R[0]="7";

T[0]="Bedstraw confirmed in cereal crops";

A[0]="By ... Editor";

Dn[0]="20060222";

Dt[0]="Wednesday 22 February 2006";

Acats[0]="a02a22a24a74a85";

B1[0]="      The potentially serious weed three-horned bedstraw has been confirmed on two un-related properties in the Central and Great Southern agricultural regions..... ";

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S1[0]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The potentially serious weed three-horned bedstraw has been confirmed on two un-related properties in the Central and Great Southern agricultural regions.<BR> &nbsp; ";

S2[0]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; Targeted surveillance by the Department of Agriculture revealed bedstraw plants scattered over 100 hectares in the Central Agricultural region property in late August.<BR> ";

S3[0]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This was next to a 2004 barley paddock where bedstraw was found in a harvest sample.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The barley paddock ";

S4[0]=" was quarantined in 2004.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The plants found recently confirmed that the bedstraw seed present in last year's barley sample originated from that ";

S5[0]=" paddock.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Infested paddocks and high risk areas will be placed in quarantine and subjected to an eradication program.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Department ";

S6[0]=" weed scientist Jon Dodd said grain samples collected by Cooperative Bulk Handling during the 2004 harvest from the affected farm and from other farms in ";

S7[0]=" the district indicated that the infestation was limited to just the one property.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dr Dodd said Department staff had recently carried out ";

S8[0]=" on-ground surveillance at the known farm and other linked properties now that bedstraw plants were visible in crops and fallow.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To date ";

S9[0]=" this is the only property in the Central Agricultural region known to have this weed.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bedstraw plants found during the surveillance have ";

S10[0]=" ranged from seedlings to flowering plants.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; All have a characteristic sticky feel due to their covering of minute hooked bristles.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; ";

S11[0]=" &nbsp; Fully grown plants have a straggly, scrambling or climbing habit, with weak, branched square stems that can be up to one metre long,' he ";

S12[0]=" said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In the Great Southern region, a new infestation of bedstraw was found in an oat crop.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dr Dodd ";

S13[0]=" said thorough searching confirmed the weed's presence in about 0.5 hectare of the crop.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The affected area has since been sprayed with ";

S14[0]=" glyphosate.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Grain from the crop is likely to be exported, in order to minimise the risk of spreading bedstraw seeds to other ";

S15[0]=" areas in WA.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'The presence of the weed in crop-free areas within the oat crop indicates that it was not introduced with ";

S16[0]=" the seed, but more likely with feed grain that was fed out in the paddock in previous seasons,' he said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'In this ";

S17[0]=" instance, we are conducting trace-back activities to identify the source of the bedstraw seed that infested the crop.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The bedstraw-affected paddock will ";

S18[0]=" be placed in quarantine.' This latest find in the Great Southern appears to be unrelated to the three previous discoveries of this weed in WA.<BR> ";

S19[0]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Three-horned bedstraw is a declared weed in WA (P1, P2 schedule).<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This classification prohibits the movement of contaminated machinery.<BR> ";

S20[0]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Contaminated produce including livestock and fodder may not be imported and all plants found must be destroyed.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dr Dodd.. ";


R[1]="6";

T[1]="Vasse researches greener pastures";

A[1]="By ... Editor";

Dn[1]="20060222";

Dt[1]="Wednesday 22 February 2006";

Acats[1]="a02a24a67";

B1[1]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Western Australia s dairy industry is set to benefit from a major pasture research project underway at the Department of Agriculture s ";

B2[1]="Vasse Research Centre at Busselton... ";

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S1[1]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Western Australia's dairy industry is set to benefit from a major pasture research project underway at the Department of Agriculture's Vasse Research ";

S2[1]=" Centre at Busselton.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The new Greener Pastures project will be unveiled to dairy and beef producers at the Vasse Research Centre field ";

S3[1]=" day on 22 September.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Department development officer Bill Russell said the new dairy farm systems project would help farmers make smarter use ";

S4[1]=" of nutrients, especially nitrogen.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mr Russell said five nitrogen farmlets would look at pasture, milk production and profit responses, and rates of ";

S5[1]=" nitrogen leaching from nitrogen-based fertiliser from 0 to 400 kg/ha.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'Two innovation farms, one dry land and one irrigation, will develop and ";

S6[1]=" demonstrate tactics to use nitrogen more profitably while reducing losses,' Mr Russell said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'There will also be three partner farms to demonstrate ";

S7[1]=" low risk options for better nutrient use on commercial farms.' The Greener Pastures project, which commenced in July, is jointly funded by the Department of ";

