Wheat

Wheat production accounts for 65% of total cereal production in Western Australia with about ten million tonnes generated annually in a rain-fed system across four million hectares of land.

About 95% of WA wheat is exported - predominantly to Asia and the Middle East - generating $2-5 billion in annual export earnings for the state.

Despite a decline in annual rainfall, the improvement in agronomic practices and development of new premium wheat varieties have enabled an increase in WA wheat yield over the past 30 years at a rate higher than world average.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has a strong research, development and extension focus on wheat production through its long history in wheat breeding - now privatised through Intergrain - and the development of wheat variety management packages for the state’s grain production zones.

Articles

Crop diseases: forecasts and management

11 December 2013

Information is provided here to assist management of diseases and viruses that occur in broadacre crops grown in Western Australia - cereals (wheat, barley, oats and triticale), pulses (field pea,
Managing yellow spot and septoria nodorum blotch in wheat

5 December 2013

Leaf spot diseases affecting wheat in Western Australia are septoria nodorum blotch, yellow spot and septoria tritici blotch.
Improving resistance to septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) in wheat

9 February 2016

Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) is a significant fungal disease of wheat. Resistant varieties would complement on-farm disease management practices to maintain grain yields under disease epidemics.
Smut and bunt diseases of cereal - biology, identification and management

13 December 2012

Cereal smut and bunt diseases are caused by fungi which parasitise the host plant and produce masses of soot-like spores in the leaves, grains or ears.
Managing stripe rust and leaf rust in wheat in Western Australia

13 December 2012

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) and leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) can be a significant threat to wheat crops in Western Australia in some seasons.
Fungicides for managing powdery mildew in wheat historical trial report

3 November 2016

Powdery mildew has become more prevalent in WA wheat crops over the past few years, particularly late in seasons.
GRDC Research Updates 2017: UAV monitoring of rhizoctonia bare patch

16 February 2017

Rhizoctonia patches can be easily identified by both normal and NDVI images captured by UAV.
Implications of the known wheat leaf rust pathotypes in WA

12 November 2013

This page provides information about known wheat leaf rust pathotypes in Western Australia (WA), including most recent incursions in 2013 and 2015.
Are early fungicide applications effective for yellow spot and septoria nodorum blotch in the low rainfall zone 2014 trial report

26 September 2014

Previous research in high rainfall zones or above average seasons has shown that in cases where leaf spot disease levels are high very early, fungicide application at or before first node (Z31) is
Wheat streak mosaic virus and wheat curl mite

5 December 2013

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is a seed and mite-borne virus that infects wheat causing severe leaf symptoms and reduced yields.