• Sakura alone or in combination with Avadex Xtra provided the highest levels of wild oat control (75%).
• Although Sakura treatments provided the highest level of wild oat control the high weed density remaining (>50 plants per square metre) would still be expected to cause significant crop yield losses (50%).

• In many areas wild radish control requires two applications of herbicide.
• The first is early in the season to reduce the competition of the radish and the second is late in the season to reduce seed set.
• The choice of product required to reduce competition should be based on cost and potential for crop damage.
• For the late application to reduce seed set, 2,4D Amine is the preferred product.

Heavy trafficking did not reduce the grain yield of wheat in 2015 and crop development appeared faster with some trafficking.

Stubble height can have a significant impact on wind speed close to the soil surface. This can increase soil erosion in vunerable environments (sand hills).

1. Winter cover crops can improve ground cover, increase plant available water and improve subsequent cotton yields in pivot-irrigated systems.
2. The early spray-out treatment was the best cover crop for storing water over the short fallow in this study where cover did not have to last very long. However, the extra cover in the mid-terminated cover treatment continued to boost infiltration in the cotton’s
early growth stages.
3. All cover crop treatments improved the yields of cotton by approximately 3 bales/ha; well in excess of any gains expected from the increased fallow soil water storage.

• The average foliar fungicide treated wheat yields for the Mininera winter wheat trial were 4.60 t/ha. Rust activity was moderately low at the site in 2008, resulting in an average yield increase of 0.26 t/ha across all varieties from the one spray fungicide programme, with 2 of the 8 varieties achieving a 19% or more yield increase from a single fungicide applicaito - when compared to the untreated check.
• All 8 varieties achieved the F1 specifications basedo n the NACMA classifications, consequently quality had no effect on profitability. The highest yielding variety was CS95102.1 at 111% of the site mean, also the most profitable variety obtaining a gross margin of $776.40/ha.

• The average foliar fungicide treated wheat yield for the Dunkeld winter wheat trial was 5.24 t/ha. Disease pressure was high at the site resulting in an average yield increase of 0.75 t/ha across all varieties from the two spray fungicide programme, with 5 of the 8 varieties achieveing a 20% or more yield increase.
• The highest yielding variety was Mackellar at 126% of the site mean, also the most profitable variety returning a gross margin of $1,136.40/ha.
• BYDV management must be considered when growing susceptible varieties of wheat, employing techniques that also minimise the impacts on the predatory environment.

• The winter wehat variety trial yielded an average of 5.72 t/ha. Revenue had the highest yield with 6.67 t/ha after topping the 2008 Mininera variety trial. Mackellar again yielded well with 6.05 t/ha and was the highest yielding variety at Dunkeld in 2008.
• Most varieties were classified as feed wheats, and were all able to achieve this grade. Revenue had the highest gross margin of $750/ha, however consideration must also be given to the value of grazig these dual purpose varieties.
• For further take home messages please see attached trial report.

Sclerotinia stem rot (sometimes known as white mould) is an important disease of many crops around the world. On canola it can cause substantial losses, but a number of fungicides (mostly benzimidazoles and dicarboxamides) have been used in different countries for control. To date, sclerotinia has not been a major problem on canola in the Wimmera, but in adjacent areas it does cause losses. Furthermore, it may become more important in the Wimmera in wet years because of the increased cultivation of broad-leaved crops. All broad-leaved crops are susceptible to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the fungus pathogen that causes stem rot.

Agricultural crop film may be the future of agriculture. This project aims to understand the degradation process of polyethylene, as well as understand the effects on crops when covered with polyethylene.

Wheat, barley and canola were tested in 2018, and wheat and barley in 2019, representing a range of quality segregations. Trials were located close to Hyden, Kojonup, Jerramungup, South Stirling, Mt Madden, Munglinup, Gibson and Scadden and Salmon Gums.

The 2018 season was characterised by significant autumn rainfall and below average seasonal rainfall for most sites. The first time of sowing was seeded dry for most cereal and canola trials and the second sowing followed opening rains.

