Journal articles on the topic 'Australian grain storage'

Short periods of high temperatures (up to 35°C) during mid grain filling appear to reduce yield and quality in barley. Plants of 3 malting barley varieties, Schooner, Arapiles, and Sloop (a new South Australian malting variety), were grown under constant environment conditions from germination to maturity and exposed to 5 days of high temperatures (up to 35°C) during mid grain filling. Schooner and Sloop showed similar patterns of accumulation of dry matter under control conditions (21°C/16°C, day/night temperature) and in response to high temperatures. In all varieties, the reduction in starch accumulation represented the most significant detrimental effect of high temperature and made the greatest contribution to the reduction in final grain weight. The reduction in absolute grain nitrogen (N) in heat-treated Arapiles grains represents a potentially important response under high temperature conditions. In this study, water loss did not have a decisive role in the termination of grain filling. Continued accumulation of endosperm dry matter at low moisture levels suggested that water distribution and/or components of water potential may be more important than overall water content in the cessation of grain filling. Final grain composition depended not only on the amount of endosperm storage component present in the grain but also on the contribution of the non-endosperm components (including the embryo and husk) to final grain dry weight. In some cases, changes in the contribution made by the non-endosperm components of the grain to final grain weight masked important high temperature effects on key endosperm storage components. Hot water extract (HWE) values were similar within treatments and ranged from 73% to 78%. High temperature exposure reduced HWE for all varieties. Malt b-glucan was lower in heat-treated grains than in control grains. Despite relatively high malt protein levels in all varieties, higher free amino N levels in heat-treated grains indicated a higher protein modification than in control grains.

Grain quality is an important determinant of market value of wheat in southern Australia and in many other parts of the world. Identification of the genes that influence grain quality traits and estimation of effects of alleles of these genes can improve the effectiveness of wheat breeding. An efficient method for estimating the effects of alleles of recently discovered genes is to use mixed-model analyses in large plant breeding datasets that have already been characterised for previously known genes. We used this method to estimate the effects of two alleles of Spa-B1, a storage protein activator gene that is linked to Glu-B1, on grain quality traits. Alleles of the two genes tracked together as haplotypes for generations, but recombination events were identified. These recombination events were used to enhance confidence in identification of the alleles. The effects of the alleles of Spa-B1 were small and statistically not significant for all of the grain quality traits in our population.

AbstractMicrosatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic structure among invasive L. decolor populations from Australia and a single international population from Kansas, USA to determine patterns of dispersal. Six variable microsatellites displayed an average of 2.5–4.2 alleles per locus per population. Observed (HO) heterozygosity ranged from 0.12–0.65 per locus within populations; but, in 13 of 36 tests, HO was less than expected. Despite low levels of allelic diversity, genetic structure estimated as θ was significant for all pairwise comparisons between populations (θ=0.05–0.23). Due to suspected null alleles at four loci, ENA (excluding null alleles) corrected FST estimates were calculated overall and for pairwise population comparisons. The ENA-corrected FST values (0.02–0.10) revealed significant overall genetic structure, but none of the pairwise values were significantly different from zero. A Mantel test of isolation by distance indicated no relationship between genetic structure and geographic distance among all populations (r2=0.12, P=0.18) and for Australian populations only (r2=0.19, P=0.44), suggesting that IBD does not describe the pattern of gene flow among populations. This study supports a hypothesis of long distance dispersal by L. decolor at moderate to potentially high levels.

The performance of the spring wheat cultivar Gamenya, the leading cultivar in Western Australia since 1968, was studied to identify key aspects of its response to the environment under typically dry conditions on two contrasting soil types: a heavy clay loam and a light loamy sand overlying clay in the Merredin region.In the rain-fed treatments the total water use was similar on both soils and was of the order of 240 mm. On the heavy-textured soil at high nitrogen, the foliage canopy developed more rapidly than on the light soil, resulting in earlier soil water depletion and haying off. Water use efficiencies of about 10 kg grain ha-1 per mm of water were similar to those reported for winter rainfall areas in south-eastern Australia. This suggests a greater degree of buffering against spring drought than is indicated by the high ratio of pre-anthesis to post-anthesis water use (3-4.7:l) relative to values of 2-2.7:l in other parts of the Australian wheatbelt. Data on the partitioning of dry matter indicated that this buffering of the harsh spring conditions at Merredin may be due to a greater contribution of assimilates from pre-anthesis storage, to grain filling. In dry environments, further critical evaluation is needed of the role of stored assimilates in grain formation.Faster canopy closure on the heavy soil resulted from a higher density of shoots and possibly larger leaves. This led to the suggestion that on heavier, more fertile soils, an ideotype with restricted tillering, may be higher yielding. By the end of the season ear bearing shoot densities and total water use were the same on both soil types, thus masking earlier important differences.

There have been a few notable occasions when the Australian wheat segregation system (mainly based on specification of variety and protein content) has failed to produce grain which gives dough properties expected for the wheat grade. The reasons for this are likely to relate to growing and storage conditions; of these, variations in temperature during grain filling appear to be a major factor. Observations of crop statistics, field and glasshouse experiments indicate that as growth temperatures increase up to 30°C, there is a general increase in dough strength (as indicated by Extensograph maximum resistance, Rmax, and as Farinograph development time and stability). However, a decline in dough strength is observed following periods of heat stress (e.g. a few days with maxima of over 35°C). Increasing temperatures during grain filling have also been observed to produce grain with a higher protein content, but this observation is not as consistent nor as marked as the effects on dough strength. We have sought to identify genotypes that do not follow this general trend in response to heat stress, and thus could be used as parents to breed for heat tolerance and greater stability of dough quality. A glasshouse experiment involving 45 genotypes has indicated that there is some variation in the response to heat stress, with a few genotypes being promising sources of tolerance. A second important approach to minimising the effects of heat stress is to develop a model to predict grain-quality changes, thus enabling a marketing authority to be forewarned of significant variation from the quality attributes normally expected for a wheat grade, and assisting breeders to better interpret the results of quality testing of lines grown at various sites.

