Research

Australia’s iconic grass-trees – aka yaccas – are hardy, drought-tolerant, and strikingly beautiful. Now, new research has revealed another, far more important, feature: their ability to protect wildlife from deadly weather extremes.

Vic Jurskis. Laura Chung from Sydney Morning Herald tells us “Members of one of the healthiest koala populations in Sydney are dying at an alarming rate, as chlamydia-infected koalas and housing development” get closer. Makes you wonder how many different koala ‘populations’ there are in our State Capital ... Premier Chris Minns has a terrible dilemma.

What would focus the minds of farmers to be more drought resilient is if the State and Federal governments come out together and simply say to all Australia's farmers that 'you are on your own, we are no longer handing out grants when the rains fail'   ... If they are going to continue with the Drought Fund, then they should focus on funding some big game-changing projects, not the rats and mice ones that won’t move the dial.

With the global sesame seed market expected to reach A$26 billion by 2025, the Australian sesame industry has been identified as a high-growth potential emerging industry. To capatilise on this growth, a new national Sesame Central Research and Innovation Hub has been launched...

Oaten hay is more than a simple source of fodder fibre, and new research is backing up this well-known theory. A study from the University of Melbourne has shown that high-quality oaten hay could improve animal production, especially in dairies and feedlots, and support the sustainable development of dairy production both in Australia and overseas.

Researchers at Charles Sturt University are preparing to visit Lord Howe Island for the last time as part of a study on the impacts of a rodent eradication project on two native bird species. The study, ‘Effects of an island-wide rodent eradication programme on two threatened bird species’, was recently published after years of research both on and off the island.

Introduced foxes, dogs, cats, rats, and other predators kill millions of native animals every year, but what if they were conditioned to associate this prey with food that made them ill? A team of international researchers have shown the potential to do just that, burying baits containing capsules of levamisole, a chemical that induces nausea and vomiting when consumed by predators.

Frank Batini has set down the history of the Wungong catchment trial in order to provide a record that shows how difficult it is to implement any active forest management in the northern jarrah forest. This account may be of interest to forest managers in other parts of Australia.

Even early removal of Chinese anti-dumping tariffs would not be enough to prevent Australia’s wine industry facing several years of oversupply, Rabobank says in its newly-released Wine Quarterly Q3 2023 report ... So large is the current oversupply, says Ms Piggott, that Australia has the equivalent of 859 olympic swimming pools worth of wine in storage.

With more growers opting to store grain for extended periods, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is reminding growers of the benefits of gas-tight sealable storage in controlling and preventing insect pest infestations in stored grain.  

Regional Arts Australia (RAA) and Culture Counts have released new research findings on cultural tourism … The RAA Cultural Tourism Accelerator Program 2021-2022 Research Project indicates that arts and cultural activity in regional and remote Australia creates significant economic impact and community connection.

The largest and most ambitious trade initiative in Australian horticulture has been given the green light with a host of partners signing on to an historic $130 million program, the Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA) ... As part of the program, FASTA will also boost biosecurity initiatives to solidify Australia’s strong reputation in pest-management and as a responsible trading partner for years to come.

Scientists are tracking Australian native stingless bees to determine what they like to eat, and how diet impacts overall hive health and their ability to pollinate crops effectively ... “The incursion of Varroa Mite has placed us in a position where we have had to reassess how we think about pollination”: Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield.

John O'Donnell identifies the multiple contributory factors that influenced fuels, forest fire resilience, bushfire attack, safety, impact, cost, bushfire extent and intensity of the 2019/ 2020 major bushfires across south eastern Australia ... Are we better prepared now?

John Anderson. If ever there was a family of birds that exhibits supreme mastery of the skies, albeit those close to the ocean, it is the albatross family. The CSIRO Australian Bird Guide lists 17 species of albatross that can be seen in Australian waters. They range over vast areas of the Southern Ocean, nesting on Sub-Antarctic Islands such as Macquarie Island and in winter push northwards to patrol the southern coastline of Australia.

A groundbreaking animal growth and welfare monitoring, detection and notification system has been awarded the annual AgriFutures Research Award for 2023 ... the runner up, DryRice research, focused on enhancing rice genotypes and ensuring sustainable development in the rice industry.

Projected high industry growth, an appetite for expanded trade and increasing sustainability priorities have driven the new Hort Innovation Strategy 2024-2026. Released on 31 July 2023, the strategy was informed by feedback from growers across the nation through farm visits, surveys and advice garnered through industry advisory panels and meetings.

Portable air purifiers fitted with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can substantially improve indoor air quality during bushfire events, according to new research from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.  Published in Public Health Research & Practice, researchers found that HEPA filters have potential, when used appropriately, to substantially improve indoor air quality by 30–74 per cent during smoke episodes caused by prescribed burns.  

Clearing of regulated vegetation reduced from about 98,000 hectares in 2019-20 to 61,000 hectares in 2020-21. This year’s annual SLATS report shows that total woody vegetation clearing in 2020-21 decreased by 17 per cent compared to the previous year, and 49 per cent overall since 2018-19.

A new report released last week confirms the Australian horticulture industry will be making an essential contribution to attaining the ambitious goal of $100 billion in national agricultural value by 2030. Commissioned by Hort Innovation and delivered by The Centre for International Economics, the Contribution of Australian horticulture industry report predicts the sector will witness a 22.5 per cent increase in combined value by 2030, to reach $21.8 billion.

Ukrainian chicken producers have made a good marketing move. Thanks to this, the retail price of boneless chicken meat is about US$3 for one kilo. This is the most affordable meat in Ukraine. Beef and pork producers have yet to strike back ... Private entrepreneur Lyudmila Koloshko speaks about how profitable it is to sell "Leg meat".

The latest agricultural lending statistics provided by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) show an increase in aggregate lending to the farm sector of 9 per cent in 2021–22. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the cumulative value of loans outstanding has increased from $100.7 billion at 30 June 2021 to $109.9 billion at 30 June 2022.