Growing season lengths did not necessarily influence variety feed value; both early and late maturing varieties performed equally well in the 2012 dry season. Hindmarsh barley was one of the best varieties: it consistently produced valuable feed at both sites and had highest grain yield at Birchip (ungrazed 3.1t/ha). Keeping plants fresh through rotational grazing will ensure stock nutrition requirements are being met.

Growing season lengths did not necessarily influence variety feed value; both early and late maturing varieties performed equally well in the 2012 dry season. Hindmarsh barley was one of the best varieties: it consistently produced valuable feed at both sites and had highest grain yield at Birchip (ungrazed 3.1t/ha). Keeping plants fresh through rotational grazing will ensure stock nutrition requirements are being met.

• Schooner and Gairdner have been the preferred malting barley varieties in southern NSW. Schooner generally achieves better quality in the lower rainfall parts of the cropping belt.
• Gairdner has proved to be the highest yielding malting variety, but is prone to high screenings under dry conditions, late sowing and excessive nitrogen or seeding rates.

• Early disease control is important for reducing initial AB infection levels in field pea crops with a yield potential above 1.5 t/ha.
• A late fungicide spray is important to control AB in spring when rainfall is conducive to disease spread and pod and seed infection.
• Early sowing into a high disease risk window with new fungicide actives evaluated in this project, were demonstrated to have improved yield benefits over later sowing in the 2017 season.

• Early disease control is important for reducing initial AB infection levels in field pea crops with a yield potential above 1.5 t/ha.
• A late fungicide spray is important to control AB in spring when rainfall is conducive to disease spread and pod and seed infection.
• Early sowing into a high disease risk window with new fungicide actives evaluated in this project, were demonstrated to have improved yield benefits over later sowing in the 2017 season.

• At Cummins, an increase of up to 100% grain yield in wheat to 5 t/ha over the control was reached by applying 120 kg N/ha (two split applications of 60 kg/ha each at emergence and before GS31) and extra irrigation (50 mm) at GS31.
• At Lock, up to a 19% higher grain yield to 5 t/ha was achieved compared to control by adding extra irrigation (50 mm) at GS31.
• At Minnipa, an increase of up to 31% grain yield to 3 t/ha over the control was achieved by adding extra irrigation (50 mm) at GS31 and applying 120 kg N/ha in two split applications of 60 kg/ha at emergence and by GS31.
• Water use efficiency (WUE) improved with N fertilisation by GS31 at Minnipa and Cummins.
• The split application of 120 kg N by GS31 may only be a good investment in paddocks where crops with N requirements (e.g. canola) were grown in the previous season or soil N at sowing was low (less than 44 kg/ha) and with average or above average seasonal soil moisture at GS31.

• Data support a negative relationship between yield and protein.
• Season will always play a major role in determining protein content of grain in low rainfall areas.
• Producers should aim to maximise the opportunities to increased grain protein.

• The 2014 wheat crop at Karoonda had a harvest index of 0.4 and fertilizer N recovery was 35%.
• Wheat stubble from the 2014 crop contained 16 kg N/ha and had a C:N ratio of 95 which is common for cereal crop residues in these environments .
• Mineralization during summer resulted in the accumulation of 18-33 kg/ha of mineral N to 50cm depth across all the treatments at sowing in 2015.
• Incorporation of 2014 cereal stubble increased microbial biomass and N supply potential at sowing in the surface soil when compared with standing stubble.
• The management of cereal stubble affects the microbial activity that influences the cycling and supply of nutrients (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus) to growing crops.
• There was no significant effect of management of 2014 stubble on subsequent wheat grain yield in 2015.

• Nitrogen contributions by pastures in Ley Farming Systems are a renewable resource for Central West farmers.

• Legume pasture species and management practices have been investigated to determine the most important factors for improving nitrogen inputs to the soil.
• Results have shown significant improvements in the soil available nitrogen after growing pastures with a high proportion (>75%) of legumes.
• The increased soil nitrogen from good stands of pasture legumes is also reflected in the yield and quality of wheat grown the following year.
• A short pasture (2-3 seasons) will provide a significant increase in soil nitrogen and a yield and/or protein response. A long pasture (5 seasons) may not provide more nitrogen than one of 4 seasons.
• No legume species has performed consistently better than any other species.
• Sowing a mixture of inoculated pasture legume species that are suited to the region is important to spread the risk and ensure a good stand of legumes is achieved.
• Weed control using grazing management and/or chemical control is seen as the best way to maintain a high level of legumes in the paddock and therefore increase soil nitrogen

• Volatilisation losses were small on Mallee sandy loam at Walpeup where 4mm of rain fell two days after fertiliser application.
• Volatilisation losses from the application of urea to Wimmera clay was as high as 26 percent with small rainfall events (< 4mm) in the 20 days after application.
• Significant nitrogen losses were experienced when ammonium sulphate and liquid UAN were applied to Wimmera clay. Both products lost 12 percent of applied.

