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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3 different crop species were planted to measure the responses to P; this will assist in crop data gaps being able to be filled allowing for better fertiliser decisions to be made.
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To explain why some micronutrient fertilisers perform better than others in specific soil types.
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To compare the effectiveness of Flexi-N through the boom before seeding, banded at seeding and applied at early tillering - where wheat stubble was either burnt or retained.
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To compare Flexi-N timing especially for late protein boost application in wheat.
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To increase our understanding of how relative grain yields in different parts of a paddock in the Mallee region vary year to year (and between crop types) and how these changes are related to soil type and seasonal rainfall.
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To build on previous research by updating knowledge of the benefits, including disease control and nutrition, of fluid delivery systems.
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To investigate the comparative efficacy of fluid forms of Phosphorus (P) fertiliser compared to the current granular forms for application to grain crops grown on alkaline soils of Victoria.
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To discuss fluid phosphorus fertilisers: how did they fare in Victoria in 2005?
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To examine the benefits of foliar applications of copper and other micronutrients to wheat on acid soils with and without lime.
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To report on the Forbes soil amelioration trials.
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To report on the Forbes soil amelioration trials.
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To investigate the composition of the free living nematode communities in Australian grain-growing soils; determine whether the community responds to different organic matter inputs and to various tillage and stubble management regimes; and decide whether nematodes are a useful indicator of soil health.
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To show a range of strategies that minimise frost risk.
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To examine the performance of genetics and foliar fungicides for the control of blackleg.
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To examine the value of foliar fungicides for winter barley in the Mallee and Wimmera environments.
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To further investigate rotary spading and other soil amelioration techniques on the yellow sand-plain soils west of Moora.
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To discuss how to get the most out of kikuyu pastures on Kangaroo Island.
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To focus on maintaining profitable retained stubble systems rather than investigating agronomic and economic benefits of stubble retention.
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A long-term study was established at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre from 2008 to 2014 (EPFS Summaries 2008 to 2013) to assess the impact of grazing on crop and pasture production and soil health and also to evaluate this from a systems perspective.
The seven year demonstration with a wheat, wheat, pasture (volunteer and sown annual me… read more
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To test whether soil fertility and health could be improved under a higher input system (e.g. higher fertiliser and seeding rates, establishment of improved pasture) compared to a lower input and more traditional system (district practice seed and fertiliser inputs, volunteer pasture).
The six year (2008-2013) rotation of: wheat, wheat… read more
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A long-term study was established at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre from 2008 to 2015 (EPFS Summaries 2008 to 2014) to assess the impact of grazing on crop and pasture production and soil health and also to evaluate this from a systems perspective.
The eight year demonstration with a wheat, wheat, pasture (volunteer and sown annual me… read more
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A long-term study was established at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre from 2008 to 2016 (EPFS Summaries 2008 to 2015) to assess the systems impact of grazing on crop and pasture production, and soil health.
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To determine the success of Pasture Cropping for different starting pasture compositions and crop sequences (i.e. the difference betweencropping year-after-year compared to doing it once) in comparison to No Till cropping and pasture treatments. Success will be assessed by the profitability of the crop, the grazing value of the pasture, perennia… read more
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To demonstrate the yield and dry matter responses of field peas, lentils and chickpeas to the application of phosphorus and zine in the southern Mallee.
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To evaluate commercial and new pulse (grain legume) cultivars on sandy, calcareous soils, in terms of both the crop performance and its benefit in a rotation.
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Our aim was to test different manufacturers’ products to see how granules preform against the traditional peat product in different soil types and climatic zones, and to find an optimal rate of product application for effective nodulation.
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To observe effect on lentil growth and vigour of various grass weed herbicides
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The GRDC project ‘Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble - upper Eyre Peninsula’ aims to produce sustainable management guidelines to control pests, weeds and diseases while retaining stubble to maintain or improve soil health, and reduce exposure to wind erosion. The major outcome to be achieved is increased knowledge … read more
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The GRDC project ‘Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble - upper Eyre Peninsula’ aims to produce sustainable management guidelines to control pests, weeds and diseases while retaining stubble to maintain or improve soil health, and reduce exposure to wind erosion. The major outcome to be achieved is increased knowledge … read more
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The GRDC project ‘Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble - upper Eyre Peninsula’ aims to produce sustainable management guidelines to control pests, weeds and diseases while retaining stubble to maintain or improve soil health, and reduce exposure to wind erosion. The major outcome to be achieved is increased knowledge … read more
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To evaluate the effect on wheat yield and quality of applying ameliorants at depth on a Wodjil soil (Graveyard Trial).
