The Australian Agronomist Spring 2018 by The Australian Agronomist

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MAGAZINE

SPRING 2018 ISSUE 14

Manure slipping through (soil) cracks

Defining the role of agronomist in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agricultural landscape

Soil bugs munch on plastic

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

The greatest potential lies in their most valuable asset.

CONTENTS 4 SOIL BUGS MUNCH ON PLASTIC

16 SCREENING SERVICE TO TEST FOR INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE IN CROP PESTS

18 8 BIG FUTURE PREDICTED FOR GROUP 7 BANANA FUNGICIDE

28 DEFINING THE ROLE OF AGRONOMIST IN TODAY’S AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE

REWIRING PLANT DEFENCE GENES TO REDUCE CROP WASTE

22 AGRONOMY SOLUTIONS USING HYPER SPECTRAL IMAGING

30 BENEFITS TO FLOW FROM WATER EFFICIENT WHEAT RESEARCH

MURDOCH RESEARCH CENTRE

REVOLUTIONISES

GRAINS RESEARCH

AUSTRALIA’S TOP YOUNG SCIENTISTS RECOGNISED WITH PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

SOIL SEARCHING FOR BETTER PRODUCTIVITY

FERTILISER MAY DESTROY PLANT MICROBIOME’S ABILITY TO PROTECT AGAINST DISEASE

NEW APP GIVES FARMERS REAL-TIME GRAIN OF TRUTH

42 NEWLY DISCOVERED XENOMORPH WASP WITH ALIENLIKE LIFECYCLE

44 WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL BARLEY VARIETY LOCALLY GROWN AND LOCALLY BREWED

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SOIL BUGS MUNCH ON PLASTIC OUR WORLD IS DROWNING IN A FLOOD OF PLASTIC. EIGHT MILLION TONS OF PLASTIC END UP IN THE OCEANS EVERY YEAR. AGRICULTURAL SOILS ARE ALSO THREATENED BY PLASTIC POLLUTION. FARMERS AROUND THE WORLD APPLY ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF POLYETHYLENE (PE) MULCH FILMS ONTO SOILS TO COMBAT WEEDS, INCREASE SOIL TEMPERATURE AND KEEP THE SOIL MOIST, THEREBY INCREASING OVERALL CROP YIELDS. After harvest, it often is impossible for farmers to re-collect the entire films, particularly when films are only a few micrometres thin. Film debris then makes its way into the soil and accumulates in the soil over time, because PE does not biodegrade. Film residues in soils decrease soil fertility, interfere with water transport and diminish crop growth. Soil microbes mineralise films composed of alternative polymer Researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) have now shown in an interdisciplinary study that there is reason to be hopeful. In their recently published study, they demonstrate that soil microbes degrade films composed of the alternative polymer poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). In the research project co-ordinated by Michael Sander, Kristopher McNeill and Hans-Peter Kohler, former ETH doctoral student Michael Zumstein succeeded in demonstrating that soil microorganisms metabolically utilised the carbon in the PBAT polymer both for energy production and also to build up microbial biomass. “This research directly demonstrates, for the first time, that soil microorganisms mineralise PBAT films in soils and transfer carbon from the polymer into their biomass,” says Michael Sander, Senior Scientist in the Environmental Chemistry Group in the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. Like PE, PBAT is a petroleum-based polymer that is used to make various products, including mulch films. Because PBAT was already classified as biodegradable in compost, the ETH and Eawag researchers aimed at assessing whether PBAT also biodegrades in agricultural soils. By comparison, PE does not biodegrade in compost or in soil. 4

Labelling of polymer with carbon-13 In their experiments, the researchers used PBAT material that was custom-synthesised from monomers to contain a defined amount of the stable carbon-13 isotope. This isotope label enabled the scientists to track the polymer-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways in soil. Upon biodegrading PBAT, the soil microorganisms liberated carbon-13 from the polymer. Using isotope-sensitive analytical equipment, the researchers found that the carbon-13 from PBAT was not only converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) as a result of microbial respiration but also incorporated into the biomass of microorganisms colonizing the polymer surface. True biodegradation “The beauty of our study is that we used stable isotopes to precisely track PBAT-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways of the polymer in the soil,” says Michael Zumstein. The researchers are the first to successfully demonstrate, with high scientific rigour, that a plastic material is effectively biodegraded in soils. Because not all materials that were labelled ‘biodegradable’ in the past really fulfilled the necessary criteria. “By definition biodegradation demands that microbes metabolically use all carbon in the polymer chains for energy production and biomass formation, as we now demonstrated for PBAT,” said Hans-Peter Kohler, environmental microbiologist at Eawag. The definition highlights that biodegradable plastics fundamentally differ from those that merely disintegrate into tiny plastic particles, for instance after exposure of the plastic to sunlight, but that do not mineralise.

“The beauty of our study is that we used stable isotopes to precisely track PBAT-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways of the polymer in the soil.” Michael Zumstein

“Many plastic materials simply crumble into tiny fragments that persist in the environment as microplastics, even if this plastic is invisible to the naked eye,” Hans-Peter. In their experiment, the researchers placed 60 grams of soil into glass bottles each with a volume of 0.1 litre and subsequently inserted the PBAT films on a solid support into the soil. After six weeks of incubation, the scientists assessed the extent to which soil microorganisms had colonised the PBAT surfaces. They further quantified the amount of CO2 that was formed in the incubation bottles and how much of the carbon-13 isotope the CO2 contained. Finally, to directly demonstrate the incorporation of carbon from the polymer in the biomass of microorganisms on the polymer surfaces, they collaborated with researchers from the University of Vienna. At this stage, the researchers cannot yet say with certainty over which timeframe PBAT degrades in soils in the natural environment given that they conducted their experiments in the lab, not in the field. Longer term studies in different soils and under various conditions in the field are now needed to assess the biodegradation of PBAT films under real environmental conditions. Too early for an all-clear “Unfortunately, there is no reason to cheer as of yet. We’re still far from resolving the global environmental problem of plastic pollution, but we’ve taken a very important first step in the direction of plastic biodegradability in soil,” said Michael Sander. At the same time, he cautioned against unrealistic expectations for biodegrading plastics in the environment. “As we have demonstrated, there is hope for our soils in the form of biodegradable polymers. The results from soils should,

however, not be directly transferred to other natural environments. For instance, biodegradation of polymers in seawater might be considerably slower, because the conditions there are different and so are the microbial communities,” he explained. New tool created The researchers anticipate that their study will be noticed by industry. “We’ve developed analysis techniques that open the door for industry to test the environmental impact of their plastic products,” said co-author Kristopher McNeill. “Thanks to our method, they can switch to using biodegradable materials in the production of thin mulch films instead of nondegradable PE,” he added. So far, only a few chemical companies have started to produce and market the more eco-friendly, but also more expensive, PBAT films. Among these is the German company BASF, which supported this study. “In comparison to the total volume of plastic that is brought into circulation, biodegradable mulch films play only a minor role. Yet, these products are an important starting point to decrease stress on agricultural soils and protect them from plastic accumulation in the long term,” Michael Sander said. An additional option to reduce the volume of plastic entering agricultural soils is to employ thicker mulch films, which are also used in Swiss agriculture. These films can be re-collected after use and then either reused or disposed of via waste incineration.

Picture above: After a few weeks in soils, numerous soil microorganisms colonized the surface of the PBAT films and had begun to biodegrade the polymer. (Electron microscopy image) Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Environmental Chemistry Group

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

MANURE SLIPPING THROUGH (SOIL) CRACKS ADD JUST ENOUGH FERTILISER, AND CROPS THRIVE. ADD TOO MUCH, AND YOU MAY END UP WITH CONTAMINATED SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER. Excess nutrients from farms can be transported to groundwater reservoirs by water starting at the surface and flowing through soil. But the flow of water through soil is a “highly dynamic process,” said Genevieve Ali, a researcher at the University of Manitoba in Canada. “It can vary from year to year, season to season, or even rainstorm to rainstorm,” she added. It can also fluctuate depending on soil type and even if organic additions, like manure, are applied. Genevieve is lead author of a new study that shows water infiltrates deeper into cracking clay (vertisolic soils) when liquid pig manure is applied. The study also showed that even though water infiltration went deeper in the presence of manure, it did not reach depths of 39 inches (100 cm). That’s how deep tile drains, designed to remove excess subsurface water, are typically installed in the study region. “This observation challenges previous studies, which showed that cracks in clay soils can promote the travel of water and associated contaminants from the soil surface into tile drains. Our study suggests that not all clay-rich soils behave the same,” said Genevieve.

“Imagine a bucket of sand with plastic straws inserted throughout. If you dumped water on this sand bucket, the water traveling through the straws would reach the bottom first.”

“Imagine a bucket of sand with plastic straws inserted throughout. If you dumped water on this sand bucket, the water traveling through the straws would reach the bottom first,” said Genevieve.

Genevieve Ali

Similarly, preferential water flow through soil macropores can carry contaminants quickly from the surface down to groundwater reservoirs.

The researchers also found that the water moving through the macropores was not completely separated from the rest of the soil.

Macropores are often connected to one another. “They act like a network of pipes, and they can be created or exacerbated by human activities. Knowing when and where there is preferential flow and how to manage land in those areas is critical to preserving groundwater quality,” said Genevieve.

“If you think back to the analogy of the sand bucket with the straws in it, the straws have a bunch of small little holes in them. Water can be exchanged laterally between the macropores and the surrounding soil,” said Genevieve.

Clay-rich soils, such as vertisols, tend to crack, which creates macropores. “That makes these soils natural candidates to study the relative importance of matrix and preferential flow,” said Genevieve. This study was conducted in research plots in Manitoba, Canada. Researchers added liquid pig manure to one plot but not the other. They sprinkled water mixed with blue dye on both plots to determine how water moved through the soil.

Matthew Walker (left) and Genevieve Ali (right) mixing blue dye with water from a nearby on-farm reservoir before the experiment. Photo credit: Merrin Macrae.

Lateral exchange has been reported frequently for smaller macropores in forested soils. But it is less common in agricultural soils where cracks tend to be larger,” she added. This study focused on a single site, so Genevieve said that further research is needed before generalisations can be made. She is also studying the role of soil cracks in spring (created by the soil freezing and thawing multiple times) versus the role of cracks in summer (created when soils become especially dry).

In the plot where manure was applied, water reached up to 25 inches (64 cm) into the soil. In contrast, water reached up to 18 inches (45 cm) in the plot where manure was not applied. Both plots showed evidence of matrix and preferential water flow.

The researchers focused on vertisols because they are present in large regions of North America. “They are common in agricultural plains, where excess nutrients may be common due to intensive farming,” said Genevieve. But knowledge gaps remain about soil water flow in vertisols, especially with organic additions. Water can flow through soil in different ways. ‘Matrix flow’ occurs when water moves slowly through tiny spaces between soil grains. ‘Preferential flow’ takes place when water travels relatively quickly through bigger channels, called macropores, such as cracks and earthworm burrows. 6

At the onset of the experiment, a pesticide sprayer is used to apply blue-dyed water on top of a 39 inch square (1 m by 1 m) soil plot. Photo credit Genevieve Ali.

Matthew Walker points to a macropore in which water travelled during the experiment, thus leaving blue tracks or fingerprints behind. The picture was taken while excavating a soil profile, three days after blue-dye water had been sprinkled onto that soil profile. Photo credit Genevieve Ali.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

BIG FUTURE PREDICTED FOR GROUP 7 BANANA FUNGICIDE The north Queensland banana industry has been through a tough couple of seasons, up to and including 2017, with pricing being the major factor driving down growers’ returns. That’s according to Area Manager for E.E. Muir and Sons in Tully, Lindsay Horniblow, who said the minimal returns have impacted entire farm management decisions, such as chemical rotations.

“Weather hasn’t been as big a factor as you’d think, it’s been more the returns which have been below cost of production for quite some time,” Lindsay explained. “There are just too many bananas in the ground at the moment. We’ve actually had one larger grower who has recently pulled out of bananas completely to the tune of 160 hectares. Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4) has played a part in this, as well. Although to date it’s only been discovered at two locations, they have been significant sized farms, so that’s hung over the growers’ heads for quite some time too,” he added. The tough couple of seasons have coincided with the first two years the Bayer Crop Science fungicide Luna® Privilege has been available to farmers. The systemic chemical is designed to control key diseases including yellow Sigatoka, leaf speckle and cordana leaf spot and, importantly, represents the first time Group 7 fungicide chemistry has been used on Australian bananas. Lindsay said while the new chemistry is welcome, low returns in the banana industry have impacted decision making.

“Luna Privilege came along at a time when there was, and still is, a need for new chemistry to tackle yellow Sigatoka in particular, and those farmers that have taken up Luna Privilege have added it to their spray program with some good results,” said Lindsay.

The power to predict sclerotinia before it appears.