Mediterranean environments are characterised by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The native vegetation in Mediterranean-climatic regions is predominantly perennial shrubs and trees intermixed with annual forbs. In south-western Australia, the spread of agriculture has seen the well adapted perennial vegetation replaced by rainfed annual crops and pastures. This has increased waterlogging and secondary salinity, thereby causing loss of productivity in ~10% of the cleared land area. To reduce deep drainage and make the agricultural systems environmentally sustainable requires the re-introduction of perennial vegetation in the form of belts of trees or shrubs, and phase-farming systems with perennials such as lucerne replacing annual pastures between the cropping years. To be economically viable, agricultural productivity needs to increase by at least 3% per annum. Yields of dryland wheat, the predominant crop in the Mediterranean agricultural regions of Australia, have increased at ~1%/year for the century preceding the 1980s and since then by nearly 4%/year. Increases have arisen from both genotypic and agronomic improvements. Genotypic increases have arisen from selection for earliness, early vigour, deep roots, osmotic adjustment, increased transpiration efficiency, improved disease resistance, and an improved harvest index from high ear weight (grain number) at flowering and high assimilate storage and remobilisation. Agronomic increases have arisen from early sowing that has been enabled by minimum tillage, increased fertiliser use, especially nitrogen, weed control, and rotations to improve weed control, minimise disease risk, and increase nitrogen availability. Evidence is presented suggesting that the rapid increase in yield of wheat in the last two decades has likely arisen from the rapid adoption of new technologies. For productivity to be maintained in the face of the increasing requirement to be environmentally sustainable will be a challenge and will require better integration of breeding and agronomy.

This study investigated the effects of predicted changes in rainfall distribution in marginal (≤325 mm annual rainfall) parts of the south-west Australian wheatbelt and options for management and adaptation of the wheat crop. Field experiments with rain-out shelters and irrigation were conducted in 2008 and 2009 to investigate the interactions of rainfall distribution, row spacing, genotype and timing of nitrogen application on growth, water use and grain yield of spring wheat. Water storage before seeding showed potential to maintain or increase yields despite lower in-season rainfall. Widening row spacing reduced biomass and slowed water use but did not increase grain yield, because of increased soil evaporation and water left in the soil at crop maturity. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) wheat model was used to investigate the effects of recent and projected climate change on yield in relation to row spacing, phenology and nitrogen. Two climate-change scenarios were applied to historical climatic data to create two plausible future climates (‘optimistic’ and ‘pessimistic’) for the year 2030. None of the strategies tested increased wheat yield under the predicted climate scenarios. Simulated yields at wider row spacings were consistently lower due to insufficient biomass, increased soil evaporation and the inability of the crop to use all of the available water before maturity. Simulated yields of short-season genotypes were always greater than yields of longer season genotypes. Nitrogen regimes had little effect in this study. This study points to several genotypic traits that could improve the performance of wheat grown at wider row spacings. These include early vigour to reduce soil evaporation and increase competition with weeds, greater tillering/biomass to reduce limitation by sink size, and a vigorous root system with appropriate lateral spread and growth to depth to access available soil water.

Aflatoxins are highly carcinogenic mycotoxins produced by two fungi, Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, under specific moisture and temperature conditions before harvest and/or during storage of a wide range of crops including maize. Modelling of interactions between host plant and environment during the season can enable quantification of preharvest aflatoxin risk and its potential management. A model was developed to quantify climatic risks of aflatoxin contamination in maize using principles previously used for peanuts. The model outputs an aflatoxin risk index in response to seasonal temperature and soil moisture during the maize grain filling period using the APSIM’s maize module. The model performed well in simulating climatic risk of aflatoxin contamination in maize as indicated by a significant R2 (P ≤ 0.01) between aflatoxin risk index and the measured aflatoxin B1 in crop samples, which was 0.69 for a range of rainfed Australian locations and 0.62 when irrigated locations were also included in the analysis. The model was further applied to determine probabilities of exceeding a given aflatoxin risk in four non-irrigated maize growing locations of Queensland using 106 years of historical climatic data. Locations with both dry and hot climates had a much higher probability of higher aflatoxin risk compared with locations having either dry or hot conditions alone. Scenario analysis suggested that under non-irrigated conditions the risk of aflatoxin contamination could be minimised by adjusting sowing time or selecting an appropriate hybrid to better match the grain filling period to coincide with lower temperature and water stress conditions.

Western Australian grain production is dominated by wheat, but growing wheat continually in unbroken sequences leads to increasing problems with soil nutrient depletion, root and leaf disease build-up, high weed burdens, and possibly other less well-defined production constraints. These can adversely affect both production and grain quality. Including breaks in the crop sequence in the form of break crops, pasture, or fallow can reduce these problems, but these breaks can be expensive to implement, in terms of both direct cost and forgone revenue. It is therefore critical to predict the response of subsequent wheat crops to a break in order to choose crop sequences rationally. We conducted a 4-year experiment at Wongan Hills, Western Australia, evaluating how wheat productivity in a wheat-based cropping sequence is affected by including wheat, barley, lupins, triazine-tolerant and Roundup Ready® canola, oaten hay, volunteer pasture, serradella pasture, and chemical fallow. Wheat yield responded positively to fallow, lupins, oaten hay, volunteer pastures and serradella but not to barley or canola when compared with continuous wheat. Responses depended on seasonal conditions; in a dry year, a very large response occurred after fallow but not after lupin or serradella, whereas in a wetter year, there were large responses after these crops. Fallowing, cutting hay, crop-topping lupins, and spray-topping volunteer and serradella pasture all reduced seedset of annual ryegrass dramatically, and reduced weed competition was a major contributor to the observed break crop responses. Nitrogen fixation by lupins and serradella and water storage by fallow in a dry year were also important, but soilborne diseases did not contribute to wheat yield responses. Some yield responses persisted for at least 3 years, and the contribution of effects of weed competition to yield responses increased over this time. These results emphasise the importance of understanding which productivity constraints are present in a cropping system at a given time when deciding whether a break is necessary and which is the most appropriate break. The results also emphasise the importance of managing the wheat crop after a break to maximise the response and its longevity.