There was little evidence from the eight locations in 2018 to support the idea that the latest varieties differ in their response to increasing N and P inputs in wheat, barley and canola such that it could be exploitable by growers. Some interactions between variety and N and P nutrition were identified but responses were isolated and varied with crop and site. For example, significant interactions were measured for wheat yield at Gibson and protein percent at South Stirling; barley yield at Jerramungup, protein at Hyden, protein at South Stirling and screenings at Kojonup; canolayield at Gibson and oil content at Hyden.

In 2019 the Western Australian wheatbelt experienced a late start to the winter growing season and one of its driest. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology show all sites tested in 2019 experienced a Decile 1 season with well below average seasonal rainfall.

The 8 locations for wheat and barley in 2019 tested N rate and timing and supported the findings of 2018 with very little evidence to support the idea that varieties differed in their response to increasing N inputs. In fact, the opposite was true with the four varieties of wheat and barley tested responding in very similar ways for yield and grain quality.

The lack of consistent variety x fertiliser interactions in these environments suggests growers need only consider a crop and not specific varieties in their agronomic management.

N and P nutrition in 2018 and N nutrition in 2019 data supports current farmer practices of adequate basal nutrient upfront for the season, followed by post-emergent nitrogen as season and yield potential warrant.

Conclusions of this study are limited by the site-specific growing conditions and choice of varieties.

Take Home Messages

• Near perfect growing season for canola, provided ideal opportunity to assess the residual N feeding effect of the legumes.

• All legumes sown in 2016 – peas, lupins, sub clover and faba beans had similar starting soil N levels and soil water nitrate readings throughout the year which was reflected in similar grain yields inferring that all legume species were equal in terms of their N fixing capabilities.

• The average amount of N fixed by the legumes was calculated as ~86kg/ha.

• Growing adequately nodulated legumes can give rise to a ~1t/ha canola yield advantage compared with a non-legume.

• Linseed used more moisture, from a greater depth, than the faba beans in 2016. Resultantly more moisture was extracted by the canola crop sown on the faba bean stubble in 2017, and yet there is still more  residual moisture left.

Similar to trials undertaken in previous years, the fungicide trials undertaken in 2005 indicated there was no fungicide activity on Yellow Leaf Spot (YLS) when applied early post emergent (GS13 – three leaf stage). Fungicides applied to fertiliser or as a foliar application did not reduce the level of YLS in the crop and showed no yield benefits. Zincsol® applied to crops in paddocks which have had a good zinc fertiliser history also showed no benefit in reducing YLS pressure. After several years work the BCG conclude that spraying fungicides for YLS is not a successful practice.

Similar to trials undertaken in previous years, the fungicide trials undertaken in 2005 indicated there was no fungicide activity on Yellow Leaf Spot (YLS) when applied early post emergent (GS13 – three leaf stage). Fungicides applied to fertiliser or as a foliar application did not reduce the level of YLS in the crop and showed no yield benefits. Zincsol® applied to crops in paddocks which have had a good zinc fertiliser history also showed no benefit in reducing YLS pressure. After several years work the BCG conclude that spraying fungicides for YLS is not a successful practice.

• Fungicide applied at third node (GS33) gave significantly better yellow leaf spot (YLF) control and green leaf retention (GLR) than a tillering (GS23) application.
• The improvement in disease control with a single spray timing did not lead to a significant yield increase.
• There was a significatn yield advantage (0.27t/ha) when both spray timings were sequenced in a two-spray programme despite the low yield of the trial.
• The value of hte extra grain produced from two sprays was $69/ha, which covered the costs of the fungicides and their application.
• The net margin was great with Tilt than Prosaro largely as a result of Prosaro being a more expensive product.
• The best YLS control achieved with a foliar fungicide on the top three leaves was 65% control.

• Fungicide reduced disease levels in all varieties, but failed to eliminate disease completely.
• Observed differences in disease levels agreed with published variety resistance ratings.
• Early infection of yellow leaf spot (YLS) caused high yield losses in the more susceptible varieties.
• Variety selection will always play an important role in high risk areas.
• Crop rotation and best practice methods are required to maximise the benefits of correct variety selection.