“I think the tough couple of years have reflected how much Luna Privilege has been used in the marketplace. Because of the poor returns, some growers have opted for cheaper options, although that doesn’t necessarily make them better options,” he added. A large positive from the introduction of Luna Privilege, from Lindsay’s perspective, has been the strong stewardship program put in place to ensure the chemistry is used sensibly, to minimise the risk of fungal resistance building up. The recommendations include aerial application only, a maximum of four sprays on any block from October through to May, a minimum of three applications of alternative fungicides between Luna Privilege applications, plus advice on use rate, oil and water volume. “I think the stewardship has been maintained. The fact excess product is actually returned at the end of the spray program, and guidance around spray windows and the number of applications all contribute to maintaining the efficacy of Luna Privilege,” Lindsay explained. “I do see a fit for this product in our district moving forward, but there’s some basics that need to be followed, along with the stewardship rules as well, such as a good de-leafing program. I’m hoping Luna Privilege will be used more in the coming season as part of a robust program. It’s a good product and if it’s strategically used, according to the label, Luna Privilege should serve the industry well over a good number of years,” said Lindsay in conclusion.

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THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

UNDER-VINE COVER CROPS SHOW THEIR VALUE

NEW SOUTH WALES PART OF $5M FRUIT EXPORT PLAN

Australian vineyards could soon look very different at ground level if the results of research by the University of Adelaide have the expected impact.

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) is contributing to a new national plan to help open domestic and export market opportunities to local cherry and citrus producers.

Lloyd said maintaining areas free from Qfly and other pests is a significant path for producers to access domestic and international markets.

The four-year, $5 million scheme to strengthen evidence of pest control measures has been funded by Hort Innovation, NSW DPI and research partners, including project leader CSIRO.

“A range of on-farm activities, including pest management, inspection and grading of produce, post-harvest treatments and cool storage are widely used to manage quarantine pests and meet market expectations,” he said.

A four year study led by agronomist Chris Penfold has highlighted the value and importance of planting cover crops below vines to support the soil and suppress weed growth, rather than, as is the norm, killing the weeds with herbicide and leaving the ground bare. At four sites in four distinct South Australian regions, annual pasture legume and grass cover crops generated yields and financial gross margins equivalent to or greater than the herbicide controls, with the added bonus of helping to repair soils damaged by too much of the old routine. In the Barossa, the herbicide control treatment generated a lower gross margin than straw mulch, medic alone or mixed with Safeguard ryegrass, with the latter treatment generating long-run increases in gross margins of $1600 to $1700/ha annually above the $5000/ha of the herbicide control treatment. Chris noted that such an increase will not necessarily occur on all soil types across the region, but nevertheless he sees it as an outstanding outcome, “providing an option for growers to consider where their soil is likely to be similarly responsive”. The Eden Valley and Langhorne Creek sites also produced impressive results, but the Riverland raised as many questions as it answered because of its unique conditions. “You drive into the Riverland and you don’t see weeds growing up into the canopy because they have very good control mechanisms to stop that happening. When you take that away like we did you do find yourself shocked at just how aggressive weeds can be given the warmth and the water supply and the nutrition being pumped in through the drippers. It’s a perfect storm,” Chris explained.

There’s also an acceptance that this needs to be pursued, as growers see the impact of decades of using herbicides and drip irrigation that puts large amounts of water into the same spots. The soil reacts to the drip irrigation, with the Riverland starting to have issues with poor infiltration even with their light sandy soils. Chris’s project, in collaboration with colleagues in Adelaide and Wagga Wagga, has provided the blueprint for how to start ameliorating damaged soil with organic matter. “While there is still research to be done, and in fact we are still completing the detailed soil biology analysis for two sites from this project, growers and regions can start acting now,” he said. The key is to get the right plant mix. You can’t just let things go in the under-vine area and hope it will be OK. You have to make an active decision on adding a species mix that is going to be of benefit to the vines. Get the wrong species and you could have adverse impacts, such as loss of productivity. The first step, Chris said, is to ask a local agronomist for guidance on which pasture species are best suited to local conditions. He expected there to be interest in the project, given that not a lot of work has been done in this area before, but was surprised and heartened by the extent of it. He has spoken at more than 20 seminars or workshops, and other members of the team have been invited to make presentations. “That’s why I do this sort of work, to be honest. It’s just fantastic to have access to the growers, particularly through the AWRI roadshow program. The groups pick the topics they want to hear and this area must be of real interest to have been invited to so many places over the years,” Chris said. This year he is starting to see adoption of the practices, with some growers putting their toe in the water with small plot trials, while others are embracing the concept with many hectares being planted.

“What we were tackling there in the Riverland was pretty difficult, but we did learn a lot from it and there’s tremendous scope to pursue that further,” he added.

NSW DPI biosecurity officer, Lloyd Kingham, said the project aims to develop new protocols which will help prevent and handle risks across the supply chain. “Working with Local Land Services, we are monitoring citrus orchards in Griffith and cherry orchards in Batlow, Young and Orange so we can confidently set limits relating to the risk of Queensland fruit fly (Qfly),” Lloyd said. “This new systems approach builds on the successful protocols we have developed for Asian markets, which gives growers more options to meet domestic market access requirements. These protocols will require regular testing and maintenance of records as researchers, industry and regulators work together to fortify the system,” Lloyd further explained.

“This project will deliver the science required to underpin the stringent pest management practices used by local growers. We aim to document and clearly demonstrate we are maintaining fruit quality and satisfying biosecurity requirements of domestic and export trade,” Lloyd went on to add. Once finalised, the systems approach protocols will be supplied to the New South Wales and Australian Governments to support interstate and international negotiations. The Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Agriculture Victoria, industry groups and growers are all part of the collaborative project.

MACADAMIA GROWERS SET TO TACKLE PESTS AND DISEASES Macadamia producers will have the latest information on all aspects of protecting their orchard from pests and diseases with the release of the updated Macadamia plant protection guide published by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI). Lead author, NSW DPI Macadamia Development Officer, Jeremy Bright said the guide provided information on a range of topics for growers to ensure they get high quality production in a safe way. “Most pests and diseases of macadamia appear during specific growth stages of the crop. The guide lists the most common pests and diseases that growers should be on the lookout for during a typical growing season,” Jeremy said.

The feature article in this year’s guide is by Dr Femi Akinsanmi, an applied plant pathologist at The University of Queensland, working with the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. Femmi’s article discusses the requirement for the macadamia industry to develop a more sustainable system involving cultural, chemical and biological considerations. He describes the challenges of an IPDM system and issues that the industry needs to consider when implementing IPDM. The Macadamia plant protection guide can be downloaded on the NSW DPI website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

“The recommendations for control are based on a sustainable Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) approach,” he added. Jeremy said a fundamental aspect of the IPDM strategy is the pesticide or pesticides that are used. “It is important that growers rotate applications so that the pest, disease or weed is not continually exposed to chemicals of the same group, thus reducing the risk of resistance to that chemical. To be able to stay viable, it is imperative for the macadamia industry to continually search for different management options that will provide sustainable long term control of pests and diseases,” Jeremy explained.

Triticale mulch, Medic and Mintaro sub/Prima glad clover at a trial site.

Photo credit: Chris Penfold, University of Adelaide

“These options can include introducing new biocontrol options, identifying new chemistry that is less residual and more targeted towards the specific pest - rather than broad spectrum , adopting better systems for monitoring and managing trees to be less desirable to pests,” he went on to add. 11

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FERTILISER MAY DESTROY PLANT MICROBIOME’S ABILITY TO PROTECT AGAINST DISEASE A NEW STUDY OF THE ROLE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES PLAY ON THE LEAVES OF PLANTS SUGGESTS THAT FERTILISING CROPS MAY MAKE THEM MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE. Biologists from the University of California – Berkeley in the United States found that spraying tomatoes with microbes from healthy tomatoes protected them from disease-causing bacteria, but that fertilising the tomatoes beforehand negated the protection, leading to an increase in the population of pathogenic microbes on the plants’ leaves. While the researchers don’t yet know whether the increased number of bad bacteria on the leaves actually makes the tomatoes sick, the study clearly shows that fertiliser throws the community of microbes on the leaves off-balance. That potentially could allow disease-causing organisms to enter the plant. “When we change the nutrient environment that plants are in, we are fundamentally altering the plant-microbiome interaction and also, importantly, the microbiome-mediated protection of natural plant/microbe interactions,” said senior author Britt Koskella, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of integrative biology. Britt is one of the leaders of a new UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab joint initiative to put microbiome studies on a firmer scientific foundation, emphasising reproducible experiments and testable theories and drawing upon the campus’s expertise in ecology, evolution, environmental science, the interactions between pathogens and their hosts, data science and cutting-edge genomics technology. The fertiliser effect was not the only surprise from the study, Britt said. She and co-author Maureen Berg, a graduate student, were investigating how the density of the microbial community on the leaves affected the plants’ resistance to disease and discovered that a lower dose of beneficial microbes sprayed on the leaves was often more effective in protecting the plants from infection 12

than higher doses. Maureen sprayed leaves with an artificial microbial community composed of 12 species of bacteria taken from the natural microbiome of healthy tomatoes. “We found that the most protective community was the most dilute, the least concentrated, the lowest dose. This was completely nonintuitive. A medium dose gave medium protection and the highest dose was the least protective,” Maureen explained. Probiotics for plants The reasons are unclear, but the findings are important because organic farmers are talking about spraying crops with probiotics to encourage better growth and disease protection, in the same way that humans consume probiotics containing ‘good’ microbes in hopes of improving their health. “The fact that we saw this lower-dose/higher-protection effect suggests it is not as simple as just throwing on more microbes. There is a lot of work to be done understanding how to apply a plant probiotic,” Britt said. Britt focuses on plants’ above-ground microbiomes, or the phyllosphere, a poorly understood community compared to the well-studied below-ground microbiome associated with plant roots, the rhizosphere. Researchers are finding unsuspected activity within phyllosphere microbes, including that some of the bacteria fix nitrogen from the air like root-associated bacteria. Many studies have demonstrated that microbial communities in the roots can promote plants’ nutrient uptake, growth and resistance to disease, and Britt is investigating whether this also holds true for the aboveground microbiome.

Her experiments are relevant to the issue of treating crops with probiotics, and could help answer questions such as: What is the right mix of bacteria for a given plant? What is the best way to apply this proper mix? To investigate these questions, Koskella and Berg began by sampling the natural leaf microbes of healthy tomatoes grown in outdoor fields at UC Davis. They then sprayed the mix on sterile tomato plants in growth chambers at UC Berkeley and, one week later, injected the leaves with Pseudomonas syringae bacteria, which cause tomato speck, a major problem that’s treated with pesticides. The new microbial community on the tomatoes did, in fact, protect the plants from colonisation by pathogens, though the microbial communities obtained from some tomato fields worked better than the microbiomes from other fields. “This phyllosphere microbial community, much like our own skin, is a first line of defence against disease, so we expected to see protection, though we didn’t know for sure,” Britt said. Artificial microbial communities Surprisingly, when they varied the concentration of microbes sprayed on the leaves, they found that in many cases low dosages worked better than high dosages. To find out why, they constructed an artificial microbial community composed of 12 of the species found on natural plants, basically, the 12 that grew best in culture. When they sprayed various dosages of the synthetic community on tomatoes, they got the same result. Low, diluted doses were more protective against Pseudomonas than were high, concentrated doses. Maureen repeated the experiment to confirm the puzzling findings, but during one subsequent trial she decided to fertilise the droopy plants first. In that trial, none of the microbiome doses were protective against Pseudomonas. When they repeated the trial with and without fertilisation, they confirmed that application of fertiliser abolished the protective effects previously observed. In each experiment, they judged protection against pathogens by recording the relative population of Pseudomonas compared to the other, mostly beneficial microbes, since a healthy microbiome should effectively compete with a pathogen and knock it down to low levels. Britt has suspicions about why fertiliser alters the microbiome, top among them the possibility that the nutrients make healthier leaves, which keeps all the microbes happy and obviates the

need for the good microbes to out-compete the bad microbes. She and her group are now pursuing experiments to test that hypothesis. They still have no idea why probiotic treatment at low dosages works better than high doses, but hope that future research can solve this mystery and help guide the suitable application of probiotics in agriculture. Nevertheless, Britt and Maureen said the impact of fertiliser on the leaf and stem microbiome should lead biologists to explore fertiliser’s effect on the root microbiome as well, and on the general health of the plant. “We have been fertilising crops for so long it would surprise me if we haven’t already seen consequences of long-term fertilisation on how plants interact with their microbes. There are a lot of studies that show domesticated plants tend to have very different microbial communities than their wild relatives,” Britt explained. The big questions are, does that affect the plant’s overall health, and why?

