Pasture Seeds - RIRDC Completed Projects in 2001-2003 & Research in Progress as at June 20023

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RIRDC Completed Projects in 2002-2003 & Research in Progress as at June 2003
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To Pasture Seeds Completed Projects

3.7 PASTURE seeds - Research in progressot
PROJECT No	PROJECT TITLE	RESEARCHER	PHONE	ORGANISATION

Improved Production Efficiency

UWA-65A	Seed production limits sulla and purple clover as fodders	Dr. Mike Ewing	(08) 9380 1876	University of Western Australia
CSE-91A	Improving lucerne pollination with leafcutter bees – stage 2	Dr. Denis Anderson	(02) 6246 4148	CSIRO Entomology
DAV-196A	Effective weed control for the Australian white clover seed industry	Ms. Penny Riffkin	(03) 5573 0900	Department of Primary Industries (Vic)
DAN-209A	Developing innovative seed production technologies to ensure the commercial success of new perennial lotus species targeted at reducing recharge in the mid-catchment regions of Australia	Mr. Graeme Sandral	02 6938 1850	NSW Department of Agriculture

Support Industry Quality Assurance & Self Regulation

SAR-48A

Confirmation of pest free area status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in export seed production areas

Mr. Rob Rees

(08) 8226 0446

South Australian Research and Development Institute

Improve Production Efficiency

Project Title Seed production limits sulla and purple clover as fodders

RIRDC Project No: UWA-65A

Start Date: 01/07/01

Finish Date: 31/08/04

Researcher: Dr. Mike Ewing

Organisation: University of Western Australia
Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture
NEDLANDS WA 6907

Phone: (08) 9380 1876

Fax: (08) 9380 1140

Email: mewing@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Objectives The project will deliver for sulla and purple clover: · Commercial cultivars of sulla and purple clover with good adaptation and acceptable harvest/processing characteristics.
· A detailed understanding of current best practice for commercial harvest and seed processing of the target species.
· A detailed understanding of the plant characters that will confer improved harvestability and handling.
· Selection methodologies for use in practical plant breeding programs for enhanced harvest and handling characteristics.
· Cohorts for further field evaluation that will provide second generation cultivars with elite harvest/processing abilities.

Current Progress The project has made excellent progress towards its objective of identifying sources of genetic variation in sulla and purple clover that overcome current problems with seed production that limit the current commercial application with these species. The project is now poised to produce new cultivars with features that make them a substantial improvement on existing cultivars.
For purple clover the project has identified elite genotypes that combine vigor and productivity with high seed yield and enhanced seed processing traits, in particular ease of seed extraction from the calyx. Unexpectedly, the project has also been able to select these traits within a genetic background where strong tolerance to the clover scorch disease (Kabatiella caulivora) is expressed. Prior to this project, tolerance to clover scorch was not known in purple clover and the disease was regarded as a key constraint to its wide scale use.
A commercial sulla cultivar with high productivity and seed yield is likely to result from the material evaluated during this project. The project has also identified important new sources of variation in seed traits that should allow substantially lower cost seed harvest and pasture establishment in the future.

Project Title Improving lucerne pollination with leafcutter bees - stage 2

RIRDC Project No.: CSE-91A

Start Date: 7-Jan-02

Finish Date: 31-Jul-05

Researcher: Dr. Denis Anderson

Organisation: CSIRO Entomology
GPO Box 1700
CANBERRA ACT 2601

Phone: (02) 6246 4148

Fax: (02) 6246 4000

Email: Denis.Anderson@csiro.au

Objectives The outcome will be increased profitability for the lucerne seed industry, achieved by improving seed yield through the use of leafcutter bees as pollinators. The deliverables:
1) Cost-effective quarantine procedures for importing Canadian leafcutter.
2) Improved methods for managing leafcutter bees under Australian conditions.
3) An updated plain-English booklet detailing the importation and management of leafcutter bees for lucerne pollination.

Current Progress A significant change was made to the way leafcutter bees were imported from Canada for the 2002/03 summer season. This change was necessary to prevent a recurrence of events that led to the destruction of an entire shipment of bees during the 2001/02 season. The change involved importing bee cells containing prepupae that had been produced in Canada the previous summer and incubating them into adult bees as soon as they arrived in quarantine in Australia. This contrasted with previous seasons where cells were imported 11 months after being produced in Canada and then held for a further 6 months at 5^oC after arriving in quarantine in Australia. The new procedure necessitated that the imported cells be removed from the field in Canada much earlier than normal, in order to ensure that the prepupae had spent sufficient time in diapause prior to incubation in Australia.
On 14 December 2002 one million Canadian leafcutter bee cells arrived in quarantine and these were immediately dipped, dried and placed into incubators. Adult bees emerged from about 80% of the cells. Of these, approximately 650,000 bees were placed on a lucerne field near Cowra NSW and 160,000 were placed on lucerne crops near Keith SA. Returns from these bees are currently being assessed, but at this stage they look promising.