For further information see Payne, RA and Ladd, JN (1993) Soil organic matter and nitrogen management in dryland cropping systems, Part II: Nitrogen requirements for dryland cereal crops. Dept Primary Industries of SA. Technical Report No. 212 (Agdex 536).

1. The district practice Baseline system is the most profitable to date. However apart from the 2016 winter crop there is very little difference between the seven grain systems.
2. Water use efficiency is higher for cereals than pulses and is highest in high-yielding crops.
3. Subsoil constraints are limiting PAW extraction by pulse crops.

1. Summer break crops reduced levels of cereal soil-borne disease and allowed more even and higher yielding wheat crops in 2018, however they were the least profitable.
2. Root lesion nematodes continued to decline, even under susceptible crops due to the dry growing conditions of 2017 and 2018.
3. Higher nitrogen supply did not increase plant uptake or yield due to low in-crop rainfall, but this extra nitrogen is still available in the soil profile for following crops.

• Sowing date, uniform sowing depth and weed control are just as important to maintain yields in a wide row system as in conventional systems.
• The results in 2001 indicate that the wide-row system has potential at the yield levles typically achieved in the central-northern Mallee.

• Jumpstart seed inoculant did not increase the yield of treated crops in 2009.
• Jumpstart seed inoculant increased the early vigour of the crop.

• Calculate the quantity of key nutrients (N and P) that you removed from your paddocks in grain last year using simple rules of thumb – aim to at least replace this and add more if you can.
• Deep N soil test in paddocks where protein was low.
• Sow into standing stubbles if possible.
• Make more informed nutrient decisions - know your soil organic carbon & PBI.

• The omission (absence) of nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser inputs at the Inverleigh canola trial site caused a statistically significant reduction in canola grain yield
• Visual biomass differences at the Glenthompson wheat site were noted during the season, but did not translate to yield
• Low rainfall and high temperatures in the 2015 spring reduced the response of crops to the presence or absence of nutrients

• Seasonal conditions of 2003 limited the yield of pulse crops, with the average yield below 0.5 t/ha.
• The highest yielding pulse crop was Field Peas. Vetch was the lowest yielding crop.
• The highest yielding variety was Dundale field peas, whilst Excel field peas were the lowest yielding variety.

When making oat varietal decisions, it is important to consider various factors. These include the environmental suitability, end use (milling, feed grain, grain and graze or hay production) and likelihood that the required grade/quality will be achieved, potential disease issues (both root and foliar leaf diseases) and yield potential.

High yielding export quality oaten hay crops were successfully grown in the Charlton district (Echidna yielded 6.5 t/ha dry matter) in the 2001 season.

• Hay crops can be used for both risk management and as part of an integrated herbicide resistant grass management program.
• Paddock selection is important. It is best to select a paddock with a low weed burden; there are limits to the amount of ryegrass that is accepted for export oaten hay.
• For quality oaten hay it is important to minimize stem thickness; this can be achieved by the use of high seeding rates. Cross sowing may be necessary to ensure windrows are supported by stubble for bailing, especially if sowing using wide row spacings.

• Commercial viability has been difficult to demonstrate.
• Field trials demonstrated that the H Senor was able to accurately classify annual ryegrass in several broadleaf crops, including canola, faba bean, lentil and field pea.
• Other grass weeds such as brome grass and wild oats were also correctly identified as grasses in these crops.
• Broad leaf weeds were accurately classified in cereal crops, however this was more difficult due to the overlapping nature of the cereal crops at the time when the broadleaf weeds had emerged.
• Classification accuracy was lower for detection of grass weeds in cereal crops and broadleaf weeds in broadleaf crops, and these scenarios were not pursued for that reason.  

• There were no significant differences in yield or grain quality between oat varieties.
• Taga (a grazing quality oat) had the highest grain yield (4.3t/ha) and the lowest screenings (2.7%) whiel Echidna had the lowest grain yield (3.7t/ha) and the highest screenings (4.6%).
• Test weights of all varieties were low.

• Onion weed is a significant pest and competitor of medic pastures. In mixed farming systems, control in the pasture phase is often reliant on cultivation.
• None of the herbicides evaluated in this trial provided adequate onion weed control in the medic pasture phase without unacceptable reduction in medic biomass.
• The use of non-selective herbicides and their mixes, combined with strategic cultivation if required, is still the most effective short term strategy in reducing the impact of onion weed on crop/pasture systems on Eyre Peninsula (EP).

The response to nitrogen in these trials should encourge the application of urea for wheat crops in these regions when the deep soil N test shows that the soil is low in available N prior to sowing in relation to the target yield set for the crop.

Opportunistic summer cropping can make use of summer rainfall that may otherwise be lost to evaporation.