Grains such as wheat and barley, combined with legumes and oilseed meals, provide not only the bulk of essential nutrients for commercial poultry production and reproduction, but are also the prime source of anti-nutritive components, which are likely to have significant bearing on how effectively all dietary components are utilised by poultry. Sources of variation in the physical and chemical characteristics of grains used in poultry diets include variety, seasonal effects, and growth sites, crop treatment and grain fumigants, and post-harvest storage conditions and period of storage. The available energy and protein contents of grains fed to poultry, which best represent nutritive value, are extremely wide and in consequence there is an urgent need to develop rapid and objective tests for the assessment of nutritive value prior to including grains in poultry diets. Variation in the available energy and protein content of grains can be attributed to a wide range of anti-nutritive factors such as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), enzyme activity, tannins, alkyl resorcinols, protease inhibitors, α-amylase inhibitors, phytohaemagglutinins, alkaloids, saponins, and lathyrogens. The relative importance of such factors will also differ according to the type of grain in question. However, NSP seem to be the predominant factor in Australia over the past few years given the volume of published literature on this topic. This argument is strongly supported by the fact that NSP-degrading enzymes are routinely used in monogastric diets with great success throughout the world. Numerous attempts over a long period have failed to provide unequivocal evidence that nutritive value in grains for poultry can be predicted with sufficient accuracy and precision by simple, low-cost physico-chemical measurements used singly or in combination. Nevertheless, it is highly desirable to continue to explore these simple measurements in the expectation that useful statistical relationships with more complex measurements will emerge, or that simple measurements can be used to fine-tune prediction equations based on more powerful techniques such as near infrared spectrophotometry. Finally, the nutritive value of grains for poultry will be determined not only by the chemical and physical properties of grains but also by the way that these interact with the processes of ingestion, digestion, absorption, and metabolism in birds. For this reason it is imperative that plant and animal scientists join forces to improve the nutritive value of plant material as feed for animals for the benefit of grain growers and producers of livestock.

There are opportunities to improve the quality and-market value of wheat grain at all stages of production, storage and transport. An essential pre-requisite is a thorough knowledge of market requirements, both for the coming crop season and well into the future in the case of breeding programs and research planning. Elucidation of the molecular basis of grain quality is an important part of the overall strategy of quality improvement. The outcome expected from such studies will be the identification of key chemical components that can serve as markers for specific aspects of grain quality. The provision of screening tests for these marker compounds then permits intelligent quality testing at harvest, planning of genotype and environment to maximize quality, and selection of suitable genotypes at an early stage of breeding. This review describes the state of our present knowledge of grain quality at the molecular/chemical level (with particular references to dough quality for wheat), and it indicates how this knowledge can be put to practical use in better suiting wheat grain for processing requirements both in Australia and overseas.

Pollen viability and stigma receptivity are prerequisites for successful cross-pollination and seed set in Swainsona formosa. In this study, the pollen viabilities and stigma receptivities was assayed by in vitro pollen germination and simple hand-pollination method on glasshouse-grown plants, respectively. The viability of pollen grains was tested under three different storage conditions: 1) pollen grains were left on the plant in the glasshouse under natural conditions, 2) pollen grains were harvested and kept at a low temperature (4 o C) in total darkness, and 3) pollen grains were kept in a dry freezer (-10 o C) and in total darkness. Meanwhile, stigma receptivity was determined by hand-pollination using fresh pollen grains on flower of glasshouse-grown plants at one day before anther dehiscence up to 8 days after anther dehiscence. The results showed that pollen grains could be stored at 4 o C for up to 28 days without significantly losing their viability. Pollen longevity could be extended beyond two months when stored at -10 o C and under dry conditions. These findings provided a simple and economically sound method for storage of S. formosa pollen. In addition, stigma receptivity was found to be receptive from one day before anther dehiscence and reached its peak within four days after anther dehiscence. These results provide a valuable background to the conventional breeding of this species to create hybrids through cross-pollination

Greenhouse gas abatement in the agricultural cropping industry can be achieved by employing management practices that sequester soil carbon (C) or minimise nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils. However, C sequestration stimulates N2O emissions, making the net greenhouse-gas abatement potential of management practices difficult to predict. We studied land-management practices that have potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by increasing soil C storage and/or decreasing soil N2O emissions for a diverse range of broadacre grain cropping sites in New South Wales. Carbon sequestration and N2O emissions were simulated with the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) for a baseline crop-management scenario and alternative scenarios representing management practices for greenhouse gas abatement, for 15 rainfed or irrigated sites. The global warming potential of the scenarios was quantified at 25 and 100 years after commencement of the alternative practices. Soil C and N2O emissions were predicted to increase with the use of practices that increased organic matter additions to the soil (e.g. adding a summer crop to the rotation). However, in only a few cases did the increase in soil C storage counter the N2O emissions sufficiently to provide net greenhouse gas abatement. For rainfed sites, inclusion of a summer crop and/or a pasture in the rotation was predicted to provide greenhouse gas abatement after 25 years, whereas after 100 years, only practices that included a summer crop provided abatement for some sites. For irrigated sites after 25 years, practices that reduced N fertiliser rate while retaining stubble were predicted to provide small abatement, and practices that included a summer crop provided abatement for some sites. After 100 years, practices likely to provide abatement included those that reduced N2O emissions, such as reducing N fertiliser rate. These findings suggest that a few management practices are likely to abate greenhouse gas emissions across New South Wales grain production sites and that these practices differ for irrigated and rainfed sites.

The lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica, and the rust red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, are two major beetle pests commonly found infesting stored products worldwide. Both species can cause severe economic damage and their management is complicated by their potential to develop resistance to several of the limited chemical options available. However, pest management strategies can be improved by understanding the ecology of the pest insect. To determine the spatiotemporal activity of R. dominica and T. castaneum, we conducted a trapping study over two years in a temperate region of south-eastern Australia, with traps located near grain storages and fields. We captured higher numbers of R. dominica than T. castaneum, and both species were more prevalent in traps located close to grain storages. Similar and consistent seasonal patterns were displayed by both species with activity ceasing during the winter (June–August) months. We found linear correlations between maximum daily temperatures and trap catches, and minimum threshold temperatures for flight activity were 14.5 °C and 15.6 °C for R. dominica and T. castaneum, respectively. The results are discussed in relation to the ecology of these pests along with their implications for pest management.

