Asparagus in tropical Australia — the first fifteen years

2002 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 729 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. T. Bussell ◽  
J. K. Olsen ◽  
C. Robinson ◽  
J. D. Bright
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Harvest Time ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Short Life ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Tropical Australia

Location, climate, soil, crop establishment, cultural practice, and harvest information are given from 13 commercial plantings and 11 replicated trials of asparagus grown in tropical Australia since 1985. Both commercial plantings and trials have had a short life and low yields compared with plantings in subtropical and temperate parts of Australia. The unsuccessful outcomes to date are primarily because of the lack of experience in growing a perennial temperate vegetable crop in a tropical climate with high humidity during the wet season. After carefully considering poor results to date (attributed particularly to unsuitable soil type, insufficient disease control in the wet season, and inadequate carbohydrate reserves at harvest time) and reviewing current practices in relevant places elsewhere (especially the use of drought-induced dormancy), the chances of boosting average yields and having a prosperous industry in tropical Australia are considered good.

Importance of phosphorus and potassium in soil-specific nutrient management for wet-season rice in Cambodia

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-217
Author(s):  
Kea Kong ◽  
Sarith Hin ◽  
Vang Seng ◽  
Abdelbagi M. Ismail ◽  
Georgina Vergara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Type ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Specific Recommendation ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Phosphorus And Potassium

AbstractRice is widely grown in rainfed lowlands during the wet season in the Mekong region. Limited nutrient availability is a common constraint on crop yield, and the optimal rate of fertilizer application depends on the soil type. The objective of our study was to evaluate rice productivity and the economic feasibility of various nutrient management regimes in Cambodia. We conducted field experiments on three soil types (Prey Khmer, Prateah Lang, and Toul Samroung, equivalent to Psamments, Plinthustalfs, and Endoaqualfs, respectively) in four provinces (Battambang, Kampong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap) during the 2016 and 2017 wet seasons to compare nine (2016) and seven (2017) N–P–K combinations. Grain yield ranged from 0.9 to 4.8 t ha−1 in 2016 and from 1.0 to 5.2 t ha−1 in 2017, depending on soil type and nutrient management. The Prey Khmer soil contained around 80% sand, and rice yield responded most weakly to nutrient management. The moderate fertilizer input in the current soil-specific recommendation was effective on this soil type. However, on more fertile soils with a higher clay content and a higher cation-exchange capacity (Toul Samroung and Prateah Lang), an additional 20 kg N ha−1 combined with adding 15 kg ha−1 of P2O5 or 20 kg ha−1 of K2O significantly increased yield and economic return. Although P and K use during Cambodia’s wet season is uncommon, our results demonstrate the importance of these nutrients in improving the country’s rice production.

scholarly journals Seed Treatments for Disease Control

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Bennett ◽  
Nancy W. Callan ◽  
Vincent A. Fritz
Keyword(s):  
Disease Management ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Seed Treatments ◽  
Horticultural Crop ◽  
Crop Establishment

Disease management is an important step in any crop establishment system. Emergence of field-seeded crops may take several weeks for many species and represents a vulnerable stage of plant growth. This paper considers various biological, chemical, and physical seed treatments for improved seed performance. The role of seed quality and cultural practices in seedling establishment also is reviewed. Multidisciplinary approaches to improving horticultural crop establishment are promising.

scholarly journals CONTROL OF COCOA POD BORER AND PHYTOPHTHORA POD ROT USING DEGRADABLE PLASTIC POD SLEEVES AND A NEMATODE, Steinernema carpocapsae

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ade Rosmana ◽  
Merle Shepard ◽  
Prakash Hebbar ◽  
Anita Mustari
Keyword(s):  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Steinernema Carpocapsae ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Phytophthora Palmivora ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Harvest Time ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Pod Borer ◽  
Degradable Plastics ◽  
Degradable Plastic

