In this edition...
Minimising insect contamination at a snail's pace
Research has shown that although there are no options for managing insects pre-harvest, there are ways to minimise their effects after grain has been harvested.
Monitor 'green bridge' to maximise 2018 crops
Wet conditions during summer can result in weed and crop regrowth. This vegetation can serve as a ‘green bridge’ for diseases and pests which need a living plant to survive, such as cereal rusts and powdery mildew, root diseases and aphids.
Harvest lupins now to retain seed
Lupin growers intending to retain seed should harvest crops as soon as possible, rather than risk poor crop establishment from grain affected by rain. Research has found a reduction in germination rates of up to 40% in seed from wet lupin pods.
Act now to reduce wind erosion risk
Wind erosion risks can be reduced over summer by reducing soil exposure to wind and by reducing the erodibility of exposed soil by keeping enough ground cover to stop the top soil from blowing away.
2018 Barley Variety Guide now available
The guide includes a new section on best management agronomy to assist you to optimise production and profits, alongside updated information on existing and new lines.
Smooth sailing for gravel soils research project
A high-tech grains project is closer to developing more efficient and effective mechanisms to measure gravel soil properties, which will assist in optimising fertiliser and lime inputs and boosting crop potential.
Minimising insect contamination at a snail's pace
Research resulting from a Grains flagship program has shown that although there are no options for managing insects pre-harvest, there are ways to minimise their effects after grain has been harvested.
As a part of the Boosting Grains Research and Development program, Research Officer Dr Svetlana Micic and her team researched the best time of day to harvest grain to minimise small pointed (conical) snail contamination.
Remote cameras were used to monitor snail movement along stalks of barley and the rate of movement was scored.
Most snail movement was linked to specific times and showed snails did not move from 11am to 6pm.
Harvesting during the day will lead to less snails being found in harvested grain.
Time of harvest can affect numbers of vagrant insects (insects incidentally harvested with the grain).
For direct harvested crops, harvesting during the hottest part of the day can lead to a reduction in the numbers of European earwigs, snails and beetles being incidentally harvested.
These insects tend to move at night and higher numbers can be found in grain harvested during the night than day.
If harvesting swaths, consider harvesting as soon as practicable.
The longer a swath is on the ground, the more vagrant insects tend to be found and incidentally harvested.
Swath height should also be considered as swaths that are close to or on the ground tend to have more vagrant insects in the grain.
For more information contact Dr Svetlana Micic, Research Officer, Albany +61 (0)8 9892 8591.
Monitor 'green bridge' to maximise 2018 crops
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is urging grain growers to monitor green bridge to minimise insect pests and plant diseases in crops in 2018.
Wet conditions during summer can result in weed and crop regrowth.
This vegetation can serve as a ‘green bridge’ for diseases and pests which need a living plant to survive, such as cereal rusts and powdery mildew, root diseases and aphids.
If weeds and/or volunteers are present at the start of the new cropping season, particularly in or adjacent to cropping paddocks, there is a greater risk of early spread of pests, viruses and diseases to newly emerging crops.
Rust spores are wind dispersed and can easily spread from one end of the Wheatbelt to the other.
This year, wheat leaf rust was found from Yuna to Esperance, and barley leaf rust and powdery mildew (in wheat and barley) were common in central and southern crops.
If there is a wet summer and autumn in 2018 there is a risk that the inoculum of these diseases may be carried into the new cropping season.
In addition to reducing disease risk, controlling summer weeds and volunteers aids in subsoil moisture and nutrient retention.
Disease management strategies for 2018
To minimise this risk growers are encouraged to monitor any green bridge for disease so that timely action can be taken to identify the pathogen and limit the spread and build-up of inoculum.
It is crucial that growers kill weeds and crop volunteers, including those along fence lines, prior to the start of the cropping program to reduce potential pest and disease outbreaks.
Ideally there needs to be a break (a fallow period) of at least two weeks free of vegetation capable of hosting disease or pests prior to sowing.
To achieve this, the weeds and volunteers should be sprayed with herbicide at least four to six weeks before sowing, to ensure weeds are completely dead at planting.
Alternatives to herbicides include heavy grazing or paddock cultivation which will reduce the potential of weeds and crop volunteers as a green bridge.
