Climate variability and drought research in relation to Australian agriculture

Introduction

• Contact Details
• Disclaimer
• Foreword

A. Climate Information

• A Century's perspective on climate variability and impacts on agriculture.
• Atlas of near-global ENSO and climate variability since 1871
• CLIMARC - Computerising the Australian Climate Archives
• Effective implementation, adoption and utilisation of new climate results
• Evaluation of the National Climate Variability Program (NCVP)
• Further development and application of AUSTRALIAN RAINMAN to improve management of climate variability
• National Climate Variability R&D Program (NCVP)
• SILO - Agrometeorological information system
• Survey of agricultural climate research, development and services in Australia
• Using climatic data for agricultural decision making

B. Climate forecasting

• Air-sea exchange processes
• Can seasonal climate forecasting prevent degradation of Australia's grazing lands?
• Development and testing of climate models for seasonal prediction for Australia
• Development of improved seasonal climate forecast systems
• Improved climate prediction during El Niño events
• Extended seasonal climate predictions using a dynamical climate model
• Expediting the Use of Scientific Drought/ Seasonal Climate Forecasts by Queensland Rural Producers.
• From oceans to farms: integrated management of climate variability
• Global Seasonal Climate Forecasts for Australian Environmental Outlooks
• Seasonal Climate Forecasting to Improve Industry Competitiveness

C. Forecasting crop yields

• Assessing and Forecasting Variability in Wheat Production in Western Australia.
• Can Decadal Climate Variability (DCV) impact on cropping systems management?
• Effects of Improved Climate Forecasting on Competitiveness in the International Grain Market
• Evaluating the role of seasonal climate forecasting in tactical management of cropping systems in north-east Australia
• Seasonal climate variability and crop yield forecasting
• Seasonal rainfall and winter crop yield forecasting for southern Australia
• The application of climate forecasts to crop management in northern Australia

D. Forecasting and studying streamflow

•  Comparative evaluation of environmental flow assessment techniques
• Decision Support Systems for Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Northern Murray-Darling Basin
• Ecological basis for river habitat and in-stream flow management
• Integrating environmental and irrigation water allocation under uncertainty
• R&D opportunities for using seasonal climate forecasts in the Australian water industry
• Seasonal streamflow forecasts to improve management of water resources
• Spatial distribution of rainfall and storm movement (using remote sensing)

E. Regional Monitoring

F. Drought Impacts - Assessing Exceptional Circumstances

G. Landcare - Limiting Land Degradation

• Determining rangeland response to drought and sheep grazing in the northern Mitchell grasslands
• Evaluation of the national Drought Landcare Program
• Evaluation of the risks of land and pasture degradation associated with drought
• Prevention of rangeland degradation during drought through zero grazing techniques
• Soil erosion rates on the Nullarbor plain using fallout radionuclides and remote sensing

H. Socioeconomic Impact

• Adapting to climate change on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, 1900-1990
• Australian farm families' experience of the drought in the 1990s: a sociological perspective
• Drought and the economic performance of agriculture
• Economic monitoring/forecasting of rural business
• Improving the communication of climate information to dairy farmers
• Learning from history: preventing future land and pasture degradation under climate change.
• Revaluing Rural Australia
• Seasonal climate information and farmers' risk assessment and decision making
• Strategic farm planning - by open learning

I. Managing Climate Variability - Pastures

• Coping with rainfall variability in tropical savannas
• Enhancing profits from poplar box country by tactical pasture management
• Estimating safe carrying capacities for grazing properties
• Evaluation of the impact of climate change on northern Australian grazing industries
• Exploiting drought opportunities: control of total grazing pressure of grasslands
• FEEDMAN - a pasture and crop decision support system
• Grazier-based profitable and sustainable strategies for managing climatic variability (DroughtPlan)
• Improved pasture management and beef production through parthenium weed control
• Management strategies to maximise opportunities for sustainable economic gain in chenopod shrublands
• Optimising phosphorus use in Victoria
• Pasture and forage systems (GRAZPLAN)
• Rangeland capability assessment in western Queensland
• Reclaiming and sustaining productivity of Queensland bluegrass downs
• Regeneration of drought-affected pastures
• Silage systems for beef production and drought feeding for northern Australia
• Strategies for maximising the persistence of perennial grasses through drought
• Strategies to cope with climatic variability in the perennial pasture zone of south-eastern Australia

J. Managing Climate Variability - Crops

• Adoption of grain legumes: the importance of risk
• Analysis of Cropping Systems in Northern NSW using Simulation Models
• Application of a crop model to examine the efficiency and sustainability of wheat farming in Western Australia
• Better management of climate variability within the agribusiness service sector
• Climate risk - options for managing frost risk in the eastern wheatbelt
• Decision support for climatic risk management in dryland crop production
• Developing and promoting systems for managing climatic and spatial risks in dryland crop production
• Developing database and knowledge-based resources for commercial advisers using the cropping systems simulator APSIM
• FARMSCAPE - Farmer-adviser-researcher monitoring, simulation, and communication for best dryland cropping practice
• Improved potential yield estimates for farmers and advisers
• Improving management of seasonal conditions for low rainfall crop production
• Modelling cropping systems to ensure greater water use and water use efficiency
• Managing the risks associated with early sowing of lupins
• Significance of early maturity in improving grain yield and water use efficiency of wheat in low rainfall environments
• Whopper Cropper - a data base and graphics interface to connect crop management advisors with the simulation capacity of APSIM

K. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

• Analysing Drought Strategies to Enhance Farm Financial Viability
• Farmer risk management under changing conditions
• Farmers training needs for managing climate risk
• Improved management of climate variability on Australian grain farms
• Innovative workshops to improve understanding of price and climate variability
• Insurance-based risk management for drought

L. Development Of Drought-Tolerant Species - Pastures

• Breed three cultivars of phalaris for acid soils, dry marginal areas and high rainfall zones
• Breeding improved perennial ryegrass for temperate pastures in Australia
• Hormonal responses of plants to drought
• Identifying persistent lucernes for the pastoral zone
• Plant genes involved in drought tolerance and other stress responses
• Stability of native pastures during drought
• The assessment of drought and pest tolerant pasture species in Tasmania - sheep production
• To investigate the use of perennial legumes as a means of controlling and reducing water tables in pasture/crop rotations

M. Development Of Drought-Tolerant Species - Crops

• Canola adapted to drought for low rainfall regions
• Comparative drought tolerance of tall and dwarf sunflowers
• Crop improvement of grain sorghum in Australia: a physiological assessment of the genetic variation in the staygreen character in sorghum
• Crop improvement of grain sorghum in Australia: core breeding
• Improving cropping systems with new cultivars of perennial lablab
• More Efficient Breeding of Drought Resistant Peanuts in India and Australia
• Navy bean breeding and varietal evaluation
• Productivity responses of asparagus to droughting in a tropical environment
• Selection for water use efficiency in food legumes
• Soybean improvement for eastern Australia: Component 1: New South Wales
• Soybean improvement for eastern Australia: Component 2: Queensland Department of Primary Industries
• Soybean improvement for eastern Australia, component 3: CSIRO Tropical Agriculture
• Sunflower germplasm enhancement for improved productivity under drought
• Transfer of drought tolerance from Triticum tauschii to wheat
• Wheat breeding for the Western Region