No treatment resulted in any yield effects. No disease was detected on the controls throughout the season.

• Fungicide reduced disease levels in all varieties, but failed to eliminate the disease completely.
• Observed differences in disease levels were broadly in agreement with published variety resistance ratings.
• Yield losses were observed in the more susceptible varieties due to early disease development.
• Low disease levels from an early stage can cause yield losses.
• Variety selection will always play an important role in managing disease in high risk areas.

• Pasture cropping systems can provide grain (and out of season fodder) on deep sandy soils and reduce the likelihood of groundwater recharge.
• Potential yield penalties associated with pasture cropping across perennials on deep sandy soils in the west midlands appear to be less than 20%.
• Pastures started competing with the crop for soil water during grain filling, but impacts on soil water and grain yield were generally small given average rainfall in spring.
• During the crop growing season, there was little difference in soil water under annual crop, perennial pasture, and pasture-cropped plots.
• Soil water contents were much lower under pasture and pasture-cropped plots during summer and autumn.

• Sowing date and variety maturity choice is a balance between the risk of frost versus terminal heat stress.
• Earlier sowing can increase frost risk, but also generally maximises yield potential and reduces the extent of yield loss from crown rot.
• Cereal crop and variety selection can have a significant impact on yield where there are high levels of crown rot infection.
• Durum wheat, barley or bread wheat varieties with increased susceptibility to crown rot, should only be grown in paddocks known to have lowrisk inoculum levels based on testing (e.g. PreDicta B).
• All winter cereal varieties are susceptible to crown rot infection and will not significantly reduce inoculum levels for subsequent crops. Cereal crop and/or variety choice is not the sole solution to crown rot.

• Yield loss to crown rot varied significantly among wheat and barley varieties ranging from 0.4 to 1.1 t/ha for wheat and 0.5 to 1.8 t/ha for barley.
• An understanding of the crown rot disease history of a paddock and choosing varieties with appropriate disease resistance ranking can improve crop yield substantially.

 

• APSIM, as a crop simulation model, can accurately estimate actual crop yield.
• The Yield Prophet builds on output tools based on APSIM simulations.
• Inputs returns that can be modelled to build a likely profit profile based on probability functions.
• Climate risk (hence production risk) can be modelled to project forward the likely seasonal outcome.

• APSIM simulations, accessed through the Yield Prophet web interface, were evaluated for their ability to forecast nitrogen fertiliser responses at the canopy management trial in the Wimmera.
• Yield Prophet accurately simulated crop yield and protein for a range of nitrogen fertiliser application rates and timings.
• Yield Prophet was able to estimate likely nitrogen fertiliser responses and dollar returns during the season.
• For accurate simulations Yield Prophet requires good soil characterisation data (crop lower limit, drained upper limit and bulk density) and pre-sowing measurements of soil water and available nitrogen.

The model was very accurate at the actual soil site location. Inaccuracies can be due to a number of reasons - namely weed burden at the site, frost, variations of soil type across the paddock and variations of rainfall received in the paddock versus the recording location. Furthermore, if the soil classification is slightly different in the model than is actually the soil physical properties, this could cause deviation as well. Lastly, as crop phenology can vary from cultivar to cultivar, this can cause discrepancy too.

• Average simulated wheat yields of the current ten year period are the worst on record since 1899 at the Birchip site.
• A comparison of the impacts of climate change in the past 30 years compared with earlier years provides no evidence of an effect on the wheat yields at this site.
• Given the ‘worst case’scenario itisforecastthat climate change will cause an increase in temperature and reduction in rainfall in the year 2030 reducing potential crop yields at this site.

Subsurface soil compaction has been shown to be a major constraint to crop production and the removal of
this compaction via deep ripping can lead to large yield increases.

Subsurface soil compaction has been shown to be a major constraint to crop production and the removal of
this compaction via deep ripping can lead to large yield increases.

