Guinea

1993 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
RV Southcott
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Larval Leptus (Acarina : Erythraeidae) ectoparasitic on higher insects (Neuroptera. Coleoptera. Lepidoptera. Hymenoptera) are comprehensively reviewed (Diptera were considered previously) . The new species (all from Australia) comprise: L. spinalatus (from Neuroptera); L. belicolus. L. cerambycius. L. faini. L. halli. L. heleus. L. jenseni. L. orthrius. L. tarranus. L. titinius. L. truncatus. L. utheri (all from Coleoptera); L. agrotis, L. georgeae (from Lepidoptera); and L. monteithi (from Hymenoptera). A key is given to the larvae of Leptus from Australia and New Guinea . L. agrotis is an ectoparasite of Agrotis infusa (Boisduval), the bogong moth, whose larvae are an important pasture pest in south-eastern Australia; as well as the larva, the deutonymph and adult are described. Leptus boggohoranus Haitlinger is recorded from a further New Guinea species of Coleoptera. L. charon Southcott, originally described from an Australian dipteran, is recorded as ectoparasitic on an Australian larval lepidopteran (Anthela sp., Anthelidae), as well as from adult Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Leptus trucidatus (Hull, 1923), comb. nov., is proposed for Achorolophus trucidatus Hull, 1923, an adult from Western Australia.

Morphological evaluation of the Drosera peltata complex (Droseraceae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Gibson ◽  
Barry J. Conn ◽  
Jeremy J. Bruhl
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Morphological Evaluation ◽  
Granite Outcrops ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
South Eastern Australia

A phenetic study of morphological characters of the Drosera peltata complex (Droseraceae) supports the recognition of the following taxa: D. peltata from wetlands of south-eastern Australia; D. auriculata from south-eastern Australia and New Zealand; the morphologically variable D. hookeri from south-eastern Australia and northern New Zealand; the widespread D. lunata from southern and South-East Asia, as well as northern and north-eastern Australia; and the new species D. yilgarnensis R.P.Gibson & B.J.Conn is here described, from around granite outcrops of south-western Australia. D. bicolor from south-western Australia is recognised as a distinct species outside of the D. peltata complex. D. insolita, considered until recently as a distinct species, is reduced to synonymy of D. lunata. Phenotypic plasticity, vegetative similarity and fleetingly produced diagnostic floral and seed characters within the complex pose significant challenges in understanding the taxonomy of these taxa.

scholarly journals Cost-benefit trade-offs of bird activity in apple orchards

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca K. Peisley ◽  
Manu E. Saunders ◽  
Gary W. Luck
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Codling Moth ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Bird Damage ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Birds active in apple orchards in south–eastern Australia can contribute positively (e.g., control crop pests) or negatively (e.g., crop damage) to crop yields. Our study is the first to identify net outcomes of these activities, using six apple orchards, varying in management intensity, in south–eastern Australia as a study system. We also conducted a predation experiment using real and artificial codling moth (Cydia pomonella) larvae (a major pest in apple crops). We found that: (1) excluding birds from branches of apple trees resulted in an average of 12.8% more apples damaged by insects; (2) bird damage to apples was low (1.9% of apples); and (3) when trading off the potential benefits (biological control) with costs (bird damage to apples), birds provided an overall net benefit to orchard growers. We found that predation of real codling moth larvae was higher than for plasticine larvae, suggesting that plasticine prey models are not useful for inferring actual predation levels. Our study shows how complex ecological interactions between birds and invertebrates affect crop yield in apples, and provides practical strategies for improving the sustainability of orchard systems.

Resistance to Phomopsis stem and pod blight of narrow-leafed lupin in a range of environments and its association with reduced Phomopsis seed infection.

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
WA Cowling ◽  
PM Wood
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Seed Infection ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
Mean Frequency ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Resistant Lines ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Phomopsis Leptostromiformis ◽  
The Mean ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Resistance to Phomopsis stem and pod blight, caused by Phomopsis leptostromiformis (Knhn) Bubak, in narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) was consistently expressed at 5 sites in the southwest of Western Australia and 5 sites in south-eastern Australia in 1984. There was a high correlation (r = 0.95, P< 0.001) of mean Phomopsis stem ratings on the 8 breeding lines and 2 cultivars between the 2 regions of southern Australia. The mean frequency of seed infection by P. leptostromiformis in 6 resistant lines in Western Australia ranged from 0.1 to 1.0% compared with 1.4% in 75A65-5 (a line with intermediate resistance) and 2.0% in Yandee and Chittick (susceptible cultivars). In south-eastern Australia, mean seed infection in 6 resistant lines ranged from 0.0-0.6% compared with 2.3% in 75A65-5, 1.6% in Yandee, and 1.1% in Chittick. There was also a correlation (r = 0.73, P < 0.05) of mean seed infection levels in the 8 lines and 2 cultivars between the regions. Pod blight occurred at significantly lower frequency in resistant lines than in susceptible cultivars at 3 sites in Western Australia where pod lesions were visible. Correlations among Phomopsis stem ratings, pod blight severity, and the frequency of seed infection among lines and cultivars were significantly positive in all comparisons at individual sites and when averaged across the 2 regions of southern Australia.