The high-rainfall zone (HRZ) of southern Australia is the arable areas where annual rainfall is between 450 and 800 mm in Western Australia and between 500 and 900 mm in south-eastern Australia, resulting in a growing-season length of 7–10 months. In the last decade, there has been a growing recognition of the potential to increase crop production in the HRZ. We combined (1) a survey of 15 agricultural consultants, each of whom have ~40–50 farmer clients across the HRZ, (2) 28 farm records of crop yields and area for 2000–2010, (3) 86 wheat and 54 canola yield observations from well managed experiments, and (4) long-term simulated crop yields at 13 HRZ locations, to investigate recent trends in crop production, quantify the gap between potential and actual crop yields, and consider the factors thought to limit on-farm crop yields in the HRZ. We found in the past 10 years a trend towards more cropping, particularly in WA, an increased use of canola, and advances in the adaptation of germplasm to HRZ environments using winter and longer-season spring types. Consultants and the farm survey data confirmed that the rate of future expansion of cropping in the HRZ will slow, especially when compared with the rapid changes seen in the 1990s. In Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia the long-term water-limited potential yield in HRZ areas, as measured by experimental yields, consultant estimates and simulations for slow developing spring cultivars of wheat and canola was 5–6 and 2–3 t/ha for a decile 5 season. For Western Australia it was 4–5 and 2–3 t/ha, where yields were less responsive to good seasons than in the other states. The top performing farmers were achieving close to the water-limited potential yield. There are yield advantages of ~2 t/ha for ‘winter’ over ‘spring’ types of both wheat and canola, and there is scope for better adapted germplasm to further raise potential yield in the HRZ. Consultants stated that there is scope for large gains in yield and productivity by encouraging the below-average cropping farmers to adopt the practices and behaviours of the above-average farmers. The scope for improvement between the below- and above-average farmers was 1–3 t/ha for wheat and 0.5–1.5 t/ha for canola in a decile 5 season. They also stated that a lack of up-to-date infrastructure (e.g. farm grain storage) and services is constraining the industry’s ability to adopt new technology. Priorities for future research, development and extension among consultants included: overcoming yield constraints where growing-season rainfall exceeds 350 mm; adaptation of winter and long-season spring types of cereals and canola and management of inputs required to express their superior yield potential; and overcoming barriers to improved planning and timeliness for crop operations and adoption of technology.

SUMMARYIn arid and semiarid winter crop growing regions of southern Australia, low rainfall, high evaporation, and low soil moisture storage are the limiting factors for crop production. In this region canola (Brassica napus L.) is principally grown in rotation with wheat and pasture species. Some field studies have indicated Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) to be more drought tolerant than canola and therefore considered to be better adapted than canola to short season environments. A field experiment was conducted at Wagga Wagga in NSW to determine the effect of two soil moisture regimes on water use efficiency, harvest index, seed and oil quality of cv. Oasis of Indian mustard and cv. Skipton of canola. Significant year × stress and species × stress interaction effects were observed for grain yield, harvest index, seed weight, biomass water productivity, and grain water productivity. Irrigation during the post flowering period resulted in 50% and 200% increases in canola grain yield in the first year (year with higher in-crop water) and the second year (year with low in-crop water), respectively. For mustard, these values were 7% and 45%, respectively. Stressed mustard resulted in higher grain yield than stressed canola while irrigated canola performed better than irrigated mustard. High mustard biomass production resulted in lowering its harvest index. Generally, the biomass water productivity of mustard was higher than that of canola. Grain yield-based water productivity of stressed mustard was higher than that of stressed canola while irrigated canola had higher water productivity than irrigated mustard. When rainfall and actual evapotranspiration drop below some thresholds, mustard becomes a favourable crop. Generally, effects due to the water treatments (stressed v irrigated) were much larger than the differences due to species.

Pollen of A. auriculiformis, A. iteaphylla, A. karroo and A. mangium was stored at 25, 5, -18 or -196°C for up to 3 years, and its viability tested by pollen staining, in vivo pollen tube growth or pod set 1 month after hand pollination. The effectiveness of staining methods using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indole- β -galactoside (X-Gal) and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) to predict pollen viability was investigated. All of the staining methods gave variable results, but the TTC and X-Gal tests were particularly unreliable. FDA staining of pollen gave the best indication of its ability to germinate on the stigma and penetrate ovules. Pollen stored for up to three days at 25°C retained the ability to penetrate ovules following hand pollination, and of that stored for three years at 5°C, 19% of the grains fluoresced with FDA. Pollen stored at -18°C for 1 year retained the ability to penetrate ovules and produce pod set, and of that stored for 3 years, 23% of the grains fluoresced with FDA. Pollen stored at -196°C for one year retained the ability to penetrate ovules and produce pod set, but thawing and refreezing of the pollen reduced viability to zero. It was concluded that the most successful and convenient method of pollen storage was vaccuum drying followed by storage at -18°C. The Australian species of Acacia investigated (A. iteaphylla, A. auriculiformis and A. mangium) had protogynous flowers, with stigma receptivity preceding anther dehiscence, such that flowers could be reliably hand pollinated. The African species A. karroo had protandrous flowers, with stigmas unreceptive at anthesis, but receptive at 5 days after anther dehiscence. Deposition of self pollen on the stigma prior to attainment of receptivity rendered hand pollination of this species unreliable.

In the grain growing region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, crop production occurs predominantly under semiarid, rainfed conditions. Vertosols dominate the soils used and many are prone to structural problems. In this region, providing that crop nutrition is adequate, optimising yield is largely dependent on maximising the infiltration, storage and plant use of soil water. Soil constraints such as sodicity, salinity, acidity, subsoil compaction and surface sealing can limit these processes, leading to high yield losses. This review examines management options to treat these constraints, focusing on management where multiple constraints exist, and where these occur in the subsoil. The main strategies reviewed include (a) use of gypsum to treat sodicity and lime to treat acidity, which can lead to yield increases of >100% in some circumstances, (b) cultivation or deep ripping to break up compacted sodic layers and surface seals, (c) incorporating soil organic matter to improve conditions for plant growth and (d) selecting species, cultivars and management practices most appropriate for constrained sites. Future research must be directed to improving the profitability of ameliorant use for sodicity by increasing our understanding of how to identify soils responsive to ameliorants, and which combination of ameliorants will be cost effective when sodicity occurs in combination with other constraints. In addition, research needs to target ways to economically apply ameliorants in subsoil environments, and better identify which crop species or cultivars are productive on constrained sites, particularly those with multiple constraints.

