• Natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) found within the crop were diverse, but had variable distribution.

• The abundance of natural enemies increased with time, which was probably related to an increase in pest pressure as well as temperature.

• Growers might be able to use more targeted sprays to control pests.

• Seed treatments appeared to have no long-term effects on natural enemy abundance.
 

• Dry sowing did not significantly compromise nodulation and nitrogen fixation in chickpea in 2019.
• Peat slurry and granular inoculants led to satisfactory nodulation and nitrogen fixation in dry and wet sowing conditions in 2019.
• Chickpeas inoculated with peat based or bentonite clay granule inoculant and sown either dry or into moisture provided similar growth and production in a subsequent wheat crop in 2020.
• No significant differences in final grain yield of wheat was observed between inoculant types of sowing times.
• Some differences were observed in plant growth where the previous chickpea crop had been inoculated compared to uninoculated however inoculant type had no effect on wheat growth.
• Wheat grain quality was better when grown after an inoculated chickpea crop compared to an uninoculated crop and would contribute to a higher quality grade.

The effect of nitrogen manipulation on grain yield and quality was masked by the inability to control foliar disease in the trial and the effect on yield of the dry October period. High base soil nitrogen levels resulted in high grain protein levels with little difference between treatments. The best net return was achieved using only the 10 kg/ha nitrogen at sowing. It did not pay to apply any post sowing nitrogen. Grain quality parameters such as test weight and thousand grain weights were extremely disappointing.

Delaying nitrogen application increased grain protein as would be expected. Treatment 5 which had 75 kg/ha nitrogen applied at GS39 (flag) had 2.19% more protein than the control and was higher than the other earlier applied nitrogen treatments, although not significantly higher. The cost involved in chasing this higher grain protein could not be justified

With no significant difference in yield across this trial (Table 4-11) it appears that the high soil nitrogen and variable season may have been too influential to repeat previous years’ results. Findings from this trial should still be reviewed, but not used solely to make strategic nitrogen management decisions in the future. Possibly one key finding may be that high N paddocks need little if any follow up N past crop emergence, depending on paddock history and seasonal outlook. Late leaf rust was present throughout this trial,
however it is not known if this was influential in determining yield outcomes. 

The trial was subject to a moderately dry finish and 2-3 week dry period in October, which curtailed grain fill, and resultant yields. Despite this, under moderate Scald (Rhynchosporium) pressure, a 2-spray fungicide programmes based on Tilt (propiconazole) and Tilt plus Amistar (azoxystrobin) gave a 6 and 7% yield increase (0.22 —0.25 t/ha) over the untreated (mean of nitrogen treatments). Though individual nitrogen levels differed, the 2-spray Tilt programme showed a small margin improvement, however the
strobilurin was not cost effective in this trial.

FARMER COMMENTS

Usability of Yield Prophet

·         High input requirement to get detailed data out, but once it is setup the online format is easy to use and generates good reports.

·         Easy to use once you are familiar with the program.

Usefulness of Yield Prophet set-up process

·         Farmers commented that the exercise of opening up a deep soil pit was on one the most informative and useful aspects of the Yield Prophet process.

·         Good training with a consultant on how to use the tool was vital as well.

Yield Prophet reports

·         Farmers had mixed comments about the reports with each having their favorite report- one farmer chose to use only the crop report to make his decisions.

·         One farmer found the profit comparison report the most useful where as another found it the least useful report commenting ‘it is pretty obvious through the comparison report if the is likely to be a financial response, the seasonal risk is too great to compare nitrogen profitability to the last dollar.’

·         Farmers found the climate and weather aspects to the crop report of interest, specifically the breakdown of chances of certain weather characteristics influencing yield, however in reality this didn’t really clarify decision making.

·         The reports reference the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) which is generally considered irrelevant to the Western Australia.

·         Growth stages of crops were very accurate for all sites.

Other aspects that limited yield

·         Three of the four sites experienced a three week dry spell that was accompanied by warm, weather at the beginning of September. The yield prophet crop reports at all three sites did not indicate that crop was experiencing moisture stress or heat shock. The three farmers commented separately that this dry spell had impacted the crop yield.

·         One of the potential issues is the assumption of root growth and rooting depth. If there is low soil nutrition at depth it is likely that the roots are "lazy" during the growing season and don't go as deep as the model suggests. This would then affect the modeling of water use down the profile and water stress on the plant.

