Crops

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development continues to support the growth and international competitiveness of all crop industries in Western Australia.

With a 2400 kilometre span from its tropical north to its temperate south, WA supports a broad range of cropping industries from rain-fed winter cereals through to irrigated horticultural crops.

In the 2012/13 year the WA cropping industries exported a total of $3.9 billion which comprised: $3.1 billion of cereals, $859 million of pulses, pastures and oilseeds, $142 million of horticultural crops. The major contributors to these exports were wheat ($2.7 billion), canola ($756 million), barley ($377 million), lupins ($42 million), carrots at $48 million, oats ($12 million), and strawberries at $5.5 million.

Articles

Pasture recovery after fire

21 March 2018

Most unplanned fires have a drastic effect on a pasture. Fire changes the plant composition and reduces growth and carrying capacity in the following season.
Grazing annual pastures – using feed on offer (FOO) as a guide

22 November 2013

Grazing management in winter and spring in South West Western Australia (SW WA) can manipulate the quality, quantity and composition of pasture.
Pasture manipulation - for grass control

30 April 2015

Pasture manipulation is the application of herbicides for grass control early in the growing season (autumn or early winter).

It is often the preferred option for grass control.
Carbon farming: managing pastures to reduce sheep methane emissions

18 October 2013

Feed intake and methane emissions are influenced by the digestibility of the pasture and the concentration of plant secondary compounds such as tannins.
Carbon farming: managing pastures to reduce methane emissions from cattle

18 October 2013

Pastures that reduce methane emissions can be categorised into high quality grasses and legumes, and plants containing secondary metabolites such as tannins.
Biserrula

4 December 2012

Biserrula is a persistent pasture legumes for Mediterranean farming systems. Biserrula has hard seed, a deep root system and a high level of grazing tolerance.
French serradella - use and management

11 December 2012

Cadiz, Eliza, Margurita and Erica have different characteristics allowing them to be used in different agricultural systems.
Seed harvesting, processing and cleaning of serradella

8 January 2013

Cultivars of French serradella (Eliza, Cadiz, Erica and Margurita) and yellow serradella (Charano, Santorini and Yelbini) have been developed with the aim of reducing the cost of seed production.
Environmental impact of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers in high rainfall areas of Western Australia

10 December 2013

The most commonly used nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers in the high rainfall south-west of Western Australia can be leached into the groundwater and washed into waterways, resulting in serious e
Yellow-winged locusts

29 March 2018

Yellow-winged locusts (Gastrimargus musicus) are native insects, distinguished by bright yellow wings, they are 35-50mm in length when mature and make a distinctive clicking noise when fly