In addition to managing the green bridge, growers can take the following actions.
Treat seed
Loose smut was widely seen in 2017 especially in the southern and the central regions of the Wheatbelt. If crops were smutted, then treating seed with a premium type fungicidal seed dressing (and slowing augers down when applying it) is recommended for 2018.
Disease ratings
Know the latest disease ratings of varieties and plan accordingly. Choose adult plant resistant varieties. Crop variety guides detail the disease susceptibility for each variety. These are available for all grains by searching the DPIRD website.
Fungicides
Consider applying in-furrow or seed dressing fungicides to reduce your risk of early infection of diseases such as rusts, net blotches and powdery mildew in susceptible varieties, and rhizoctonia, crown rot and take-all.
For more information see the Department's Seed dressing and in-furrow fungicides for cereals in Western Australia.
In case of early disease outbreak, budget for early foliar fungicide sprays where upfront fungicides are not used.
For more information visit the department's Registered foliar fungicides for cereals in Western Australia.
Planning
Reduce exposure to stubble borne diseases through rotation and careful paddock planning (to avoid sowing on or adjacent to infected stubble) or stubble management (such as grazing, windrowing, baling, incorporating or burning).
Earlier sown crops may be more at risk of some foliar diseases such as powdery mildew, net blotches of barley, septoria and yellow spot of wheat so consider later sowing of susceptible varieties and at risk paddocks, or at least plan to monitor earliest sown paddocks closely for disease.
More information can be found at;
Control of green bridge for pest and disease management (DPIRD website)
Green Bridge fact sheet (Grains Research and Development Corporation).
Crop diseases: forecasts and management (DPIRD website)
For more information on crop diseases contact
Plant Pathologists
Kithsiri Jayasena, Albany on +61 (0)8 9892 8477
Geoff Thomas, South Perth on +61 (0)8 9368 3262
Andrea Hills, Esperance on +61 (0)8 9083 1144
Ciara Beard, Geraldton on +61 (0)8 9956 8504.
For more information on crop viruses contact Brenda Coutts, Virologist, South Perth on +61 (0)8 9368 3266.
Harvest lupins now to retain seed
Lupin growers intending to retain seed should harvest crops as soon as possible, rather than risk poor crop establishment from grain affected by rain.
Research conducted by Department of Primary Industries ad Regional Development (DPIRD) research officer Martin Harries has found a reduction in germination rates of up to 40% in seed from wet lupin pods.
While many variables could influence the severity of rain damage on wet pods, the impact on germination rates was conclusive and the reduction in seed quality was even greater than expected.
Widespread, variable spring rainfall this season and crops maturing at different times mean it is important for growers to evaluate their harvest program carefully and to prioritise lupin crops destined for seed.
For best results:
- get lupin seed tested before sowing, even if harvesting early, to make sure you have quality seed for next year’s plantings.
- carefully store lupins over summer and aerate them to maintain the quality of the retained seed.
For information about managing weather damaged seed and storage see Retaining seed fact sheet (Grains Research and Development Corporation).
More information about Seed testing services provided by the department’s Diagnostic Laboratory Services can be found on the department’s website.
For more information contact Martin Harries, Research Officer, +61 (0)8 9956 8553.
Act now to reduce wind erosion risk
Wind erosion risks can be reduced over summer if producers act now, is the message being delivered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Producers can do this by reducing soil exposure to wind and by reducing the erodibility of exposed soil by keeping enough ground cover to stop the top soil from blowing away.
The department recommends having at least 50% ground cover, regardless of soil type, to provide wind erosion protection through to the start of new-season growth.
This level of ground cover is about one tonne per hectare (t/ha) of wheat stubble, two t/ha lupin stubble or 0.5 t/ha pasture.
If planning to cultivate for the next crop, more ground cover may be required.
Anchored stubble needs to make up 30% of the total cover as this prevents unanchored stubble from blowing away.
Stubble that is lying down reduces erosion risk as long as it does not blow away.
The north-eastern grain belt is likely to have a high risk of wind erosion, because the year started with decile one rainfall.
In this area, reduce all movement and disturbance of the soil in paddocks that are already at risk of erosion.
