2020 - Research for Agriculture

Exotic pest profile: spotted wing drosophila

The fly called spotted wing drosophila (SWD, Drosophila suzukii) is emerging as a global plant pest of significance. It attacks a range of soft skinned fruit and reduces crop yield and quality through direct feeding damage and secondary infection of the fruit.

Feb 17, 2020

agriculture, biosecurity, pests

Self-fertilizing almond trees secure the future of industry

In a world-leading research project funded by Hort Innovation, Australian scientists have successfully bred self-fertile almond varieties for growers that are not entirely reliant on bees for pollination.

Feb 17, 2020

industry, research

Soil. Photo by Melissa Marino. Copyright GRDC

Soil sampling in the spotlight

Growers dealing with highly variable soils are encouraged to take up to 30 soil samples in problem paddocks to ensure accuracy in test results, which will help to ensure they are not under-fertilising or over-fertilising crops.

Feb 14, 2020

crops

Wheat disease ‘boom and bust’ cycle discovered

Latest research, led by the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), has uncovered a ‘boom and bust’ pathogen cycle that may be the key to developing new and improved management strategies and disease ratings for the damaging wheat disease septoria nodorum blotch (SNB).

Feb 13, 2020

biosecurity, crops, research

Safeguarding your stock before and after a natural disaster

Across Australia, extreme weather comes and goes with the seasons. Fires, flood, droughts and storms have formed part of the short- and long-term cycles of weather on this continent forever.

Feb 13, 2020

biosecurity, livestock

Fall armyworm detected in Torres Strait

The exotic plant pest fall armyworm has been detected for the first time in Australia, in a network of surveillance traps on the northern Torres Strait islands of Saibai and Erub.

Feb 13, 2020

biosecurity, crops

Plants and animals sense nutrients the same way

Researchers at the University of Western Australia have discovered that plants and animals use the same signalling process to manage nutrient levels. The knowledge could help improve the use of energy in crops, leading to better yields in the future.

Feb 12, 2020

crops, research

Irrigation helps beat the heat

Large-scale irrigation can help alleviate and even reverse hot extremes driven by human activity and other drivers of global warming, a new international study has found.

Feb 12, 2020

research, water

MLA launches new way to access red meat research

Producers, researchers and industry stakeholders wanting to keep up to date with the latest in red meat research and development will now have access to a new, easy-to-read e-newsletter focused on the latest Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) research.

Feb 12, 2020

news, research

Science-Plants-breaking-rules-200204-SCIMEX

Rule-breaking plants as climate change survivors

Plants breaking some of the ecological rules might have a higher chance of surviving climate change, according to researchers from the University of Queensland and Trinity College Dublin.

Feb 12, 2020

climate, environment, research

Professor Ed Burton of Southern Cross Geoscience is looking at the levels of a toxic element in bushfire affected soil.

Lethal discovery in soil affected by bushfire

Geoscientists from Southern Cross University in northern NSW have made a world-first discovery in revealing the lethal legacy of soils scorched by bushfires.

Feb 12, 2020

research, soil

Measuring bushfire’s impact on vineyards

Grape growers and winemakers in key Australian wine regions are working with La Trobe University’s Professor Ian Porter to measure the impact of the 2020 bushfires.

Feb 12, 2020

environment, research

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