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To determine how post-grazing nitrogen application rates and post flowering rainfall affect the recovery of Mace and Trojan grain wheat crops after grazing.
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To evaluate a vigorous hybrid canola variety in a low rainfall Mallee environment for its grazing value at different growth stages, and its ability to recover from grazing.
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To determine the impact that grazing of crops in winter had on subsequent grain yield and quality, production factors such as weeds, disease and nutrition, and livestock carrying capacity.
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This study compared OC and nitrogen (N) stocks at the conclusion of a five-year grazing trial on a fertilised native pasture in south-eastern Australia.
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To measure the impact of grazing within cropping systems on soil properties, water dynamics and crop yield.
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To make full use of in-crop rainfall, stored soil moisture and nutrients, and prevent weed seed contamination, the control of weeds in a pulse break crop phase is essential. Currently, herbicides are the primary method of weed control in broadacre cropping systems. However, there are limited options for broadleaf weed control in pulse crops, as … read more
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The aim of this trial was to investigate managmeent practices for groin canola after cereal.
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To identify the agronomic practices which lead to the production of high quality hard and durum wheat.
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The aim of this trial is to assess the viability of long season wheat in the HRZ.
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To determine the agronomic conditions required to grow a quality barley product suitable for malting.
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In these trials Corrigin Farm Improvement Group aimed to test the benefits of growing crops on chemical fallowed soil. The trials specifically compared which crop species were most profitable under a chemical fallowing regime. In season 2013 barley was most profitable and in 2014 albus lupins were the most profitable crop grown on chemical fallo… read more
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To investigate the questions:
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To investigate the impacts burying at depth organic matter (using a Neutrog product Bounce Back) and gypsum using the Sub Soiler machine.
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To report on a long-term soil amelioration trial established at the Gunning Gap CWFS regional site.
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To discuss harvest options for dry years.
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The aim of this work is to understand if growers can reduce soil weed seedbanks in high-yielding high-rainfall zones by adopting harvest weed seed control (HWSC) practices.
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The aim of this project is to see if harvest weed seed practices can be adopted to reduce soil weed seed banks in high yielding high rainfall zone (HRZ) areas of the southern region to address herbicide resistance issues.
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To report on a summary of paddock surveys of harvest weed seed collection samples taken in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as a part of the GRDC Stubble Initiative project ‘Maintaining profitability in retained stubbles on upper Eyre Peninsula’ (EPF00001).
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The aim of this work is to understand if growers can reduce soil weed seedbanks in high-yielding high-rainfall zones by adopting harvest weed seed control (HWSC) practices.
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To determin if harvest weed seed practices can be adopted to reduce soil week seed banks in high yielding HRZ areas of the southern region to address herbicide resistance issue.
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To investigate the effect of fallow management treatments (stubble management and crop nutrition) on canola establishment, crop vigour grain yield in retained stubble systems in the high rainfall zone in the South-East of South Australia.
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To improve soil health and sustainable soil management practices in the region.
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To improve farmer’s capacity to manage soil health issues by providing information and access to soil management strategies and techniques
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The demo sites fit into the objectives of the HSSF project which are:
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The main purpose of this study was to produce HMT wheat flour under different treatment conditions in terms of flour moisture content and treatment time, and then to investigate the effects that the HMT had on the flours’ pasting properties, water solubility and water absorption.
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Tp summarise the first two years of crop performance after trafficking was imposed on a red calcareous sandy loam at Minnipa Agricultural Centre (a detailed summary of 2015 results can be found in the EPFS Summary 2015, p197). Three other trials similar in design and monitoring have also been implemented across the LRZ – on a deep sand at Lo… read more
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To discuss common heliotrope on Victorian farms
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To evaluate the economic benefit and effectiveness of different herbicide treatments on mixture of summer grassses and melons.
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The GRDC project ‘Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble - upper Eyre Peninsula’ aims to improve farm profitability while retaining stubble in farming systems on upper Eyre Peninsula (EP). Weed control in stubble retained systems can be compromised when stubbles and organic residues intercept the herbicide and prevent i… read more
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The GRDC project ‘Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble - upper Eyre Peninsula’ aims to improve farm profitability while retaining stubble in farming systems on upper Eyre Peninsula (EP). Weed control in stubble retained systems can be compromised when stubbles and organic residues intercept the herbicide and prevent i… read more
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To assess the efficacy of three herbicide types on stubble covered soil.
