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RIRDC Completed Projects in 2006-2007 & Research in Progress as at June 2007
To Fodder Crops Completed Projects
2.5 Fodder Crops - Research in progress PROJECT No PROJECT TITLE RESEARCHER PHONE ORGANISATION Crop agronomy – nutrition, disease, weed, pest and micro-organism management
BSC-1A Prediction of ARGT risk in southern Australia Dr Barrie Purser (08) 9622 1161 BSC Nominees RDP-4A Fungicides for managing diseases and quality in export oaten hay Mr Patrick Redden (08) 8842 1103 Rural Directions Pty Ltd Plant Breeding and Germplasm Evaluation
SAR-57A Development of improved oat varieties for hay production: National program II Dr. Pamela Zwer (08) 8303 9485 South Australian Research and Development Institute Hay and Silage Production, Processing and Transport
JLB-5A Industry practices to meet mandatory export market standards Dr John Black (02) 4753 6231 John L Black Consulting Improved Fodder Quality
USQ-4A Quantifying fodder quality assessments using machine vision Prof John Billingsley (07) 4631 2513 University of Southern Queensland Industry Communication and Information Flows
ABA-20A Australian fodder atlas Ms Veronica Rodriguez (02) 6272 2277 Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) Crop agronomy – nutrition, disease, weed, pest and micro-organism management
Project Title Prediction of ARGT risk in southern Australia RIRDC Project No.: BSC-1A Start Date: 01-Sep-2006 Finish Date: 30-Nov-2007 Researcher: Dr Barrie Purser Organisation: BSC Nominees Phone: (08) 9622 1161 Fax: (08) 9622 8510 Email: purser@graduate.uwa.edu.au Objectives • To "map" quantitatively the incidence of the causative bacterium of the corynetoxin responsible for Annual Ryegrass Toxicity (ARGT) with respect to location, distribution of the bacterium by location over time, and with respect to weather patterns and weather incidents, in order to provide a framework for use to predict likely incidence of ARGT and thus later to provide export hay and domestic fodder producers a tool to manage the risk of incidence of ARGT.
Current Progress
A database has been developed with data from Gilmac Mackie Hay from two hay-processing sites in Western Australia for 2000 to 2005. It includes for each hay line in each year, the source of the hay (identified by longitude and latitude), the paddock from which the hay was produced and paddock, stack and individual bale results, as appropriate, from testing for presence of the bacterium responsible for ARGT, Rathayibacter toxicus. The R. toxicus test results from the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), are: • Semi-quantitative: ELISA units (EU) from the assay for R. toxicus
• Categorical: classification from 0 to 100 EU as ‘negative' and ‘weak-positive' for R .toxicus , and >100 EU as ‘positive'.
For hay-producers with three or more years of test results individual paddocks are identified (longitude-latitude). The database contains 53,285 observations - approximately 50% of the export hay samples tested by DAFWA. There are 772 hay-producer x year observations comprising 328 individual hay-producer locations, and of these there are 97 hay-producers who have presented hay for export for three or more years. Data have been obtained from the Bure au of Meteorology for weather in 2000 to 2005. Pat terns in the data are being examined using spatial analysis techniques.
Crop agronomy – nutrition, disease, weed, pest and micro-organism management
Project Title Fungicides for managing diseases and quality in export oaten hay RIRDC Project No.: RDP-4A Start Date: 01-Apr-2007 Finish Date: 30-May-2009 Researcher: Mr Patrick Redden Organisation: Rural Directions Pty Ltd Phone: (08) 8842 1103 Fax: (08) 8842 1766 Email: PRedden@ruraldirections.com Objectives The objectives of this research are to improve the quality, colour and yield of export oaten hay by: • evaluating the effectiveness of a range of registered and non-registered fungicides on controlling septoria, stem and leaf rust and/or bacterial leaf blight in oaten hay
• determining whether control of leaf diseases leads to improvements in visual and chemical hay quality and hay yield and
• calculating the cost effectiveness of fungicide use, including as a precautionary application.
Current Progress
Preparation for the trial work is complete, with four sites selected in WA and two in SA. All trials are located on previous oat stubbles to encourage disease outbreak. Infected straw will also be spread in plots as an added source of inoculum if needed. To investigate the product efficacy, Wallaroo and Carrolup have been chosen as test varieties in SA and WA, respectively. Both of these varieties are commonly grown and are disease susceptible. The trials contain four replicates, with thirteen fungicide treatments including both seed dressing and foliar sprays. Fungicide treatment lists have been developed in consultation with industry personnel, plant pathologists, and local agronomists.
Additional trials in WA are also being conducted to investigate the economic impact of managing leaf disease in a range of oaten hay varieties. This involves two trials, each with four replicates and twelve varieties sprayed with (+) and without (-) Propiconazole.
Trials in WA have already been seeded and in SA will be sown in the first week of June, using small plot seeders. Post emergent treatments will be applied according to the designated growth stage.
Plant Breeding and Germplasm Evaluation
Project Title Development of improved oat varieties for hay production: National program II RIRDC Project No.: SAR-57A Start Date: 01-Jan-2007 Finish Date: 01-Jul-2007 Researcher: Dr Pamela Zwer Organisation: South Australian Research and Development Institute Phone: (08) 8303 9485 Fax: (08) 9303 9378 Email: zwer.pamela@saugov.sa.gov.au Objectives • As part of the National Oat Breeding Program, improve oat varieties for export and domestic hay production. The national scope of the program will ensure oat hay varieties are adapted to the southern region of Australia . Industry interaction in the breeding program is essential for identifying breeding priorities for hay variety development.
