Newcastle disease is a severe viral disease of poultry and other birds. Control of the disease in Australia is regulated and relies upon vaccination, surveillance, prompt reporting and high standards of biosecurity.
The sampling method for events meeting the case definition of Newcastle disease are outlined below.
More than 60 livestock industries and government representatives joined forces on 2 May 2014 in Perth to work through their respective sectors’ preparedness to communicate and implement a national livestock standstill if foot-and-mouth disease occurred in Australia.
Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is a common quality constraint of wheat that can result in downgrading of grain quality upon receival.
The threat of Newcastle disease is managed nationally through the National Newcastle Disease Management Plan. Components of this plan applicable to WA are given here as the Code of practice: managing the risk of Newcastle disease in Western Australia.
Manganese deficiency is most often seen on well drained neutral or calcareous soils but heavy fertiliser usage can induce it in other soils, particularly after heavy applications of lime.
Carrot virus Y has been found in carrot crops throughout Australia. Infected plants cannot be cured so the best means of control is adopting management practices that minimise the reservoir of infection. Symptoms and management are described.
Good postharvest cooling and storage allow product to be stored and shipped to distant markets and meet consumer requirements.
Over-application of fertiliser nutrients can cause growth and quality problems in vegetable crops.
The storage life of fresh fruit and vegetables varies with type, variety and pre-harvest conditions. There is scope to control storage life through postharvest management of the two most important determinants of storage life and quality — respiration and transpiration.
