Grains Convo

Host: DPIRD Research Agronomist, Cindy Webster
Guest Speakers: DPIRD Research Scientist, Dr Brenton Leske

In this episode of Grains Convo we talk about frost, which in WA refers to an event when the screen temperature at a local weather station falls below 2°C.

Dr Brenton Leske discusses the impact frost damage can have on crops, how to diagnose frost damage, options available for frosted crops and how growers can minimise frost risk before sowing next season. 

DPIRD, with investment from GRDC, is leading a frost research project exploring the management of ice nucleating bacteria in wheat, barley and canola. This work will explore the use of bactericides and cryoprotectants to inhibit the ice nucleation process on plants and reduce frost damage. 

Episode links:
Click here for information about assessing and diagnosing frost
Click here for information on managing frost risk 
Click here to view DPIRD’s frost risk maps
Click here to view GRDC’s Frost management YouTube series 

Host: DPIRD Research Agronomist, Cindy Webster
Guest Speakers: DPIRD Research Scientist Dr Dustin Severtson 

In this episode of Grains Convo we talk about a serious pest of canola, and all brassica crops, the diamondback moth. 

Diamondback moths lay eggs on canola plants and the emerging larvae feed on plants. In addition to damaging canola crops the diamondback moth is renowned to develop insecticide resistance, so it important that growers apply an integrated pest management strategy if numbers are high.

DPIRD, with investment from GRDC, is working with WA grower groups and surveying all port zones for diamondback moths and larvae activity with manual and automated traps.  

Episode Links:
Click here to read more about Diagnosing diamondback moth page.
Click here to read GRDC’s Western Paddock Practices: Managing diamondback moth.
Growers and consultant can submit diamondback moth reports, or request diagnoses, by using DPIRD’s PestFacts WA Reporter app.

Host: Grains Research, Development and Extension Communications Manager, Amber Atkinson
Guest Speaker: DPIRD Research Scientist, Dr Yong Han

In this episode of Grains Convo we speak with DPIRD Research Scientist, Dr Yong Han, about gene editing technology and  how it will influence the future of plant breeding in Australia.

Gene editing technology is different to genetic modification. In this podcast Dr Han explains the key differences and how he is using it to develop the next generation of crop varieties.

This technology is revolutionary and was awarded a Nobel prize in 2020. Dr Han is adopting this approach for crop genetic improvements that will influence yield, quality and many other agronomist traits.

Episode links:
Click here to read: New barley varieties to help cut costs and build a greener planet

Host: Grains Research, Development and Extension Communications Manager, Amber Atkinson
Guest Speaker: DPIRD Senior Plant Pathologist, Manisha Shankar

Western Australian grains researchers have wrapped up a ground-breaking project resulting in 11 new wheat lines with very high levels of resistance to yellow spot.

In this podcast, DPIRD Senior Plant Pathologist and Project Leader ManishaShankar discusses the project undertaken to get these wheat lines and how they could make future wheat varieties less susceptible to yellow spot.

In Australia, yellow spot is estimated to cause losses totalling $212 million per annum.

The lines developed by the research project have now been delivered to various breeding companies and are crucial genetic stocks for future breeding.

Manisha explains plant genetics and how it relates to disease resistance.  She also explains the interests that led her into the exciting field of genetics.

Episode links:
Click here to read: Research project yields new wheat lines to help withstand yellow spot.
Click here to read: More yellow spot resistance genes discovered
Click here to read: Germplasm enhancement for yellow spot resistance in wheat

Host: GGA Grains Research, Development and Extension Communications Manager, Amber Atkinson
Guest Speaker: DPIRD Research Scientist, Tom Edwards

In this episode DPIRD Research Scientist Tom Edwards explains the research he is undertaking in soil management to boost grains productivity.

Tom is assisting with a series of trials to help growers manage soil constraints like acidity, compaction, water repellence and herbicide-resistant weeds. 

His focus is on mechanical soil amelioration, which includes common techniques include soil mixing, (e.g. ripping and spading), soil inversion (e.g. mouldboarding or one-way plough) and deep ripping, all of which lead to various degrees of soil mixing, creating a changed soil profile.

Tom explains some of the main barriers to adoption and what he is aiming to achieve in his trials. 

Episode Links:

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/water-repellence/soil-water-repellence-overview

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/water-repellence/rotary-spading-and-deep-cultivation-ameliorate-soil-water-repellence

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/soil-carbon/managing-soil-organic-carbon-western-australian-farms

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/soil-carbon/soil-organic-matter-frequently-asked-questions-faqs

Host: DPIRD Research Agronomist, Cindy Webster
Guest Speakers: DPIRD Research Scientists and Plant Pathologists, Geoff Thomas and Dr Kylie Chambers.

