Australian Government's Action on the Ground trials

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Trial	Contributor Funding sources	Year	Trial site

Bentonite clay and tillage to improve soil and yield To determine if inclusion of Bentonite clay improves crop yields on sandy soils.	Liebe Group AGAC	2013	Miling WA
Research organisaton
Controlled traﬃc farming eﬀects on soil emissions of nitrous oxide and methane Soil compaction aﬀects soil aeration and gas diﬀusivity, and thus has a major impact on the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from fertilised soils. Controlled traﬃc farming (CTF) systems reduce the area of compacted soil by conﬁning all ﬁeld traﬃc to permanent traﬃc lanes, and a pilot trial at one long-term CTF site provided evidence of reduced soil emissions. We investigated the eﬀect of CTF on soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) using replicate manual chamber measurements in 3 traﬃc treatments;namely:non-traﬃcked CTF beds, permanent CTF lanes,and a single traﬃc pass on CTF beds to simulate the random traﬃc tracks of non-controlled traﬃc farming. Emissions of N2O and CH 4 were monitored from these treatments in 15 crops over 3 years on 6 grain farms in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Thus, the major objective was to determine the emissions of N2O and CH4 from random traﬃcked and permanent traﬃc lane soil, relative to those from non-traﬃcked CTF beds. These emission ratios are referred to here as traﬃc impact factors.	Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association Inc. AGAC GRDC	2014	Inverleigh VIC
Research organisaton
Modelling methane emissions from Merino lambs on improved forages in low rainfall mixed farming systems The issue of enteric (from intestines) methane (CH₄) emissions produced by ruminant livestock is gaining local and global interest due to methane being a powerful greenhouse gas and ruminants being a significant source of emissions. In the absence of measurements, prediction models can facilitate the estimation of enteric methane emissions from ruminant livestock and aid investigation of mitigation options. In Southern Australia, the management of the feedbase in low rainfall mixed farming systems through addressing ‘feed gaps’ – times of year during which the supply of forage is insufficient to meet livestock demand; is a key practice change which has the potential to mitigate methane emissions, particularly from sheep. The aim of this trial was to evaluate pasture/forage options with a potential to fill the late-spring and early winter feed gaps and to measure comparative animal production and feed quality in response to current and improved forages. Methane output (gCH₄/day) was simulated using the GrazFeed model. The GrazFeed decision support tool is a component of the GRAZPLAN decision support project for Australian grazing enterprises developed by CSIRO to help graziers improve the profitability of livestock production through more efficient use of pastures and supplementary feeds. It does this by predicting the intake of energy and protein and their use for maintenance and production (Freer et al., 1997).	Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation AGAC	2016	Minnipa Agricultural Centre SA
Research organisaton
Reducing sheep methane emissions through improved forage quality on mixed farms Sheep are an integral part of low-medium rainfall mixed farming systems across southern Australia and they account for 23% of Australia’s total livestock emissions. Apart from the contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the energy lost as methane represents a significant inefficiency in sheep production systems. Therefore, maintaining or improving the balance between forage and animal productivity, and methane emissions is likely to be a challenge under a warmer and drier climate. The aim of this trial is to evaluate pasture/forage options to fill in the late-spring, autumn and early winter feed gaps; and to measure comparative animal production, feed quality and methane emissions in response to current and improved sheep feeding strategies.	Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation AGAC	2015	Minnipa Agricultural Centre SA
Research organisaton
The short term effect of different soil treatments on organic carbon and barley yield on a sandy soil To assess the effects of physical, chemical and biological soil manipulation (or inputs) on soil organic carbon in relation to changes in long term crop yields and quality.	SoilsWest AGAC DAFWA GRDC	2013	Buntine WA
Research organisaton
Ultra high pressure injection of nitrogen (UAN) To assess the potential to use Ultra High Pressure (UHP) liquid injection technology to apply an ultra low soil disturbance UAN sideband into cropping soils and test whether UHP injection of UAN is a viable alternative N application method for the future.	South Australian No-till Farmers Association AGAC	2010	Salter Sprins SA
Research organisaton