<p>Cocoa pod borer (CPB; <em>Conopomorpha cramerella</em>) and Phytophthora pod rot (PPR; <em>Phytophthora palmivora</em>) are serious pest and disease on cocoa plantations in Indonesia. Both pest and disease have been controlled with limited success using cultural practices such as pruning, frequent harvesting, sanitation, plastic sleeving, and chemical pesticides. An experiment was conducted on cocoa plantings in Pinrang Regency, South Sulawesi during the wet season of 2008/09 to test the effect of pod sleeving (with transparent degradable and non-degradable plastic bags) and nematode application on CPB and PPR infestation. The nematode, <em>Steinernema carpocapsae </em>(10,000 active juveniles per pod) was sprayed three times at intervals of 10 and 20 days. Pod damage by CPB was observed at harvest time, while PPR disease incidence was evaluated every week until harvest time. Results showed that all pods in the field were infested by CPB as indicated in control samples. Pod sleeving using both non-degradable and degradable plastics significantly reduced pod damage by CPB, from 62.3% in the control treatment compared to 8.4% in the CPB treatment. A combination of pod sleeving and nematode application had a synergistic reduction of pod damage by CPB resulting in totally healthy pods. Pod sleeving with degradable and non-degradable plastics also reduced pod damage by PPR significantly. Pod sleeving with non-degradable plastic suppressed the disease incidence almost zero until 6 weeks after sleeving and the rate of disease incidence was 3.6% per week. However, with degradable plastic, the disease suppression was even longer (7 weeks after sleeving), indicating that the degradable plastic is more effective. Combination of sleeving and nematode application slightly increased PPR infection. Sleeved pods in general had lower rates of PPR infection compared to pods treated with nematode or untreated pods (control). In these two applications, the rate of disease incidence was 7.8% and 8.3% per week respectively. The study implies that biological control using entomopathogenic <em>S. carpocapsae </em>and degradable plastic sleeves are effective and environmentally-friendly to control <em>C. cramerella </em>and <em>P. palmivora

scholarly journals Field Evaluation of Brri Usg Applicator in Dry and Wet Season of Rice Cultivation

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-59
Author(s):  
MA Hossen ◽  
MA Rahman ◽  
MK Zaman ◽  
MM Islam
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Rice Field ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Yield Performance ◽  
Urea Fertilizer ◽  
Subsurface Zone

BRRI (Bangladesh Rice Research Institute) USG (Urea super granule) applicator was developed to apply USG in non-oxidized zone at 6-10 cm depth from surface at desired spacing to maintain the recommended USG fertilizer doses of 118 and 168 kg ha-1 during Aman and Boro season, respectively that could be maintained with the adjustment of the applicator for 20 × 20 cm transplanting spacing. It was designed and fabricated with an adjustable facility for two rows operation in the rice field at spacing of 18 × 20, 20 × 20 and 22 × 20 cm. The modified USG applicator tested in the BRRI regional stations (RS) during Aman 2011 and the farmers’ fields during Boro 2012 season. Walking speed directly influenced the field capacity of the applicator. Walking speed during field operation of the applicator depends on the soil type, USG placement time and puddled condition of the soil and it was varied 2.46-3.72 km hr-1. Field capacity was observed 0.13 and 0.14 ha hr-1 during Boro and Aman season, respectively whereas manual USG application capacity was observed about 0.02 ha hr-1. The depth of USG placement by the applicator (6.01-6.32 cm) was found more compared to manual application (5.61-5.75 cm). The yield performance of USG plots was identical in all locations during both the seasons either applied by hand or by machine. However, in some cases, USG gave significantly higher grain yield compared to prilled urea applied by hand broadcasting method.Modified BRRI USG applicator saved urea fertilizer, ensured proper placement of USG in subsurface zone and reduced drudgery without sacrificing grain yield.Bangladesh Rice j. 2016, 20(2): 49-59

Longevity of zinc phosphide on wheat bait in tropical Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Laurie E. Twigg ◽  
Gary R. Martin ◽  
Noel Wilson ◽  
Derek Goddard ◽  
Richard Watkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Zinc Phosphide ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Total Rainfall ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
Whole Wheat ◽  
Tropical Australia ◽  
Bait Stations