·         One farmer generated a report on 26 September which indicated the crop was under moisture stress, however this did not convert to yield penalty in the crop report.

 

Future of Yield Prophet in West Midlands region

The low water holding capacity of sands in the West Midlands region means that the effect of short term dry spells has greater significance than total rainfall on production- this seems to be difficult to simulate in Yield Prophet.

Simulated yield on two out of the four sites was far from what would be considered an acceptable level of variation (1 t/ha for yellow sand and 1.85 t/ha for shallow loamy duplex). However the other two sites simulated yield very well.

Typical farm paddock of 60-70ha within the West Midlands region has multiple soil types present. At this stage Yield Prophet only allows the user to simulate one soil type per paddock. There is the ability to separately log each soil type however this requires a great deal of information input and the user has to pay a ‘paddock’ subscription for each soil type.

Unfortunately, there are very few soils classified in the West Midlands region, to WMG’s knowledge the five soils classified as part of this project are the only fully characterized soils in the West Midlands region. This project has estimated that the cost of fully classifying a soil is $3,000. When there is so few soil types classified in the West Midlands region coupled with farmers having multiple soil types (sometimes more than a dozen) on their farm this cost is the key barrier to adoption of this tool in the West Midlands region.

• Deep ripping provided a 260kg/ha yield increase in barley in 2016,
• Deeper ripping and the use of inclusion plates did not improve barley yield at this site,

• The high ryegrass burden, particularly on the TOS1 plots impacted on the usefulness of the yield prophet tool for this time of sowing as it does not take into account other yield limiting factors.
• High rye grass burden on TOS1 had significant impact on yield (approx 1.2-1.3 t/ha).  As such we have learnt that site selection (most especially with herbicide resistant weeds) is critical in order to conduct meaningful trials.
• No difference in Yield Prophet forecasts between the two cultivars Mace and Bonnie Rock. This was also expressed in the harvest results, in direct contrast to the very dry, early finishing 2010 season, where Mace out yielded Bonnie Rock in all treatments.

The main risks for this year are:

• high fertiliser inputs,
• price risk,
• mice risk,
• nitrogen fertiliser risk,
• frost risk, and 
• rainfall risk.

There was no evidence that the use of strobilurin fungicides lowered grain protein relative to untreated crops, despite yield increases of over 30%, contradicting European work where strobilurin application lowered grain protein through yield dilution. In this study strobilurin treatment was associated with either no effect or higher grain protein levels relative to untreated crops fertilised with the same amount of nitrogen. However, there was a slight trend to suggest that strobilurin treated crops utilised higher N rates better than untreated crops since where there was a margin advantage to nitrogen application it tended to be greater with the strobilurin treatments.

• Yields and protein were generally low across the trial.
• Addition of granular starter had a significant effect on yield vs the untreated for all treatments except treatments 2 and 5.

• Summer weed control is proven to increase yield, but is becoming a major cost and some summer weeds are difficult to control.
• Cost savings of 20-90% were achieved across 20 paddocks using the WEEDit™.
• Amajor benefit of using spot spraying technology was the ability to use high rates of chemical targeted onhard-to-kill weeds such as Stinkweed.

• Cereal stubble contributes only a small percentage of the nitrogen requirement for a following cereal crop (2 to 11% of N from 2014 wheat stubble was taken up by 2015 and 2016 crops).
• Urea fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency of the 2014 wheat crop was 35%.
• The 2015 drought reduced the influence of stubble management treatments on nitrogen cycling, yield and carry over effects on microbial activity.

Prevention of bacterial blight (BB):

• In frost prone areas, sow field pea varieties that have some resistance against BB
• Use seed that was harvested from a crop that was free of BB
• Do not apply herbicides to the crop if there is a risk of frost as this can increase the
• risk of BB

If bacterial blight infects a crop:

• Do not drive over the paddock as bacteria will spread on wheels of vehicle
• Harvest the infected pea crop after uninfected crops, to prevent spread of bacteria
• through the harvester to other pea seed
• Do not spread stubble or hay from the infected crop to other paddocks as bacteria
• will survive in the stubble
• Do not keep pea seed for next years’ crop
• No sprays or seed dressings can control BB effectively

• In 1999, provided we can avoid the problems experience in 1998 with the late sowing and harvesting, Pivot will be looking to contribute to development of the Decision Support System for nitrogen in high rainfall cropping, as proposed by the recent Southern Farming System research forum. 
• For site-specific results, please see the attached trial report.

