Updates on several frost and agronomy research projects were shared at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (DPIRD's) annual Dale Research Field Day this week.
Updates on several frost and agronomy research projects were shared at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (DPIRD's) annual Dale Research Field Day this week.
Visitors to the Dale Research Station, near Beverley, saw trials and heard about frost research, as well as wheat and barley nematode resistance screening, both backed by co-investment from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
Oat agronomy research funded by the State Government's Processed Oat Partnership was also profiled.
Frost events can cost Australian grain growers hundreds of millions of dollars per annum in lost production and quality, in addition to a significant emotional toll.
While so far this year there have not been widespread frost events across the State, there were reports of isolated occurrences in the Central Wheatbelt and Great Southern.
Research scientist Brenton Leske said the wide ranging research addressed frost challenges facing WA growers.
"Research on reducing the frost sensitivity of canola at the pod formation and grain filling stage is progressing well, with variation in frost damage in different canola varieties confirmed and results from the trials will be available in the first half of 2027," he said.
Colleague Amanuel Bekuma profiled chickpea chilling tolerance work, demonstrating that lines derived from crosses between wild types and commercial cultivars were able to set flowers and produce seed under cold stress, while commercial genotypes failed to do so.
Department research scientist Carla Wilkinson discussed research which will help wheat and barley growers select varieties that limit root lesion nematode multiplication in infested paddocks to improve plant growth and yields.
Garren Knell and Trent Butcher from Consult Ag joined with DPIRD research scientist Blakely Paynter to discuss trials of three new oat varieties and recommendations on nitrogen management and plant density for early and late April sown crops.
Dr Leske said there were a number of frost forecasting, frost maps and climate outlooks on the DPIRD website to help growers navigate a frost event.
"Frost events can still occur in October," he said. "There are online tools available to guide when best to inspect paddocks for damage, including DPIRD's Extreme Weather Events tool, showing frost events, as well as a link to the Bureau of Meteorology's MetEye tool, which forecasts frost up to a week ahead."
For more frost tools and support, identification guides, risk and frosted crop options is available on the Frost webpage .