Project Title Effective weed control for the Australian white clover seed industry

RIRDC Project No.: DAV-196A

Start Date: 01-Jul-2001

Finish Date: 31-Jul-2004

Researcher: Ms. Penny Riffkin

Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (Vic)

Phone: (03) 5573 0900

Fax: (03) 5571 1523

Email: penny.riffkin@nre.vic.gov.au

Objectives This project will develop effective weed control strategies for white clover seed production in Australia. Identification of suitable herbicides, optimum rates and times of application for effective weed control is expected to increase seed yield by over 40% and reduce seed production costs (over $2 million per annum) and development of herbicide resistance.

Current Progress White clover seed exports have increased by 250% over the past 10 years with 90% of growers located in the Neuarpurr (western Victoria) and Frances (eastern SA) districts. However, due to ineffective weed control options, farmers are only achieving 40% of yield potential. Five trials were conducted in the region during 2002 to determine the effect of a range of herbicides on clover seed yields. Additionally, a clover seed cultivar evaluation was conducted.
Results from these investigations were presented to pasture seed producers and the pasture industry at a meeting held at Frances (SA) in April 2003. Some highlights from the 2002 research findings include:
· 2002 research data supported findings from the previous year’s trial results
· Data was generated indicating the relative yield effect from herbicides tested, with one herbicide resulting in significantly reduced yields
· Yield data on 7 cultivars of white clover seed was obtained
Planning for the 2003 season’s herbicide trials and cultivar evaluation was conducted at this meeting with recommendations being forwarded to the committee of the Neuarpurr white clover seed growers association . Finalisation of the 2003 research treatments was then undertaken by DPI in close consultation with the seed growers committee. Trials for 2003 will again be conducted in the Neurapurr region and will include : · Optimum rates and timing of key herbicides
· Efficacy of different combinations of knockdown herbicides

Project Title Developing innovative seed production technologies to ensure the commercial success of new perennial lotus species targeted at reducing recharge in the mid-catchment regions of Australia

RIRDC Project No.: DAN-209A

Start Date: 01-Jul-2003

Finish Date: 30-Jun-2008

Researcher: Mr. Graeme Sandral

Organisation: NSW Department of Agriculture

Phone: 02 6938 1850

Fax: 02 6938 1809

Email: graeme.sandral@agric.nsw.gov.au

Objectives The aim of the project is to reduce seed losses from Lotus marrocanus during harvesting so a viable seed industry can be sustained in the long term. This will be achieved by: 1. Examining seed harvesting technologies in the USA (contact person Paul Beuselinck) and NZ(contact person Warren Williams) for L. corniculatus and L. pedunculatus, and refine these procedures for L. maroccanus harvesting in Australia.
2. By overcoming the problem of pod shattering it is proposed that perennial diploid Lotus species (mostly n12) will be collected from Genetic Resource Centre around the world and mutants of these will be chemically induced to examine the potential to reduce or eliminate gene expression for pod shattering. This will involve producing a small selection of perennial diploid Lotus species that have a substantially reduced potential for pod shattering.

Current Progress Although the project was approved in 2002/03 it did not formally commence until July 2003. This was to allow the research team to under take preliminary establishment work to facilitate the project.

Project Title Confirmation of pest free area status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in export seed production areas

RIRDC Project No.: SAR-48A

Start Date: 01-Aug-2002

Finish Date: 31-Mar-2004

Researcher: Mr. Rob Rees

Organisation: South Australian Research and Development Institute

Phone: (08) 8226 0446

Objectives Confirm Pest Free Area status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in export seed production areas of Australia to facilitate export seed trade

Current Progress In 2002, a survey funded by RIRDC, to update the Area Freedom Status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in seed production areas of SA and Victoria was undertaken. The survey tested 120 lucerne seed samples from SA and Victorian seed production areas without detection of disease. In addition twenty-five lucerne paddocks were sampled with bacterial wilt detected in one lucerne seed crop paddock. As a result of the disease detection, the Pest Free Area Status of SA seed production areas is no longer applicable. An industry-government working group has adopted the recommendation that phytosanitary declarations now be based on a spring phytosanitary inspection to issue ‘place of production’ freedom from bacterial wilt. Standardised protocols have been developed for field inspection, sampling and laboratory detection of bacterial wilt.
At the same time, international acceptance of a seed test developed in a previous RIRDC project (SAR 15-A) is being pursued via the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) process. Ideally, seed test standardisation should be based on inter-laboratory comparisons on naturally infected seed. Efforts to find naturally infected seed have not been successful, even when infected lucerne plants were grown in the glasshouse. Infected plants from paddocks where bacterial wilt was detected produce infected tillers but have not produced infected seed, indicating that transmission to seed is extremely low. This may be influenced by environmental conditions. As a result, international seed test standardisation will proceed with artificially infected seed.