It is possible that the soil has formed an armouring layer that will protect the soil from the wind
For those with livestock, remove livestock as soon as ground cover levels drop to 50% or bare patches start to appear.
Producers may need to place stock in feed lots or other stable areas to protect paddocks from erosion.
Minimise vehicle traffic in all paddocks and protect bare areas, such as around gates and fence lines.
Summer weeds can be used to protect the soil, so in high risk areas spray as late as possible to control weed seed set.
Summer storms can be very erosive on bare paddocks.
Now is a good time to check and repair contour banks and drainage lines to improve safe disposal of surface water from storms.
The department recently updated its Dry Season Resources webpage with information on diagnosing and managing the risk of wind erosion.
Supplementry feeding of sheep was the topic of a recent DPIRD media release Sheep feeding set to start earlier.
For more information contact Justin Laycock, Research Officer, South Perth on +61 (0)8 9368 3832.
2018 Barley Variety Sowing Guide now available
The 2018 Barley variety sowing guide for Western Australia is now available.
The guide includes a new section on best management agronomy to assist you to optimise production and profits, alongside updated information on existing and new lines.
It has been produced by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), with support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
It draws on results from the department’s agronomy trials from across the Grainbelt, the GRDC’s National Variety Trials (NVT), and information from commercial breeders and agronomists.
The best management agronomy chapter can help you to cultivate the right barley variety in the right environment with appropriate management to meet market requirements.
It focuses on two key production drivers – grain protein management for malt barley and target plant densities for both malt and feed barley.
The guide provides updated details about current malt and feed barley varieties, as well as the new feed varieties LG Malstar and RGT Planet.
It also features variety yield comparisons, disease resistance ratings, herbicide tolerance data and an overview of the agronomic attributes of malt and feed varieties.
A selection of quick reference variety fact sheets on 17 malt and feed varieties are also included.
The 2018 Barley variety sowing guide for Western Australia is available on the department’s website.
Hard copies are being sent to subscribers to the GRDC’s GroundCover network magazine directly and can also be requested from department offices.
For more information contact Georgia Trainor, Development Officer, +61 (0)8 9690 2083.
Smooth sailing for gravel soils research project
A high-tech grains project is closer to developing more efficient and effective mechanisms to measure gravel soil properties, which will assist in optimising fertiliser and lime inputs and boosting crop potential.
Gravel soils are found across 3.45 million hectares of the Western Australian Grainbelt, which affect soil nutrient supply, acidification rates, water flow and compaction.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is collaborating with the University of Western Australia on the Grains Research Flagship project, to develop methods for rapid assessment of gravel soils.
The first of the project’s three components had been completed, to develop an infield method of measuring bulk density (the weight-to-volume ratio), of a soil sample.
Bulk density is a key indicator of soil fertility and compaction in gravel soils and the new mechanism took about one-third of the time to calculate soil bulk density and was more accurate.
A 3D camera scans a soil sampling hole, which is linked to computer software that evaluates the volume of the hole to provide a measurement of the bulk density.
It takes just 30 seconds to scan a sample hole and, depending on the soil type, about five minutes to complete the process of digging the hole, scanning and processing the scanned image.
A 3D camera is also being used in a second component of the project, to measure and classify the type of gravel in a soil sample and the aim is to develop a laboratory technique using a 3D camera to pick out gravel stones from a soil sample and measure their size and distribution.
The results will be married with a predictive model to determine the mineralogy of the sample, based on the stones’ colour, shape and surface roughness.
The team is about two-thirds the way through this research, which should make gravel soil classification cheaper and quicker without loss of accuracy.
Work has also progressed on the third component of the project, to produce a 3D digital image of a soil profile after it has been inverted by tillage.
The measuring device could provide an accurate measurement and visual demonstration of the soil profile, which has not been possible before.
The research is one of a suite of flagship projects to address Western Australian production constraints, which is a part of the department’s Boosting Grains Research and Development initiative.
For more information about this and other flagship projects visit the Boosting Grains Research and Development - Flagship Projects page on the department’s website.
For more information contact Craig Scanlan, Development Officer, Northam on +61 (0)8 9690 2174.