Central Queensland Sustainable Farming Systems - Phase 3

This project employed a participatory development and extension (D&E) approach involving on-farm trials and capacity- building activities to improve the economic and environmental performance of grain and mixed farming enterprises in central Queensland (CQ). The project's activities delivered (1) enhanced knowledge and understanding of key system variables that underpin grain and mixed farming businesses, and parameter values for these variables in relation to a range of environmental and management factors, (2) new and refined practices, technologies and management strategies to sustain the profitability of cropping and (3) products and information to support continuous improvement in farm business performance.

RWUE4: Responding to Climate in the Central Queensland Irrigation Sector

Increasing the productivity of irrigation water use and reducing energy use in rural irrigation within the Central Highlands and Dawson-Callide irrigation districts.

Integrated Cotton Farming Systems for Central Queensland

This project has delivered outcomes that address major agronomic and crop protection issues closely linked to the profitability and sustainability of cotton production enterprises in CQ. From an agronomic perspective, the CQ environment was always though to support economically viable cotton production in a wide sowing window from the middle of September to early January prior to this research. The ideal positioning of Bollgard II varieties in the CQ planting window was, therefore, critical to the future of the local cotton industry because growers needed baseline information to determine how best to take advantage of the higher yield potential offered by the Bt cotton technology, optimise irrigation water use and fibre characteristics. The project’s outputs include a number of key agronomic findings. Over three growing seasons, Bollgard II crop planted in the traditional sowing window from the middle of September to the end of October consistently produced the highest yields. The project delivers a clear and quantitative assessment of the impacts of planting outside the traditional cropping window - a yield penalty of between 1-4 bales/ha for November and December planted cotton. Whilst yield penalties associated with December-planted crops are clearly linked to declining heat units in the second half of the crop and a cool finish, those associated with November-planted cotton are not consistent with the theoretical yield potential for this sowing date. Further research to understand and minimize the physiological constraints on November-planted cotton would give CQ cotton growers far greater flexibility to develop mixed/double/rotation cropping farming systems that are relevant to the rapidly evolving nature of Agricultural production in Australia. The equivalence of cultivar types with clearly distinguishable, genetically based growth habits, demonstrated in this project, gives growers important information for making varietal choices. The entomological outcomes of this project represent strategic and tactical tools that are highly relevant to the viability and profitability of the cotton industry in Australia. The future of the cotton industry is inextricably linked to the survival and efficacy of GM cotton. Research done in the Callide irrigation area demonstrates the unquestionable potential for development of alternative and highly effective resistance management strategies for Bollgard II using novel technologies and strategies based on products such as Magnet®. Magnet® and similar technologies will be increasingly important in strategies to preserve the shelf life and efficacy of current and future generations of GM technology. However, more research will be required to address logistical and operational issues related to these new technologies before they can be fully exploited in commercial production systems. From an economic perspective, SLW is the sleeping giant in terms of insect nemeses of cotton, particularly from the standpoint of climate change and an increasingly warmer production environment. An effective sampling and management strategy for SLW which has been delivered by this project will go a long way towards minimising production costs in an environment characterised by rapidly rising input costs. SLW has the potential to permanently debilitate the national cotton industry by influencing market sentiment and quality perceptions. Field validation of the SLW population sampling models and management options in the Dawson irrigation area cotton and southern Queensland during 2006-07 documents the robustness of the entomological research outcomes achieved through this project.

Enhancing the performance of irrigated cotton and grain in Central Queensland

R&D to facilitate incorporation of grain and pulse crop phases in Central Queensland irrigated cotton monoculture systems and improve profitability of regional cropping systems.

DAQ00049 Farming Systems for Central Queensalnd Soil Research and Monitoring

Sustainable Farming Systems for Central Queensland.

Precision Agriculture and Remote Sensing Technologies in Central Queensland agricultural production systems

Demonstrate potential benefits of various Precision Agricultural technologies to Central Queensland farming community.

Continued delivery of applied solutions to weed issues in central Queensland

Developing best practices in Central Queensland to (a) manage difficult to control weeds; (b) improve herbicide efficacy under adverse conditions, and (c) manage weeds in wide-row crop systems.

DAQ00116 Central Queensland Sustainable Farming Systems Phase 3

Improved economic and social performance of grain and mixed farming businesses in Central Queensland.

Control measures for an unidentified disorder in sunflower crops in Central Queensland

Control measures for an unidentified disorder in sunflower crops in Central Queensland.

Economically viable land regeneration in Central Queensland and improved water quality outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef

The impact of excessive sediment loads entering into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon has led to increased awareness of land condition in grazing lands. Improved ground cover and land condition have been identified as two important factors in reducing sediment loads. This paper reports the economics of land regeneration using case studies for two different land types in the Fitzroy Basin. The results suggest that for sediment reduction to be achieved from land regeneration of more fertile land types (brigalow blackbutt) the most efficient method of allocating funds would be through extension and education. However for less productive country (narrow leaved ironbark woodlands) incentives will be required. The analysis also highlights the need for further scientific data to undertake similar financial assessments of land regeneration for other locations in Queensland.