There was no significant difference in the grain yield from cut and uncut early sown Mackellar wheat and May sown wheat, all sown at 200 plants/m2. Early sown uncut wheat at a density of 50 plants/m2 yielded significantly lower than 125 and 200 plants/m2. With lower plant densities and cutting treatments imposed, there were less tillers and ears/m2, however this resulted in reduced soil water usage and more moisture being available for grain fill. Plant height was significantly greater with the highest plant density in early sown wheat and the incidence of lodging was significantly greater for this treatment.

Again the majority of individual treatment responses to fungicide are positive but not statistically significant, indicating that there is a
trend but it is small. Barley however, poses a dilemma in that the single spray options early and late do not optimise performance against early Scald and late leaf rust infection, as such it is difficult to avoid spraying twice if both diseases pose a threat. In addition, if the rate of both sprays are cut to a bare minimum the results are inferior in terms of disease control. Triazoles are generally not as effective against Scald and diseases such net blotch, by comparison to the rusts.

• Standard inoculation practices are unlikely to deliver satisfactory nodulation where pulses are sown into dry soils.
• Pea and chickpea sown late (26 June) had the higher nodulation and crop production than those sown dry. Where the soil remained dry for 20 days after sowing nodulation was poor, regardless of the inoculation strategy used.
• Nodulation of pea was low regardless of sowing time at Minnipa in 2018. Both peat applied to seed and granule formulations resulted in similar nodule numbers per plant.
• Nodulation can be improved when dry sowing if inoculation rate of peat is increased. Doubling the rate of inoculation significantly improved pea nodulation. 
• The performance the rhizobial granules was inconsistent. A granule produced at SARDI was more effective in one experiment, but not the other. Two commercial granules provided no advantage compared to peat applied to seed.

Phosphorous fertiliser is rapidly fixed into unavailable forms after sowing when the soil wets up in winter. There were no phosphorous fertiliser responses in a wide range of crops on sites with good fertiliser histories. At the Donald site, which has a poor fertiliser history, the phosphorous responses were significant, especially for the pulse crops, less for barley, and none for wheat.

Fertiliser P trials were undertaken on wheat, barley, canola, field pea, lentil and faba beans at four sites over two seasons (1999 and 2000). Fertiliser P is rapidly fixed and becomes unavailable to plants on neutral to alkaline soils. P responses over the two seasons indicate that for wheat, barley, canola and field pea the responses to P fertiliser were insignificant or if a response did occur it occurred from 0 to 6 kg P/ha. It appears that faba beans do respond to higher rates of P (up to 18 kg P/ha), which was a consistent result in both years. It is not clear how lentils respond to P fertiliser. It is recommended to base a P fertiliser application rate on:

• long-term P balance (P fertiliser applied minus the P exported in grain),
• soil test result (soil P test of above 15ppm Colwell appears to indicate adequate Phosphorus levels), and
• whole farm expenditure (not more than 10 to 12% of gross farm income expenditure on fertiliser (inclusive of N and S) - as an average of a minimum of 5 years).

• At the Howlong site, applied nitrogen gave a yield and dry matter (DM) response, however there was no sulphur response.
• The Yarrawonga site showed a clear response to applied sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N), despite high soil sulphur levels. This suggests canola roots may not be effectively exploring the soil profile to access soil sulphur.
• The Yarrawonga site had an optimum sulphur application rate of 20kg S/ha, with yield penalties measured with sulphur rates above and below this optimal rate.
• The dry finish to the season caused significant challenges during 2017. This trial will be repeated at two sites during 2018 to understand how variable the responses to sulphur are likely to be during different seasonal conditions.

• At the Howlong site, applied nitrogen gave a yield and dry matter (DM) response, however there was no sulphur response.
• The Yarrawonga site showed a clear response to applied sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N), despite high soil sulphur levels. This suggests canola roots may not be effectively exploring the soil profile to access soil sulphur.
• The Yarrawonga site had an optimum sulphur application rate of 20kg S/ha, with yield penalties measured with sulphur rates above and below this optimal rate.
• The dry finish to the season caused significant challenges during 2017. This trial will be repeated at two sites during 2018 to understand how variable the responses to sulphur are likely to be during different seasonal conditions.

2018 Season

• At Speddingup, yield of late sown Scepter wheat was highest (3.6 tonnes/ha) in treatment strips that received a 100L top-up of Flexi-N at early stem elongation in early September following a period of waterlogging in August. Yield was lowest (3.4 tonnes/ha) in the treatment to which all nitrogen was applied up front at seeding.
• At Condingup, mid-May sown Scepter wheat yield and grain protein increased as nitrogen application increased, with the Playing the Season treatment seeing the highest (8.4 tonnes/ha) and the Farmer Practice treatment seeing the lowest (6.9 tonnes/ha).
• Moderation of nitrogen applied up front provided the host grower at the Speddingup demonstration site with an opportunity to tailor nitrogen applications to the potential of the season and to address waterlogging issues faced during the season.
• The addition of extra nitrogen following waterlogging at the Condingup demonstration site resulted in improved yield and financial return (after nitrogen input costs had been deducted).
• Applications at stem elongation at Speddingup and as late as full flag leaf to head emergence at Condingup were able to provide yield with an associated positive effect on grain protein.