Profitability of the pulse industry relies considerably on crop nitrogen fixation because this process supplies greater than 60% of pulse crop nitrogen. Therefore the industry requires the most efficient Rhizobium symbioses and effective inoculation management. Re-appraisal of the recommended inoculant strain for field pea, SU303, in south-east Australia, was warranted by field evidence that SU303 failed to maximise grain yield at sites in Western Australia. Re-appraisal of the inoculant strain for faba bean and lentil, WSM1274, was warranted because of anecdotal evidence from Western Australia of associated crop failures. In addition, a glasshouse study in Western Australia reported greater dry matter production by faba bean and lentil inoculated with strains other than WSM1274. This paper reports trials comparing potential inoculant strains for field pea and faba bean in soils of south-east Australia. Comparisons are based on efficiency for nitrogen fixation, survival on seed and survival in soil. Additionally, because the pulse industry lacked comprehensive information to assist decision making on the need for recurring inoculation, relevant investigation of this issue is also reported. The results of 3 field experiments for efficiency for nitrogen fixation, over mildly (pHCa 5.0) to strongly (pHCa 4.3) acidic soil in south-east Australia supported replacing SU303 as the commercial inoculant. The efficiency for nitrogen fixation of WSM1274 on faba bean was not found to be inferior to alternative strains. However, its capacity for survival on seed at temperatures of 15°C and above, over a wide range of relative humidity, and perhaps its capacity for survival in acidic soil, was inferior. This provided additional evidence to justify the replacement of this inoculant strain that was agreed to by a national steering committee in 2001, based on the Western Australia reports, the early experiments in this study and those of a collaborative study in Victoria. Alternative inoculant strains to SU303 and WSM1274 were identified in the current study. Temperature and relative humidity conditions suitable for maintaining inoculant viability with extended storage of inoculated field pea and faba bean are also discussed. A survey of rhizobia surviving in soil was used to determine the time scale of persistence of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae and Bradyrhizobium sp. (Lupinus) in soils of the south-east. It was concluded that in soils of pH (CaCl2) <5.1, inoculation of field pea and faba bean should be routinely practiced; none of the strains of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae tested showed ability for survival in strongly acidic soil sufficient to obviate seed inoculation. It was further concluded that the absence of a legume host for lupin rhizobia for 4 or more years would also warrant reintroducing inoculant of B. sp. (Lupinus).

Abstract. In low-rainfall cropping systems, understanding the water balance, and in particular the storage of soil water in the rooting zone for use by crops, is considered critical for devising risk management strategies for grain-based farming. Crop-soil modeling remains a cost-effective option for understanding the interactions between rainfall, soil, and crop growth, from which management options can be derived. The objective of this study was to assess the error in the prediction of soil water content at key decision points in the season against continuous, multi-layer soil water measurements made with frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) probes in long-term experiments in the Mallee region of South Australia and New South Wales. Field estimates of the crop lower limit or drained upper limit were found to be more reliable than laboratory-based estimates, despite the fact that plant-available water capacity (PAWC) did not substantially differ between the methods. Using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) to simulate plant-available water over three-year rotations, predicted soil water was within 7 mm (PAWC 64 to 99 mm) of the measured data across all sowing events and rotations. Simulated (n = 46) wheat grain production resulted in a root mean square error (RMSE) of 492 kg ha-1, which is only marginally smaller than that of other field studies that derived soil water limits with less detailed methods. This study shows that using field-derived data of soil water limits and soil-specific settings for parameterization of other properties that determine soil evaporation and water redistribution enables APSIM to be widely applied for managing climate risk in low-rainfall environments. Keywords: APSIM, Climate risk management, Crop models, Decision support, Soil moisture.

Fundamental changes in farming systems occurred throughout the medium-rainfall zone of southern Australia during the late 1990s. Pulse and canola crops replaced pastures and long-fallowing, and minimal-tillage practices were increasingly adopted. An experiment was established in 1998 to examine long-term effects of these changes on crop productivity and soil fertility. Nine rotation–tillage treatments based on 3- and 6-year cycles were compared by using wheat (Triticum aestivum) as a bioassay crop over 2001–17. Seasonal conditions during the study ranged from the Millennium Drought to the top rainfall decile. Averaged across the 17 seasons, wheat yields were significantly lower in rotations based on continuous wheat (1.73t/ha) or 3 years of perennial lucerne (Medicago sativa) (1.93t/ha) and highest after traditional long-fallow (2.92t/ha) or vetch (Vicia sativa) green manure (2.57t/ha). Wheat yields following a pulse (2.23t/ha) or canola (Brassica napus) (2.21t/ha) were intermediate. Whereas rotation effects varied with seasonal rainfall, there was a long-term trend for relative yields in continuous wheat rotations to decline and those following a green manure or fallow to differ increasingly from other treatments. Compared across the same rotation (canola–wheat–pulse), average wheat yields under no-tillage (2.09t/ha) were significant lower (P&lt;0.05) than under reduced (2.22t/ha) and conventional (2.29t/ha) tillage. By contrast, grain protein concentration increased with increasing proportion and type of legumes (green manure and pasture&gt;pulse) in the rotation via their effect on soil mineral nitrogen (N). Lowest protein was recorded in continuous wheat and highest where at least one-third of the rotation contained a non-pulse legume, i.e. vetch green manure, lucerne or annual medic (Medicago truncatula). Soil-borne cereal fungal pathogens and nematodes generally had little effect on grain yields. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N stocks declined in all treatments over time, except in the lucerne and green manure treatments, where total N was maintained. Greatest declines in SOC and total N occurred in the fallow treatment. Results from the first 20 years of experimentation suggest that differences in grain yield (and protein) of wheat were most likely the result of treatment (rotation and tillage practice) effects on soil nitrate and water (growing-season rainfall and fallow storage) rather than disease. We found no evidence that current farming systems based on use of pulses, canola and reduced tillage are less able to maintain intervening cereal yields than traditional systems. On the contrary, practices such as long-fallowing are expected to have increasing negative influence on productivity in the longer term via decreased soil C and N fertility.

