Research

Australian drone operator Ninox Robotics has boosted its capability for capturing aerial intelligence to be used for conservation efforts with the acquisition of the Sierra-Olympia Vayu HD longwave infrared (LWIR) camera. Ninox Robotics will put this high resolution compact camera to the test for the first time this month in the second phase of its koala spotting program ... ARR.News asked Daniel Vogelnest of Ninox Robotics more about drone monitoring of koalas.

Australian food producers are finding innovative new ways to limit losses and create alternative uses for waste, as evidenced in a new report titled Crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms, 2022–23 ... The report was commissioned by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, to fill specific data gaps on food loss and waste in primary production in the horticulture industry.

Chickpea, lentil and faba bean growers across Australia can expect significantly more productive crops within the next decade thanks to a new collaborative, international research project to improve crop yields ... Project leader Professor Rajeev Varshney FRS ... said chickpea, lentil and faba bean production is currently hamstrung due to limited genetic diversity, resulting in meagre yield improvement of less than 0.5 per cent each year.

Australia’s avocado industry is grappling with another year of increased production and low prices, according to a new report by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. However, the world’s growing appetite for the popular nutrient-packed green fruit is offering growers some relief, with increasing export demand for Australia’s produce, the report says.

The NAB Rural Commodities Index* has continued its upwards momentum, increasing 1.4 per cent month-on-month in May, driven by rising prices for wheat, barley, canola and lamb. The Index is now around levels last seen in February 2023, according to NAB’s June Rural Commodities Wrap released today.

Progress of research that will benefit the Basin and its communities for years to come has been shared at the third annual symposium of the Murray–Darling Water and Environment Research Program (MD-WERP). Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Chief Executive Andrew McConville said 35 projects developing Basin-wide knowledge have been completed or are progressing via the 5-year $20 million Australian Government funded MD-WERP.

PhD student Evan Curtis has reached a turning point in research investigating the use of drones, simulation studies and artificial intelligence (AI) to sustainably manage the kangaroo industry in NSW. Evan, a student at the University of Sydney, is mid-way through his project,  Determining optimal management strategies for four large macropods in NSW ...

Pasture legumes shortlisted for honey bee food source potential, honey production attributes and industry collaboration opportunities. A pilot study exploring the potential of pasture legumes as a food source for honey bees is on track to deliver valuable results to beekeepers in 2024.

A move from fossil fuels to renewables is a significant long-term challenge for Australian agriculture, balancing economic viability and practicality of emerging technologies in the push for a greener more secure energy future. A GrainGrowers report, Fuels, Inputs of the Future, examines possible fuels for farm machinery and equipment in the future...

The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) and the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA) have released industry research outlining the dangers caused by electronic items thrown away in conventional waste and recycling streams. This research shows that batteries, both loose and embedded in electronic items, are causing around 30 fires per day across Australia’s recycling and waste facilities, injuring workers, destroying infrastructure and pushing up costs.

At a media event to release the latest Regional Movers Index data, Commonwealth Bank representative Paul Fowler and Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Ritchie were asked three times why the branch was closing the same day as the Sunshine Coast was being celebrated as a rapidly-growing centre ... In 2021, acting RAI CEO Kim Houghton put in a submission to a taskforce that had more bankers on it than MPs but there was nothing from Ms Ritchie during the recent senate inquiry ...

Bradley Law et al. Population trends are lacking for most threatened species, especially those that are cryptic and difficult to survey. Recent developments in passive acoustics and semi-automated call recognition provide a cost-effective option to systematically monitor populations of vocal species. We assessed recent trends for the koala  Phascolarctos cinereus, an iconic marsupial, based on 7 years of acoustic monitoring across 224 forested sites.

Last week I attended and spoke at an International Leadership and Management Conference in Liverpool UK. It is an annual conference where academics and practitioners come together to share and explore the latest research and new trends on leadership. One of the key themes discussed that impacted me was the session on how technology and AI is impacting on our next generation’s ability to critically think.

In this review, John O'Donnell explores 19 town and city bushfire disasters, ranging from bushfire impacts of the early settlements in the 1851 Victorian bushfires to bushfires in 2021, a period covering 170 years. Readers can assess bushfire preparation in relation to their own and other towns and cities and consider if bushfire preparation is well managed, has improved after earlier bushfires and if it has improved since the 2019/ 20 bushfires.

A compact, lightweight sensor system with infrared imaging capabilities developed by an international team of engineers could be easily fitted to a drone for remote crop monitoring. This flat-optics technology has the potential to replace traditional optical lens applications for environmental sensing in a range of industries.

Production in Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors remains on track to be the third highest on record in 2024-25, supported by an improved seasonal outlook ... Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said this quarter’s Agricultural Commodities and Australian Crop Report show an expected improvement in agriculture following drier conditions seen in 2023-24.

Ted Sterle and Don Fuller. The explosion of type two diabetes, obesity, kidney disease  and renal failure among remote and closed NT Aboriginal communities – at least 10 times the incidence among non-Aboriginal people – can be tracked to poor lifestyle choices not only within individuals: Such acquired changes can be passed on to the offspring down generations.

Australia’s farmers are expected to plant 23.55 million hectares to winter crops this year – up more than three per cent on 2023 – despite a mixed start to the season across the country, Rabobank says in its 2024/25 Australian Winter Crop Outlook ... This year’s winter crop planting – representing a 3.6 per cent increase on 2023/24 though down 1.8 per cent on the five-year average...

Robert Onfray. While researching for my three-part series on the truth behind the rainforest wars in New South Wales, there was a constant theme in the historical account of utilising one species of rainforest timber. While the cutting of hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) was undoubtedly very extensive in New South Wales, the scale of utilisation in Queensland was even more significant, and one of its primary uses was for butter boxes.

Growing global and local demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) could spell good news for Australian agriculture, with the country’s farmers well placed to provide low- emissions feedstock to be used in future production, according to new industry research ... the largest contribution to cutting aviation emissions over the next decade will come from transitioning to the use of sustainable aviation fuel, which is commonly produced from agricultural products and by-products.

A new farming systems project is set to shed light on how farm management decisions affect profitability and sustainability to help southern region grain growers understand the upside and downside of their decisions. The five-year project involves nine field sites … covering different soil types and rainfall zones in South Australia and Victoria, as well as biophysical modelling and economic evaluation.

Forestry Corporation has today reached an important milestone to explore the potential for windfarms within public pine plantations to contribute to the NSW transition to renewable energy … Neoen, Iberdrola Australia, TagEnergy and Mainstream Renewables Power and Someva Renewables joint venture have been awarded permits to investigate wind farm opportunities in some pine plantations…