“The fact that we saw this lower-dose/higherprotection effect suggests it is not as simple as just throwing on more microbes. There is a lot of work to be done understanding how to apply a plant probiotic.” Britt Koskella 13

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LOW WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE FIGURES SPARK SCHOLARSHIP CALL Following the release of figures that show men outnumber women by more than two to one in Australia’s agriculture industry, Hort Innovation and Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) have put the call out for expressions of interest for dedicated course scholarship opportunities. Labour Force figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics recently show out of the nation’s 329,600 people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing, just 30 per cent are female. Hort Innovation chief executive John Lloyd said the figures served as a timely reminder that the organisation, with WLA, is offering 20 scholarship course positions for women with varying leadership experience, and applications are now open. “The agriculture industry is becoming increasingly aware that diversity significantly underpins the sector’s long term growth, profitability and sustainability. Working with WLA, and women leaders in the horticulture industry, we are working to help empower more women by giving them the tools needed to support long and profitable careers in horticulture,” said John. He said more than 20 women in the horticulture industry had input into these dedicated courses, following feedback that women want affordable access to women’s-only development programs, to expand their professional networks, boost their theoretical education and enhance their practical leadership skills. The initiative provides three different scholarship opportunities. Each year, 10 scholarships are available for emerging women leaders, five for women working in mid-level management and five for women working at a senior and executive level.

Leticia Gosse, a soil and plant performance company executive who is undertaking one of the courses as part of last year’s intake, said the experience is invaluable.

If you are a leading agronomist your clients need to BeeConnected

“In this industry, I am lucky to be part of our family business where myself and other women have been encouraged to step up and take on leadership roles. Only after participating in the Women in Leadership course did I realise how unique my experience has been, and the positive difference that this support can have on developing leaders,” Letitia said. “For my sister and I, our hands-on knowledge was limited to our exposure with the family business. When it came to succession planning, we felt it was important to look externally for executive support, grow our networks, and we wanted to know more about how to build our team of people to build the business. The course has afforded us the knowledge, courage and support to not just take on the running of the business, but also expand our team and operations,” she went on to explain. Both Hort Innovation and WLA will co-contribute to the scholarship for participants, reducing the cost of participating by around 60 per cent. WLA Program Director Suzi Finkelstein said the scholarship program is a first of its kind for the industry in Australia. “We are extremely proud to co-invest with Hort Innovation. This is a sustained developmental project that will transform the lives of many women right throughout the sector,” Suzi said. For more information and to apply, go to the Women & Leadership Australia website. This initiative is being delivered as part of the Hort Frontiers Leadership Fund.

BeeConnected helps to connect farmers and spray contractors with nearby beekeepers. Instant notifications inform farmers of registered beehives near their properties and secure messaging allows sharing of information on crop protection product activities. Australia has one of the healthiest honey bee colonies in the world and BeeConnected helps farmers and beekeepers work together to protect bees for the benefit of Australian agriculture and the environment. BeeConnected is a free smart-phone app. Download at www.croplife.org.au

OFFICIAL

PARTNER

Australian Honey Bee INDUSTRY COUNCIL 14

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY TAKES AIM AT NORTHERN TERRITORY WEEDS

TIPS AND TACTICS FOR WILD OATS CONTROL

James Cook University (JCU) will unleash drones, sensors and other high-tech devices to combat weeds on Northern Territory cattle stations.

“We’re looking forward to working with Sensand and JCU on this project to drive productivity gains and efficiency savings in our weed management programs,” he said.

Grain growers in Queensland and New South Wales can now access the latest tips and tactics for controlling the common and economically damaging weed wild oats.

She said in New South Wales and Queensland growers were advised to rotate to summer crops and use winter fallow in paddocks with large wild oat populations.

JCU and the Tipperary Group of Stations, in collaboration with Sensand Technologies, will combine an Internet of Things (IoT) network with low-cost environmental sensors, drone mapping and big data analytics to develop data-driven strategic weed management programs, ultimately improving both cattle productivity and natural assets.

“We recognise that technologies such as multi-spectral imagery, satellite imagery, and machine learning can help us identify and forecast weed infestations without prohibitively expensive aerial or ground surveys,” Tom added.

Wild oats (Avena spp.) is one of the most problematic weeds of northern cropping systems, and if left uncontrolled has been known to cause wheat yield losses as high as 80 per cent.

“Wild oats is highly competitive, producing up to 225 seeds per plant. It is easily spread and acts as a host for a number of cereal diseases and pests. It is also at risk of developing resistance to herbicides,” Vicki said.

The three-year project has received $1.5m in grant funds from the Commonwealth Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Projects Program, and will capitalise on the latest developments in agtech and applied research to deliver commercial and environmental outcomes. Professor Ian Atkinson is leading JCU’s involvement in the project, which will comprise spatial modelling of pests and weeds, sensor deployment and IoT network integration. Ian said containing weeds and pests in northern Australia will give cattle producers more options to improve profitability, sustainability and productivity. “Applying advanced but robust tech to this problem gives us new opportunities to solve these problems across the massive area of northern Australia. This tech will have wide application to be translated to other properties into the future,” he explained. Tom Polkinghorne, Tipperary’s Business Development Manager, is leading the project.

“The great thing about this project is that it won’t produce a research paper that will sit on a shelf and gather dust. It won’t produce a glossy report drumming up the potential of agtech. What it will do is apply the latest technologies and research to help a large station in a remote area save two very precious resources, time and money,” he emphasised. Sensand Technologies, based in Melbourne, is working on the development of a smart agricultural dashboard that will be utilised and enhanced during the project. In addition, Sensand will integrate smart agtech devices, and design and deploy an IoT network across Tipperary’s land which totals 384,000 hectares. “We’re looking forward to working on this iconic cattle station and making a significant contribution to the ways in which Australian farmers use agtech to solve big problems on farm. In concert with Tipperary Group of Stations and JCU we’re already coming up with much smarter ways to mesh valuable data together via our dashboard and seamlessly bundle together proven and promising technologies that can get real jobs done,” said Davi La Ferla, Sensand Technologies’ Chief Executive Officer, in conclusion.

In response to grower and agronomist requests for up-to-date information about wild oats monitoring and management, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has recently released a Wild Oats Tips and Tactics fact sheet, found on the GRDC website. GRDC Crop Protection Officer North Vicki Green said the fact sheet offered the latest research information and a best practice guide to wild oats control for those growers battling the weed in New South Wales and Queensland.

“Wild oats is one of the most common grass weed species in the northern region and can substantially reduce yields because it is highly competitive, especially when emerging with crops,” Vicki said. “It is estimated it impacts around 600,000 hectares across Queensland and New South Wales and the revenue loss due to wild oats is considered to be about $4.5 million annually. Integrated Weed Management, including correct use of herbicides and other effective agronomic and non-chemical tactics is crucial for managing wild oats,” she went on to explain.

“Group A herbicide resistance has been present in Australian populations since the mid-1980’s. In the past two years Group A resistance in wild oats has exploded in area and frequency. So growers are advised to use mixes of pre and post-emergent herbicides and change the modes of action each year,” she added. Vicki also suggests testing for resistance before using Group A herbicides. Wild oats can also be resistant to Group B and Group Z herbicides. She said the wild oats tends to grow in discrete patches at low to moderate densities, but up to 100 plants/m2 are possible. When it comes to identifying wild oats, seedling leaves twist anticlockwise, the opposite direction to wheat and barley. Wild oats leaves tend to be hairy with a slight bluish hue, and the emerging leaf is rolled. “The main flush of germination occurs in autumn and early winter so we do recommend growers and agronomists monitor and manage for wild oats during these cooler months. But ongoing vigilance is critical to get this invasive and damaging grass weed under control,” she said in conclusion.

SCREENING SERVICE TO TEST FOR INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE IN CROP PESTS Grain growers are being asked whether they have noticed a chemical control failure or suspect insecticide resistance in redlegged earth mite (RLEM) and lucerne flea. If they have, research organisation cesar is again making available to growers and advisers a screening service to test for insecticide resistance in RLEM, with an additional resistance screening service now on offer for lucerne flea. These no-cost screening services are made possible through a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment being led by the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with cesar, the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and CSIRO. Dr Paul Umina of cesar said a major concern facing the Australian grains industry is the reliance on three registered chemical classes to control both of these insect pests, neonicotinoids as a seed dressing, and synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) and organophosphates (OPs) as foliar insecticides. “Insecticide resistance in RLEM to both SPs and OPs was recently confirmed in multiple populations from South Australia. Resistance had previously only been detected in Western Australian populations. There are also now emerging resistance concerns involving lucerne flea, which often occurs in the same location as RLEM,” Paul explained. 16

For RLEM, cesar is screening populations from all over Australia where control failures to neonicotinoid seed treatments are suspected, and populations from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania where control failures to SPs and/or OPs are suspected.

For lucerne flea, cesar is screening populations from all over Australia where control failures to foliar insecticides or seed treatments are suspected. Although insecticide options are limited, Paul said it is still crucial to minimise chemical use and rotate chemical groups to curb the spread of insecticide resistance. He said the screening service will not only help detect any resistance before it becomes widespread but will also assist in identifying the best control options for growers. “We encourage growers and advisers to make use of this service, and also download and read the recently updated RLEM Resistance Management Strategy to help avoid control failures,” Paul said in conclusion.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

REWIRING PLANT DEFENCE GENES TO REDUCE CROP WASTE Plants can be genetically rewired to resist the devastating effects of disease, significantly reducing crop waste worldwide, according to new research into synthetic biology by the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

This method could render crops more resilient against disease, helping mitigate crop wastage throughout the world. Since the system can be implemented by re-wiring plants’ natural defence mechanisms, no external genetic circuitry needs to be added.

Led by Professor Declan Bates from the Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre (WISB) and Professor Katherine Denby from the University of York, who is also an Associate member of WISB, researchers have developed a genetic control system that would enable plants to strengthen their defence response against deadly pathogens so they could remain healthy and productive.

Declan said, “Disease, drought and extreme temperatures cause significant yield losses in crop plants all over the globe, threatening world food security. It is therefore crucial to explore new ways to develop crops that are resilient to pathogen attacks and can maintain yields in challenging environments. This study shows the enormous potential of using feedback control to strengthen plants’ natural defence mechanisms.”

When pathogens attack crop plants, they obtain energy and nutrients from the plant but also target the plant’s immune response, weakening defence, and making the plants more vulnerable. Building on experimental data generated by Katherine, Declan’s group simulated a pathogen attack in Arabidopsis plants, and modelled a way to rewire the plants’ gene network, creating a defensive feedback control system to combat disease which works in much the same way as an aircraft autopilot. Just as an aircraft’s autopilot control system detects disturbances like wind gusts or turbulence and acts to reject them, this new plant control system detects a pathogen attack, and prevents the pathogen weakening the plants’ defence response.

Katherine added, “Minimising crop waste is obviously an essential part of creating a more sustainable food system. What is exciting here is applying engineering principles to plant biology to predict how to re-design plant gene regulation to enhance disease resistance. We use re-wiring of existing genes in the plant to prevent pathogen manipulation.” The next steps of the research will be to take the theory into the lab, and experimentally implement the defensive feedback control system in plants.

CURTIN RESEARCHERS SHARE SECRET SEED RECIPE FOR BETTER BIODIVERSITY Curtin University researchers in Western Australia have developed a seed-coating technology that can help bring degraded landscapes back to life and repair damaged ecosystems. New research, recently published in the journal Seed Science and Technology, will allow scientists and practitioners around the world to make their own designer seeds for ecological restoration, to create healthier soils, water, air and more vibrant biodiversity. Co-author John Curtin Distinguished Professor Kingsley Dixon, from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said his team of researchers at the ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration had developed designer seed technologies, which can help bring degraded landscapes back to life when applied to native plant species.

VICTORIA HILL GROWER ONE OF THE FIRST TO TRIAL GROUND-BREAKING NEW SORGHUM Ted Shooter, from Victoria Hill in Queensland, is one of the first growers in the world to trial ground-breaking new grain sorghum herbicide tolerance technology ‘igrowth’.

“I was hoping Sentinel IG would yield as good as Buster but it went better, so we’ll have to consider it now,” Ted said.

Ted farms 670 hectares across six blocks under the Bellevue banner with his parents Ray and Olive, wife Kerri and children Kate, Harry and Bridie.

The crop was planted in the first week of November and received good rainfall throughout the growing season, with 75mm in October, 72mm in November, 92mm in December, 39mm in January and 8mm in February.

He tested the new Pacific Seeds imidazolinone-tolerant grain sorghum line, called Sentinel IG, featuring its proprietary igrowth trait prior to its debut at a series of field days across the summer cropping region in February.

Ted, who grows sorghum and mung beans in summer and wheat, barley and chickpeas in winter, said some of the biggest developments in cropping for them have been no till and spraying out sorghum.

This first igrowth hybrid, will be commercially available this season.

“The moisture conservation that no till offers is priceless and the ability to spray out sorghum with Roundup was huge for us,” Ted said.

He planted 7ha of Sentinel IG alongside his 103ha commercial crop of MR-Buster.

“The total 110ha of sorghum yielded about 5t/ha at harvest in early March, with the new hybrid slightly out yielding MR-Buster,” he said. “Harvest was extremely busy for us, so we didn’t get a chance to conduct a rigorous yield data test, but we did get an idea of what it is capable of. I harvested the Buster and placed a mark on the header bin. Then we harvested the strip of Sentinel and the grain in the header bin was above that mark,” Ted explained. As a third-generation farmer, Ted has seen MR-Buster growing in the family’s paddocks for 27 years and uses it as the benchmark for his sorghum program.