Wheats with reduced tillering have been proposed for areas regularly subject to a terminal drought. A wheat plant with a genetic disposition to produce fewer stems is now possible through the introgression of a gene that inhibits tillering (tin). This study was conducted to determine the effect of the tin gene on the dynamics of tillering, light interception, and dry-matter production and partitioning in several different cultivars of wheat. Commercial cultivars and their near-isogenic pairs differing in the presence of the tin gene were grown in well-watered tubes and also in the field in south-eastern Australia where terminal drought is common. Tiller number, light interception, leaf area index (LAI), biomass, and the partitioning of biomass were recorded at various intervals throughout the growing season. Water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) levels in the stems of field-grown plants were also determined in some environments at anthesis and maturity. In tubes and in field environments, lines with the tin gene produced tillers at the same rate as their free tillering counterparts but ceased tillering sooner. Under conditions where the free tillering lines produced over 1000 shoots/m2, lines containing the tin gene produced 600 shoots/m2. However, by maturity, fertile spike numbers were 350 and 450/m2 for lines with and without the tin gene, respectively. Despite the large difference in tillering, there were only small differences in LAI, light interception throughout the season, and biomass. There were small differences in the proportional allocation of biomass, and the tin lines partitioned more of their biomass towards spikes at anthesis and stored more WSC in stems. Dry weight distribution varied with genetic background, but in general the tin gene increased leaf area ratio and root to shoot ratio but decreased specific leaf area. It is concluded that the tin gene may be advantageous under terminal drought. This would come from the reduced light interception prior to anthesis and thereby potential for greater transpiration during grain filling as well as a greater capacity for stem carbohydrate storage and remobilisation. These factors are consistent with a greater harvest index and kernel weight associated with lines containing the tin gene.

