Completed projects and reports

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Sugar Research Australia, Sugar Research Development Corporation and BSES reports from completed research projects and papers.

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Best practice irrigation management to maximise profitability and ensure sustainability in the Ord sugar industry : SRDC Final report CSR22
(2003) Wood, AW; Engelke, JM; Sherrard, JH; Plunkett, GM; Triglone, T; Bakker, DM; Horan, HL; Muchow, RC; Inman-Bamber, G
The Ord Sugar industry was established in 1995 with the commissioning of a sugar mill and the first full season of commercial production was in 1996. It is now a major industry in Stage 1 of the Ord Irrigation Area, currently occupying over 4000 hectares and producing around 60,000 tonnes of raw sugar annually for export. The climatic conditions in the Ord impose a high water requirement for sugarcane crops. Growers face a considerable challenge in meeting that requirement whilst maximising their profitability and minimising drainage losses and potential impacts on the environment. Groundwater levels have risen substantially in the 30 years since the start of irrigation in the Ord. Consequently the development of appropriate irrigation practices for sugarcane is a key requirement in the management of rising water tables and in the sustainability of Ord sugarcane production. The first step in developing best practice irrigation management was to gain a better understanding of the range of irrigation practices being used by the industry at the beginning of the project. A survey conducted to benchmark irrigation practices used on the 1995/96 sugarcane crop indicated very high rates of annual water application, making the development of irrigation practices that maximise profitability and minimise groundwater accessions a key priority for the Ord sugar industry.
Provision of improved varieties and pathology services for the Ord Sugar Industry : final report CTA043
(2003) Jackson, P
This project was established to introduce and evaluate new sugarcane varieties into the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA), and to provide advice on pathology issues relating to the ORIA. Cultivars in the ORIA currently are old (introduced in 1980 or before) and it is believed that newer varieties bred since then could provide improved productivity and profitability for the ORIA industry. Varieties were initially chosen for introduction to the ORIA based mostly on commercial performance in north Queensland. They were transferred to the ORIA via a three to four year process that aimed to reduce the risk of inadvertently introducing important diseases present in Queensland but which are not present in the ORIA. Professional pathology advice was provided in supervising this process and ensuring plant material was apparently disease free at various points in the process. Pathology related advice was also provided to Agriculture Western Australia staff and growers on specific crop management matters in the ORIA throughout the project. The directions taken in this project were greatly impacted on by the discovery of smut disease in the ORIA in 1998. This was the first time this disease had been found in Australia. It has a potentially devastating effect on productivity of susceptible varieties. The environmental conditions in the ORIA are highly favourable to smut infection, and a high level of resistance is required in cultivars for sustainable production. It was very fortunate that three cultivars in the ORIA at the time of the outbreak were resistant, and this enabled the industry to maintain productivity levels much better than it otherwise would have. However, in 1998 little was known about the relative smut resistance of most Australian varieties. As testing for smut resistance proceeded in the next few years in Indonesia by BSES (through BSS214) and by the CTA043 project team in the ORIA, it became apparent that around 80% of varieties from Australian breeding programs were too susceptible to smut to be grown commercially in the ORIA.
Provision of improved varieties and pathology services for the Ord Sugar Industry : Final report CTA043
(2012) Jackson, P
This project was established to introduce and evaluate new sugarcane varieties into the Ord river Irrigation Area (ORIA), and to provide advice on pathology issues relating to the ORIA. Cultivars in the ORIA currently are old (introduced in 1980 or before) and it is believed that newer varieties bred since then could provide improved productivity and profitability for the ORIA industry.
Sugarcane smut variety screening in the Ord : final report WAA002
(2000) Sherrard, J
A sugarcane smut screening trial was initiated in the Ord with planting in September 1999. Eighty-four cane varieties were rated for sugarcane smut susceptibility. Varieties included those introduced through SRDC project CT A043 and other commercial lines introduced previously. Setts were inoculated with smut spores prior to planting and varieties rated for smut susceptibility at 8, IS and 31 weeks from planting. The trial area was ratooned on 12 May 2000. The ratoon crop was rated at 8 and 16 weeks with final rating planned for OctoberlNovember 2000.