ScienceNetwork WA

RESEARCHERS say an increasing amount of land in Western Australia is being managed for environmental conservation, however mining companies are the single largest lease holder of what was previously pastoral land.

A NEW study has shown reducing rates of herbicide use on annual ryegrass may lead to increases in herbicide resistance affecting Australian crops.

WA has a new hope for drought-tolerant fodder during the dry months after researchers announce the plant tedera holds promise as a new pasture species for sheep and cattle.

THE Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia (POAMA) for seasonal forecasting may give farmers more certainty about seasonal outcomes by helping them make important farm-based decisions.

ACCORDING to research from the CSIRO, land administrators should be aware of the substantial ecological barriers and time frames involved in achieving rangelands of a particular composition following changes, as these have a major influence on what they can demand of pastoral leases.

EXPERTS at the State Biosecurity Forum recommend strong partnerships and global strategies to secure protection of present and future agriculture for WA.

IN a continuing bid to control the problematic rabbit population a new freeze-dried version of the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV) bait—also known as Rabbit Calicivirus Disease—is set to be released by June 2013, according to developers the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).

SCIENTISTS in the USA and Australia have revealed in a new study that there is a clear link between rising global temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and oceanic salinity levels.

ALTERNATIVE food networks—those outside of the established international agribusiness model—are gaining momentum as more and more consumers become interested in where and how their food is produced.

A MURDOCH PhD student has investigated the factors affecting glycogen levels in the meat of animals.

INSECTS may form a sustainable, nutritious alternative to meat in the effort to keep food production in pace with the planet’s booming population.

ACCORDING to Gingin Vermin Action Group, an economic incentive to cull foxes and feral cats is needed to control the impact on farming and native wildlife which is currently under threat.

ADEQUATE food that can be accessed by all West Australians from a safe, affordable, nutritious and environmentally sustainable food supply is a key priority in developing food security for the State.

WHILE the International Conference on Entomology, recently held in India, was meant to focus on pest and disease control for agricultural purposes, no one suspected that the theme would change from insect-killing to insect-saving, when came WA Professor of invertebrate conservation's turn to speak.

RESEARCHERS at Murdoch University, UWA and Meat and Livestock Australia are helping quantify the physiological responses to conditions faced by sheep on long haul voyages.

ONE of the world’s most highly produced food legumes, the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), has been part of a collaborative study that seeks to eliminate biotic and abiotic stresses that plague its growth.

THE WA Department of Agriculture has found regular pregnancy scanning of ewes equips farmers to tailor their husbandry standards resulting in increased lambing rates.

NEW research has found bananas are photoperiod responsive, overruling the widely accepted belief that temperature is the key variable in banana development.

THE effect of a high salt intake on ewes during pregnancy has been explored in a PhD study with collaborators from UWA, CSIRO Livestock Industries and Future Farm Industries CRC.

THE native saltbush species (Artiplex sp) has been found to aid prevention of vitamin E deficiency in sheep, improving the animal’s health and meat quality.