Introduction Many destinations promote culinary encounters. Foods and beverages, and especially how these will taste in situ, are being marketed as niche travel motivators and used in destination brand building across the globe. While initial usage of the term culinary tourism focused on experiencing exotic cultures of foreign destinations by sampling unfamiliar food and drinks, the term has expanded to embrace a range of leisure travel experiences where the aim is to locate and taste local specialities as part of a pleasurable, and hopefully notable, culinary encounter (Wolf). Long’s foundational work was central in developing the idea of culinary tourism as an active endeavor, suggesting that via consumption, individuals construct unique experiences. Ignatov and Smith’s literature review-inspired definition confirms the nature of activity as participatory, and adds consuming food production skills—from observing agriculture and local processors to visiting food markets and attending cooking schools—to culinary purchases. Despite importing almost all of its foodstuffs and beverages, including some of its water, Singapore is an acknowledged global leader in culinary tourism. Horng and Tsai note that culinary tourism conceptually implies that a transferal of “local or special knowledge and information that represent local culture and identities” (41) occurs via these experiences. This article adds the act of reading to these participatory activities and suggests that, because food writing forms an important component of Singapore’s suite of culinary tourism offerings, taste contributes to the cultural experience offered to both visitors and locals. While Singapore foodways have attracted significant scholarship (see, for instance, work by Bishop; Duruz; Huat & Rajah; Tarulevicz, Eating), Singapore food writing, like many artefacts of popular culture, has attracted less notice. Yet, this writing is an increasingly visible component of cultural production of, and about, Singapore, and performs a range of functions for locals, tourists and visitors before they arrive. Although many languages are spoken in Singapore, English is the national language (Alsagoff) and this study focuses on food writing in English. Background Tourism comprises a major part of Singapore’s economy, with recent figures detailing that food and beverage sales contribute over 10 per cent of this revenue, with spend on culinary tours and cookery classes, home wares such as tea-sets and cookbooks, food magazines and food memoirs additional to this (Singapore Government). This may be related to the fact that Singapore not only promotes food as a tourist attraction, but also actively promotes itself as an exceptional culinary destination. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) includes food in its general information brochures and websites, and its print, television and cinema commercials (Huat and Rajah). It also mounts information-rich campaigns both abroad and inside Singapore. The 2007 ‘Singapore Seasons’ campaign, for instance, promoted Singaporean cuisine alongside films, design, books and other cultural products in London, New York and Beijing. Touring cities identified as key tourist markets in 2011, the ‘Singapore Takeout’ pop-up restaurant brought the taste of Singaporean foods into closer focus. Singaporean chefs worked with high profile locals in its kitchen in a custom-fabricated shipping container to create and demonstrate Singaporean dishes, attracting public and media interest. In country, the STB similarly actively promotes the tastes of Singaporean foods, hosting the annual World Gourmet Summit (Chaney and Ryan) and Pacific Food Expo, both attracting international culinary professionals to work alongside local leaders. The Singapore Food Festival each July is marketed to both locals and visitors. In these ways, the STB, as well as providing events for visitors, is actively urging Singaporeans to proud of their food culture and heritage, so that each Singaporean becomes a proactive ambassador of their cuisine. Singapore Food Writing Popular print guidebooks and online guides to Singapore pay significantly more attention to Singaporean food than they do for many other destinations. Sections on food in such publications discuss at relative length the taste of Singaporean food (always delicious) as well as how varied, authentic, hygienic and suited-to-all-budgets it is. These texts also recommend hawker stalls and food courts alongside cafés and restaurants (Henderson et al.), and a range of other culinary experiences such as city and farm food tours and cookery classes. This writing describes not only what can be seen or learned during these experiences, but also what foods can be sampled, and how these might taste. This focus on taste is reflected in the printed materials that greet the in-bound tourist at the airport. On a visit in October 2013, arrival banners featuring mouth-watering images of local specialities such as chicken rice and chilli crab marked the route from arrival to immigration and baggage collection. Even advertising for a bank was illustrated with photographs of luscious-looking fruits. The free maps and guidebooks available featured food-focused tours and restaurant locations, and there were also substantial free booklets dedicated solely to discussing local delicacies and their flavours, plus recommended locations to sample them. A website and free mobile app were available that contain practical information about dishes, ingredients, cookery methods, and places to eat, as well as historical and cultural information. These resources are also freely distributed to many hotels and popular tourist destinations. Alongside organising food walks, bus tours and cookery classes, the STB also recommends the work of a number of Singaporean food writers—principally prominent Singapore food bloggers, reviewers and a number of memoirists—as authentic guides to what are described as unique Singaporean flavours. The strategies at the heart of this promotion are linking advertising to useful information. At a number of food centres, for instance, STB information panels provide details about both specific dishes and Singapore’s food culture more generally (Henderson et al.). This focus is apparent at many tourist destinations, many of which are also popular local attractions. In historic Fort Canning Park, for instance, there is a recreation of Raffles’ experimental garden, established in 1822, where he grew the nutmeg, clove and other plants that were intended to form the foundation for spice plantations but were largely unsuccessful (Reisz). Today, information panels not only indicate the food plants’ names and how to grow them, but also their culinary and medicinal uses, recipes featuring them and the related food memories of famous Singaporeans. The Singapore Botanic Gardens similarly houses the Ginger Garden displaying several hundred species of ginger and information, and an Eco(-nomic/logical) Garden featuring many food plants and their stories. In Chinatown, panels mounted outside prominent heritage brands (often still quite small shops) add content to the shopping experience. A number of museums profile Singapore’s food culture in more depth. The National Museum of Singapore has a permanent Living History gallery that focuses on Singapore’s street food from the 1950s to 1970s. This display includes food-related artefacts, interactive aromatic displays of spices, films of dishes being made and eaten, and oral histories about food vendors, all supported by text panels and booklets. Here food is used to convey messages about the value of Singapore’s ethnic diversity and cross-cultural exchanges. Versions of some of these dishes can then be sampled in the museum café (Time Out Singapore). The Peranakan Museum—which profiles the unique hybrid culture of the descendants of the Chinese and South Indian traders who married local Malay women—shares this focus, with reconstructed kitchens and dining rooms, exhibits of cooking and eating utensils and displays on food’s ceremonial role in weddings and funerals all supported with significant textual information. The Chinatown Heritage Centre not only recreates food preparation areas as a vivid indicator of poor Chinese immigrants’ living conditions, but also houses The National Restaurant of Singapore, which translates this research directly into meals that recreate the heritage kopi tiam (traditional coffee shop) cuisine of Singapore in the 1930s, purposefully bringing taste into the service of education, as its descriptive menu states, “educationally delighting the palate” (Chinatown Heritage Centre). These museums recognise that shopping is a core tourist activity in Singapore (Chang; Yeung et al.). Their gift- and bookshops cater to the culinary tourist by featuring quality culinary products for sale (including, for instance, teapots and cups, teas, spices and traditional sweets, and other foods) many of which are accompanied by informative tags or brochures. At the centre of these curated, purchasable collections are a range written materials: culinary magazines, cookbooks, food histories and memoirs, as well as postcards and stationery printed with recipes. Food Magazines Locally produced food magazines cater to a range of readerships and serve to extend the culinary experience both in, and outside, Singapore. These include high-end gourmet, luxury lifestyle publications like venerable monthly Wine & Dine: The Art of Good Living, which, in in print for almost thirty years, targets an affluent readership (Wine & Dine). The magazine runs features on local dining, gourmet products and trends, as well as international epicurean locations and products. Beautifully illustrated recipes also feature, as the magazine declares, “we’ve recognised that sharing more recipes should be in the DNA of Wine & Dine’s editorial” (Wine & Dine). Appetite magazine, launched in 2006, targets the “new and emerging generation of gourmets—foodies with a discerning and cosmopolitan outlook, broad horizons and a insatiable appetite” (Edipresse Asia) and is reminiscent in much of its styling of New Zealand’s award-winning Cuisine magazine. Its focus is to present a fresh approach to both cooking at home and dining out, as readers are invited to “Whip up the perfect soufflé or feast with us at the finest restaurants in Singapore and around the region” (Edipresse Asia). Chefs from leading local restaurants are interviewed, and the voices of “fellow foodies and industry watchers” offer an “insider track” on food-related news: “what’s good and what’s new” (Edipresse Asia). In between these publications sits Epicure: Life’s Refinements, which features local dishes, chefs, and restaurants as well as an overseas travel section and a food memories column by a featured author. Locally available ingredients are also highlighted, such as abalone (Cheng) and an interesting range of mushrooms (Epicure). While there is a focus on an epicurean experience, this is presented slightly more casually than in Wine & Dine. Food & Travel focuses more on home cookery, but each issue also includes reviews of Singapore restaurants. The bimonthly bilingual (Chinese and English) Gourmet Living features recipes alongside a notable focus on food