Revealing the global threat of bird flu
A unique and revealing insight into the global threat posed by the current epidemic of H5N1 avian influenza was provided to more than 150 guests at the 2007 Snowdon Lecture held last night at CSIRO Livestock Industries’ Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong.
United Nations goes crazy over ant management
Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, Rio-Tinto Alcan Gove and CSIRO are celebrating winning the prestigious Biodiversity category of the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards tonight.
Managing pests under climate change
Invertebrate pests already cost Australian farmers up to A$500 million a year in lost production but the affect climate change could have on their ability to survive and thrive is still largely unknown.
Unlocking genome of world’s worst insect pest
Scientists from CSIRO and the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, are on the brink of a discovery which will facilitate the development of new, safe, more sustainable ways of controlling the world’s worst agricultural insect pest – the moth, Helicoverpa armigera.
Helping grain growers fight an army of pests
Research into how to reduce the impact of insect-attack on young crops will be a major focus of a National Invertebrate Pest Initiative (NIPI) workshop to be held in Melbourne from 2-4 September.
New guidelines for predicting fire behaviour
The findings of Australia’s most extensive study to date of the behaviour of high-intensity bushfires in eucalypt forests – Project Vesta – provides valuable new tools and information for fire managers across Australia.
Bat immunity key to controlling deadly viruses
CSIRO research into how bats can host some of the world’s deadliest viruses without suffering any ill-effects themselves will lead to improved strategies for controlling the spread of bat-borne diseases.
Science for tomorrow
This one-page extract from Farming Ahead describes research across CSIRO for rural industries.
Aussie ravens ruled out as West Nile virus indicators
Scientists at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, Victoria have found that birds are unlikely to be used as part of an ‘early warning’ system designed to alert health authorities to the presence of the deadly West Nile virus in Australia.
Improving wheat yields for global food security
With the world’s population set to reach 8.9 billion by 2050, CSIRO scientists are hunting down and exploiting a number of wheat’s key genetic traits in a bid to substantially boost its grain yield.
Family planning for wild radish
New research into the increasingly herbicide-tolerant wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) has revealed increased potential for two ‘contraceptive’ approaches to controlling the noxious weed.
Dr Tim Heard: the insect tracker
On the hunt for exotic species for biological control use in Australia, Dr Tim Heard, a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO, often finds himself in faraway places offering rewarding experiences.
The hunt for useful exotic animal and plant species has taken Dr Tim Heard, a tropical weeds senior research scientist, to faraway places.
OzConverter
OzConverter is a specialist tool developed by Dr Tom Harwood, to assist in preparing climate change scenario files from OzClim.
Controlling mesquite in northern Australia
Scientists at CSIRO are using an integrated management approach aimed at providing a basis for long-term management of mesquite, including mechanical, chemical and biological techniques and the use of fire and grazing strategies.
Pollution
Our scientists are developing solutions to our mounting air, land and water pollution problems.
Our scientists are working with industry, regulators and the community in the search for solutions to our mounting air, land and water pollution problems.
Eradicating pest ants from the Top End
CSIRO scientists lead research into the ecology, impacts and control of invasive ant species in northern Australia. A successful eradication project in Kakadu has paved the way for CSIRO leadership of a range of other pest ant management projects.
Biological control of silverleaf whitefly
Our scientists are researching the biological processes that enable silverleaf whitefly to invade, and investigating the role of landscape structure and scale in exploiting an effective biocontrol agent for this pest species.