Registered Yitpi seed came in two sizes in the 2000 season (small - 36g/1000 grain and large - 43g/1000 grain). The general concern for those who purchased Yitpi with small seed was that it was of poor quality. A demonstration investigating emergence and crop yield showed that there was no difference between the small and large sized grain in emergence and crop yield. The harvested grain from the small and large sown seed was the same size (40g/1000 grain).
It is advisable to know grain size and emergence potential so that optimum sowing rates can be determined.

• All treatments were safe to the crop except for Sakura 118 g/ha + Sencor 150 g/ha which resulted in biomass reduction at all assessments.
• This was in part due to a couple of rows being sown into the inter row that contained herbicide which re-sulted in the death of some plants.
• This mixture would not be recommended on conventional wheat. An overall crop bio-mass rating was taken 106 DAA rated Sakura 118 g/ha as 100% with the other treatments benchmarked against it.
• The crop was water stressed at this time. Inspection of the crop heads found they were not filling to potential with small grain and empty husks common across the trial.

• There were no significant visual vigour or establishment differences between retained or pedigree ATR Cobbler. However, in previous seasons this has been observed in the paddock with some growers, as well as at other trial sites this year from the same seed that was used in this trial. This may be due to the unknown vigour of the seed under different broad-acre paddock situations.
• CB Eclipse RR showed good vigour and growth initially from emergence until late flowering. From this stage, CB Eclipse RR finished flowering quite rapidly in comparison to the Hyola 404RR and 505RR, both which continued to flower strongly tak-ing advantage of the seasonal conditions. This correlates to past experiences with Hyola 404RR being an adaptable variety that will flower earlier or later depending on current seasonal conditions.
• There was a distinct increase in plant vigour and biomass with the RR Hybrids compared to the RR open pollinated varieties, which is commonly observed in many trials across Australia. This improvement in vigour (along with adequate plant popula-tions) has a significant impact on the level of crop competition achieved which is critical for adequate weed control in the RR system. The vigour advantage in the Hybrid TT varieties was not apparent until late vegetative through to early flowering.

• There were no significant visual vigour or establishment differences between retained or pedigree ATR Cobbler. However, in previous seasons this has been observed in the paddock with some growers, as well as at other trial sites this year from the same seed that was used in this trial. This may be due to the unknown vigour of the seed under different broad-acre paddock situations.
• CB Eclipse RR showed good vigour and growth initially from emergence until late flowering. From this stage, CB Eclipse RR finished flowering quite rapidly in comparison to the Hyola 404RR and 505RR, both which continued to flower strongly tak-ing advantage of the seasonal conditions. This correlates to past experiences with Hyola 404RR being an adaptable variety that will flower earlier or later depending on current seasonal conditions.
• There was a distinct increase in plant vigour and biomass with the RR Hybrids compared to the RR open pollinated varieties, which is commonly observed in many trials across Australia. This improvement in vigour (along with adequate plant popula-tions) has a significant impact on the level of crop competition achieved which is critical for adequate weed control in the RR system. The vigour advantage in the Hybrid TT varieties was not apparent until late vegetative through to early flowering.

• There were no significant visual vigour or establishment differences between retained or pedigree ATR Cobbler. However, in previous seasons this has been observed in the paddock with some growers, as well as at other trial sites this year from the same seed that was used in this trial. This may be due to the unknown vigour of the seed under different broad-acre paddock situations.
• CB Eclipse RR showed good vigour and growth initially from emergence until late flowering. From this stage, CB Eclipse RR finished flowering quite rapidly in comparison to the Hyola 404RR and 505RR, both which continued to flower strongly tak-ing advantage of the seasonal conditions. This correlates to past experiences with Hyola 404RR being an adaptable variety that will flower earlier or later depending on current seasonal conditions.
• There was a distinct increase in plant vigour and biomass with the RR Hybrids compared to the RR open pollinated varieties, which is commonly observed in many trials across Australia. This improvement in vigour (along with adequate plant popula-tions) has a significant impact on the level of crop competition achieved which is critical for adequate weed control in the RR system. The vigour advantage in the Hybrid TT varieties was not apparent until late vegetative through to early flowering.