“Sorghum used to be a season-long hungry crop but killing the plant prevents it from using valuable nutrients and soil moisture. When it’s physiologically mature and reaches that black point stage, there’s no benefit of the plant still being alive, so spraying out is ideal,” he added. Ted said igrowth technology could be one of the next great developments in the sorghum industry. “This is going to be a boon for flat country since floods create big issues for us, particularly the spread of Johnson grass. Sentinel IG will give us the opportunity to use group B herbicides in-crop to assist in our integrated weed control on the family farm,” he explained. “Depending on what the weather is doing this season, we’ll put in a few more bags and go from there,” Ted said in conclusion.

“Seed-coating is the covering of seeds with materials to improve protection, germination and seedling growth. However, seedcoating recipes are owned and kept secret by private seed companies and frequently used for marketing purposes. By re-developing seed-coating from scratch, researchers at Curtin University are the first to publish and make openly available instructions for developing seed coating protocols, which may have important environmental implications,” Simone explained. The research team also included Research Fellow Dr Adam Cross and PhD candidate Khiraj Bhalsing, both from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences.

“The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are the goods and services we get from healthy ecosystems. Yet in Australia and all over the world, natural ecosystems are destroyed at an unprecedented scale and rate,” Kingsley said. “Bringing back healthy ecosystems is the aim of ecological restoration, and the most cost-effective way to achieve it is by planting native seeds. The problem is that seeds often fail because of poor soil and difficult conditions for plant germination in degraded landscapes,” he explained. Lead researcher Mr Simone Pedrini, also from the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin, said the invention of seed coating, originally designed for agriculture, may be the solution for global restoration. 18

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

ANSWERS TO A ‘COMMON’ PROBLEM Common sowthistle (aka milk thistle, Sonchus oleraceus) is a problematic weed in broadacre cropping systems across Australia. Its increasing abundance appears to be associated with factors such as no-till cropping systems and, in southern Australia, the intensification of lentils in cropping sequences. Sowthistle produces a large quantity of seed (25,000 to 80,000 per plant) which is sufficient to offset relatively low seed survival. Seed dormancy appears to be low, with most seed germinating within a year if not buried. Although seed is dispersed by wind, distribution is generally localised to within a few metres of the parent plant. Walker and Widderick (2009) reported that emergence is primarily responsive to soil moisture and not significantly limited by temperature. In northern Australia, control in fallow can be problematic due to the increase in the abundance of glyphosate resistant populations. This is compounded by the decline in control as weed size increases. Applications to ‘small weeds in good conditions’ on the scale required in commercial operations are often difficult to achieve, mostly due to operational logistics, as well as environmental conditions. The Northern Growers Alliance conducted studies investigating the use of double knock tactics and residual herbicides. It was found that: glyphosate or glyphosate followed by paraquat did not provide commercially acceptable control on a widespread basis; residual chemistry clearly had a benefit with encouraging levels of activity from a range of herbicide mode of action (MOA) groups; double knocks of Group I herbicides followed by paraquat appeared promising and may be suitable where grass weeds are of less concern. In southern Australia, there is widespread sowthistle resistance to Group B herbicides, on the back of widespread usage over the last 30 years. Resistance to glyphosate (Group M) is increasing, but other MOAs, including Group I’s, remain generally effective (there are some localised populations with some resistance to Group I herbicides but cross resistance with other MOAs has not been reported).

BARLEY RESEARCHERS DEVELOPING ELITE DISEASE RESISTANT VARIETIES The importance of this MOA for global food security is perhaps hard to overstate, given their importance in enabling continued cultivation of glyphosate tolerant crops. However, there is no room for complacency as each particular case demonstrates. Greater understanding of the MOA of synthetic auxin herbicides (Busi et al 2017) has only highlighted how little we really understand and the potential complexity involved. Arylex™ is a new synthetic auxin herbicide. It is from a new group of chemistry, the Arylpicolinates, within the Group I MOA family. Arylex has some distinctly different properties to the other subgroups within this mode of action classification, and it has a unique spectrum of activity. Launched in 2015 in Paradigm™ herbicide, Arylex is also the key active ingredient in ForageMax™, Rexade™ and Pixxaro™ herbicides. Each of these herbicides contain two active ingredients. Arylex is active at low use rates per hectare, does not accumulate in the stubble crop plants (in contrast to some other Group I herbicides such as clopyralid and aminopyralid) and it dissipates relatively quickly in soil, allowing rotational flexibility in most situations. Finally, Arylex products have been found to provide consistent results across a range of conditions, excellent crop safety and favourable toxicological and environmental profiles. “We have developed the Arylex family of herbicides to give growers maximum flexibility – in the range of weeds controlled, the timing of applications, tank mix partners and rotational possibilities – whilst also ensuring robust control in the paddock. Reducing complexity during one of the busiest periods on farm is something we are really conscious of” advised Dan Dixon, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, Market Manager.

Barley producers are set to benefit from new pre-breeding research to boost variety resistance to several major foliar diseases. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Murdoch University are about to commence a new phase of research that seeks to use a combination of genes to enhance disease resistance in barley. The research is the culmination of decades of genetic and pathology research by the department to identify foliar disease resistance genes, with the support of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Murdoch University researcher Dr Sanjiv Gupta leads the Western Australian component of the national collaborative research, based at the department and State Agriculture Biotechnology Centre. Sanjiv said the new project would evaluate the performance of a combination of nine genes that are resistant to four barley diseases.

“Past research by the department has identified two resistance genes each for powdery mildew, spot type net blotch and barley scald and three genes for net type net blotch,” he said. “The department has been developing materials and evaluating the effectiveness of these genes in providing resistance to the individual diseases, which are now at an advanced stage of testing, giving confidence in the disease resistant germplasm. This next stage of research will evaluate the level of resistance

provided by a combination of these disease resistance genes to the four diseases,” Sanjiv explained. Elite germplasm containing the combination of genes will be incorporated into a vast range of popular barley varieties and novel lines from Western Australia and the Eastern States. Sanjiv said the impact of the disease resistant elite germplasm on plant performance was a key consideration of the research, which includes yield, quality and agronomic traits. “This information provides context for barley breeders to determine the relative benefit of improved disease resistance compared to any potential yield, quality or production compromise,” he said. Foliar diseases typically reduce barley yields by 10 to 20 per cent, while highly susceptible crops can record yield losses of up to 40 per cent. Sanjiv said the research would ultimately result in new high performance barley varieties, with improved disease resistance, yield and quality. “These new, more disease resistant varieties will underpin improved effective disease management strategies. Resistant varieties are easier to manage and require less protection and control measures, leading to reduced fungicide costs and improved profitability to the farming community. This will also result in additional benefits to the environment from a reduction in chemical use and a decreased risk of fungicide resistance,” he explained. Breeding companies are likely to release varieties with the elite germplasm in the next five to seven years, while new lines with some of the disease resistant genes are currently being evaluated.

Resistance Status • Group B (ALS inhibitors)

> 10,000

• Group I (synthetic auxins)

• Group M (glyphosate)

> 50

Dan Dixon

Source: CropLife Australia www.croplife.com.au

Resistance to synthetic auxin herbicides (Group I) is relatively infrequent around the world compared to some other MOA’s. The level of resistance to Group I’s varies within the chemical class of the Group I (Preston et al 2013) and cross-resistance within chemical classes in this group is also highly variable. Recent work (Goggin et al 2018) on radish highlighted the ‘mystery and complexity’ of the MOA of auxinic herbicides and the mechanisms of resistance. References: Busi, R., Goggin, D.E., Heap, I.M., Horak, M.J., Jugulam, M., Masters, R.A., Napier, R.M., Riar, D.S., Satchivi, N.M., Torra, J., Westra, P. and Wright, T.R. (2017) Weed resistance to synthetic auxin herbicides. (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/ps.4823 Goggin, D.E., Kaur, P., Owen, M.J., and Powles, S.B. (2018) 2,4-D and dicamba resistance mechanisms in wild radish: subtle, complex and population specific? Annals of Botany XX: 1–14, 00 Preston C, Brunton D, Merriam A, Krishnan P, Boutsalis P, Gill G (School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide) 09Aug 2017 “Common sowthistle and emerging weed problem” in Herbicide resistance and emerging weed problems, GRDC Update Paper Preston C, Dolman FC, Boutsalis P (2013) Multiple resistance to acetohydroxyacid synthase-inhibiting and auxinic herbicides in a population of oriental mustard (Sisymbrium orientale). Weed Science 61, 185-192. Widderick M. and Walker, S. (2009). Fact Sheet: Management of common sowthistle. Leslie Research Centre, Toowoomba.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

WHAT ARE DENITRIFYING WOODCHIP BIOREACTORS, AND HOW DO THEY HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?

“Based on a long term average, Midwestern bioreactors remove 25-45% of the annual drainage water nitrogen load.” drained acres, roughly 10 million tiled acres in each state. In 2015, Illinois began the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. This guides conservation practice implementation in the state. One goal is to install bioreactors on half of all the tiled acres in Illinois. Given the approximately 30 bioreactors in the state currently, there is a lot of opportunity to expand this practice. Based on a long term average, Midwestern bioreactors remove 25-45% of the annual drainage water nitrogen load. Some of the most common questions about bioreactors are very practical. Building bioreactors on the edge of farmland does not take land out of crop production. Also, because they are on edges of fields, no field operations are affected. Special valves and other structures allow water to be routed correctly, and prevent water from backing up during storms. Bioreactors are designed to last at least 10 years and are typically designed for 30 to 80 acre tile-drained fields. Other common questions have to do with the woodchips used as bioreactor fill. The tree species of the woodchip generally does not matter, with the exception of oak, cedar or high-tannin woods.

The leaching of tannic acids from these types of woods is an area of current research. While the type of wood generally does not matter, the most important considerations are that the woodchips be roughly ½” to 2” in size and be relatively free of fines or debris, so that water may pass through easily. Of course, woodchips are not the only source of organic carbon around, and other media have been used as bioreactor fill. Other researched carbon sources include corn cobs, corn stalks, cardboard, wheat straw, newspaper, and chipped municipal storm debris. Woodchips are the recommended fill material because they last longer and are generally more uniform than these other carbon sources. And, yes, the woodchips do lose their ‘power’ over a decade, and need to be replaced. Denitrifying bioreactors are a low-tech, yet highly sophisticated environmental solution. They have great potential for expansion. While they are not a silver bullet, they do offer important benefits in that they don’t negatively impact in-field crop production. Stay posted as researchers keep chippin’ away!

BY HANNAH DOUGHERTY, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, CHAMPAIGN-URBANA

WOODCHIP BIOREACTORS ARE SOPHISTICATED, ENGINEERED WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS. YET, THEY ARE SIMPLE WOODCHIP-FILLED TRENCHES, TOO. IF THAT SOUNDS COMPLICATED, IT’S REALLY NOT. THESE BIOREACTORS CLEAN WATER WITH NO NEGATIVE CROP PRODUCTION IMPACT. MY RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHAMPAIGN-URBANA IS TO STUDY THESE STRUCTURES. Simply put, a denitrifying bioreactor is a relatively low-tech inground unit. Denitrifying bioreactors are excavated trenches filled with a solid carbon media, usually woodchips, as shown in the accompanying photo. Their most common application is for agricultural tile drainage water. Agricultural tile draining systems were developed because the Midwest typically has very wet springs. Planting crops was often delayed due to flooded farm fields. So, Midwestern growers began installing a set of pipes deep under their fields, which are called tile drains. The drains help fields dry out faster, so farmers can plant their crops for a longer growing season, and better yields. Denitrifying bioreactors are also being researched for removing nitrate pollution from other types of waters and wastewaters. Soil naturally contains bacteria and other microbes. In fact, soil 22

is the earth’s best water filter. Bioreactors enhance the natural process of denitrification – the conversion of nitrate in water to harmless nitrogen gas – performed by bacteria already present in the surrounding soil. The woodchips provide an additional fuel source for the bacteria, in the form of carbon. Think of the woodchips as an extra cup of espresso in the morning! So, while the actual form of the bioreactor is simple, the chemistry and biology that happens inside them is complex. Interest in this relatively simple edge-of-field practice has grown over the past decade. Both the seasonal hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico and more local concerns about nitrate in drinking water are helped by bioreactors. Illinois and Iowa are generally the largest contributors of the nitrate polluting the Mississippi River. And the Mississippi drains into the Gulf of Mexico. Both states have a large amount of tile-

The Midwest typically has very wet springs. Planting crops was often delayed due to flooded farm fields. So, Midwestern growers began installing a set of pipes deep under their fields, which are called tile drains. The drains help fields dry out faster, so farmers can plant their crops for a longer growing season, and better yields.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

NEW APP GIVES FARMERS REAL-TIME GRAIN OF TRUTH

NEW SORGHUM HYBRID ALREADY PROVING ITS WORTH IN THE PADDOCK

For the first time, Australian farmers can forecast grain yield at the touch of a button, thanks to a new smart phone app developed by the CSIRO.

