Production & postharvest

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development contributes to the productivity, profitability and sustainability of plant-based agriculture. From broad scale dryland cropping systems to intensive irrigated production, we work with industry and business to address challenges in plant production through research and development, knowledge transfer and government policy settings.

Articles

Managing waterlogging in crops and pastures in South West Western Australia

1 February 2011

Waterlogging causes significant reductions in plant growth in some years and some environments in the high rainfall (greater than 600 mm annual rainfall) areas of South West Western Australia.
Waterlogging – the science

9 February 2011

Waterlogging is a common problem in the agricultural soils of south-west Western Australia in the wetter months of winter.
Converting Readily Available Water to litres for drip irrigation

7 November 2013

Drip irrigation is common in modern orchards. For this method of irrigation it is easier to use litres rather than the more traditional unit of millimetres when describing readily available water i
Irrigation design for agriculture

22 January 2016

Irrigation design and management affects performance, yield and quality of crops. Irrigation design determines the efficiency and effectiveness of water use, and therefore influences the profitabi
MySoil

31 January 2012

MySoil is a simple tool to identify soil types. Growers can use soil identification to improve soil management and reduce the impact of soil constraints.
Applying lime

27 November 2013

If you are deep-ripping, ploughing or spading to remove subsurface compaction or another constraint, it is a good idea to incorporate lime in the same operation.
Water salinity and plant irrigation

8 April 2014

Irrigating crops with saline water can result in yield loss and decreased quality.
Citrus irrigation recommendations in Western Australia

7 November 2013

Irrigation is one of the most important factors in producing a good yield of quality citrus.
Identifying soil compaction

20 December 2010

Confident identification of soil compaction to restrict crop or pasture growth uses diagnosis combining visual symptoms of plant, root and soil features.
Developing a liming program

27 November 2013

Soil acidification is an inevitable and ongoing consequence of productive agriculture.