• All treatments applied in this trial were safe to the crop with any early crop effects recovering quickly.
• At 44DAA all Velocity treatments applied alone or in tank mixtures recorded excellent control (≥94 rating) of wild radish in this trial. All Velocity treatments including tank mixtures provided superior control to Precept 300 at 750 mL/ha (88), Jagu-ar 1 L/ha (86) and Paragon 500 mL/ha applied with (88) or without (81) Bromicide 200 500 mL/ha.
• All Velocity and Precept 300 treatments achieved commercially acceptable control (≥97 rating) of volunteer lupins in this trial.

• Snapshot of some aspects of a large project on diagnosis of the deficiency, yield responses to zinc, residual value of zinc, protein increases and improvement of quality, and genotypic effects in relation to zinc.
• Zinc (as zinc sulphate hepta hydrate) was applied at rates up to 40 kg/ha. Nitrogen was applied at 30 kg/ha. Wheat cv. Hartog was sown at 30 kg/ha. In some experiments Cu was applied at 5kg/ha.
• Yield and protein in the grain increased with application of zinc.
• Zinc deficiency symptoms seen in crops without Zn applied throughout tillering and leaf samples confirmed the deficiency.
• The reduction in yield was largely due to plant mortality and fewer productive tillers per plant.
• Bread making quality as measured by a mixograph showed that the dough strength of zinc deficient grain was very poor.
• However, the dough itself mixed very quickly.
• Residual value of the initial application of zinc is at least 2 years: yield responses have occurred in successive seasons.
• In yield response experiments, responses to zinc have been recorded up 10 kg/ha; at 40 kg/ha, toxicity has been recorded at early tillering but the crop has recovered totally by maturity.

• Wheat grain Zn concentration decreased with P fertiliser addition.
• Wheat grain Zn concentration was lower after canola than after either linola or clover pasture.
• Wheat receiving P fertiliser had lower mycorrhizal colonisation than that with no P added.
• Wheat after canola had lower mycorrhizal colonisation than that wheat after linola or clover pasture.
• It was hypothesised that Zn uptake was reduced where mycorrhizal infection was lower.

• Correction of zinc deficiency in a barley crop increased grian yield and reduced Rhizoctonia bare patch.
• In glasshouse experiments, increasing wheat shoot zinc to 20 mg/kg dry matter strongly suppressed damage to roots by the Rhizoctonia fungus.
• Experiments also showed that the zinc was ot toxic to the fungus but instead improved root growth.

• Spectacular increases in yield in response to early application of foliar zinc in navy bean.
•  Zinc sulphate heptahydrate application during early crop growth should be standard practise until better varieties become available.
• Soil applied zinc has given inconsistent results.

• Yields may be limited by zinc even where deficiency symptoms are not apparent.
• Responses to zinc are common on clays in the Wimmera and sands in the Mallee.
• Phosphorus is required to make zinc fertiliser effective.
• Grain protein is not increased by zinc application.
• Applications of zinc are recommended every second or third crop as zinc has some residual value in the soil.
• Zinc is typically applied in a mixture with phosphorus fertiliser.
• 2 - 2.5 kg /ha zinc should be sufficient for 4-6 years.

There were no differences in yield obtained between the control (no zinc applied) crop and the four differenct zinc treatments.

• Comprehensive fertiliser trial at >20 sites across the Wimmera and elsewhere in Victoria in 1938 .
• Results showed that Wimmera soils were responsive to zinc but not other areas of the State.
• Under low rainfall conditions 5-10 lbs/acre were as effective as higher application rates of zinc sulphate.
• Increased yields are to be expected when superphosphate and zinc are applied together on most black soils in the Wimmera.
• Effects on oats, clover and peas were greater than for wheat.
• Red and loamy soils responded variably the zinc application