2019 Season

• There was no statistically significant difference in Scepter wheat grain yield or protein between the nitrogen application regimes applied at the Jerdacuttup, Speddingup and Condingup demonstration sites, despite there being a difference in the rate of nitrogen and timing of application. Each of these sites experienced below average rainfall in 2019 and no waterlogging occurred. Crops at Jerdacuttup and Speddingup were also affected by frost.
• Despite dry growing conditions and exposure to a significant frost in September, Scepter wheat replicates that received the highest rate of nitrogen were the most profitable at the Jerdacuttup demonstration site. The margin between the most profitable and the least profitable treatment was $79/ha while the difference in nitrogen rate applied between these was 54.9kg/ha.
• The difference between gross income achieved from each of the 4 treatments applied at the Speddingup demonstration site was very small but the variation in input costs did affect profitability. The most profitable treatment was the ‘Farmer Practice’ treatment as it had the lowest fertiliser input cost with little yield or grain quality penalty. The ‘Regular Intervals’ treatment was the least profitable of the nitrogen treatments as the input and application costs were highest. Conditions were too dry for the crop to utilize the additional applied nitrogen in this treatment. The difference between these 2 treatments was $72/ha.
• Grain price varied by only $0 to $10/t between nitrogen treatments at the Condingup demonstration site. The most profitable treatment was the ‘Playing the Season’ treatment, with the highest rate of nitrogen applied and the latest application date when the crop was at growth stage Z24/32-33; just prior to flag leaf emergence. The ‘Farmer Practice’ treatment was the next most profitable of those applied, the difference being $29/ha, followed by the ‘All Up Front’ treatment with a margin of $31/ha. The difference between the most profitable and least profitable treatment was $60/ha.

With the varying results from this project, it is evident that response to N is both site and situation dependant. Further work needs to be undertaken to be able to create a broad rule of thumb around the cost/benefit of feeding N to crops on waterlogging soils

• The ‘farmer practice’ strategy ultimately ended up being the best nitrogen strategy for the 2019 season. The crop responded to the applied n up front after good rainfall and resulted in a 5.43 tonne yield and achieved a good return on investment.
• It is likely the crops in 2019 achieved its water limiting yield potential due to the dry finish; therefore, more nitrogen did not improve yield.
• Despite the treatments that received additional N achieving a higher wheat grade, the cost of applying the N in a season with decile 8 pricing, actually reduced profits.
• Growers remain interested in this research and would like to see further results from tactical N applications, especially in wet years and more waterlogged conditions.

• The early crop vigour results in this trial demonstrates the need to apply fresh phosphorus to crops at seeding to ensure good plant shoot and root growth during the early stages of crop growth.
• There was no difference observed between potassium drilled with the seed or topdressed immediately after sowing.  Good rainfall conditions early in the season may have rapidly moved the topdressed potassium into the root zone of the crop therefore overcoming any differences due to placement.  Subsoil testing for potassium may be important to determine the size of the soil potassium pool.

• Commercially acceptable grain yields can be achieved from pasture cropping systems in Southern Victoria.
• At this stage, traditional winter crops sown into a lucerne stand has the best fit for our environment..
• Lontrel can be successfully used to inhibit lucerne growth during the crop phase.
• Barley returned the best grain yield averaging 5.5 t/ha and topping at 6.3 t/ha.
• Wheat averaged 4.3 t/ha and canola averaged 1.7 t/ha.
• Lucerne on wide row spacings (30 cm) can help to improve yield and grain quality.
   

• Crop seeding rate and perennial row spacing both influence grain yield of pasture crops.
• Lifting seeding rate of pasture crops might compensate for poorer establishment and, in turn, help to reduce any grain yield penalty.  For this experiment and assuming lupin seed is $300/t, lifting seeding rate by 50 kg/ha ($15) helped to avert a 26% yield penalty and proved to be $165/ha more profitable overall.
• Where growers do not own a disc machine but have invested in precision guidance technology, with forward planning, it is feasible to use a tined machine to sow crops into perennial pastures without damaging the perennial base.

Pasture cropping is an option for KI producers wishing to maximise grazing/cropping options.
The key principles are:

• Graze the paddocks down to 75-100 mm with livestock, or apply herbicides. Aim to suppress (but not kill) the pastures either with the judicious use of herbicides to burn the perennials or through appropriate grazing to take out the annual weeds.
• Zero till with a tyne or disc. Minimise soil disturbance as it kills pastures and encourages weeds. The aim is to open a slot and loosen the soil to create sufficient tilth for germination of the seed crop.