Project Title	Seed production limits sulla and purple clover as fodders
RIRDC Project No:	UWA-65A
Start Date:	01/07/01
Finish Date:	31/08/04
Researcher:	Dr. Mike Ewing
Organisation:	University of Western Australia Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture NEDLANDS WA 6907
Phone:	(08) 9380 1876
Fax:	(08) 9380 1140
Email:	mewing@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Objectives	The project will deliver for sulla and purple clover: · Commercial cultivars of sulla and purple clover with good adaptation and acceptable harvest/processing characteristics. · A detailed understanding of current best practice for commercial harvest and seed processing of the target species. · A detailed understanding of the plant characters that will confer improved harvestability and handling. · Selection methodologies for use in practical plant breeding programs for enhanced harvest and handling characteristics. · Cohorts for further field evaluation that will provide second generation cultivars with elite harvest/processing abilities.
Current Progress	The project has made excellent progress towards its objective of identifying sources of genetic variation in sulla and purple clover that overcome current problems with seed production that limit the current commercial application with these species. The project is now poised to produce new cultivars with features that make them a substantial improvement on existing cultivars. For purple clover the project has identified elite genotypes that combine vigor and productivity with high seed yield and enhanced seed processing traits, in particular ease of seed extraction from the calyx. Unexpectedly, the project has also been able to select these traits within a genetic background where strong tolerance to the clover scorch disease (Kabatiella caulivora) is expressed. Prior to this project, tolerance to clover scorch was not known in purple clover and the disease was regarded as a key constraint to its wide scale use. A commercial sulla cultivar with high productivity and seed yield is likely to result from the material evaluated during this project. The project has also identified important new sources of variation in seed traits that should allow substantially lower cost seed harvest and pasture establishment in the future.

Project Title	Improving lucerne pollination with leafcutter bees - stage 2
RIRDC Project No.:	CSE-91A
Start Date:	7-Jan-02
Finish Date:	31-Jul-05
Researcher:	Dr. Denis Anderson
Organisation:	CSIRO Entomology GPO Box 1700 CANBERRA ACT 2601
Phone:	(02) 6246 4148
Fax:	(02) 6246 4000
Email:	Denis.Anderson@csiro.au
Objectives	The outcome will be increased profitability for the lucerne seed industry, achieved by improving seed yield through the use of leafcutter bees as pollinators. The deliverables: 1) Cost-effective quarantine procedures for importing Canadian leafcutter. 2) Improved methods for managing leafcutter bees under Australian conditions. 3) An updated plain-English booklet detailing the importation and management of leafcutter bees for lucerne pollination.
Current Progress	A significant change was made to the way leafcutter bees were imported from Canada for the 2002/03 summer season. This change was necessary to prevent a recurrence of events that led to the destruction of an entire shipment of bees during the 2001/02 season. The change involved importing bee cells containing prepupae that had been produced in Canada the previous summer and incubating them into adult bees as soon as they arrived in quarantine in Australia. This contrasted with previous seasons where cells were imported 11 months after being produced in Canada and then held for a further 6 months at 5^oC after arriving in quarantine in Australia. The new procedure necessitated that the imported cells be removed from the field in Canada much earlier than normal, in order to ensure that the prepupae had spent sufficient time in diapause prior to incubation in Australia. On 14 December 2002 one million Canadian leafcutter bee cells arrived in quarantine and these were immediately dipped, dried and placed into incubators. Adult bees emerged from about 80% of the cells. Of these, approximately 650,000 bees were placed on a lucerne field near Cowra NSW and 160,000 were placed on lucerne crops near Keith SA. Returns from these bees are currently being assessed, but at this stage they look promising.