The Role of Genes on Chromosome Locus 4q12 in Human Central Nervous System Tumors

Human central nervous system (CNS) tumors are a heterogeneous group of tumors occurring in brain, brainstem and spinal cord. Malignant gliomas (astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors), which arise from the neuroepithelial cells are the most common CNS neoplasms in human. Malignant gliomas are highly aggressive and invasive tumors, and have a very poor prognosis. The development and progression of gliomas involve a stepwise accumulation of genetic alterations that generally affect either signal transduction pathways activated by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), or cell cycle arrest pathways. Constitutive activation or deregulated signaling by RTKs is caused by gene amplification, overexpression or mutations. The aberrant RTK signaling results in turn in the activation of several downstream pathways, which ultimately lead to malignant transformation and tumor proliferation. Many genetic abnormalities implicated in nervous system tumors involve the genes located at the chromosomal region 4q12. This locus harbors the receptor tyrosine kinases KIT, PDGFRA and VEGFR2, and other genes (REST, LNX1) with neural function. Gene amplification and protein expression of KIT, PDGFRA, and VEGFR2 was studied using clinical tumor material. REST and LNX1, as well as NUMBL, the interaction partner of LNX1, were studied for their gene mutations and amplifications. In our studies, amplification of LNX1 was associated with KIT and PDGFRA amplification in glioblastomas, and coamplification of KIT, PDGFRA and VEGFR2 was detected in medulloblastomas and CNS primitive neuroectodermal tumors. PDGFRA amplification was also correlated with poor overall survival. Coamplification of KIT, PDGFRA and VEGFR2 was observed in a subset of human astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors. We suggest that genes at 4q12 could be a part of a larger amplified region, which is deregulated in gliomas, and could be used as a prognostic marker of tumorigenic process. The signaling pathways activated due to gene amplifications, activating gene mutations, and overexpressed proteins may be useful as therapeutic targets for glioma treatment. This study also includes the characterization of KIT overexpressing astrocytes, analyzed by various in vitro functional assays. Our results show that overexpression of KIT in mouse astrocytes promotes cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth, as well as phenotypic changes in the cells. Furthermore, the increased proliferation is partly inhibited by imatinib, a small molecule inhibitor of KIT. These results suggest that KIT may play a role in astrocyte growth regulation, and might have an oncogenic role in brain tumorigenesis. Elucidation of the altered signaling pathways due to specific gene amplifications, activating gene mutations, and overexpressed proteins may be useful as therapeutic targets for glioma treatment.

"Central Atoms" models for ternary silicate and alumino-silicate melts

The �Central Atoms� model presented by the authors in an earlier paper is extended to ternary silicate and alumino-silicate melts. The model is applied to the CaO-FeO-SiO2 and the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 system. Use is made of the parameters from the relevant binaries only. The agreement between experimental and calculated isoactivity curves is good in all cases.

Liveweight gain and feed intake of weaned Bali cattle fed a range of diets in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Three experiments were conducted to determine liveweight (W) gain and feed and water intake of weaned Bali cattle offered a range of feed types. In each experiment, 18 weaned entire male Bali cattle were allocated to three treatment groups in a completely randomised block design, with six replicates (animals) per treatment. The dietary treatments were: Experiment 1, native grass fed ad libitum, native grass supplemented with rice bran at 10 g dry matter (DM)/kg W.day and native grass supplemented with a mixture of rice bran and copra meal in equal proportions fed at 10 g DM/kg W.day; Experiment 2, elephant grass hay fed ad libitum, elephant grass supplemented with gliricidia at 10 g DM/kg W.day, and gliricidia fed ad libitum; and Experiment 3, corn stover fed ad libitum, corn stover supplemented with gliricidia at 10 g DM/kg W.day, and corn stover supplemented with rice bran/copra meal in equal amounts (w/w) at 10 g DM/kg W.day. Each experiment was 10 weeks in duration, consisting of a 2-week preliminary period for adaptation to diets and an 8-week experimental period for the measurement of W change, feed and water intake and digestibility of the diet. Growth rates of 6-12-month-old, entire male Bali cattle fed a range of local diets ranged from 0.10 and 0.40 kg/day. Lowest growth rates occurred when the cattle were given the basal diets of native grass (0.104 kg/day), elephant grass (0.174 kg/day) and corn stover (0.232 kg/day). With the addition of supplements such as rice bran, rice bran/copra meal or gliricidia to these basal diets liveweight gains increased to between 0.225 and 0.402 kg/day. Forage DM intake was reduced with these supplements by on average 22.6% while total DM intake was increased by an average of 10.5%. The growth rate on gliricidia alone was 0.269 kg/day and feed DM intake was 28.0 g/kg W.day. Water intake was not affected by supplement type or intake. In conclusion, inclusion of small quantities of locally available, high quality feed supplements provide small-holder farmers with the potential to increase growth rates of Bali calves from 0.1 to 0.2 kg/day, under prevailing feeding scenarios, to over 0.4 kg/day.