• Pasture cropping is an option for KI producers wishing to maximise grazing/cropping options.
• If you want to remove kikuyu from a paddock use roundup – if you want to pasture crop use other herbicides.
• Excellent lamb growth recorded 250g/hd/day.
• Producers now have a range of herbicide options toast will enable them to establish a crop without killing the kikuyu.

The selection of a herbicide in newly sown pasture is a metter of required weed control, level of acceptable damage to the pasture and cost.

• There was good correlation between the visual cuts and satellite data early in the season, but during the spring results diverged.
• Further work is required to fine-tune the satellite data for KI, including soil characteristics and more accurate rainfall data.
• Pastures from Space is a useful tool for landholders to further fine-tune their grazing operations.

The Drummer ryegrass is a valuable source of early feed and can greatly improve stocking rates if managed in a rotational grazing system.

• Demonstration sites are monitored annually for pasture and surface cover, biomass production and frequency of perennials.
• Soil sampling will occur again in late 2014/15 to determine any change in soil organic stocks as a result of the implementation of a change in management practice.

• Atriplex and Rhagodia species fared best in these experiments, producing the hightest biomass on offer to sheep, plant survival rate and health scores.
• Four species showed poor adaptation to the environment at Walpeup and produced little edible biomass, namely Atriplex semibaccata, Convolvulus remotus, Cullen australasicum and Medicago strasseri.
• Results from this experiment and others across the nation have led to establishment of a new site a Manangatang that demonstrates the most promising spcies for the Mallee region's poorest soils.

• Wheat on wheat sown 15 May 2013 yielded between 3.35 and 4.70t/ha depending on row spacing, plant population and nitrogen application.
• The narrow row spacing (22.5cm) produced the same yield and water use efficiency (WUE) as the wider row spacing (37.5cm).
• There was no difference in dry matter (DM) at harvest and grain yield due to plant population, though the lower plant population produced grain with significantly higher protein levels.
• Wider-row-spaced crops produced significantly higher protein than narrow-row crops, though there was no difference in yield.
• Wide row spacing significantly reduced DM compared with narrow row spacing at all assessments from tillering onwards until harvest when the difference was not statistically significant.
• This result is in contrast to the first wheat after canola, where the wider row spacing (37.5cm) yielded less and had lower WUE compared with the narrower rows.

• Different crop types displayed varying phosphorus (P) use efficiencies (soil and fertiliser demand) under P deficient conditions.
• Crop types that have previously shown to be P efficient did not display the same traits in neutral to slightly alkaline soils.
• Soil testing can have significant economic benefits if the right test is used.

• Early observations of crop vigour (11th July) found that the 0P plots at all rates of nitrogen were significantly less vigorous than the plots that had phosphorus applied, with the plants in the highest rates of P applied showing the highest vigour.
• This response to applied P was still evident at the later observations of crop vigour on 8th August. This demonstrates the need to apply fresh phosphorus to crops at seeding to ensure good plant shoot and root growth during the early stages of crop growth.
• For further results please see the attaached trial report.

• In this district and in reference to the soils that are low in exchangeable aluminium – that is to say the soils where barley, canola and lucerne can realise their water limited yield potentials without the need for the application of lime, that negligible quantities of phosphorus are lost to the soil pool. The
• It is stressed that after 2007 you should apply at least the usual recommended phosphate rate to your 2008 wheat crops to achieve their water-limited yield potential

The apparent better performance of MAP T3 is noted but when looking at the other MAP based products they don't follow the same trend. There was no significant response to applied phosphorus, sulphur or zinc. The CV of the trial is quite high, meaning that a 0.48 Tonnes/ha yield response was needed for anything to be significant. There was no negative effect of applying starter nitrogen in this trial, however there was no positive effect. At current pricing the MAP based products are a very cost effective source of phosphorus and sulphur regardless of the starter nitrogen. Tissue tests indicated all nutrients were adequate see Table 99.
 

• On light soils, nitrogen is generally the most important nutrient in achieveing optimum cereal yields and maximising return.
• It is important to maintain a balanced approach to crop nutrition.
• In deficient sandy soils, nitrogen can be confidently applied to malting barley, particularly if applied early and to crops free of disease and weed competition.

• During 1997 make the most of the technology and services available.
• Soil testing prior to sowing.
• Monitoring your crops with sap nitrate testing, NIR analysis, plant tissue and grain tissue testing during the season will enable you to make informed decisions and to capitalise on the opportunities presented.