In this episode of Grains Convo we discuss oat diseases in WA - particularly Red leather leaf (RLL) and oat leaf rust.  

Plant pathologist Geoff Thomas summarises the main oat diseases found by DPIRD when conducting widespread surveillance of WA cereal crops over the past few years. 

The presence of RLL in WA was only recently confirmed from three oat samples from Pingelly, Narrogin and Piesseville that were collected in 2021 as part of general disease surveillance. DPIRD is surveying for RLL this season and growers and consultants can submit suspected RLL samples to DPIRD 

Plant pathologist Dr Kylie Chambers discusses oat leaf rust and its impact on grain and hay yield and quality and management recommendations – based on 2020 and 2021 trial findings. 

Episode Links:

Click here to read more about Red leather leaf in WA. 

Click here for more information about 2020 Plant diseases impacting oaten hay production in Australia

Growers and consultant can submit oat disease reports, or request diagnoses, by using DPIRD’s PestFacts WA Reporter app.

Host: DPIRD Research Scientist, Alice Butler
Guest Speakers: DPIRD Soils Research Scientist, Dr Gaus Azam

Dr Gaus Azam is a Soil Scientist with DPIRD, based in Northam. He was born on a small farm in Bangladesh and went on to study agriculture in both Bangladesh and Thailand, before moving to Australia to undertake his PhD in Applied Soil Physics at the University of Adelaide. 

Gaus been with DPIRD since 2016. He currently leads up the Re-engineering Soils project, a trial series which aims to better understand the theoretical yield potential of Western Australian soils when soil constraints are removed. In this podcast we discuss the various Re-engineering trials across the WA Wheatbelt, with a specific focus on the Toolbrunup site, one of five new trials implemented within the 2022 season. 

Host: DPIRD research agronomist, Janette Pratt
Guest speaker: DPIRD research agronomist, Alex Douglas

In this podcast we focus on the weed Matricaria in the Western Australian wheatbelt. 

Previously the weed Matricaria was mostly found in the Eastern wheatbelt but in recent years it has been spreading into the central and eastern wheatbelts as well.

In this podcast, DPIRD research agronomist Alex Douglas will discuss Matricaria and how its spreading, how to distinguish Matricaria from other weeds and the management options that are available for its control.

Episode Links
The biology and control of matricaria and marshmallow – can we run down the seed bank? Click here for the presentation.
Click here to view the biology and management of matricaria GRDC webpage. 

Host: DPIRD Research Agronomist, Janette Pratt
Guest Speaker: DPIRD Epidemiologist, Jean Galloway

In this episode of Grains Convo we focus on blackleg in canola and blackspot in field peas.

You'll learn about the disease risk forecasts, now available on the DPIRD website, for blackleg in canola and blackspot in field peas. Risk forecasts provide a sowing guide to avoid early disease infection in seedling crops. Growers and consultants can subscribe to receive a weekly sms identifying the Blackspot disease risk for their location.

The free app, BlacklegCM, is a tool designed to assist growers and consultants to determine the probability of an economic return from fungicide management for the control of blackleg disease.

BlacklegCM accounts for the major factors that influence blackleg severity. The user can specify factors relating to paddock selection, seasonal conditions, prices and management options so that the output relates to their own cropping circumstance.

Episode Links:
Click here to see the latest Canola blackleg spore maturity forecast for Western Australia
Click here to see the current Blackspot in field peas disease forecast
Click here to see more information on BlacklegCM 

Host: DPIRD Research Agronomist, Cindy Webster
Guest Speakers: DPIRD Research Scientists, Geoff Moore and Svetlana Micic

In spring 2021 there were widespread areas of bare, or low groundcover, sandy soils in the West Midlands region of WA. This was unusual due to the favourable growing conditions experienced in the previous year. Investigations by DPIRD and the West Midlands Group found that high grasshopper numbers, along with other contributing factors like a false break, over-grazing or a low pasture seed bank resulted in these conditions.

In this podcast DPIRD Research Scientist Geoff Moore discusses the findings from investigations by DPIRD and the West Midlands Group, what growers needs to watch out for in 2022 and how to manage low groundcover. 

DPIRD Research Scientist Svetlana Micic advises how to identify and manage sand grasshoppers.

Episode Links:
To learn more about seasonal issues visit DPIRD’s Season 2022 webpage.

For more information about sand grasshoppers refer to DPIRD’s Identifying and controlling Urnisa grasshopper or sand grasshopper webpage. 

To report any grasshopper activity, or request an identification, contact the PestFacts WA team on [email protected] or use the PestFax Reporter app.  

Contact Geoff Moore
P. +61 (0)8 9368 3293 
M. 0427 448 025
E.  [email protected]

Contact Svetlana Micic
P. +61 (0) 9892 8591.
M. 0427 772 051
E. [email protected]