• Varieties responded similarly in yield and all quality parameters to applied N. Variety choice played a more important role on overall yield and quality than N management.
• Averaged across all N treatments Fathom yielded highest at 3.30t/ha, and late maturing variety Wimmera the lowest at 2.47t/ha.
• No applied N, yielded 2.88t/ha, while 40kgN, applied at GS30, yielded 3.12 t/ha.
• Using the Greenseeker, improved agronomic N efficiency by more than 50% over all other N treatments.

• Higher grain yields were achieved in all varieties from early sowing in 2011.
• Buloke and Commander were not yield responsive to nitrogen despite early biomass responses at both sowing dates.
• Hindmarsh was more responsive to nitrogen than Buloke and Commander, showing an average 0.6 t/ha response to nitrogen across both sowing dates.
• Grain protein exceeded 12% with delayed sowing, while the strategic approach to applied N achieved protein levels less than 12% at earlier sowing in Buloke and Commander.

• In the 2012 season, barley variety and nitrogen rate had a greater impact on yield and grain quality than plant population
• There was no significant increase in grain yield from increasing the N rate beyond a 5t/ha yield potential in this season. Any additional applications did not increase the yield enough to justify the cost of the fertiliser.
• All varieties displayed significant positive responses to the increasing rates of N
• The 62 kg N/ha rate (for 5t/ha crop) gave us the maximum grain yield return.
• Optimum plant populations for grain yield were 200plants/m2. In 2012 although increasing plant densities tended to reduce grain quality but they still made malting quality.

• Varietal differences in disease ratings will be reflected in the level of response achieved to a fungicide application.
• Even with a dry spring, inclusion of a fungicide in the program improved the effectiveness of a nitrogen application.

• Varietal differences in disease ratings will be reflected in the level of response achieved to a fungicide application.
• Even with a dry spring, inclusion of a fungicide in the program improved the effectiveness of a nitrogen application. 

While the idea of early timings for improved tillering and survival of the key primary tillers was not necessarily any worse or better
than standard timings in 2016, when applying this practice into a large farming system the cost of doing two nitrogen applications
does need to be taken into account.

• Earlier times of sowing for barley in the HRZ can have many advantages, but should be carefully weighed up in terms of added costs involved with an earlier time of sowing
• Westminster was once again a standout variety across all sowing dates, performing well in both April sown and May sown conditions
• The use of PGRs can significantly reduce the height of early sown crops, and significantly improve yields across all varieties

Gairdner barley gave significant yield responses to applied nitrogen of 1t/ha at 50kg/ha N and 1.27t/ha at 100kg/ha N applied.

For results and discussion please see the attached trial report.

The unusually dry and hot seasonal conditions in October impacted on both the development of barley disease and the final barley yields. Both Impact In furrow ® and Bumper ® appeared to provide varying degrees of visual control of the barley disease scald. The yield of the barley variety Gairdner appeared to react to disease pressure more than Baudin, with the most likely reason being the longer growing season of Gairdner and the date of sowing of the two varieties. Nufarm's Fungicide systems program will continue to analyze the affect of different fungicides on wheat and barley varieties to determine the most strategic fungicide regime.

• In 1997 it was not safe to use the knockdown Gramozone at the half leaf stage on wheat or barley (this has been a relatively safe practice in previous years).
• The crop did not recover from the spray due to the dry conditions.

In 2019, herbicides ensured that barley grass density was low throughout the trial.

In spite of good crontrol in 2019, there was high barley grass density in 2020, potentailly from the 2019 seed production and dormant seed bank.

The 2020 use of Intercept® herbicide reduced barley grass across the whole trial, with higher crop yield following Intercept® at 500 mL/ha compared to 375mL/ha.

In 2019, herbicides ensured that barley grass density was low throughout the trial.

In spite of good crontrol in 2019, there was high barley grass density in 2020, potentailly from the 2019 seed production and dormant seed bank.

The 2020 use of Intercept® herbicide reduced barley grass across the whole trial, with higher crop yield following Intercept® at 500 mL/ha compared to 375mL/ha.

There were no differences in grass weed numbers in paddock N7/8 between cereal crop treatments imposed of Sakura, East West and North South sowing, cross sowing and ‘15 cm nudge’.