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To identify herbicide sensitivities of new lupin varieties with the view to reduce their yield losses due to herbicide damage. Mandelup was included as a standard variety for comparison in the trial.
Blue lupins are problematic in narrow leave lupin production, especially in the Northern Agriculture Region of WA Wheatbelt and no herbic… read more
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To understand the effects of soil acting herbicides on nutrient uptake.
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To report on the high inupt cropping trial.
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The project aims (i) to collect field data that can be pooled with existing data from the Better Fertiliser Decisions for Crops database (BFDC) to assess the applicability of recommended soil critical values for the HRZ of southern Australia, (ii) quantify the effects
of nutrient deficiencies on grain yield, and (iii) identify the main nu… read more
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The project aims (i) to collect field data that can be pooled with existing data from the Better Fertiliser Decisions for Crops database (BFDC) to assess the applicability of recommended soil critical values for the HRZ of southern Australia, (ii) quantify the effects of nutrient deficiencies on grain yield, and (iii) identify the main nutrients… read more
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To find crop species suitable to Kangaroo Island conditions, which were either:
• of higher value per tonne than currently grown milling wheat, or
• low yielding yet high value to reduce the per hectare freight cost.
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To develop high water-use farming systems that integrate crops with perennial pastures.
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To investigate the effect of seeding rate and nitrogen program (application rate and timing) on grain yield and quality to reduce the yield gap in the high-rainfall zone where there is high yield potential.
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To investigate the yield response of wheat to zinc enriched fertiliser, MAP and no fertiliser control.
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To quantify how nitrogen application and timing (upfront versus stem elongation) influences the need for disease control in a susceptible wheat cultivar.
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To investigate the effects of deep ripping on the need for N fertiliser, and to compare the effectiveness of N applied at seeding compared to late tillering.
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To discuss how placement influences the efficacy of zinc oxide and zinc sulfate fertilisers.
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To test if no-till crops grown on clay soils in the low rainfall, southern Mallee environment would yield better if more straw could be retained on the soil surface from the previous crop.
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To determine how quickly our lime-sands work.
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To monitor how quickly the lime would change the pH down the profile.
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To present a handbook of diagnostic techniques for conducting experiments to ascertain which nutrients are limiting production.
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To identify key soil indicators for sustained agricultural production.
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To improve the management of grain crops in the Mallee region of Victoria using precision agricultural technology: and more specifically, to improve the understanding of the causes of spatial variability within a paddock and its interaction with seasonal conditions as this knowledge is regarded as essential to developing appropriate management s… read more
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To assess the impact of soil nutrition, current herbicides, adjuvants and rhizobial inoculants on nitrogen (N) fixation by medics under field conditions typical of the upper Eyre Peninsula.
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To assess the impact of soil nutrition, current herbicides, adjuvants and rhizobial inoculants on N fixation by medics under field conditions typical of the upper Eyre Peninsula.
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The broad aim of this 3 year SAGIT funded project was to investigate if current management tools for medic based pastures, such as herbicides, fertilisers and rhizobial inoculants, are affecting N fixation by medic pastures under field conditions typical of the upper Eyre Peninsula.
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To raise industry awareness of imi-tolerant barley as a potential tool for integrated weed management in Victoria and South Australian Mallee.
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To assess comparative effect of anthracnose on yield and seed infection in a range of varieties and advanced lupin breeding lines.
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To determine the impacts of biochar on crop yield,2.To compare the effectiveness of different methods of applying biochar to the soil.
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Can systems performance be improved by modifying farming systems in the northern grains region? Specifically, what impact do crop species and crop sequences have on soil- and stubble-borne pathogens?
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Can systems performance be improved by modifying farming systems in thenorthern grains region? What are the impacts of crops and crop sequences on soil water accumulation and use?
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With larger seeding programs, increased summer weed control to conserve soil moisture and more variable autumn rainfall patterns, more growers Australia-wide are moving toward dry sowing.
On upper Eyre Peninsula in 2017 and 2018, seed was placed in the soil for many weeks with limited soil moisture, some seed still germinated but the d… read more
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To determine the potential toxicity of the fungicide P-Pickel T (PPT) to rhizobia applied as a commercial inoculant (peat and freeze-dried) on field pea (R. leguminosarum, group F) in field conditions in a soil with a low rhizobial background.
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To test the impact of adding gypsum, lime or fertilisers to the subsoil.
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To test the impact of adding gypsum, lime or fertilisers to the subsoil of a profile typical for the Vivonne Bay environment but in a situation which usually gets very wet, and is designed to run for at least two years.