What turned out to be an extra tough season for sorghum growers last year may not have seemed like the best time to launch a new commercial hybrid.

The innovation, known as ‘Graincast’, allows growers to estimate yields ranging from a single paddock, right up to their entire farm. CSIRO are world leaders in digital agriculture, and Graincast is part of CSIRO’s Digiscape Future Science Platform, which is harnessing the digital revolution for Australian farmers and land managers. “Having a yield forecast can help farmers with crop input management, setting yield targets, diagnosing yield constraints, risk management, marketing decisions, forward selling and more,” said CSIRO scientist, Dr Roger Lawes. “The app is easy to use, and growers need to input just three pieces of information: the paddock they want analysed, the crop grown last season and the crop they plan to grow or are growing in the current season. That’s it,” he added. It is the only app that gives instantaneous soil, water and yield information at any time without the need for substantial user input. It means growers can make better informed crop and paddock management decisions, in near real-time, like never before. The app was developed by CSIRO scientists in response to feedback from grain growers about what they needed, and what they liked about their job. “They told us that they wanted something that was mobile, quick and easy to use. They didn’t want to be told what to do. They just

wanted the key information so they could decide what was best for them. So that’s what we built,” Roger said. “The Graincast app helps growers with their crop decision-making instincts,” he added. Graincast draws on information from satellites, climate forecasts and sensors to estimate historical crop yields, yield potential and crop species. Crop models are combined with soil maps to create yield forecasts for the Australian continent. This information comes from the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia, APSIM (the agricultural production systems simulator) crop model, MODIS and LANDSAT satellites, as well as other sources. The data is brought together in CSIRO’s newly constructed data platform and output to a smart phone for agricultural businesses to quickly acquire information about production without the hassle of identifying soil types, calibrating models, searching for satellite information or trying to interpret complex data. Protecting privacy of businesses and the opportunity for users to withdraw at any time was an important feature when designing the app. In an Australian first, the smarts behind the app enable various other industry players such as advisers, bulk handlers, marketers, commodity forecasters and insurers to forecast grain production at the regional and national scales. The app is free and available by emailing graincast@csiro.au

However, on the back of extremely promising trial results, a large proportion of growers who planted Cracka for the first time last year saw it perform extremely well in these harsh conditions. So much so, they are planting it for a second season, with some giving more area to this promising new addition to the current group of available hybrids. In fact, the tough conditions highlighted its potential as a hybrid offering growers a strong agronomic package, including improved standability, competitive yields and excellent grain quality. Cracka, from Nuseed, had shown superior standability over a range of different growing conditions and soil types during its extensive trial period, doing best in a yield environment of 3-6 t/ ha. What’s more Cracka had also shown consistent test weights in tough conditions, consistently going above the threshold for Sorghum 1 classification. Neil Weier, Area Sales Manager for Nuseed said that the good results achieved by many growers who planted Cracka last year will help encourage others to try it this year, especially those looking for an alternative to older hybrids that may not be performing as well as they could be. “With its new Aussie genetics, Cracka stood up to last year’s tough conditions with excellent standability, yield and grain quality. Growers who tried it tell me they were happy with its solid performance and will grow it again,” said Neil. Scott Borchardt from Tara was one such grower. Summing up his experience, Scott said, “I planted large strips of Cracka against three other commercial hybrids last season. In both hot and dry conditions, Cracka had the best standability and best harvest yield of the four.” “Plus, Cracka’s grain size and test weight easily made sorghum 1,” he added.

Ken Stallman from Pittsworth also had a positive experience growing Cracka for the first time. Ken said, “Cracka was sown beside Buster and Taurus, and the best of the new hybrids I trialled last year. Standability and yield were on par with other commercial hybrids.” “I will most definitely increasing the area I give to Cracka this season,” he added emphatically. This willingness to plant again is echoed by other growers, including Peter and Kylie Fourie, also from Tara. “Cracka stood up really well against Buster last summer. In a really tough finish it yielded 3t/ha on average and up to 5t/ha in places,” Pete and Kylie said. Cracka is our first choice sorghum variety for the spring plant,” they added. Jason and Le-Anne Schelberg from Macalister reiterated this same point. They said, “We'd happily grow it again based on good first year results.” Able to feel confident about this decision, they explained, “Cracka was planted against Buster in a less than ideal season last year. With excellent standability, even head height and large uniform red grain, Cracka yielded around 6 t/ha.” Neil said that while growers’ first time experiences with Cracka were different based on conditions, soil types, and other local variables, one thing he is especially pleased to hear is the feedback around standability. “Many growers I have spoken to were really impressed with Cracka’s standability, quite a few even saying that in this regard, it was the best of the hybrids they grew last year,” Neil said. Neil said he encourages growers who have been looking for an alternative to existing sorghum hybrids to consider trying Cracka this season. “It’s tough, and so are Australian conditions. That’s a good match in my books,” he said in conclusion.

Ken Stallman from Pittsworth said Cracka was the best of the new hybrids he trialled last year and he will be increasing the area he gives to it this season.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

CROP COUNTING ROBOT EARNS TOP RECOGNITION AT LEADING ROBOTICS CONFERENCE Today’s crop breeders are trying to boost yields while also preparing crops to withstand severe weather and changing climates. To succeed, they must locate genes for high-yielding, hardy traits in crop plants’ DNA. A robot developed by the University of Illinois in the United States to find these proverbial needles in the haystack was recognised by the best systems paper award at ‘Robotics: Science and Systems’, the pre-eminent robotics conference recently held in Pittsburgh. “There’s a real need to accelerate breeding to meet global food demand,” said principal investigator Girish Chowdhary, an assistant professor of field robotics in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the Coordinated Science Lab at Illinois.

“In Africa, the population will more than double by 2050, but today the yields are only a quarter of their potential,” added Girish. Crop breeders run massive experiments comparing thousands of different cultivars, or varieties, of crops over hundreds of acres and measure key traits, such as plant emergence or height, by hand. The task is expensive, time consuming, inaccurate, and ultimately inadequate, as even a team of people can only manually measure a fraction of plants in a field.

“The lack of automation for measuring plant traits is a bottleneck to progress,” said first author Erkan Kayacan, now a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “But it’s hard to make robotic systems that can count plants autonomously as the fields are vast, the data can be noisy (unlike benchmark datasets), and the robot has to stay within the tight rows in the challenging under-canopy environment,” Erkan added. The 13-inch wide (33cm), 24-pound (10.9kg) TerraSentia robot is transportable, compact and autonomous. It captures each plant from top to bottom using a suite of sensors (cameras), algorithms, and deep learning. Using a transfer learning method, the researchers taught TerraSentia to count corn plants with just 300 images, as reported at the conference. “One challenge is that plants aren’t equally spaced, so just assuming that a single plant is in the camera frame is not good enough,” said co-author ZhongZhong Zhang, a graduate student in the College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Science (ACES). “We developed a method that uses the camera motion to adjust to varying inter-plant spacing, which has led to a fairly robust system for counting plants in different fields, with different and varying spacing, and at different speeds,” ZhongZhong further explained. This exciting work could have far reaching benefits as scientists and farmers work together to feed the world’s growing population in the decades ahead.

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THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

DEFINING THE ROLE OF AGRONOMIST IN TODAY’S AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE THE ROLE OF AN AGRONOMIST/CONSULTANT IN THE AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE IS A SOMEWHAT UNIQUE ONE, BE THEY INDEPENDENT OR OTHERWISE. They are an advisor, technician, scientist, business coach, and many cases, a friend and even a counsellor. At times it can be a difficult balance to get right. Agronomy as a recognised profession however, is quite young. In the early days, many were employed by state and federal Agricultural Departments in primarily scientific roles which involved a little extension work with farmers. With the expansion of both the horticultural and cotton industries, many chemical companies employed sales agronomists and researchers to advise growers on the best application of their products. Both their experience and their advice were naturally limited to their product range. A little over 30 years ago, a cotton agronomist working in northern New South Wales called Chris Lehman saw that there was potential for a new business model in agronomy. He aimed to communicate directly with researchers and chemical companies

to give completely independent, tailored advice to growers, his clients, on a fee for service basis. As this was information that to date, growers had been receiving free of charge, it represented a large shift in the thinking within the industry. It also saw the birth of the independent consultant as a profession. Chris was soon joined by a number of other independent agronomists who realised that there would be mutual benefit in coming together as a professional group. They wanted to establish a mechanism to access timely information from researchers on issues that were of importance to them, not just the results of long term trials. That fledgling not for profit organisation would grow into Crop Consultants Australia (CCA). While much has changed in the agricultural scene over the past 30 years, including the chemicals, plant varieties and tools of trade, it’s interesting that the key objectives of the organisation at its time of incorporation remain equally as relevant today.

For more information on training events and membership of CCA visit www.cropconsultants.com.au

Their role is to ensure information on the latest technologies, research trials and farming system practices reach the decision maker and support its on-farm adoption. They work closely with their clients to help achieve production targets and business goals by providing input to crop management decision making processes and often direct the operational program for the season. Agronomists and consultants are a key mechanism for transferring R&D knowledge to the farm. Their role is to stay abreast with research information, technological and product developments on a continuing basis and then work one-on-one with farmers to understand and apply this knowledge at the paddock and farm level.

• To facilitate information exchange between all sectors of industry, with the aim of improving the profitability of growers. • To provide an organisation to present the consultants’ view to industry and governments.

CCA also recognises that professionalism and technical knowledge of crop consultants is essential to ensuring a

• To maintain and improve the standard of agronomic advisory services.

Despite its name, CCA membership is not just restricted to those working as professional agronomists. Today students, researchers, resellers and agribusiness professionals and even growers all contribute to the current membership under different membership categories, and as part of its commitment to the sustainability and quality of the broader industry, CCA’s training events, including workshops and two-day seminars, are open to anyone, regardless of membership.

Todays’ agronomist is a central part of their industry as they have direct and constant contact with a number of clients (with different cropping scenarios) and provide technical expertise, feedback and advice that is scientifically based, honest and practical.

It is a hands-on role and during the peak of the season the consultant is usually on call 24/7 to respond to problems and identify risks that may impact the crop. Throw in the pressures that surround running a business in 2018, and it is a lot for one businessperson to manage. For this reason, CCA today also plays a strong role in supporting its members to navigate the minefield of business operation.

These are:

“While much has changed in the agricultural scene over the past 30 years, including the chemicals, plant varieties and tools of trade, it’s interesting that the key objectives of the organisation at its time of incorporation remain equally as relevant today.”

progressive and responsive cropping industry. Through provision of training and relevant information, CCA supports professionals and industry representatives working across dryland and irrigated systems to maintain a high level of technical skills and knowledge in spray management, product selection, crop nutrition and soils, irrigation practices, variety selection, crop and fallow management and insect, disease and weed management.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

BENEFITS TO FLOW FROM WATER EFFICIENT WHEAT RESEARCH Pre-breeding wheat trials have identified germplasm that performs well in dry conditions, which will help plant geneticists to develop new, more robust varieties suitable to Western Australian conditions. The trials are part of a Grains Flagship project by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to identify genetic markers in the plant material linked to genes responsible for plant emergence and high grain fill rates under limited soil water availability. The department sourced germplasm from the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s CAIGE project, including breeding lines from arid environments in the Middle East, the sub-continent, North Africa and South West Asia. The trials at the department’s Merredin Research Facility in April and May 2017 benchmarked the 170 breeding lines against more than 60 Australian wheat varieties. Senior research officer Dr Michael Francki said the trials showed promising results for early plant emergence when sown in dry light soils and irrigated once in April to simulate a light rainfall event under strongly drying conditions.

“We have identified a number of breeding lines in germplasm from The International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) that had high rates of grain fill. The lines from ICARDA could be an excellent source of genetics to breed future Australian varieties that maintain rate of grain fill in dry finishes to the growing season, without detrimental effects to grain quality characteristics,” he explained.

If a heat wave sweeps through a city and people swelter, most run indoors to find air conditioning these days. But crops out in a paddock aren’t so lucky. For them, there is no escape.

“Trials to assess the rate of grain fill will be repeated at Merredin this year, to verify the results and reinforce the findings from the 2017 results,” Michael added.

Currently, scientists at Agriculture Victoria, in a study jointly funded with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), are working to understand how heat waves impact wheat. They are mixing observational studies with techniques from computer science. This will allow them to create models to understand how wheat will respond in certain conditions.

The project will also examine whether rate of grain fill has any adverse effects associated with grain quality, such as milling yield, protein, water absorption and grain size, in the search to provide the commercial sector with high-quality genetic markers and germplasm. Michael said it appeared multiple genes were responsible for the traits associated with early emergence and the rate of grain fill.

“The entire 230 lines are being evaluated again this year in field trials at Merredin, as well as further glasshouse trials,” he added.

“We are in the process of identifying DNA markers linked to the genes that control emergence and the rate of grain fill under limited water so breeding companies can track and select genes for the most desirable traits,” he said.

