issue 150 january february 2021
This page shows the articles in issue 150 january february 2021 of GroundCover. As articles are developed and published online, the list below will grow until all articles are available.
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New tool guides Russian wheat aphid management
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 16 Dec 2020A new predictive tool for Russian wheat aphid (RWA) management aims to help Australian growers avoid yield losses and unnecessary expenditure on control costs. The tiny exotic pest has expanded its range across the country since it was detected in Tarlee, South Australia in 2016. RWA has been detected in five states in four years, including SA, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia.
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How to minimise wind erosion after soil amelioration
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 15 Dec 2020Severe wind events in the Western Australian grainbelt in 2020, especially in May, demonstrated that wind erosion after summer/autumn soil amelioration is a serious problem. Both ameliorated and non-ameliorated paddocks blew, but community attention focused on recently ameliorated and exposed soil.
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Paving the way for malting barley exports to Asia
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 12 Dec 2020The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre is engaging with brewers and maltsters in the important markets of India and Vietnam to pave the way for increased malting barley exports to those countries. By 2030, the size of the Indian malting barley market is likely to be between 450,000 and 650,000 tonnes.
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Forging a new path in the name of research
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 11 Dec 2020A research assistant in fungicide resistance is working on a project that focuses on ways to help barley growers better manage the risk of resistance in Pyrenophora teres f.sp. teres (Ptt), the damaging fungal pathogen that causes Net form of net blotch (NFNB) in barley. The PhD project aims to build on previous knowledge and research around NFNB fungicide resistance.
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Improving crop establishment in non-wetting soil
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 09 Dec 2020Long-term fixes to non-wetting soils, such as inverting, mixing and claying by ploughing, spading, delving and clay spreading, are expensive and unlikely to be implemented across a grower's whole non-wetting area in one or even several seasons. Shorter-term and strategies can be used on some parts of the farm while growers simultaneously fix non-wetting issues using longer-term approaches on other areas of a property.
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Guide to agricultural biotechnology and GM crops launched
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 08 Dec 2020The latest edition of the official Australian reference guide to agricultural biotechnology and GM crops was launched by the Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia recently. The guide was developed in conjunction with an expert national scientific panel and world-leading specialists in the field.
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Knife-point benefits vary when alleviating compaction
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 01 Dec 2020Benefits from using knife-points to alleviate compaction will be small and will vary with soil type, conditions, machine set-up and depth of compaction. They will not de-compact or mix soil as effectively as dedicated implements.
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Vetch trialled as a dual-purpose break crop
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 26 Nov 2020Difficult-to-manage sodic and dispersive soils make growing high-value pulse crops a challenge for the Allen family, but vetch is showing promise on soils less prone to transient waterlogging
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Above-average season a test for sodic soils
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 25 Nov 2020Highly alkaline sodic and dispersive subsoils are a significant production constraint for Peter and Robert Allen, but trials exploring the deep placement of amendments are finally starting to show promise as a tactic to improve crop water use and grain yields
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Wholegrains and legumes a boost for brain health
Issue 150, January-February 2021 - 24 Nov 2020Research has highlighted the brain health benefits of following a nutritious diet rich in wholegrains and legumes. The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council has examined the latest research in the field.