The longevity of zinc phosphide (ZP) on whole wheat bait (2.5% A.I.) was determined at the end of the ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ seasons at Kununurra, Western Australia, the time when rats can damage agricultural crops. While the total rainfall during the two trials was 74 mm and 155 mm, substantial loss of ZP was recorded only after significant rainfall events. Irrespective of season, the loss of ZP from bait applied in bait stations was minimal. The maximum recorded loss was 17%, and this occurred after 21 days’ exposure during the wet season where the bait stations were placed in-crop. Bait stations on the adjacent ‘hilled’ fallow recorded only an 8% loss of A.I. during the same period. However, the loss of ZP from exposed, simulated broadcast bait was much greater: 43% and 91% of ZP was lost from the wheat bait within 21 days during the ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ seasons, respectively. Nevertheless, regardless of the application method, sufficient ZP always remained on the wheat bait for it to be theoretically lethal to rats for at least 8–14 days. The potential of ZP bait for controlling rodent pests in tropical environments, and possible associated ‘problems’ of such an approach, are discussed.

scholarly journals Comparison of Two Harvest Methods for Lettuce Production in an Aquaponic System

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaylynn E. Johnson ◽  
Karen M. Buzby ◽  
Kenneth J. Semmens ◽  
Nicole L. Waterland
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Harvest Time ◽  
Average Yield ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Weekly Basis ◽  
Optimal Harvest ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Harvest Strategy ◽  
The Right

<p>Aquaponics is an integrated food production technology of aquaculture and hydroponics. Lettuce (<em>Lactuca sativa </em>L.) is an economically important vegetable crop that can be grown aquaponically. In addition to selecting the right choice of lettuce cultivars, developing an optimal harvest strategy could increase lettuce production. Lettuce production using two harvest methods, Cut-and-Come-Again (CC) and Once-and-Done (OD), was evaluated using ‘Red Sails’ lettuce in a flow-through aquaponic system rearing trout. With the CC method continual harvesting was possible on a weekly basis after the initial harvest, while it took five weeks for each harvest using the OD method. The total yield of lettuce by the CC method was 6.7 kg from 9 trays, while 22.6 kg of lettuce was harvested by the OD method using 54 trays. In harvests by the OD method, 6 times as many seeds were sown compared to the CC method. The average yield per tray harvested by the CC method (744.4 g/tray) was 78% higher than that by the OD method (418.5 g/tray) because the CC method used 6 times less trays. Productivity, calculated by the average yield per growing week, of the two harvest methods at the first harvest was similar, but 4.8 times higher in the CC method than in the OD method at the second harvest due to the shorter harvest time. However, visual and decay ratings of lettuce harvested by the CC method began to decline afterwards. Together, the OD method after two consecutive harvests by the CC method would help growers to obtain increased yield of quality lettuce.</p>

scholarly journals Spatial ecology of hatchling water pythons (Liasis fuscus) in tropical Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lígia Pizzatto ◽  
Thomas Madsen ◽  
Gregory P. Brown ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Primary Method ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Tropical Australia ◽  
Soil Cracks

Abstract:Young snakes are rarely seen in the field and little is known about their habits, mostly because they are too small for radio-telemetry (the primary method for studying snake spatial ecology). However, the offspring of some larger species can be fitted with transmitters and we investigated the spatial ecology and habitat use of ten hatchling water pythons (Liasis fuscus: Pythonidae) in the floodplain of the Adelaide River, tropical Australia. Patterns of habitat use in the late wet season and during the dry season were similar to those of adults tracked in the same vicinity in an earlier study. Soon after release the young snakes moved to the floodplain, avoiding pasture areas. Diurnal refuge sites were typically in the base of grass clumps or below the soil surface, especially in sites with thick vegetation and deep, wide soil cracks. Adult snakes are more sedentary but move longer absolute distances (mean ± SE = 252 ± 50 m wk−1) than hatchlings (66.3 ± 41 m wk−1). However, hatchling snakes moved longer distances relative to body size (84.4 ± 1.1 body lengths wk−1) than did the previously studied adults (66.0 ± 1.1 body lengths wk−1). Mean and minimum body temperatures of the hatchlings were correlated with mean and minimum air temperatures, respectively.

scholarly journals Undara Lava Cave Fauna in Tropical Queensland with an Annotated List of Australian Subterranean Biodiversity Hotspots

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 326
Author(s):  
Stefan M. Eberhard ◽  
Francis G. Howarth
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Species List ◽  
Lava Tubes ◽  
Cave System ◽  
Annotated List ◽  
Cave Fauna ◽  
Tropical Australia ◽  
Subterranean Species