culture—with food history columns, restaurant reviews and profiles of celebrated chefs. An extensive range of imported international food magazines are also available, with those from nearby Malaysia and Indonesia regularly including articles on Singapore. Cookbooks These magazines all include reviews of cookery books including Singaporean examples – and some feature other food writing such as food histories, memoirs and blogs. These reviews draw attention to how many Singaporean cookbooks include a focus on food history alongside recipes. Cookery teacher Yee Soo Leong’s 1976 Singaporean Cooking was an early example of cookbook as heritage preservation. This 1976 book takes an unusual view of ‘Singaporean’ flavours. Beginning with sweet foods—Nonya/Singaporean and western cakes, biscuits, pies, pastries, bread, desserts and icings—it also focuses on both Singaporean and Western dishes. This text is also unusual as there are only 6 lines of direct authorial address in the author’s acknowledgements section. Expatriate food writer Wendy Hutton’s Singapore Food, first published in 1979, reprinted many times after and revised in 2007, has long been recognised as one of the most authoritative titles on Singapore’s food heritage. Providing an socio-historical map of Singapore’s culinary traditions, some one third of the first edition was devoted to information about Singaporean multi-cultural food history, including detailed profiles of a number of home cooks alongside its recipes. Published in 1980, Kenneth Mitchell’s A Taste of Singapore is clearly aimed at a foreign readership, noting the variety of foods available due to the racial origins of its inhabitants. The more modest, but equally educational in intent, Hawkers Flavour: A Guide to Hawkers Gourmet in Malaysia and Singapore (in its fourth printing in 1998) contains a detailed introductory essay outlining local food culture, favourite foods and drinks and times these might be served, festivals and festive foods, Indian, Indian Muslim, Chinese, Nyonya (Chinese-Malay), Malay and Halal foods and customs, followed with a selection of recipes from each. More contemporary examples of such information-rich cookbooks, such as those published in the frequently reprinted Periplus Mini Cookbook series, are sold at tourist attractions. Each of these modestly priced, 64-page, mouthwateringly illustrated booklets offer framing information, such as about a specific food culture as in the Nonya kitchen in Nonya Favourites (Boi), and explanatory glossaries of ingredients, as in Homestyle Malay Cooking (Jelani). Most recipes include a boxed paragraph detailing cookery or ingredient information that adds cultural nuance, as well as trying to describe tastes that the (obviously foreign) intended reader may not have encountered. Malaysian-born Violet Oon, who has been called the Julia Child of Singapore (Bergman), writes for both local and visiting readers. The FOOD Paper, published monthly for a decade from January 1987 was, she has stated, then “Singapore’s only monthly publication dedicated to the CSF—Certified Singapore Foodie” (Oon, Violet Oon Cooks 7). Under its auspices, Oon promoted her version of Singaporean cuisine to both locals and visitors, as well as running cookery classes and culinary events, hosting her own television cooking series on the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, and touring internationally for the STB as a ‘Singapore Food Ambassador’ (Ahmad; Kraal). Taking this representation of flavor further, Oon has also produced a branded range of curry powders, spices, and biscuits, and set up a number of food outlets. Her first cookbook, World Peranakan Cookbook, was published in 1978. Her Singapore: 101 Meals of 1986 was commissioned by the STB, then known as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. Violet Oon Cooks, a compilation of recipes from The FOOD Paper, published in 1992, attracted a range of major international as well as Singaporean food sponsors, and her Timeless Recipes, published in 1997, similarly aimed to show how manufactured products could be incorporated into classic Singaporean dishes cooked at home. In 1998, Oon produced A Singapore Family Cookbook featuring 100 dishes. Many were from Nonya cuisine and her following books continued to focus on preserving heritage Singaporean recipes, as do a number of other nationally-cuisine focused collections such as Joyceline Tully and Christopher Tan’s Heritage Feasts: A Collection of Singapore Family Recipes. Sylvia Tan’s Singapore Heritage Food: Yesterday’s Recipes for Today’s Cooks, published in 2004, provides “a tentative account of Singapore’s food history” (5). It does this by mapping the various taste profiles of six thematically-arranged chronologically-overlapping sections, from the heritage of British colonialism, to the uptake of American and Russia foods in the Snackbar era of the 1960s and the use of convenience flavoring ingredients such as curry pastes, sauces, dried and frozen supermarket products from the 1970s. Other Volumes Other food-themed volumes focus on specific historical periods. Cecilia Leong-Salobir’s Food Culture in Colonial Asia: A Taste of Empire discusses the “unique hybrid” (1) cuisine of British expatriates in Singapore from 1858 to 1963. In 2009, the National Museum of Singapore produced the moving Wong Hong Suen’s Wartime Kitchen: Food and Eating in Singapore 1942–1950. This details the resilience and adaptability of both diners and cooks during the Japanese Occupation and in post-war Singapore, when shortages stimulated creativity. There is a centenary history of the Cold Storage company which shipped frozen foods all over south east Asia (Boon) and location-based studies such as Annette Tan’s Savour Chinatown: Stories Memories & Recipes. Tan interviewed hawkers, chefs and restaurant owners, working from this information to write both the book’s recipes and reflect on Chinatown’s culinary history. Food culture also features in (although it is not the main focus) more general book-length studies such as educational texts such as Chew Yen Fook’s The Magic of Singapore and Melanie Guile’s Culture in Singapore (2000). Works that navigate both spaces (of Singaporean culture more generally and its foodways) such Lily Kong’s Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places, Food, provide an consistent narrative of food in Singapore, stressing its multicultural flavours that can be enjoyed from eateries ranging from hawker stalls to high-end restaurants that, interestingly, that agrees with that promulgated in the food writing discussed above. Food Memoirs and Blogs Many of these narratives include personal material, drawing on the author’s own food experiences and taste memories. This approach is fully developed in the food memoir, a growing sub-genre of Singapore food writing. While memoirs by expatriate Singaporeans such as Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan’s A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family, produced by major publisher Hyperion in New York, has attracted considerable international attention, it presents a story of Singapore cuisine that agrees with such locally produced texts as television chef and food writer Terry Tan’s Stir-fried and Not Shaken: A Nostalgic Trip Down Singapore’s Memory Lane and the food memoir of the Singaporean chef credited with introducing fine Malay dining to Singapore, Aziza Ali’s Sambal Days, Kampong Cuisine, published in Singapore in 2013 with the support of the National Heritage Board. All these memoirs are currently available in Singapore in both bookshops and a number of museums and other attractions. While underscoring the historical and cultural value of these foods, all describe the unique flavours of Singaporean cuisine and its deliciousness. A number of prominent Singapore food bloggers are featured in general guidebooks and promoted by the STB as useful resources to dining out in Singapore. One of the most prominent of these is Leslie Tay, a medical doctor and “passionate foodie” (Knipp) whose awardwinning ieatŸishootŸipost is currently attracting some 90,000 unique visitors every month and has had over 20,000 million hits since its launch in 2006. An online diary of Tay’s visits to hundreds of Singaporean hawker stalls, it includes descriptions and photographs of meals consumed, creating accumulative oral culinary histories of these dishes and those who prepared them. These narratives have been reorganised and reshaped in Tay’s first book The End of Char Kway Teow and Other Hawker Mysteries, where each chapter tells the story of one particular dish, including recommended hawker stalls where it can be enjoyed. Ladyironchef.com is a popular food and travel site that began as a blog in 2007. An edited collection of reviews of eateries and travel information, many by the editor himself, the site features lists of, for example, the best cafes (LadyIronChef “Best Cafes”), eateries at the airport (LadyIronChef “Guide to Dining”), and hawker stalls (Lim). While attesting to the cultural value of these foods, many articles also discuss flavour, as in Lim’s musings on: ‘how good can chicken on rice taste? … The glistening grains of rice perfumed by fresh chicken stock and a whiff of ginger is so good you can even eat it on its own’. Conclusion Recent Singapore food publishing reflects this focus on taste. Tay’s publisher, Epigram, growing Singaporean food list includes the recently released Heritage Cookbooks Series. This highlights specialist Singaporean recipes and cookery techniques, with the stated aim of preserving tastes and foodways that continue to influence Singaporean food culture today. Volumes published to date on Peranakan, South Indian, Cantonese, Eurasian, and Teochew (from the Chaoshan region in the east of China’s Guangdong province) cuisines offer both cultural and practical guides to the quintessential dishes and flavours of each cuisine, featuring simple family dishes alongside more elaborate special occasion meals. In common with the food writing discussed above, the books in this series, although dealing with very different styles of cookery, contribute to an overall impression of the taste of Singapore food that is highly consistent and extremely persuasive. This food writing narrates that Singapore has a delicious as well as distinctive and interesting food culture that plays a significant role in Singaporean life both currently and historically. It also posits that this food culture is, at the same time, easily accessible and also worthy of detailed consideration and discussion. 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Acknowledgements Research to complete this article was supported by Central Queensland University, Australia, under its Outside Studies Program (OSPRO) and Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC). An earlier version of part of this article was presented at the 2nd Australasian Regional Food Networks and Cultures Conference, in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, Australia, 11–14 November 2012. The delegates of that conference and expert reviewers of this article offered some excellent suggestions regarding strengthening this article and their advice was much appreciated. All errors are, of course, my own.