• Weed seeds were found in narrow windrows and chaff dumps, ryegrass was more prevalent than barley grass which is more prone to shedding seed early.
• Burning reduced the viable ryegrass and self-sown cereal seed density by 85%, reducing the overall weed seed bank, but results for barley grass were lower at 38%.
• Conditions (i.e. temperature and humidity) and timing of burn were shown to strongly influence the effectivenessof this cultural management tactic.
• Burning windrows resulted in fewer weed seeds returning to the weed seed bank.
• There is a cost associated with windrow harvesting due to lower harvesting height requiring reducing the harvest speed with larger throughput of straw.
• A better understanding of burning and the weather conditions needed to sterilise barley grass seed is needed.

• Growth regulators had no effect on reducing crop lodging, since crop lodging was not evident due to seasonal conditions and low soil nitrogen levels.
• Some growth regulators had an effect on reducing plant height.
• Growth regulators had no effect on barley yield or grain quality.

The control, and both Cycocel ®treatments produced very similar results, and there appears to be no major difference between any of these treatments. The Terpal ® treatment had a slightly lower yield, lower retention and much higher screenings than the control and Cycocel ® treatments, however this may be due to disease hotspots in these treatments. I believe the use of growth regulators in barley still requires more work to confirm product selection, rates and timings for Australian conditions.

• In the wet winter of 2016, a single irrigation of a barley crop increased grain yield and grain quality but resulted in reduced water productivity.
• The 50 kg/ha seeding rate improved grain quality and reduced lodging compared with the 80 kg/ha seeding rate with no negative impact on grain yield.
• The waterlogged treatment (ponded for 48 hours) used an additional 0.41 ML/ha or 55% more water in one irrigation than the treatment that was ponded for only five hours.

• Barley requires the same amount of nitrogen input as wheat to yield near its potential.
• 80-92 kg/ha Nitrogen (N) is required to maximise yield.
• Barley responds strongly to extra N when fungicide is used to control disease.
• A preliminary program for growing barley is ready for farmers. Anyone interested should contact John Sykes.

• Barley responded to inputs of nitrogen, buy responded to variably to fungicide.
• 20- 40 kg N was reqired to maximise yield.
• Where there was an N response, fungicide also gave an additional response.

• Barley responded to inputs of nitrogen (N), and fungicide in 2006 and 2007.
• 20- 40 kg N was reqired to maximise yield.
• Fungicide response was independent of N application.

• Barely responded to inputs of nitrogen and fungicide during 2008.
• 50 kg of seed was the optimum sowing rate.
• 40 kg/ha of nitrogen was required to maximise yield.
• Fungicide response was independent of nitrogen application.

• There was no yield benefit to late irrigation past the soft dough stage
• Reducing the irrigation rate from 90% of pan evaporation to 68% oof pan evaporation did not significantly reduce yield. 

• When the maximum rate of nitrogen (N) was applied, La Trobe achieved malt grade and the greatest profitability.
• Fathom was the most N efficient variety, converting the most supplied nitrogen to grain, whereas Compass and Commander were the least responsive.
• The highest rate of N (120kg N/ha) was the most profitable for all varieties in a Decile 10 growing season

For a full list of take home messages please see the attached trial report.

• Row spacing was found to be a signifcant factor in crop yield and development.
• The nitrogen timing had a signifiant effect on the quality of parameters of grain, however did not affect the yield outcome of the trial. 
• There were significant differences observed between five barley varieties used in this trial. 

Leaf rust, net blotch and barley scald were evident in the trial. The average yield response as a result of spraying with a fungicide was 900 kg/ha. Controlling leaf disease with the use of a fungicide significantly increased grain retention, reduced screenings and increased test weights. There was no significant effect on grain protein.

• The trial yielded an average of 6.1t/ha for the 2011 season. A late time of sowing and saturated soil profile that led to waterlogging effects may partly explain the lower than expected yield based on water use efficiency values.
• The highest yielding variety were the feed cultivars with Oxford topping performance at 6.96t/ha.
• Spring rainfall (September-November) was considerably lower in 2011 at 135.2mm compared with the long-term aerage for Dunkeld of 196.9mm. This shortfall will partly expalin the reduction in yields across all varieties at this site compared with the Inverleigh and Lake Bolac.

