Moisture for germination and growth is critical to crop performance. Many different strategies exist to conserve soil moisture pre and post sowing, including spraying and tillage.
Online Farm Trials contains 150 trials covering issues that include: managing moisture variability within paddock; crop rotations that optimise moisture availability in the sequence; impacts of break crops and summer crops for production; and, future crop gains and interactions between soil moisture and nitrogen conservation, including timing of fertiliser application. There are 65 published trials for wheat, 16 for canola and 16 for barley linked to soil moisture conservation and use. There are also trials for lupins (6) and vetch (4).
For further information on soil moisture strategies, refer to the following case studies on low rainfall environments that consider summer weed control options to managing soil moisture:
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To summarise the current knowledge about waterlogging on Kangaroo Island.
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To determine whether varietal differences in chickpea plant architecture affect their competitiveness with ryegrass.
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To satisfy the questions of local farmers.
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To help understand the yield penalties we can expect if good pH levels are not maintained and how
frequently lime needs to be applied.
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To comment on the Farm Management 500 and Sustainable Technology (FAST) Project: what did the crops grow on in 1994?
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To investigate the use of different sowing timings and N management to improve yield and maintain protein of wheat.
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To discuss the question 'What is the best product for topdressing nitrogen?'.
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To report on the Paxton's efforts to “to keep the soil pH above 5, we know if we don’t, we start losing production”.
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To systematically assess the impact of sowing time, seeding rate and wetting agents on wheat establishment and productivity across a range of environments on water repellent soil and determine whether there are interactions between the agronomic options tested.
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To systematically assess the impact of sowing time, seeding rate and wetting agents on wheat establishment and productivity across a range of environments on water repellent soil and determine whether there are interactions between the agronomic options tested.
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To look at the application of disease and canopy management principles and their application to the different climatic regions of southern Australia.
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To look at the application of disease and canopy management principles and their application to the different climatic regions of southern Australia.
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To investigate wheat canopy management.
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To test 6 commercial wheat varieties.
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To conduct an evaluation of the ability of wheat varieties to tolerate acid/aluminum.
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To investigate where wheat performs best in a crop rotaion.
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To conduct further testing of future and existing wheat lines on acid soils.
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To conduct further testing of future and existing wheat lines on acid soils.
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To demonstrate the tolerance of new and existing wheat varieties on acid soils.
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To assess the effect of phosphorus required to optimise the yield of wheat grown after wheat in a high phosphorus soil.
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Part of a series of trials to assess wheat response to nitrogen and potassium under different conditions across the wheatbelt and, locally, determine rates to improve yield and returns.
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To investigate the response of wheat to different rates of applied P and N.
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To assess the impact of rotary spading non-wetting sandplain soil on soil properties, crop growth and productivity.
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To measure potential responses in wheat.
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To demonstrate the benefits of applying phosphorus and nitrogen to wheat in cereal-leume rotations on sodic soils in the southern Mallee.
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To compare three different sowing rates (in a low rainfall zone) in a farmer sized trial and monitor these plots throughout the growing season.
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To access the impact of wheat varieties on Pratylenchus thornei build-up and soil distribution profiles.
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To explore the variation of PUE among varieties of wheat across a range of seasons in order to provide farmers with better knowledge of their current varieties.
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To compare P efficiency of commonly grown varieties (plus a few new ones) on the upper EP to provide farmers with better knowledge of their current varieties, or select new varieties that may better utilise applied P in a grey calcareous soil.
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To examine the potential for crop yield in the northern sandplain systems and explore practices that will allow the potential to be approached.
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To explore the yield potential for wheat in the northern sandplain region and to identify the main constraints to achieving this potential.
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To investigate the response to nitrogen fertiliser on wheat.
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To characterise the residual value of different P sources and changes in soil fertility (SOC, CEC, pH, nutrient supply, non-wetting, compaction) after 30 plus years, using soil measurements and bioassay cropping.
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To assess the performance of current vetch varieties and ANVBP lines.
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To assess the whole farm implementation of water repellence management strategies.
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To use whole farm soil mapping to rationalize the farm fertilizer programme.
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To shed some light on why cereals yielded so much better compared with pulse crops and canola in the southern Mallee in 2001.
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To report on Alan’s aim to lime 20% of the farm each year and reprot that now, five years later, that aim is just about achieved.
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To evaluate the effectiveness of wide row spacing in Arrino wheat in a low rainfall environment with limited inputs.
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To develop systems to protect grain quality and yield in a low rainfall area. Trying wider rows to conserve moisture instead of fallow.
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To observe and record what impact varying stubble heights have on wind speed and therefore soil erosion and crop vigour
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Can cover crops increase infiltration and net water accumulation in pivot-irrigated cotton systems with low (<30%) ground cover?
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To compare current varieties to potentially new varieties in soil types and rainfall regions where National Wheat Variety trials are not conducted.
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This was the second year of a three-year trial, funded by the South Australian Grains Industry Trust (SAGIT), to evaluate the nitrogen fixation capabilities of various legume species commonly grown on Kangaroo Island.
In this second year, the trial was set up to answer the following questions:
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To evaluate the performance of annual crops when pasture cropped over different perennial species.
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To test Yield Prophet for 2005.
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To determine likely nitrogen response at the time of pre-drilling, and at the appearance of the first node (GS31), which coincided with the times at which nitrogen applications took place.
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To ascertain the major differences in soil types in the region, and provide more accurate and timely information on a broad, generic scale that would have better relevance for growers in the region.
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To assess the yield response in barley, canola and lupins to deep ripping over a three year period (2015 – 2017) near Broomehill, WA.
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To assess the yield response in barley, canola and lupins to deep ripping over a three year period (2015 – 2017) near Broomehill, WA.
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To assess the yield response to deep ripping depth on a productive sand plain near Kojaneerup, WA.
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To investigate low risk, best bet strategies for the low rainfall cropping zone.
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To explore low risk, best bet strategies for the low rainfall cropping zone.
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To assess whether Zen noodle wheat has a place in rotation when yield and quality are compared to Mace Australian hard wheat.
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To report on identification of zinc deficiencyin the region.
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To establish the zinc requirements of crops growing on vertisols.
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To determine the genotypic variation in oilseed rape to tolerate zinc deficiency and to identify the efficient genotypes.
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To determine rate and timing of zinc for filed pea.
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To establish rate and time of zinc applicatitn for maximum yield in navy bean.
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To review of importance of zinc in the Victorian Mallee and Wimmera.
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Evaluate the chemical forms of zinc in the soil solutions of Vertisols used for cereal cropping.
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To determine rate and timing of zinc for durum wheat.
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To determine rate and timing of zinc for durum wheat.