Integrating dual-purpose wheat and canola into high-rainfall livestock systems in south-eastern Australia. 2. Pasture and livestock production

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 377 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dove ◽  
J. A. Kirkegaard ◽  
W. M. Kelman ◽  
S. J. Sprague ◽  
S. E. McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Winter Canola ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Winter Temperatures ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Livestock Systems ◽  
South Eastern Australia

In south-eastern Australia, low winter temperatures often reduce pasture growth and thus winter herbage supply relative to livestock requirements. Grazing of vegetative grain crops in winter is one strategy that might overcome this feed gap. In a study with young sheep over two seasons near Canberra, ACT, we compared pasture-only grazing with three separate crop–livestock systems in which the sheep grazed long-season wheat, winter canola or a combination of these, for intervals over the period May–August. We measured forage biomass, sheep grazing days (SGD) and liveweight accumulated per ha. Crop-grazing treatments resulted in much more winter forage for grazing sheep (t DM ha–1): in 2010, one crop 2.5–3.0, two crops 3.5 v. pasture only 1; in 2011, one crop 2, two crops 3 v. pasture only 1.4. In the first season, grazing one crop resulted in ~2000 extra SGD ha–1 and the accumulation of more liveweight per ha than in the pasture-only treatment; grazing of two crops resulted in >3500 extra SGD ha–1. Equivalent values in the second, drier season were: one crop, ~1000 extra SGD ha–1; two crops, 2600 extra SGD ha–1. Spelling of pastures during crop grazing led to extra pasture growth, such that in each of the two seasons, 40% of the total benefit in extra SGD per ha came from the extra pasture. The results indicate that, like grazed wheat, grazed canola can provide valuable winter forage, especially when used together with wheat. The data also provide the first quantification of the effect of crop grazing on pasture spelling and subsequent pasture supply, and suggest value in the incorporation of grazing wheat and canola into grazing systems in the high-rainfall zone.

The genus Lithophyllum (Lithophylloideae, Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) in south-eastern Australia, with the description of L. riosmenae, sp. nov.

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 296 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Harvey ◽  
Wm J. Woelkerling ◽  
A. J. K. Millar
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Diagnostic Characters ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Biogeographic Regions ◽  
Warm Temperate ◽  
South Eastern Australia

The genus Lithophyllum (Lithophylloideae, Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) is represented by six species in south-eastern Australia L. chamberlainianum Woelkerling & Campbell, L. corallinae (Crouan & Crouan) Heydrich, L. cuneatum Keats, L. pustulatum (Lamouroux) Foslie, L. riosmenae, sp. nov., and L. stictaeforme (Areschoug in Agardh) Hauck. Four of these taxa are commonly found in Australia, whereas L. cuneatum was previously known only from Fiji and L. riosmenae is newly described. Morphological and anatomical accounts are provided, including keys, information on distribution, nomenclature and habitat in south-eastern Australia. South-eastern Australian species are primarily delimited on characters relating to tetrasporangial conceptacles and the presence/absence of a semi-endophytic habit. Ten species of Lithophyllum are now confirmed to occur in Australia and their diagnostic characters are detailed. Confirmed Australian species of Lithophyllum are primarily delimited on characters relating to tetrasporangial conceptacles, the presence/absence of a semi-endophytic habit and the growth-form. Biogeographic comparisons between south-eastern Australia and other Australian biogeographic regions are also made. Eight species of Lithophyllum are known to occur in southern Australia, three in tropical eastern Australia and three in subtropical western Australia. Southern and south-eastern Australia show major overlap, with five species occurring in both regions. L. pustulatum and L. stictaeformae are widely distributed, having been confirmed to occur in eastern tropical, western subtropical, warm temperate and cold temperate waters within Australia.

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