Horticulture bulletins

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Market opportunities for Western Australian mandarins and oranges

Manju Radhakrishnan

Citrus growing in Western Australian (WA) is concentrated north and south of Perth and in the north around Kununurra and Carnarvon. WA currently produces about 18 000 tonnes (t) of citrus each year. Most production is sold on the local Perth market, with negligible exports. ... Read more
Audit of WA agricultural lime quality 2013

Chris Gazey

Applying agricultural lime is the most economical way of ameliorating low soil pH in broadscale agriculture in Western Australia (WA). In WA, agricultural lime is usually limesand from coastal sand dunes, crushed limestone from coastal deposits or crushed dolomitic lime (usually marketed as dolomite) from ... Read more
Selections of the Houghton clones of Cabernet Sauvignon

Glynn Ward, Ian Cameron, and Richard Fennessy

Cabernet Sauvignon is the premium red wine grape variety grown in Western Australia. The high quality wines produced have won prestigious awards and accolades nationally and internationally. The first clonal selection of Cabernet Sauvignon in Western Australia was conducted by the Department of Agriculture at ... Read more
Subsurface compaction a guide for WA farmers and consultants

Stephen Davies and Alison Lacey

For plants to grow in agricultural soils, roots and emerging shoots must be able to force their way through the soil. In soils of high strength, this growth is physically restricted. High strength soils may be due to natural soil characteristics and conditions or develop ... Read more
Evaluation of alternative wine grape varieties in Manjimup, Western Australia

Kristen Kennison and Richard Fennessy

Since 1998 the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) in conjunction with the Western Australian Vine Improvement Association (WAVIA) have imported over 60 new varieties and clones of wine grape material into Western Australia. These new varieties and clones were identified by the ... Read more
Carbon capture project, final report. An evaluation of the opportunity and risks of carbon offset based enterprises in the Kimberley-Pilbara region of Western Australia

Mark Alchin, Elizabeth Tierney, and Chris Chilcott

Commercialisation of carbon in the Australian Rangelands could lead to the development of a multi-billion dollar industry, and Western Australia has the potential to capture a significant share of this revenue. A significant proportion of the WA Rangelands is degraded which is the legacy of ... Read more
Adoption of sustainable farm management to improve tailwater quality - A plan for the Ord River irrigation area

Tara Slaven, Rebecca Heath, and Jamie Bowyer

The overall purpose of this plan is to provide a clear pathway to improve adoption of sustainable farming practices. The focus of the plan is to develop and encourage adoption of practices that minimise sediment, nutrient and chemical export from agricultural land within the Ord ... Read more
Vegetable growing : a guide for home gardeners in Western Australia

Department of Agriculture, Western Australia

DAFWAs popular publication about vegetable growing for home gardeners.
Exporting vegetables in bulk : reducing supply chain costs without compromising quality

Helen Ramsey and Dennis Phillips

Increased competition, a strong Australian dollar and increased production costs have seen Australian grown vegetables steadily lose their share in traditional export markets.

As competition increases, we need to investigate production and handling techniques that improve our price and quality competitiveness.

Improving the effi ciency ... Read more
Diagnosing crop and pasture problems with Detective Doug

Doug Sawkins

There are numerous publications for diagnosing crop and pasture growth problems. Although they are excellent for experienced people, they can be time consuming and possibly misleading for the less experienced.

Many guidebooks assume that the user has already decided that their problem falls into the ... Read more
Compost production and use in horticulture

Bob Paulin and Peter O'Malley

Maintaining and improving soil organic carbon levels is becoming an increasingly important aspect of modern farming. Compost provides potentially one of the most effective ways of applying organic matter to soils and improving organic carbon levels.

Improving soil organic carbon is directly related to soil ... Read more
Greenhouse roses for cutflower production

Aileen Reid

Roses can be one of the more profitable flower crops to grow, but also one of the most difficult. Intensive, on-going management is necessary to obtain quality flowers.