The 2002 season has failed for many cropping farmers in the north-west of the State. Some will harvest seed, but in many areas even that will not be possible. It is now time to start planning for 2003 to minimise the risks of failed crops in the coming season. Assuming that it will rain next year, we must ensure that we have the right cropping mix, that there is no legacy of residual herbicides and no cost blow outs.

In 2014 – a dry season with limited growth and yield at the trial site – Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) were not economically viable or worthwhile.

PGR use in a tough season may pose more risk than benefit to cereal crops; their use should be gauged on seasonal outlooks.

In 2014, reduction in plant height was greatest with a PGR applied either as a single late, or a split application, not an early application.

The combination of a fungicide such as Amistar Xtra with a PGR such as Moddus Evo, appears to increase the effect of the PGR on plant growth.

• Plant growth regulators had no significant impact on wheat grain yield in 2012, at four different sites.
• Plant growth regulators can reduce grain yield and quality with incorrect application timing, especially to crops under stress i.e dry, nutrient deficient, frost, waterlogging.

• Biodegradable polymer films retain soil moisture and increase soil temperature.
• Polymers allow crops to be grown out of season and expand the planting window.
• Sorghum and millet successfully germinated under the film failed to germinate in the absence of the film.

• Field data from 2007, as well as modelling data, has shown that there is an optimum time to remove the polymer film before it gets too hot under the film resulting in a reduction in yield.
• A low cost structure is required to make polymer film economically viable, however there seems to be good initial results when using polymers to establish native tree species. There is potential that polymer film may have a future with perennial species (salt bush establishment etc) more so than with annual species due to the high cost of laying the film each year with annual crops.

Barley yields exceeded 5 t/ha with strong responses to lime and potassium fertiliser.

The 1.0 t/ha response to potassium (K) was not as strong as in the previous two wheat crops (1.4 t/ha in 2013 and 2.4 t/ha in 2014). This was probably partly due to better control of ryegrass in plots without K fertiliser compared to previous years.

The response to lime applied in 2011 and 2014 was also 1.0 t/ha. This followed a 0.35 t/ha response in 2014 wheat. Like 2014, lime did not affect response to K.

Compared to topdressing potash, banding K increased early crop vigour, but 140 kg/ha K-Till Extra (15K) did not supply enough K to satisfy demand of the high yield potential.

This trial has highlighted the importance of maintaining K inputs (if required) when undertaking liming programs.

Ongoing responses to lime are likely to increase future demand for K because soil reserves will be depleted at an increasing rate.

For discussion please see the attached trial report.

For results please see the attached trial report.

For results please see the attached trial report.

For results please see the attached trial report.

Slender iceplant exhibits a germination quality that increases its chance of survival.

Good iceplant control results were achieved with Broadstrike, diflufenican and diuron in various mixtures in these trials.

Increased crop density reduced annual ryegrass density.

Herbicides offered effective weed control, and performance of Sakura® and Boxer Gold® was similar in this season.

• Nodulation can be very poor and very patchy, and measures to improve both the level and consistency of nodulation are needed.
• Growers are encouraged to take root samples of legume crops in late winter or early spring to assess nodulation. A nodulation assessment guide that includes photos of plants with poor and good nodulation is available online.
• AgKI has received funding through GRDC for bean nodulation trial work in 2015 – so hopefully next year’s Ag Trial booklet will have good news about how to improve nodulation.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for crop growth. Insufficient plant-available P, ultimately results in reduced yield. 

Crops, particularly cereals require a high amount of P for crop production, and P can often be depleted over time if optimal rates are not applied. Given P is an immobile nutrient historical application rates can bank P within the soil profile. 

Variable rates of starter fert were applied over a 4 year period, to assess the cumulative yield effect and P balance, to determine an optimal rate for crop production.

The control rate of 100kg/ha of MAPSZC:MOP (15.8kg/ha P), produced identical cumulative yields across the time span of the project to the 140kg/ha luxury rate. 

The 80kg/ha application provided sufficient P levels to maintain the phosphorus balance for cumulative yields achieved since 2017. However lower P rates will consume stored soil P reserves. 

• Most farmers apply fungicide as a curative rather than preventative measure.
• Foliar fungicides are more effective when applied before the onset of the disease.
• Preventative applications can be applied at lower rates than curative applications thus reducing application costs and potential yield loss.
• Despite the dry spring finish, all plots treated with fungicide demonstrated an increase in yield compared to the control.
• There was a small yield deficit incurred from applying only Folicur at GS39 compared with only Triad at GS32.

• Field peas were the stand out crop in terms of both dry matter production (5.8-6.5 t/ha) and grain yield (1.7-2.3 t/ha)
• Excellent grain yields were generally achieved for the other pulse crop options; chickpea (1.5-1.6 t/ha), lentil (1.5 t/ha), faba bean (1.4 t/ha) and lupins (0.9-1.2).
• Over two seasons at the site, Kabuli chickpeas have been the most profitable crop option followed by Desi chickpeas and field peas. Lentils were the most profitable option in 2014.
• There were no significant dry matter differences between treatments in the Brown Manure trial with all producing about 4.5 t/ha.