Michael said there were also encouraging trial results from lines that showed good grain fill rates.

It generally takes seven to 10 years for the commercial sector to develop new wheat varieties.

DPIRD senior research officer Dr Bob French, has been working with colleagues Grant Stainer and Dr Michael Francki (not pictured) on a Grains Flagship project at the department’s Merredin Research Facility to identify germplasm that performs well in dry conditions from which new, improved varieties can be developed.

DPIRD research officer Grant Stainer, who has been working with colleagues Dr Bob French and Dr Michael Francki (not pictured) on a project to evaluate plant emergence and rate of grain fill under limited water in 2018 trials at the department’s Merredin Research Facility.

“Initial results showed eight lines had 90 to 100 per cent emergence under limited moisture conditions in two trials that included Australian varieties and adapted lines from Pakistan,” Michael said.

CREATING MODELS TO FIND OUT WHETHER WHEAT WEATHERS HEAT WAVES

Therefore, as heat can affect plants and the soil, water, air, and microbes around them in many different ways, knowing how all of these factors affect crops could help farmers protect their plants against heat waves’ effects.

“Heat waves can greatly reduce wheat in growing regions and modelling could aid in finding strategies to limit the impact of extreme weather and climate change,” explained James Nuttall from Agriculture Victoria. “This can specifically come in handy during the sensitive periods of crop flowering and the grain filling phase,” he added. Wheat is an important crop and a major source of human nutrition, with a worldwide production of 729 million tons in 2014. James said that maintaining stable production into the future includes finding ways to reduce the effects of heat stress to plants. James and his team performed three experiments. They tried to get a complete picture of the different characteristics of heat stress, such as timing, intensity, and duration. They tested how plants responded to a multi-day heat wave, and if it affected plants more during their flowering or grain-filling phase. They also studied how water availability during the heat wave affected the wheat.

Results showed that high temperatures five days before the wheat began to flower reduced the number of wheat grains on a plant. Also, a high temperature event while the grain of wheat was growing reduced how big it got. They then put all the results together into a computer simulation model. This allowed them to predict how wheat beyond just the plants in their experiment could be impacted by a heat wave.

“Crop modelling allows you to test responses for environment or treatment combinations, and also test how those interact with each other,” James explained. He said a good example is in climate change studies where scientists are interested in plants’ response to carbon dioxide levels, temperature, and rainfall. A crop model allows them to test combinations of these factors on growth and yield. “These models allow us to make a prediction of crop growth and yield. In finding ways to combat heat waves, modelling provides a tool to see the effects of climate and weather changes on wheat production. It helps us predict how wheat will react so we can try to stop any negative effects beforehand,” James explained. He added that the next step in their research is to test their models using paddocks of wheat rather than a smaller sample of plants. They ultimately want to include their work in larger crop models to improve them. “As a scientist, there is satisfaction in finding relationships between crop growth and stresses like heat waves. I also think the work is valuable because we can help crop models identify possible ways that allow us to keep producing the food our planet needs,” James said in conclusion.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

NEW DISCOVERY ON CHLOROTIC STREAK DISEASE TO LEAD TO BETTER MANAGEMENT

FROM SPAIN TO HORSHAM TO INVESTIGATE INSECTS

Scientists at Sugar Research Australia (SRA) have named the organism responsible for chlorotic streak disease (CSD) in sugarcane, as part of a breakthrough that had been a scientific mystery for almost 90 years.

Spain and the Wimmera may be a world apart but according to Spanish PhD student Ana Moreno de la Fuente, it is our similarities that will help her to better understand the effects of climate change on agricultural systems.

Most importantly, the discovery is being applied to research that will lead to productivity, profitability, and sustainability outcomes for sugarcane growers and millers. Dr Kathy Braithwaite, SRA Senior Researcher, is leading a new project aimed at developing a variety resistance screening method for CSD and working to incorporate this into the SRA plant breeding program, so that the industry is provided with more useful data on CSD susceptibility as new varieties are considered for approval. The project is also working on further developing a diagnostic test and service, which could be integrated with SRA’s current diagnostic service for ratoon stunting disease (RSD). The CSD test already exists as a research tool and is hoped to be extended beyond the research phase and used to assist productivity services organisations in delivering clean plant source material. “Now that techniques are available to visualise, isolate and quantify the CSD organism experimentally, we can begin to address questions such as how the organism infects naturally through the roots, how it lives within the plant and causes disease, how cells are released back into the soil, and how the organism survives for extended periods outside the plant,” SRA Researcher, Dr Chuong Ngo, said.

Tully grower, Mr Tom Harney, welcomed the news. “Now that SRA has identified the cause of CSD, there should be better management practices for it, how to prevent it, and how not to get it in the first place. There is also an information gap with varieties, and I hope that this discovery improves that,” said Tom. As part of the new discovery, SRA researchers have just published two papers on CSD and its cause in the journal Phytopathology, which is considered one of the premier international journals for plant diseases. In these papers, the researchers including Kathy and Chuong, identified the single-celled organism as a type of Cercozoa. The Cerozoa responsible for CSD is new to science and was given the name Phytocercomonas venanatans. The name means ‘swims in the veins’ and refers to its method of movement and its specific home in sugarcane xylem vessels. It is about 10 micrometres in length, which is about 0.01 millimetres. The search for the culprit behind CSD dates back to 1929 when the disease was first identified, almost simultaneously in Australia, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Previous research in the Australian industry has shown yield losses from CSD as high as 40 percent of sugar yield in susceptible varieties, with an estimated cost to industry of $8-$10 million annually, making it one of the most costly diseases facing the industry

Ana, who is mid-way through a PhD examining the effects of climate change on crops said Agriculture Victoria’s Horsham site was the ideal location to continue her studies. “The Mediterranean climate and the crops grown in the Wimmera are very similar to what we have in Spain,” Ana said. “Also, there has already been a lot of research into the effects of elevated carbon dioxide on crops carried out in the Horsham region through the recently concluded 11-year AGFACE (Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment) program. We don’t have a FACE facility in Spain and the novel and important research conducted in Horsham will give me an understanding of future climate affecting agriculture in both countries and the opportunity to make a difference,” Ana went on to explain. Ana arrived in Horsham on 1 June for a six month research placement based at Grains Innovation Park as part of her doctoral studies which she is completing through the School of Agriculture, Food and Biosystem Engineering at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. She is being supervised by Agriculture Victoria vector borne disease researcher, Dr Piotr Trebicki who has spent eight years studying the impact of climate change on pests and diseases.

While in Horsham she will be specifically researching the effect of elevated carbon dioxide and higher temperatures on wheat crops, aphids and their natural enemies, or ‘beneficials’. Ana will carry out a range of field and lab-based experiments in a bid to better understand how aphids and the viruses they transmit, such as Barley yellow dwarf virus, respond under predicted future climatic conditions. She will also look at what effect higher temperatures and carbon dioxide levels have on parasitic wasps (Aphidius colemani), which are the natural enemy of the aphid. “I am looking to compare how effectively beneficial wasps control wheat pests under current carbon dioxide levels and temperatures (400 ppm and 20°C) with future predicted conditions, when carbon dioxide levels will reach 800 ppm and the temperature will be 2°C hotter,” Ana said. To complete her PhD, Ana will need to publish a thesis and several articles in scientific journals. She expects to complete her doctoral studies in 2020. This is often one of the biggest challenges for PhD students, but there will be another layer to this task for Ana as she intends to publish her research in English, rather than her first language of Spanish. “It is not necessary to publish in English, but I think my research will be more widely accessible if I do,” she said.

The focus of Ana’s PhD is assessing the impact of climate change on the biological control of pests.

DESERT BUSH SPIDER COULD HELP DEVELOP NEW DRUGS AND INSECTICIDES A toxin from the desert bush spider is helping researchers understand more about human and insect biology, which could lead to new treatments for health conditions and beefriendly insecticides. Scientists from The University of Queensland (UQ) and Princeton University in the United States have used the potent insecticidal toxin, Dc1a, to investigate the molecular structure of sodium channels, which play important roles in the nervous system of humans and insects.

“I think the most exciting part of this discovery is how Dc1a binds to the voltage sensor region, the on-off-switch of the sodium channel, as these regions are slightly different in each sodium channel,” Glenn said.

Professor Glenn King from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) said to design better drugs and insecticides, you needed to know how to turn sodium channels on and off at the atomic level.

“By targeting the voltage sensor as opposed to the pore of the channel, you can potentially make a drug or insecticide that’s very selective,” he added.

“Humans have nine sodium channels, each with different functions. For example, one type plays a central role in the perception of pain, another is essential to the function of the skeletal muscles we use for movement, and a third channel is used by the nerves that control our heart rhythm,” he said.

Glenn said the discovery provides a foundation for designing ecofriendly insecticides that will kill pest insects but won’t harm bees, humans or pets.

“If you design a drug to target one sodium channel to block pain, you have to ensure it won’t hit the others and cause paralysis or heart failure. And when designing insecticides, it’s critical that chemicals that disrupt sodium channels in pest insects don’t affect those found in humans or ecologically important insects such as bees, ” Glenn went on to explain. 32

Glenn and PhD student Yan Jiang showed that Dc1a toxin binds to the on-off switch of an insect sodium channel, with the UQ and Princeton University researchers able to solve a highresolution structure of the channel-toxin complex using cryoelectron microscopy.

There is also scope for designing drugs that selectively target certain human sodium channels, which could lead to new treatments for conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy and heart arrhythmia.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

MURDOCH RESEARCH CENTRE REVOLUTIONISES GRAINS RESEARCH

“The use of DNA marker technology greatly improves the efficiency of selecting breeding lines with improved yield and grain quality that are capable of overcoming production constraints.” Michael Francki

THE STATE AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTRE (SABC) HAS PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN TRANSFORMING PLANT BREEDING FOR THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GRAINS INDUSTRY OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and its previous incarnations, has been a long-time collaborator with Murdoch University at the Centre.

The alliance recently made a significant contribution to an international consortium that developed a complete map of the barley genome in 2017, which will lead to new and improved barley varieties.

“There is great potential to enhance research synergies between Murdoch University and the Department. For example, validating the laboratory research at the SABC in glasshouse and field trials, using the GRDC funded Crop Research Hub at Murdoch University and the Department’s upgraded Northam Grains Research Facilities. This will not only generate efficiencies, it will also accelerate the delivery of new, improved varieties to growers, crafted to suit WA’s unique environment,” he explained.

The centre has also hosted research by the department on lupin pre-breeding, contributing to the development of high density genetic maps with markers linked to genes for key disease and agronomic traits.

Acting Dean of Murdoch University’s School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Professor Richard Harper, said the success of the centre was the result of a productive working relationship with its partners and clients.

An integral part of the success of the department’s relationship with SABC has been engaging with beneficiaries to ensure science and technology outputs generate superior grain varieties.

“Relationships, such as with DPIRD, are immensely valuable, not only by strengthening research but also providing opportunities for Murdoch’s agricultural science students,” Richard said. “In this case it was seen as being pivotal in building future skills for the WA grains industry,” he added.

“Nowadays, no modern plant breeding program is complete without molecular marker technology,” he added.

“Department officers at the SABC work with public and private plant breeding programs to deliver new scientific knowledge and germplasm with desired traits, as well as services in markerassisted selection to the commercial plant breeding sector,” Michael said.

Many of the early advancements in DNA marker technology were made possible by the Value Added Wheat and Molecular Plant Breeding Co-operative Research Centre projects, supported by the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), which were based at the SABC.

The Department is currently working on research at the centre to identify genes with resistance to the fungal disease Stagonospora nodorum blotch, funded by the GRDC, and a project to identify genetic markers for early emergence and high grain fill rates in wheat.

“These projects were instrumental in developing DNA marker and supporting platforms for plant breeding and we have been able to further advance these technologies since those early days,” Michael said.

Michael said the SABC would continue to have an important position in grains pre-breeding research, which was essential to support endeavours to keep the Western Australian grains industry internationally competitive.

At a recent event to celebrate the SABC’s silver anniversary, keynote speaker and department senior research officer, Michael Francki, said molecular genomics research had revolutionised grains plant breeding. Michael, who is an adjunct Professor at Murdoch University, said the development and application of molecular marker technology, which pinpoints genes or groups of genes that ‘mark’ traits in the plant such as yield and disease resistance, had led to the advancement of high performance varieties that addressed specific needs. “The use of DNA marker technology greatly improves the efficiency of selecting breeding lines with improved yield and grain quality that are capable of overcoming production constraints,” Michael said.

The SABC is also home to the Western Barley Genetics Alliance, a partnership between the Department and Murdoch University to undertake barley pre-breeding research with the support of the GRDC.