The number of rose growers in Western Australia has declined. Many older growers have retired and are ... Read more
Returns to research and development investment of the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia : benefit cost analysis, 2006-2007

Peter Coyle, Editor; Roslyn Blanchard; Francis Bright; Paul Mattingley; and Manju Radhakrishnan

Strategic decision making is enhanced by the consideration of benefit cost analyses of many projects. Each year a selection of projects is evaluated to assist in the determination of the most appropriate allocation of funds. This is only one of the methods that are employed ... Read more
The Banksia production manual

Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

There has long been a need for a Banksia Production Manual. The benefit of such a manual is the ability to bring together the material written and published in a range of other publications and reports.

As far as possible the latest information has been ... Read more
Downy mildew in vineyards

Diana Fisher, Andrew Taylor, Colin Gordon, and Peter Magarey

Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, is a major fungal disease of grapevines that originates from North America. This disease was first detected in a commercial Western Australian vineyard in October 1998 and has since been found in most grape growing areas within the State. ... Read more
Returns to R&D investment of DAFWA: benefit cost analysis, 2005-2006

Nazrul Islam

The primary outcome or objective of the projects that are assessed, is to increase the market competitiveness and profitability of agri-industry.
Returns to research and development investment of Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia : benefit cost analysis 2005-2006

Nazrul Islam, Francis Bright, Peter Coyle, Peter Eckersley, Louise Evans, Joseph Gaffy, Allan Herbert, Ross Kingwell, Emma Kopke, and Peter Tozer

Programs of the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia apply benefit-cost analysis to assist in the allocation of funds to those areas likely to make the largest contribution to the rural economy and thus to achieve the Department outcome of increased market competitiveness and ... Read more
Organic apples a production guide

Steven McCoy

The belief among some conventional apple growers that it is not possible to reliably produce profitable yields of good quality apples under an organic system in Western Australia is being reconsidered. There are now very good examples of successful commercial organic apple orchards in many ... Read more
Organic mangoes a production guide

Steven McCoy

Mangoes have been identified as a prospective crop for conversion to organic production, particularly at Kununurra in the Ord River Irrigation Area.

Mangoes can also perform well under organic systems in other regions of WA, however variations in pest and disease pressures may require additional ... Read more
Growing olives in Western Australia

Richard Taylor and John Burt

There are about 9 million hectares of olives in the world, with the largest areas in Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia. Olives are grown between the latitudes of 30° and 45° from the equator. In Australia, the main producing areas are between latitudes 31° and ... Read more
Growing chinese cabbage in Western Australia

John Burt, Dennis Phillips, and David Gatter

Chinese cabbage is a member of the Brassiceae family, which may be called brassicas, crucifers or cole crops. This includes various crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, turnips, swedes and weeds such as wild radish.

In general trade, the term Chinese cabbage ... Read more
Apples at a glance from Western Australia

Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

Western Australia produces a range of horticultural commodities including fruit, vegetables, flowers, nursery products and wine as part of its fast $670 million growing horticultural industry. Natural advantages such as climate and clean environment, soils and water make Western Australia an ideal place to supply ... Read more
Baby boabs : the exciting new taste sensation from the Kimberley in Western Australia

Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

Baby boabs are the seedling stage of the large boab trees found in the Kimberley region. The seed of the fruit found in pods attached to the tree is planted and then grown for approximately 16 weeks depending on the season. This produces a tuber ... Read more
Brassicas from Western Australia at a glance

Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

Western Australia produces all of its domestic fresh broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Chinese cabbage requirements and is ideally positioned to service markets in Asia, the Indian Ocean region and beyond. Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei account for about 78 per cent of vegetable brassica exports from ... Read more
Phytophthora diseases of cutflower crops

Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

Phytophthora root rot is the most common soil borne disease causing plant death in native cut flower production. It is also a pathogen of exotic cutflower crops such as rose, lily, carnation, proteas and gerbera. The fungus, Phytophthora cinnamomi, the cause of jarrah dieback is ... Read more