Two significant weather events that had an important influence over the results in this project, in 2016, frost and 2017, summer rain. In 2016, there were multiple severe frost events during the critical, flowering stage of the growing season. Oats being a relatively frost tolerant species proved to be the best performing species for yield and gross returns in 2016. The broadleaf crops, both legumes and canola were severely impacted by frost.

For barley in 2016 the accumulated gross returns for two years was higher in rotation, fallow 2015; barley 2016 when compared with wheat 2015 barley 2016. This supports previous work by CFIG that including fallow in the rotation can increase gross returns over a two year period.

In season 2017 frost damage was minor when compared to 2016. Season 2017 was dominated by heavy summer rainfall and a very dry start to winter. The fallow plots were impacted by the summer rain due to lack of soil cover. The loamy, morrell soil set hard at the surface as a result of the heavy summer rain which severely impacted penetration of the seeding equipment and subsequently, crop establishment was poor. The very dry start to the season likely exacerbated the poor establishment on the fallow plots.

Oats performed well again in 2017 in terms of yield but barley produced higher gross returns. Chickpeas and lentils were the best performing of the broadleaf crops in 2017.

When the gross returns in 2017 were compared by rotation (2015-2017), it is interesting to note that 2017 cereals grown in rotation with legumes in 2016 generally performed well.

The gross returns for every rotation tested in the trial were compared on an accumulative return over 3 years (2015-2017) and the rotation with the highest accumulative return was year 1; wheat year 2; chickpeas and year 3; barley. This demonstrates the value of a legume in a rotation which contributed to the highest yielding plot, which was barley in 2017.

The top two highest total gross return rotations over three years had a legume crop in one year of the rotation. The third highest return rotation had a fallow phase which confirms fallow as a rotation option. In the top 10 highest returning rotations, 4 had fallow in one year of the rotation.

•  Legume break crops reduced populations of RLN (Pratylenchus neglectus) in the soil while canola increased the population.
• RLN levels increased across the site after one season of Scepter wheat (a susceptible host) to medium risk levels on legume plots and high risk levels where canola had been a break crop.
• A single break crop in the rotation may be insufficient to effectively reduce disease inoculum beyond the season following a break crop year.

• The results from experimental comparisons of crop sequences of at least two and three years’ length undertaken over the last five years in the SE Australian cropping belt were consistent with findings from previous local and global research
  that has demonstrated that sequences including break crops tend to be more productive than continuous wheat.

• Canola is not a break crop in paddocks if root lesion nematodes (RLN) and Rhizoctonia solani are both present
• Weed free legumes, pulses and pastures are the best options where RLN and R. solani co-exist in a paddock
• Cereals substantially increase RLN and R. solani levels while canola will also increase RLN

The outcome from this project will be more reliable and more productive low rainfall farming systems through the increased use of less risky broad leaved break phases.

This will be achieved through the promotion of the following outputs from the proposal in low rainfall regions of south eastern Australia 1. More reliable management strategies for the production of broad leaved phases.

2. Identification of more reliable break phase options.

3. Guidelines to identify trigger points for when, for how long and which break phases to use for improved farming systems outcomes.

4. Reliable estimation of risks with break phases as well as their total impacts on following cereal crops.

A break of two years can produce a better financial outcome than continuous wheat over a four year period of production where there are substantial pressures on wheat performance (eg. grassy weeds). Wheat yields after a two year break were a significant step up from wheat crops following a one year break, which were in turn, much better than the continuous wheat. Large break crop benefits of 0.5-1.25 t/ha were achieved following a two year non-cereal break phase compared to continuous wheat. The break crop benefit of a one year break may only last one season if grass weeds are a significant factor. The major benefit of breaks in these long term cereal paddocks was to reduce grassy weed pressures for subsequent wheat crops phases. The benefit of a two year break had little to do with the phases chosen for those two breaks, providing that excellent grass weed control could be achieved in both. Many of the most profitable crop sequences over the four year period often started with a two year break phase.

• Continuously cropping cereals has increased grass weeds and root disease to a point that it is no longer the most economical option, due to decreased yield and costs associated with addressing weed and disease issues.      
• Two year breaks starting to pay their way in the third year of the rotation. One year breaks have lifted wheat performance but have not kept grassy weeds or diseases under control.

When compared to fallow, the 2005 grain yields from the field pea more than compensated for the subsequent 2006 wheat grain yield reduction.

