Acacia pycnantha secreted extrafloral nectar during winter. This coincided with flowering and not with herbivore damage to phyllodes. Phyllodes with axillary racemes or phyllodes towards the tips of branches were more likely to have nectar secretions than phyllodes without axillary racemes or away from the tips of branches. Although most phyllodes were damaged by herbivores to some extent, this damage had occurred prior to the secretion of extrafloral nectar in winter. Further damage to phyllodes was negligible during winter. A variety of birds, including silvereyes and several species of honeyeaters and thornbills, consumed extrafloral nectar and in the process brushed against inflorescences. The activity of these birds in Acacia pycnantha, relative to their use of other plants, increased during the period of nectar secretion. When birds were excluded from flowering branches by mesh, pod production was significantly reduced. Natural rates of pod production were low and variable. These observations and results strengthen the role of birds as pollinators of Acacia pycnantha and we argue that these extrafloral secretions aid pollination and not reduction in herbivore damage in Acacia pycnantha.

The root lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus occurs throughout the South Australian cereal belt, where it potentially contributes to yield loss. Genetic material was examined for resistance to P. neglectus, and included 2 susceptible local commercial wheat varieties (Spear, Molineux), 2 derivatives from Spear (RAC 613-27, RAC 613-47), wheat varieties varying in reaction to I? thornei, rye and rye derivatives, triticales, and 1R substitution lines in Chinese Spring. Seeds were surface-sterilised and germinated, and 3-day-old seedlings were inoculated with about 250 larvae and 150 eggs. Plants were grown in pots containing pasteurised soil and transferred to a controlled temperature waterbath at 22 � 1�C. After 7 weeks, nematodes were extracted and counted. A significant difference for the number of nematodes per plant and per gram dry root was found between the 3 main groups of genetic material: the wheat varieties, the substitution lines, and lines with the whole genome of rye (including triticales). The triticales Abacus and Muir showed the lowest number of nematodes (per gram root and per plant). None of the wheat varieties was resistant, so genetic mechanisms conferring resistance or tolerance to P. thornei are not effective against P. neglectus.