SABC director Mike Jones said the SABC provided a forum for collaboration that stimulated research synergies between a variety of public and private sector stakeholders, in a university environment that nurtures the next generation of scientists. “While the SABC offers state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for agricultural and veterinary biotechnology research, it is much more than that,” Mike said. “This unique relationship ensures the university’s and the state’s scientific capacity continues to grow and meet the ever changing needs of the Western Australian agricultural sector, as it seeks to compete in the global marketplace,” he concluded. 35

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

AUSTRALIA’S TOP YOUNG SCIENTISTS RECOGNISED WITH PRESTIGIOUS AWARD AUSTRALIA’S TWO TOP YOUNG SCIENTISTS RECEIVED THE PRESTIGIOUS ICM AGRIFOOD AWARD AT THE ATSE INNOVATION DINNER HELD IN MELBOURNE RECENTLY, RECOGNISING THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECTOR. Dr Angela Van de Wouw and Dr Shu Kee Lam each received the award, which was presented by Professor Lindsay Falvey FTSE from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, on behalf of Mr Doug Shears FTSE.

undertaken in this important sector. Being able to recognise the efforts of this year’s Award recipients is an absolute pleasure and a reassurance that the future of food and Australia is in good hands,” Lindsay said.

“It is wonderful to see two very high calibre young scientists recognised and lauded for the wonderful research and its impact in industry,” Lindsay said.

Award recipient Dr Angela Van de Wouw

“The insights delivered by their research have already led to significant practical on-farm and industry outcomes for the benefit the broader Australian agrifood industry,” he added. Presented by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), one of the four Learned Academies of Australia that house the nation’s top brains, the ICM Agrifood Awards is sponsored by ICM Agribusiness, one of Australia’s major agribusiness groups. The early career award is presented annually to the two most outstanding young Australian scientists or technologists, one male and one female, for their contribution to and achievement in a field critical to continued improvement of the overall Australian food sector. “Initiated by a group of retired agricultural scientists, the Old Agriculture Fellows, the selection of winners for the award is a scientifically rigorous and robust process, with some of Australia’s leading scientists and research elders on the selection panel. “We received a veritable heap of applications, showing the strength and depth of research and development being 36

Dr Angela Van de Wouw is a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne’s School of Biosciences. She has published more than 36 papers and is internationally recognised as a leading expert on canola blackleg disease. Cause by a fungus, blackleg almost wiped out the Australian canola industry in the 1970’s.

“It is important that our research delivers new insights and practical solutions to help growers control this devastating disease,” she added.

Raymond uses ‘big data’ – complex integrated computer modelling – to conduct meta-analysis of the effectiveness of various mitigation strategies for nitrogen loss.

Angela’s research also played a critical role in overcoming Chinese trade restrictions, addressing fears of blackleg contamination.

“Big data allows us to use extensive global datasets from other scientific research, industry reports and statistics for insights into novel ways to improved farm management practices. From this we find that we can expect to reduce fertiliser applications, increase yields and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is a win-win-win,” Raymond said.

Angela said it is an honour to receive such a prestigious award, and to be recognised for her research, and the impact it is having on helping growers protect the value of this important Australian crop. Award recipient Dr Shu Kee Lam

“Blackleg is one of the most severe canola diseases in Australia. We take a multidisciplinary approach to fighting this disease, considering genetic solutions whereby we identify resistant canola genes for breeding into improved crop varieties, and we have also developed molecular tests that can predict outbreaks,” Angela explained.

Dr Shu Kee (Raymond) Lam is a research fellow at the School of Agriculture and Food at the University of Melbourne. His work addresses how future climate conditions, with elevated carbon dioxide levels, will impact soil health and the key soil-plant processed that control nitrogen supply and crop utilisation.

By taking a ‘genome to paddock’ approach, she helps prevent crop losses worth many millions of dollars every year. In an industry worth $2.5 billion to Australia, the potential benefits of her integrated technology are measured in hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

“We have found that much more nitrogen will be required to sustain crop yield and protein content in high carbon dioxide environments, and as we know, the best way to achieve this is to use legumes to biologically fix nitrogen. But the gains are being lost,” Raymond said.

“We work closely with breeders, researchers and the broader industry to make sure growers are armed with effective management options to protect their canola crops,” Angela said.

“Depending on your soil type, applying fertilisers can undermine the beneficial effects of nitrification inhibitors, leading to increased loss of nitrogen via ammonia volatility,” he explained.

Raymond has received multiple scientific and industry awards, and his recent paper in Global Change Biology was selected by the European Commission (Environment) to inform 20,000 agricultural policy makers. His work also includes looking at the capacity for Australian farmland to sequester carbon, where he has found that past figures may need revision, and has demonstrated that nitrogen use efficiency in Australian vegetable farms may be only 20 percent of what is possible. “It is so pleasing to receive this ICM Agrifood Award, that an august body such as the Academy of Technological Sciences has recognised the value and impact of my research. It is gratifying to know that the insights it delivers can help improve farming practices and the efficient production of food in a changing climate,” Raymond said in conclusion. 37

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

SF Greenland

SMASHING AVOCADO DISEASE THREATS Researchers are working with the Australian avocado industry to safeguard one of the nation’s favourite fruits from the threat of existing and emerging disease. University of Queensland’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) researcher Dr Liz Dann is working on an industry avocado biosecurity project funded through Hort Innovation. “The aim is to improve yields, fruit quality and build capacity to deal with biosecurity issues,” Liz said. “I am constantly reviewing the disease management practices, and trialling new products or approaches for reducing the impact of the many diseases which affect avocados,” she added. While Liz’s focus is managing existing diseases, her colleague, Dr Andrew Geering is concentrating on developing diagnostic tests to protect the industry against new threats. “Sometimes the biosecurity threats are well understood but others seem to pop out of the blue,” Andrew said. “A good example of a pest that was not previously on anyone’s radar is the fungal disease Laurel wilt, which is spread by the tiny redbay ambrosia beetle. It’s decimating the avocado industry in Florida. As soon as the beetle bores into the trunk of an avocado

“There is no resistance. We don’t have the beetle in Australia yet, but it is vital we have good diagnostic tests for a wide range of pests and pathogens,” he added.

The Northern Territory’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources acting regional weeds officer, Nathan Mills, said the report, authored by ArGyll Consulting, has also led to the development of a decision support tool that pastoralists can use to undertake analysis on their own properties. “The Territory has a land‑based economy and good land management practices are critical to its future. That’s why it’s important for land managers, such as pastoralists, to eradicate prickly acacia as soon as they possibly can, before this invasive weed spreads and impacts their bottom line,” Nathan said.

Australia’s favourite, highest yielding forage rape.

Andrew said all diseases are manageable. “We just need the tools and the capacity to maintain current biosecurity processes, and to meet emerging challenges,” he explained.

Trials over the past 12 years confirm that SF Greenland forage rape continues to be Australia’s highest yielding forage rape.

Hort Innovation chief executive John Lloyd said the project is timely, with domestic consumption of avocados in Australia tripling over the past 20 years from 30,000 tonnes to 90,000 tonnes.

That is why it remains the No.1 choice by pasture agronomists.

“There is no arguing avocados are everywhere, on café menus, on television, in pop culture, there is even an avocado emoji,” John said. “What this research aims to do is protect a fruit that Australians are highly affectionate about,” he added.

DENMAN

Australia produces around 66,000 tonnes of avocados annually, with a wholesale value of $534 million.

PRICKLY ACACIA COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS The first ever cost benefit analysis of prickly acacia (Acacia nilotica) eradication has revealed that prompt treatment of small infestations delivers the best return on investment.

forage rape

tree and introduces the fungus, the whole tree collapses within a month,” Andrew said.

PENSHURST BYADUK

Nathan said that the recommendation to come out of the report is that all land managers who have prickly acacia on their properties conduct a full survey to measure the current extent of the problem and estimate the potential impact on productivity. “The decision support tool can then be used to review options for treatment and identify the most cost-effective path to eradication,” he added in conclusion.

Yield

Greenland

4.8

128

Yield

Titan

4.7

126

Greenland

10.0

116

Pillar

4.6

123

Winfred

8.6

100

Winfred

3.7

100

Titan

7.3

Ace

8.1

WINSLOW Variety

Yield

Greenland

9.5

136

Winfred

7.0

100

WINSLOW

Variety

Yield

Greenland

6.6

143

Winfred

6.2

100

Titan

6.4

140

5.8

Yield

Greenland

14.9

117

Winfred

12.7

100

GUNDAGAI

Variety

Yield

CARAMUT

Greenland

4.0

128

WARRNAMBOOL

Winfred

3.1

100

Variety

Yield

Greenland

10.0

115

Winfred

8.7

100

Ace

8.4

SMITHTON

WARRNAMBOOL

Ace

Variety

GUNDAGAI

CARAMUT

PENSHURST BYADUK

“Against the costs of control in terms of labour and chemicals are the benefits of increased or avoided losses in carrying capacity. The weed’s thorns can damage vehicle tyres and injure animals with thickets restricting mustering and stock access to water,” Nathan said.

Variety Variety

Nathan said that prickly acacia is a Class A (to be eradicated) and Class C (not to be introduced) weed in the Northern Territory and can reduce pasture production if left unmanaged.

“Since it was first recorded in the Northern Territory in the 1980’s, weed surveys have found prickly acacia is now found in all regions of the Top End, extending all the way to the Barkly. Case studies on the Barkly and Victoria River District, highlighted in the report, show that while infestations remain relatively small, eradication can be achieved at a relatively low cost,” he explained.

DENMAN

SMITHTON

WHITEMORE CRESSY

123

WHITEMORE Variety

Yield

Greenland

4.8

154

Winfred

3.1

100

Variety

Yield

Greenland

9.2

147

Winfred

6.2

100

Titan

6.3

101

Interval

8.3

133

CRESSY Variety

Yield

Greenland

6.6

112

Winfred

5.9

100

Goliath

6.2

105

Yield = tDM/ha % = % control Winfred

www.seedforce.com 39

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

SOIL SEARCHING FOR BETTER PRODUCTIVITY

“In other cases, we’ve changed crop rotations because the soil profile and crop type weren’t compatible. We’re also targeting a larger range of fertiliser products and seeing some promising responses.” Michael Wells

UNDERSTANDING WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SOIL SURFACE AND USING THAT KNOWLEDGE FOR PRODUCTIVITY GAINS IS AT THE HEART OF A MASSIVE PRECISION AGRICULTURE PROGRAM CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED ON HASSAD AUSTRALIA’S PROPERTIES ACROSS AUSTRALIA. The 18-month project involves an in-depth study of more than 40,000 hectares of cropping and grazing land across New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

Precision Cropping Technologies have been mapping changes in soil profile conditions for Hassad Australia, using electromagnetic (EM) and gamma radiometric surveys.

of power to build information and new knowledge, but to find out what is going on, you still need to get in the field, have a look and soil test,” he went on to explain.

“There’s a progressive learning that comes from sampling and testing and we use Nutrient Advantage for regular soil testing on all our east coast properties,” Scott said.

Senior agronomist for Hassad Australia based in Dubbo, Scott Ceeney, said the work would give them a better understanding of the capability of their assets, leading to better decision making, as well as assisting in more accurately targeting productivity gains.

The maps indicate changes in the soil profile conditions which can be driven by both physical and chemical soil characteristics, including changes in texture, depth of soil and subsoil constraints like excessive sodicity and chloride.

With Hassad Australia, for example, the initial scanning and mapping process provided a very clear guide for testing.

Hassad Australia’s farm managers also conduct a range of nutrient response trials each year and these are supported by soil testing and satellite imagery.

“On some of our farms the program has been very successful, very quickly, and on others we’ll need to dig a bit deeper,” Scott said.

Michael Wells from Precision Cropping Technologies said PCT’s agCloud soil sensor maps were an excellent guide to soil variability.

“As an investment, we’re confident it will pay for itself over time with increases in long-term productivity,” he added.

“When we’re working with customers like Hassad Australia, we’re helping them learn more about their farms and the nature of variability, and how it affects production and profitability,” Michael said.

The corporate farm is working with Precision Cropping Technologies (PCT) to map changes in soil profile conditions using electromagnetic (EM) and gamma radiometric surveys. Hassad Australia accumulated its properties relatively quickly between 2010 and 2014 and not a lot was known about the soils before the mapping work began. “One of the objectives was simply to understand our assets better,” Scott explained. “All our properties are large and diverse and in some cases, we’ve aggregated a number of properties side by side with vastly different management histories,” he added.

“Precision agriculture can be viewed as an extension of good agronomy. Generally, it’s used to lift productivity through correcting limiting factors in poorly performing areas and more significantly, to identify the best growing environments for opportunities to drive profit even higher,” he added. Michael said the process often started with farmers picking up variability on a yield map and looking to find the cause. By analysing changes in the soil environment, they can see and statistically analyse if there is a correlation with the yield map.

Collecting the data involved PCT staff driving up and back across the properties on 36 metre widths, continuously taking readings with the electromagnetic and gamma radiometric sensors.

“Changes in soil conditions are often the major driver behind the variation in production within a field or farm. Soil sampling and soil testing is the next step, to provide an objective measurement of these changes,” Michael said.

The recordings from the survey were used to create surfaced maps of each of the four depths of sensitivity from the DualEM and four bands from the gamma radiometrics.