• Crops can be established and grown in 6.6 t/ha of retained stubble in the HRZ without compromising establishment
• Stubble retention in the HRZ requires careful systems based planning and attention to detail
• Seasonal conditions will strongly influence outcomes of stubble retention through factors such as pest pressure and conserving soil moisture
• Burning may not be an option in the near future because of unacceptable risks of litigation 

• The standard treatment in this trial, namely Sencor (metribuzin) 750WG plus TriflurX, provided no more that weak suppression of brome allowing substantial seed set.
• The trial demonstrates a new option for brome control in barley crops now available to growers, namely growing Scope barley and using Clearfield herbicides such as Intervix or Midas. Both products provided excellent to absolute control of brome, as well as silver grass.
• The trial also demonstrates that while the pre-emergence treatments alone provide only modest control of brome, their use in combination with Clearfield herbicides has the potential to improve the overall Clearfield performance. Their use is recommended for resistance management purposes and as a means of securing yield by reducing early weed competition.
• Achieving absolute control of brome grass by treatments that pay for themselves and deliver a surplus to users (of $45 – $150 per hectare) should make most Clearfield treatments highly attractive. Atlantis, Crusader and Monza each only provided strong suppression that in the long run cannot be expected to overcome brome. Regardless of their return on investment, they failed to deliver satisfactory brome control (i.e.. >90% so that the seed bank is not dramatically reduced) and are useful only in terms of managing brome within the current crop at best.
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This trial has run for the past 3 years at the SFS Gnarwarre site. Chick peas have shown consistently good returns. We now have the local knowledge to help grow pulses in this area.

• The use of pulses in the southern regions show some potential- further trial work needs to be done to examine this fit.
• Follow up Sub soil and Deep N tests need to show +/- effect of N in system
• Pulses could be economically viable as a crop, disease and weed break.

The potential advantages of growing pulse crops are well recognised, such as: increasing soil nitrogen,
breaking disease cycles for cereal crops, providing a high nitrogen feed grain and being a cash crop in their
own right. Field peas are well suited to the Central West and other pulses are useful, depending on pH,
drainage and weed control.

Pulses have a major role to play in the cropping rotation in the high rainfall zone. Many growers are already achieving good results due to sound management and the ability to ensure that operations such as sowing and spraying are done on time. These growers have shown that if done successfully, pulses can form a profitable part of the rotation. In the high rainfall zone they can be high yielding and produce a sound gross margin, as well they provide opportunities for disease breaks and herbicide rotations and the grazing value of some pulse stubbles, such as beans and peas, should not be under estimated

• Peas are the most robust pulse option in low rainfall environments, but erosion risks must be well managed.
• Early sowing is essential for maximising pulse yields.
• Kaspa is an option for low rainfall regions, but has generally performed best in the more favourable years.
• No significant yield difference occurred in Kaspa by increasing plant density from 45 to 55 plants/m2 in 2003.
• Beans and chickpeas are opportunity crops only in low rainfall environments and suited to better years and more favourable conditions.

• Peas are the most robust pulse option in low rainfall environments, but erosion risks must be well managed.
• Early sowing is essential for maximising pulse yields.
• Kaspa is an option for low rainfall regions, but has generally performed best in the more favourable years.
• No significant yield difference occurred in Kaspa by increasing plant density from 45 to 55 plants/m2 in 2003.
• Beans and chickpeas are opportunity crops only in low rainfall environments and suited to better years and more favourable conditions.

• A range of agronomic and variety trials for pulse crops were sown at sites across the High Rainfall Zone
(HRZ) of the South East in 2018.
• Trials across this zone are part of national breeding program trials (adding varietal information to GRDC
National Variety Trials database) or funded by MFMG.

• A range of agronomic and variety trials for pulse and alternative crops were sown at sites across the High Rainfall Zone (HRZ) of the South East in 2017.
• Trials across this zone are part of national breeding program trials (adding varietal information to GRDC National Variety Trials database) or funded by MFMG.
• Results suggest a variety of pulses and alternative crops may be adapted to the south east. 
• Agronomic treatments applied at Millicent did not alter broad bean performance.
• Trial planning for 2018 is underway.

• Chickpeas were consistently amongst the highest yielding pulses at this site across all soil types and EM39 ranges.
• They produced the highest gross margins on both the deep sand and the mid-slope soils.

• Height to lowest pod was greater in wider rows for beans compared to peas or chickpeas.
• Beans were higher yielding on narrower row spacing.
• Standing stubble did not increase grain yield in any pulse crop trialled.
• Standing stubble improved bean yields only at the wide row spacing.

• Wheat and field peas had the highest yields and gross margins compared with lupins and vetch.
• Field peas have the potential to be an alternative crop in western cropping rotations.

• In 2009, field peas were the only pulse crop to produce measurable yields in the trials run at Condobolin and Euabalong.
• All field pea varieties produced similar yields at Condobolin.
• Harvest was difficult due to stunted plant height and lodging.
• Sowing pulse crops early is essential to maximise yield.