• Applying Insecticide Seed Treatments to the Wheat variety Brennan showed a significant increase in yield compared to the untreated control in 2011.
• There was a yield response to using Cruiser Opti however was not significantly different to other insecticide seed treatments in 2011
• The use of Ambush did show a yield response but was not significantly different from other seed applied Insecticide. Treatments and would not be economical or practical for commercial farming operations.
• Aphid and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus Management Starts from Day Zero.

While aphids were observed on early sown oat crops in the Hamilton district during April and early May, they did not appear to breed up and cause problems by spreading BYDV through later sown crops. BYDV was not reported as a major problem in the western
districts in 2003 and the symptoms of the disease were not observed in the trial at Hamilton. While there was a slight increase in yield where insecticide was applied on the plots it did not relate to a significant difference between any of the insecticidal treatments. The only significant differences were between the two varieties.

This trial has run for two years with no significant responses obtained, due to extremely low aphid numbers early in the season. It is hoped to continue this trial this coming season.

• Water use can be estimated easily with the (IrriSAT 2017) app.
• First flower, cut out and defoliation can be predicted.
• Cotton water productivity could be up to six bales per hectare below its potential.

• The Minnipa self replacing merino flock is being included in the national “Sheep Genetics” database with the aim to provide Eyre Peninsula sheep producers with a benchmark to judge their flock performance at a national level.

• The treatment plots with low or no potassium were observed to have less vigour (visual assessment) and plant density from emergence.
• High potassium treatments had lower screenings and higher yields independent of the rate of nitrogen applied.

 

• The Mooneys Gap phalaris site has shown that productive perennial grass and sub clover pastures can double the carrying capacity of a paddock when compared to a rundown annual pasture. The Mooneys Gap phalaris pasture has had an average increase in carrying capacity of 157% compared to the control annual pasture over the three years of the trial.
• The introduction of deep rooted perennial pastures has environmental as well as production benefits. Perennial pastures are more efficient users of water as they are able to access available moisture at deeper levels and for longer periods than annuals and therefore assist in lowering water recharge reducing the risk of salinity. Perennials slow the soil acidification rate by the increasing nitrogen uptake thereby reducing nitrate leaching. Well managed phalaris pastures maintain a level of ground cover well in excess of annual grass based pastures reducing the risk of wind and surface water erosion. The Mooneys Gap phalaris site clearly demonstrates the enhanced environmental outcomes that come with well managed perennial pastures.
• Soil testing is important to test for nutrient deficiencies and pH prior to phalaris establishment. Adequate lime and fertiliser should be applied to address deficiencies prior to establishment. Particular attention must be paid to ensuring that aluminium levels are suitable for phalaris production prior to sowing.
• Weed control is of critical importance before and during the establishment phase of phalaris pastures. Periodic annual weed control measures enhance the production of phalaris based pastures after establishment.
• A suitable fertiliser regime needs to be implemented to replace nutrients removed by the enhanced production of the phalaris based pasture.
• Rotational grazing increases the persistence of the phalaris pasture.
• The addition of phalaris pastures extends the period of available green feed when compared to an annual grass system.
• The recent availability of the Holdfast GT Phalaris variety is an important addition to the perennial grasses that can be established in the region.
• The claims that Holdfast GT will persist as well as Australian phalaris have not been tested due to the time required to obtain results from a new variety.
• PPS will continue to test the persistence of Holdfast GT in the PDS trials as well as other pastures in the project.

• The average yield response to TM21 for the three replications was 26%.
• Yield response from N application also recorded a significant yield increase between 7.5% and 35% but the cost benefit was significantly more for the TM21.
• The highest rate of N without TM21 gave a lower yield response than the TM21 without N. The above graph shows the comparative return from the treatments of urea and TM21. It should be noted that this paddock has a very soft history having only grown oats as a crop prior to this year’s wheat. It has rarely been treated with fungicides or harsh chemicals.
• Worm activity was obvious throughout the trial area with higher worm counts in the treated areas.

The 2007 growing season was extremely dry and proved extremely difficult for trials.

The trial was dogged by non-wetting and kangaroo grazing problems and so the bioassay of the residual effect of the original source of P treatments was poor..