The lava tubes at Undara became internationally recognised in the late 1980s, when 24 species of terrestrial cave-adapted invertebrates (troglobionts) were recorded from Bayliss Cave, making it one of the 20 richest known cave communities in the world at the time. Over the last decades, several of the Undara species have been taxonomically described and a great deal of research has been undertaken in other parts of Australia, which has revealed additional subterranean hotspots. It is therefore timely to update the list of Undara cave fauna, and to evaluate the Undara cave system in relation to other subterranean hotspots in Australia. The updated species list was compiled from the published literature and museum databases. Minimally, 78 species of arthropods have been recorded from 17 lava tube caves in the Undara Basalt. Sixteen species have been taxonomically described; 30 identified to genus and/or morpho-species; and 32 remain unidentified to species or genus level. Thirty troglobionts and one stygobiont species were recorded. Seven caves harboured obligate subterranean species; Bayliss Cave harboured the most obligate subterranean species: 23 troglobionts and one stygobiont. All these caves contained deep zone environments with high humidity, of which three also contained ‘bad air’ (CO2). The unique combination of geomorphic structure and environmental parameters (high humidity) and multiple energy sources (tree roots, bats and guano, organic material wash-in) are the main factors responsible for Bayliss Cave’s extraordinary local richness. Further research is needed to investigate CO2 as a factor influencing troglobiont richness and distribution in ‘bad air’ caves. Undara remains the richest subterranean hotspot in humid tropical Australia; however, significantly richer subterranean assemblages are found in arid and semi-arid calcrete aquifers, karst and iron-ore terrains, mostly in Western Australia.

scholarly journals CONTROL OF COCOA POD BORER AND PHYTOPHTHORA POD ROT USING DEGRADABLE PLASTIC POD SLEEVES AND A NEMATODE, Steinernema carpocapsae

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ade Rosmana ◽  
Merle Shepard ◽  
Prakash Hebbar ◽  
Anita Mustari
Keyword(s):  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Steinernema Carpocapsae ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Phytophthora Palmivora ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Harvest Time ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Pod Borer ◽  
Degradable Plastics ◽  
Degradable Plastic

<p>Cocoa pod borer (CPB; <em>Conopomorpha cramerella</em>) and Phytophthora pod rot (PPR; <em>Phytophthora palmivora</em>) are serious pest and disease on cocoa plantations in Indonesia. Both pest and disease have been controlled with limited success using cultural practices such as pruning, frequent harvesting, sanitation, plastic sleeving, and chemical pesticides. An experiment was conducted on cocoa plantings in Pinrang Regency, South Sulawesi during the wet season of 2008/09 to test the effect of pod sleeving (with transparent degradable and non-degradable plastic bags) and nematode application on CPB and PPR infestation. The nematode, <em>Steinernema carpocapsae </em>(10,000 active juveniles per pod) was sprayed three times at intervals of 10 and 20 days. Pod damage by CPB was observed at harvest time, while PPR disease incidence was evaluated every week until harvest time. Results showed that all pods in the field were infested by CPB as indicated in control samples. Pod sleeving using both non-degradable and degradable plastics significantly reduced pod damage by CPB, from 62.3% in the control treatment compared to 8.4% in the CPB treatment. A combination of pod sleeving and nematode application had a synergistic reduction of pod damage by CPB resulting in totally healthy pods. Pod sleeving with degradable and non-degradable plastics also reduced pod damage by PPR significantly. Pod sleeving with non-degradable plastic suppressed the disease incidence almost zero until 6 weeks after sleeving and the rate of disease incidence was 3.6% per week. However, with degradable plastic, the disease suppression was even longer (7 weeks after sleeving), indicating that the degradable plastic is more effective. Combination of sleeving and nematode application slightly increased PPR infection. Sleeved pods in general had lower rates of PPR infection compared to pods treated with nematode or untreated pods (control). In these two applications, the rate of disease incidence was 7.8% and 8.3% per week respectively. The study implies that biological control using entomopathogenic <em>S. carpocapsae </em>and degradable plastic sleeves are effective and environmentally-friendly to control <em>C. cramerella </em>and <em>P. palmivora

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