Current Progress
There were 60 advanced breeding lines and varieties promoted to the 2007 stage 4 hay trials in South Australia and Western Australia and 32 entries promoted to the stage 4 late hay trial. A subset of 25 entries were selected for a stage 5 hay trial at Elmore and 40 entries were selected for a stage 5 trial in Western Australia. There were 36 entries selected for a stage 3 hay trial and 48 entries promoted to a stage 3 late hay trial to be sown at Kingsford , South Australia . The promotions represent advanced breeding lines with improved resistance combinations for cereal cyst nematode (CCN), stem nematode, stem and leaf rust, barley yellow dwarf virus, septoria, bacterial blight, and red leather leaf in a range of maturities. Lines with improved combinations of hay quality traits were also promoted. Seed was prepared for hay trials at three sites in South Australia , three sites in Western Australia , and two sites in Victoria . Seed for hay trials was prepared for two CCN infected sites and three additional sites in South Australia to collect data for agronomic traits and disease reactions. Sowing trials commenced the last week in May 2007.
Hay and Silage Production, Processing and Transport
Project Title Industry practices to meet mandatory export market standards RIRDC Project No.: JLB-5A Start Date: 01-Dec-2006 Finish Date: 30-Nov-2007 Researcher: Dr John Black Organisation: John L Black Consulting Phone: (02) 4753 6231 Fax: (02) 4753 6295 Email: jblack@pnc.com.au Objectives • To ensure that shipments of hay/straw from Australia consistently meet mandatory standards for product purity in importing countries.
Current Progress
A list of all chemicals registered for use on oat crops in any jurisdiction in Australia has been compiled. The list includes the 60 chemicals nominated in the Japanese ordinance of 29 May 2006 for testing in imported animal feeds. A risk profile has been prepared for all chemicals on the compiled list. The risk profile has been used to prepare a set of chemicals for analysis of hay and straw samples from the 2006-07 harvest. Three hundred and sixty forage samples from the last harvest have been collected and currently 175 samples have been selected on the basis of spray diaries for chemical residue testing to identify those that may exceed either Australian or Japanese Maximum Residue Limits (MRL's). The information about the chemicals registered for oat crops is being collated into an Austrlaian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) ChemCheck database. This web-based database is intended to be a highly effective tool for the hay industry to monitor chemical use in export hay and to produce ‘alerts' whenever MRL's may be approached. The ChemCheck system is being trialed by major hay exporters to evaluate its suitability for minimising the chances of any shipment of hay exceeding limits imposed by importing countries. The project is collaborating with Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ( DAFF) and Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to introduce MRL's for the chemicals that are used on oaten hay crops, but have historical ‘nil detect' specifications that are outdated by modern analytical technology.
ARGT issues are being considered currently, with some differences of opinion on sampling methods to be resolved.
Project Title Auantifying fodder quality assessments using machine vision RIRDC Project No.: USQ-4A Start Date: 01-Sep-2006 Finish Date: 31-Jul-2007 Researcher: Professor John Billingsley Organisation: University of Southern Queensland Phone: (07) 4631 2513 Fax: (07) 4631 1870 Email: billingsley@usq.edu.au Objectives • This project will develop a prototype machine vision to quantify fodder quality. The low cost camera based device would give an assessment of those properties that could be determined from image analysis techniques for specifying visual aspects of fodder quality.
Current Progress
This project has identified several properties conducive to image analysis. A workbench prototype analysis device has been created and is currently in external user acceptance testing. The imaging unit consists of an encapsulated camera housed with lights to provide constant, uniform lighting conditions. A sample of fodder is taken from the source and placed in a transparent container. This container is placed inside the imaging unit which is connected to a PC. Custom made software performs the image analysis.
The current properties identified and recorded are:
Colour: the chrominance (percentage of Red Green Blue (RGB) colour channels) of the sample.
Stem width: A full histogram of the stem width of each stem in the visible sample is identified and recorded as a count/width histogram.
Leaf/Stem Ratio: The amount of leaf and stem in the visible image is identified by using relative colour and texture in each section of the sample image.
Industry Communication and Information Flows
Project Title Australian Fodder Atlas RIRDC Project No.: ABA-20A Start Date: 30-Jun-2006 Finish Date: 31-Jul-2007 Researcher: Ms Veronica Rodriguez Organisation: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) Phone: (02) 6272 2277 Fax: (02) 6272 2001 Email: vrodriguez@abare.gov.au Objectives • To provide the Australian fodder industry with a compendium of currently existing information on fodder production, trade and utilisation and to expand information on fodder use in a key fodder industry - the Australian dairy industry.
Current Progress Analysis of fodder utilization by the Australian sheep, cattle and dairy industry has commenced and is approximately 70 per cent complete. It is important to include the 2005/06 year due to the drought; however the ABS will not release this data until November 2007. Due to this unexpected late release of the 2005/06 ABS data (usually ABS releases this data in March), this analysis and the report have been delayed. Due to the delays in obtaining ABS 2005/06 data, it is worth waiting for the release of the ABS 2006/07 data, which should be in December 2007. If this is done the new report will be completed by February 2008.
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