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

  • Tissue culture is the best method for propagating bananas. It ensures they are true to type and free from pests and diseases.

  • The Australian National Mango Breeding Program was initiated in 1994 between four state, territory and federal agricultural organisations.

  • Three new mango varieties have been developed by the National Mango Breeding Program (NMBP). NMBP-1243 is a hybrid cross between Irwin and Kensington Pride (KP).

  • Selecting the right rootstock for your orchard is one of the most important decisions you will have to make.

  • Many new navel and Valencia orange varieties have become available in recent years and are currently being evaluated under West Australian conditions.

  • Many new varieties of mandarins and tangors have become available in Western Australia with desirable traits for consumers such as few or no seeds and loose skin (easy peel).

  • Pollination is one of the keys to profitable apple production. As a general rule, apple varieties are not self-fertile and will not set a full crop without a compatible polliniser.

  • Mango fruit produced in the Perth area is seasonally the latest in Australia and receives high prices in WA and interstate.

  • While Hass avocados are commonly grown in the South-West of Western Australia without a cross-polliniser variety, much interest has focused around the potential benefits of using a suitable cross-p