Australia: Winter crop frost damage fears mounting

Central Queensland's spell of extremely cold weather in recent weeks is expected to have inflicted severe frost damage across the region’s extensive planting of wheat and chickpeas.

Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries development extension officer Rod Collins said frost had been reported almost daily across the Dawson Callide and Central Highlands grain growing belt since August 1.
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Mr Collins said that while the chickpeas look healthy, there has been very little pod set as the excessive cold weather has caused the flowers to drop off.

"While there is still time for the plants to flower and set pods as the weather warms – provided there is sufficient subsoil moisture - the yield potential has been slashed," Mr Collins said.

Australia - Cooler winter sparks higher greenhouse emissions in Vic, Qld, report

...“However, as we know we need to do far better than this and start to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Total emissions from energy in NSW and Victoria are approximately 30% above 1990 levels – the baseline used for the Kyoto targets (Australia has to meet 108% of its 1990 levels by 2012) - and in Queensland they are a whopping 100% higher, so we have a way to go.

“Cold weather generally does result in higher greenhouse gas emissions as we have our heaters running that bit harder and in the last few weeks of winter in particular, which have been much colder, demand and emissions were higher than the same time in 2007,” Mr Posner said.