S8[1]=" Agriculture, Dairy Australia, Western Dairy, CSIRO and the South West Catchments Council.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It also has strong links with DairyCatch, the local dairy ";

S9[1]=" industry resource management program.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Key speakers at the field day include Department researchers David Windsor, Martin Staines and Don Bennett to overview ";

S10[1]=" the project and its focus on nitrogen management.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fertiliser policy for the Innovation Farms and Nitrogen Farmlets will be covered by Mr ";

S11[1]=" Russell.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Consultant Dario Nandapi and researcher John Lucey will discuss pasture management and the Feeding Pasture for Profit project, while natural resource ";

S12[1]=" management consultant Vicki Staines will look at the links between Greener Pastures and the DairyCatch and Nutrient Smart projects.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'Although Greener Pastures ";

S13[1]=" is primarily focused on dairy farms, the project is just as relevant to beef and sheep farmers who are interested in getting more from their ";

S14[1]=" pastures and making smarter use of nutrients,' Mr Russell said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Vasse Research Centre is on Jalbarragup Road, Busselton.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ";

S15[1]=" The field day starts at 10.00 am Further information is available from Bill Russell at the Department's Bunbury office on 9780 6264.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ";

S16[1]=" Bookings should be made with Donna Sykes at Western Dairy on 9525 2663 by 20 September... ";

R[2]="5";

T[2]="Stripe rust threat reappears";

A[2]="By ... Editor";

Dn[2]="20060222";


Dt[2]="Wednesday 22 February 2006";

Acats[2]="a02a03a22a33";

B1[2]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stripe rust has been confirmed for the first time this season in susceptible wheat varieties on a property near Miling and in ";

B2[2]="a Department of Agriculture disease nursery trial at Manjimup... ";

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S1[2]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stripe rust has been confirmed for the first time this season in susceptible wheat varieties on a property near Miling and in ";

S2[2]=" a Department of Agriculture disease nursery trial at Manjimup.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Department plant pathologist Geoff Thomas said leaf rust of wheat, barley and oats ";

S3[2]=" had also been confirmed in crops at several sites throughout the wheatbelt over the past two weeks.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wheat leaf rust was found ";

S4[2]=" at Brookton, barley leaf rust at Gnowangerup, Badgingarra, Mullewa and Moonyoonooka and oat leaf rust at Mount Barker and from Kamballup to Green Range.<BR> &nbsp; ";

S5[2]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; Mr Thomas said the stripe rust became apparent as hotspots in susceptible varieties grown close to where stripe rust was present in 2004.<BR> ";

S6[2]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Neither site was protected with a fungicide at seeding.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'As expected, the long dry summer greatly reduced opportunities for ";

S7[2]=" early rust diseases this season due to the lack of significant summer regrowth,' Mr Thomas said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'However, heavy autumn rains through much ";

S8[2]=" of the wheatbelt resulted in extensive cereal regrowth and this potentially provided many sites for rust to build up.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'The widespread nature ";

S9[2]=" of these recent rust finds in wheat and barley indicate that infection which started earlier in the year is just becoming visible within crops.' Mr ";

S10[2]=" Thomas said the initial reports should act as a warning for growers to be alert for rust in their crops, particularly in areas close to ";

S11[2]=" where rust had already been identified.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; He said active monitoring of crops would help to identify rust early so that fungicides could ";

S12[2]=" be applied before the disease had time to progress and cause large yield losses.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'Stripe rust will initially be present as isolated ";

S13[2]=" lesions on a few leaves in the canopy.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As infection develops, hotspots will become apparent within the crop before infection develops rapidly ";

S14[2]=" throughout the crop,' Mr Thomas said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Factors which increase the rust risk include the use of susceptible varieties, early sown crops, proximity ";

S15[2]=" to early emerged wheat regrowth, presence of stripe rust in 2004, not having used upfront seed dressing or in-furrow fungicides and proximity to other infected ";

S16[2]=" crops this season.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crops which meet these criteria should be closely monitored for rust.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'While the first finds of ";

S17[2]=" rust are much later this year than in 2004, there is still potential for yield loss, particularly in susceptible varieties, later sown crops or longer ";

S18[2]=" season environments,' Mr Thomas said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'Where stripe rust is detected in crops with resistance ratings of 5 or less, they should be ";

S19[2]=" protected as soon as possible with a fungicide spray, including crops yet to reach the flag leaf emergence stage.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; However, trial work ";

S20[2]=" with stripe rust in 2004 showed that spraying a crop after it had finished flowering was not economic.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ' Mr Thomas said.. ";