Project Title	Effective weed control for the Australian white clover seed industry
RIRDC Project No.:	DAV-196A
Start Date:	01-Jul-2001
Finish Date:	31-Jul-2004
Researcher:	Ms. Penny Riffkin
Organisation:	Department of Primary Industries (Vic)
Phone:	(03) 5573 0900
Fax:	(03) 5571 1523
Email:	penny.riffkin@nre.vic.gov.au
Objectives	This project will develop effective weed control strategies for white clover seed production in Australia. Identification of suitable herbicides, optimum rates and times of application for effective weed control is expected to increase seed yield by over 40% and reduce seed production costs (over $2 million per annum) and development of herbicide resistance.
Current Progress	White clover seed exports have increased by 250% over the past 10 years with 90% of growers located in the Neuarpurr (western Victoria) and Frances (eastern SA) districts. However, due to ineffective weed control options, farmers are only achieving 40% of yield potential. Five trials were conducted in the region during 2002 to determine the effect of a range of herbicides on clover seed yields. Additionally, a clover seed cultivar evaluation was conducted. Results from these investigations were presented to pasture seed producers and the pasture industry at a meeting held at Frances (SA) in April 2003. Some highlights from the 2002 research findings include: · 2002 research data supported findings from the previous year’s trial results · Data was generated indicating the relative yield effect from herbicides tested, with one herbicide resulting in significantly reduced yields · Yield data on 7 cultivars of white clover seed was obtained Planning for the 2003 season’s herbicide trials and cultivar evaluation was conducted at this meeting with recommendations being forwarded to the committee of the Neuarpurr white clover seed growers association . Finalisation of the 2003 research treatments was then undertaken by DPI in close consultation with the seed growers committee. Trials for 2003 will again be conducted in the Neurapurr region and will include : · Optimum rates and timing of key herbicides · Efficacy of different combinations of knockdown herbicides

Project Title	Developing innovative seed production technologies to ensure the commercial success of new perennial lotus species targeted at reducing recharge in the mid-catchment regions of Australia
RIRDC Project No.:	DAN-209A
Start Date:	01-Jul-2003
Finish Date:	30-Jun-2008
Researcher:	Mr. Graeme Sandral
Organisation:	NSW Department of Agriculture
Phone:	02 6938 1850
Fax:	02 6938 1809
Email:	graeme.sandral@agric.nsw.gov.au
Objectives	The aim of the project is to reduce seed losses from Lotus marrocanus during harvesting so a viable seed industry can be sustained in the long term. This will be achieved by: 1. Examining seed harvesting technologies in the USA (contact person Paul Beuselinck) and NZ(contact person Warren Williams) for L. corniculatus and L. pedunculatus, and refine these procedures for L. maroccanus harvesting in Australia. 2. By overcoming the problem of pod shattering it is proposed that perennial diploid Lotus species (mostly n12) will be collected from Genetic Resource Centre around the world and mutants of these will be chemically induced to examine the potential to reduce or eliminate gene expression for pod shattering. This will involve producing a small selection of perennial diploid Lotus species that have a substantially reduced potential for pod shattering.
Current Progress	Although the project was approved in 2002/03 it did not formally commence until July 2003. This was to allow the research team to under take preliminary establishment work to facilitate the project.

Project Title	Confirmation of pest free area status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in export seed production areas
RIRDC Project No.:	SAR-48A
Start Date:	01-Aug-2002
Finish Date:	31-Mar-2004
Researcher:	Mr. Rob Rees
Organisation:	South Australian Research and Development Institute
Phone:	(08) 8226 0446
Objectives	Confirm Pest Free Area status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in export seed production areas of Australia to facilitate export seed trade
Current Progress	In 2002, a survey funded by RIRDC, to update the Area Freedom Status from bacterial wilt of lucerne in seed production areas of SA and Victoria was undertaken. The survey tested 120 lucerne seed samples from SA and Victorian seed production areas without detection of disease. In addition twenty-five lucerne paddocks were sampled with bacterial wilt detected in one lucerne seed crop paddock. As a result of the disease detection, the Pest Free Area Status of SA seed production areas is no longer applicable. An industry-government working group has adopted the recommendation that phytosanitary declarations now be based on a spring phytosanitary inspection to issue ‘place of production’ freedom from bacterial wilt. Standardised protocols have been developed for field inspection, sampling and laboratory detection of bacterial wilt. At the same time, international acceptance of a seed test developed in a previous RIRDC project (SAR 15-A) is being pursued via the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) process. Ideally, seed test standardisation should be based on inter-laboratory comparisons on naturally infected seed. Efforts to find naturally infected seed have not been successful, even when infected lucerne plants were grown in the glasshouse. Infected plants from paddocks where bacterial wilt was detected produce infected tillers but have not produced infected seed, indicating that transmission to seed is extremely low. This may be influenced by environmental conditions. As a result, international seed test standardisation will proceed with artificially infected seed.