“While the soil sensor maps define where soil is changing, it is essential to determine the real nature of this variability and its agronomic importance. Our software has an enormous amount

PCT provided Hassad Australia with a detailed prescription for soil sampling, down to individual GPS points for each soil core. “It showed how many samples we needed to take for each test to be representative and exactly where they should be taken from,” Scott said. Around 2500 soil tests have already been taken as part of the program. Hassad and PCT are using Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ Nutrient Advantage laboratory for soil testing on the east coast, a NATA accredited laboratory specialising in soil, water and plant tissue testing for farmers. “We’re 75% through the soil testing component of the process now and it’s been fantastic,” he said. The results are prompting a range of changes. “We are looking closely at some areas of continuous cropping country that may be better utilised under perennial pasture, because of high chloride results,” Scott said. “In other cases, we’ve changed crop rotations because the soil profile and crop type weren’t compatible. We’re also targeting a larger range of fertiliser products and seeing some promising responses,” he added.

The commitment Hassad Australia is making to soil surveys and soil testing is an excellent base for ongoing success, according to Jim Laycock, Agronomist with Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, based in Cowra. “Soil testing is still the best way for farmers and their agronomists to understand their most valuable asset, their soils, as well as better manage fertiliser inputs for productivity and profitability,” Jim said. “Growers can use soil testing in a range of ways, for short term goals in next season’s crop, longer term management of the farm or for precision agriculture applications,” he added. For Scott, the project is just one part of a wider precision agriculture program across the company, focused on maximising productivity gains, targeting cost reductions and better managing risk. “In my opinion, we have chosen the ideal industry leading partners in PCT and Nutrient Advantage for the completion of this program and we look forward to its continuing success,” he said.

Nutrient Advantage was selected for the analysis work for its consistency and reliability. 41

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

NEWLY DISCOVERED XENOMORPH WASP WITH ALIEN-LIKE LIFECYCLE

info@theaustralianagronomist.com FAX

(03) 5444 1440

“We collected over 500 wasps from a particular subfamily, from all over Australia, and determined that there were more than 200 different species just in that relatively small number of specimens,” said Andrew. F R OM INDU TRY S E XPERTS

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WS NE

PM ENT DEV EL O

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U CAN YOD AFFORO NOT T BE? RI SUBSC

OJE CT I

IN TA

ICE E CAL A SCI E NC TE C HNI D V CO NTR OL ASE A N D PEST PR D ISE T R OD IA U CTS LR E SU S E C A AB I R C S LT SU

N TIO A V PE R NO R Y O G I I NDUST

N EW PRO DUCT RELEA SE S

“There are currently only 100 species described in this subfamily for Australia, so we’ve at least doubled the number of known species. It’s important to document our biodiversity so that we can make informed conservation decisions about our environment. Some of these wasps may potentially be useful biological control agents for pests, but we just don’t know about them yet,” he added in conclusion.

Parasitoid wasps are said to have inspired the creation of the Xenomorph alien in the movie franchise. In their natural environment, these wasps play important roles in regulating the populations of their insect hosts, and have been used in agricultural crops to control caterpillar pests.

By subscribing, you’re guaranteed an issue will reach you directly every time.

“The wasp is also black and shiny like the alien, and has a couple of weird traits for the genus, so xenomorph, meaning ‘strange form’, fits really well,” Erinn said.

These three new species are among thousands more wasps in Australia still awaiting description and names.

Subscription options: ONLINE www.theaustralianagronomist.com MAIL PO Box 812 Strathfieldsaye, VIC Australia 3551

“Dolichogenidea xenomorph acts as a parasite in caterpillars in a similar way that the fictional Alien creature does in its human host,” said lead researcher Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, PhD student in the University’s School of Biological Sciences.

Erinn’s research was supervised by Professor Andrew Austin, of the University’s Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, in collaboration with Professor Steven Cooper from the Centre and from the South Australian Museum.

The Australian Agronomist is the only agronomy publication of its kind, ensuring agronomists and consultants across all industry sectors stay up to date with the latest information and news.

SO N

The wasp is one of three newly documented wasps that are parasitoids, that is, parasites which must kill their host to complete their lifecycle.

Dolichogenidea xenomorph has been collected from Queanbeyan, New South Wales and in southern Western Australia, but likely has a wider distribution across Australia. It has an extremely long ovipositor, a needle-like structure the female wasps use to inject their eggs into their host. The host of this species is a moth caterpillar that feeds on eucalyptus leaves.

The new species, Dolichogenidea xenomorph, injects its eggs into live caterpillars and the baby wasp larvae slowly eat the caterpillar from the inside out, bursting out once they have eaten their fill. The wasp larvae then change into adult wasps and continue the hunt for more caterpillars in which to lay their eggs.

“At less than 5mm in length, Dolichogenidea xenomorph might seem to lack the punch of its fearsome namesake. But size is relative. To a host caterpillar, it’s an awesome predator,” Erinn said.

SE A

A University of Adelaide PhD student has discovered a new species of wasp, named Xenomorph because of its gruesome parasitic lifecycle that echoes the predatory behaviour of the Alien movie franchise monster.

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THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL BARLEY VARIETY LOCALLY GROWN AND LOCALLY BREWED IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT COOPERS BREWERY HOSTS BARLEY FARMERS DURING A BOTTLING RUN, SO EVERYONE WAS EXCITED WHEN THREE FARMING FAMILIES RECENTLY SAW THE RESULTS OF LAST SEASON’S HARVEST COME OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE IN THE FAMOUS GREEN BOX. Seed Force hosted the three families who all grew the malting barley, RGT Planet, last season. The farmers, from South Australia, included Neville and Celia Kernick from Field, Simon and Priscilla Mildren from Mundoora, and Tony Mackereth, who farms with his wife Elaine, at Padthaway. All three cropped the RGT Planet barley which was delivered directly to Coopers. Doug Stewart, maltings manager at Coopers Brewery in Adelaide, enjoyed the opportunity to share a visit to the state-of-the-art barley malting facility. “We don’t often have visits from our supplying barley growers here at the plant, let alone being able to show them the actual bottles their barley is in, going through the production line,” Doug said. There was plenty of curiosity from both sides of the production process as the group took a full tour of the malting, brewing and bottling facilities. “It’s a great chance to speak directly with these top growers about their operations. We have talked a lot and asked each other plenty of questions. It’s a great way for me to understand how things work at their end, and they were wanting to know about what we look for in the grain,” Doug said. 44

“It is not every day you get to see your barley being poured into a bottle and boxed up. It’s pretty special. I definitely have a greater appreciation of what goes into each bottle, and how what we do on the farm can help with that process.” Tony Mackereth According to David Leah, Seed Force technical and extension agronomist, it is a unique barley because it performs well in all kinds of conditions and can be grown successfully across different geographies. “In Australia, it was in the 2016 and 2017 National Variety Trials and will be in the 2018 program,” David said. “It seems to hold on to condition and finish well as the season changes, and then still yield at impressive rates. This capacity to adapt to a large range of conditions across the world is fantastic, and we are delighted with its performance in Australia,” he went on to add. RGT Planet barley is approved for malting in different parts of the world by Malteurop, Boortmalt, Groupe Soufflet, Cargill, Viking Malt and an increasing number of local maltsters. It is used by international brewers including ABInBev, Carlsberg, Coors, Heineken, Guinness, SAB Miller and San Miguel. Malting quality approval is pending in Australia, with the result to be known in March 2019. Tim Wilmshurst, national sales manager with Seed Force, said it has become a preferred barley variety for maltsters and brewers partly because of its wide geographic production spread.

Tony and Elaine Mackereth produced Australia’s first large scale block of RGT Planet as summer crop in 2015-16, and they were then one of six properties to grow it commercially in 2016.

“In Europe, RGT Planet is the number one malting barley variety. Processors like it because they can use a barley that has consistent characteristics regardless of where it has been grown, locally or in a contra season elsewhere,” Tim said.

Tony agreed that it was a unique opportunity for the group. “It’s been so interesting to be here and see first-hand what happens with our barley when it goes into beer. We are grateful to Seed Force for inviting us along. The Coopers set-up is amazing. I didn’t realise there’s so much that goes on in the beer-making process, and the volumes they handle are staggering,” Tony said.

Farmers Pricilla Mildren & Celia Kernick at Coopers Brewery

RAGT, along with the local Seed Force team, is working to create strong end-user market relationships. The company’s business development director, Samuel Gasté, believes that Asia holds significant opportunity for Australian growers.

“RGT Planet is a wonderful opportunity which brings genetic diversity to the Australian malting market for the benefit of the whole industry, farmers, grain consolidators, maltsters and brewers,” Samuel said.

RGT Planet is a malting spring barley variety that is in trials, production and processing in more than 44 countries across Europe, North and South America and Africa. Seed Force, part of French-based RAGT Group that is responsible for breeding the variety, has been testing and developing it locally for the past six years.

“This reliability of supply helps mitigate against season failure and reduces the need to tweak or change recipes that can sometimes occur when using different barley varieties with different profiles,” he explained.

Tim Wilmshurst, Seed Force, Doug Stewart, Coopers Brewery, and David Leah, Seed Force, at Coopers Brewery in Adelaide.

“With its global profile, we believe RGT Planet has the potential to lift the size of the whole malting barley market. We want to grow the segment, so that more high quality Australian barley can find a high value home,” he added in conclusion.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST SPRING

$27 MILLION FOR GAME-CHANGING SMART FARMING PARTNERSHIPS Soil health, innovation, digital farming and next generation weather forecasting will be improved, thanks to $27 million in funding through round one of the Smart Farming Partnership grants.

“Innovative technology will measure pasture productivity against soil nutrients on grazing farms in WA to reduce fertiliser use, improve water quality and deliver better pasture,” he added.

It’s crop nutrition, simplified.

Fifteen projects will be funded through grants ranging from $480,000 to $4 million to adopt the next generation of sustainable farming practices to benefit the future of Australian agriculture.

“Another project will show farmers how to use manures and composts with other fertilisers to avoid doubling up and wasting money as they improve soil health and on-farm productivity,” The Minister also said.

Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud said the multi-year grants will bring together farmers, researchers, community groups and others.

Other projects include pest control and vegetation management to meet the growing demand for verified sustainably produced products.

to see variability, know what’s changing year on year through powerful charting features,

The recipients of the grants include Landcare, farming, and community groups, indigenous organisations, universities, research and development bodies and technology groups.

It’s our job to make yours easier. Simplify the way you monitor crop growth, sample and

“We are funding ambitious projects to benefit sugar cane farmers in Queensland, graziers in Western Australia and on farm weather forecasting in New South Wales,” Minister Littleproud said.

Understanding what’s going on above and below the soil is the key to good crop growth. Powered by Google Earth Engine, Decipher lets you zoom in on a whole farm or a single paddock and make the right decision to optimise productivity.

compare farm nutrition data with Decipher.

Try it now for free. Download the app or go to decipher.com.au

The Minister said “Farming can be rough and unpredictable. Dynamic real-time weather forecasting helps farmers make better decisions instead of relying on seasonal weather forecasts.” He also said that many consumers want sustainably sourced food and fibre, including sugar, and that new block chain technology will help sugar exporters track their sugar overseas and get better access for exports.

CRUCIAL UP-TO-DATE ADVICE NOW AVAILABLE It is vital for the longterm sustainability and viability of crop protection products that agricultural chemical users adopt up to date best practice advice on managing crop protection product resistance. This ensures important agricultural chemicals that help farmers produce the food, feed and fibre needed for the world’s growing population are managed in a sustainable and safe way. To help achieve these aims, CropLife Australia has recently released new and updated 2018 Resistance Management Strategies for fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. These strategies are available as an online resource to help agronomists, farmers and other land managers sustainably control the pests, weeds and disease that are a constant threat to Australia’s food, feed and fibre production and the precious natural environment. Matthew Cossey, chief executive officer of CropLife Australia said if left uncontrolled, weeds, destructive insects and disease, can pose significant agricultural and economic challenges for farmers, including the devastation of crops pre- and post-harvest. “It is essential that agronomists advise farmers to adopt agricultural practices that control pests, weeds and disease, while reducing their environmental impact and delaying the onset of resistance to critical crop protection products,” Matthew said. 46

“The adoption of an Integrated Pest Management system incorporating effective resistance management strategies for chemical crop protection products is crucial to the longterm viability and profitability of Australian farming,” he added. CropLife’s official Resistance Management Strategies are developed by scientific technical review committees based on expert knowledge and the latest data on the use of fungicides, herbicides and insecticides, as well as through consultation with relevant national and international experts. “Access to the most uptodate and accurate advice on how to use crop protection products responsibly and sustainably is critical,” Matthew said. CropLife’s easy-to-access strategies equip farmers with methods to ensure they maintain the effectiveness and extend the life of crucial farming tools. Following CropLife’s Resistance Management Strategies can help farmers prevent loss of future crops, income and damage to their land. The 2018 Resistance Management Strategies are available for free at www.croplife.org.au

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