Recoveries of applied phosphorus in the surface layers was poorest for the water soluble, plant available source superphosphate which had large leaching losses below 50 cm.  the less immediately available but citrate soluble source retained more P in the surface layers while the very insoluble C ore source produced poor growth but had only very low P leaching to depth.  The compromise in choice of source, between plant availability and leaching into the ground water and subsequently the waterways, is  well illustrated by this trial

As a rule, soil fertility factors (non-wetting, organic carbon, CEC, soil organic nitrogen, acidification etc were all more affected by length of pasture ley than by pasture composition and cumulated production.  Cross plot transfer of surface soil may well have affected this finding..

For the current information please contact Nimesha Fernando - 0434871969

Table 1 shows there was no benefit in applying black urea at 75kg/ha or white urea at 75 or 100kg/ha over the control.

• The risk of blackspot is influenced by many factors of which seasonal conditions play a significant role in disease outbreak as was observed in this trial.
• Fungicide use to control blackspot is one of the strategies to minimise the disease.
• Although there was no effect of fungicide treatment on yield, previous trials have shown that crops sown into high blackspot risk and with a high yield potential can benefit from a fungicide strategy of P-Pickel T seed dressing combined with a mancozeb spray at 9 nodes growth stage followed by a second spray at early flowering.

In 2008, the optimal strategy for yield was the spilt application treatment of 40kgN/ha (urea) at GS33 and 40kgN/ha (urea) at GS39, which yielded 5.96t/ha. However, the optimal strategy for profitability was the single application treatment of 40kgN/ha (urea) at GS33, which returned a profit on investment of 15% or $10.76/ha. Therefore, it is questionable whether it was worth applying any nitrogen at all in this particular case, as the profit is marginal compared addition risk and outlay. Growers should be aiming for at least a 50% profit on investment, if not higher. As a result, the untreated nitrogen strategy appears the most rational decision given the 2008 scenario.

• Application of nitrogen based fertilisers will increase both feed quality and quantity.
• There is limited evidence of any nitrate leaching occurring.
• Encouraging responses from the slow release forms of Nitrogen – if a commercially form becomes available it may be worth considering – depending on price.
• Most economical responses come from urea @25 and 50 kgN/ha.

• Boron (B) efficiency of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and mustard (B. juncea) genotypes was determined on a low B soil at Mt. Compass, South Australia.
• B efficiency was observed in oilseed rape genotypes, Zhongyou 821, Dunkeld and Zheyou 2, and in mustard genotypes Pusa Bold and CSIRO 6.
• Genotypes grown in the field were also grown under glass-house conditions, in pots filled with pre-washed sand extracted from the Mt. Compass field site.
• Two B treatments, one B adequate (0.25 mg B /kg soil) and one B deficient (imposed by omission) were used to indicate whether vegetative response to B could predict final yield response and provide a more convenient selection criterion for identifying B-efficient germplasm .
• Vegetative response of 35 d old (D35) genotypes grown in pot culture closely reflected field response, indicating the expression of B efficiency traits in early growth, and its potential use in selection.

• The level of genotypic variation in tolerance to low boron (B) supply was investigated in solution culture grown, 10 day old (D10) oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) plants, by using a rapid screening technique whereby root length, root elongation rate and total root dry weight were used to indicate plant response to B.
• Root length proved more reliable in determining genotype responses, and was used to characterise a total of 61 genotypes, of which Huashuang 2, Nangchang rape, Huashuang 1 and Zhongyou 821, and to a lesser extent, Zheyou 2, Dunkeld, Xinza 2, Nangjin 2051, 92-58, 92-13, and Awassa 115 exhibited some form of tolerance to low B supply.
• The genotypic rankings based on this early vegetative response corroborated with field based B-efficiency.
• The results demonstrate the expression of the B-efficiency mechanism in the early vegetative stages of plant growth, and establish the value of root length as a selection criterion for B-efficiency in oilseed rape.

• Field pea, vetch, faba bean and lentil had 3-125% higher biomass yield and 51-110% higher grain yield than chickpea and canola at Minnipa, 2018.
• Current high demand and grain prices for faba bean meant they were the most profitable break crop species.
• Low grain yield of canola (0.43 t/ha) and chickpea (0.39 t/ha) resulted in these crop species not being profitable as grain crops.
• Field pea and vetch, in particular, have multiple alternative end-use options in dry seasonal conditions that can be utilised to recover crop input costs.

• Wheat grain yield can be expected to be reduced by around 0.5 t/ha for every tonne of in-crop grass weed dry matter present in spring.
• Wheat following break crops were consistently more profitable than wheat on wheat. This in part reflected the  relatively low wheat grain prices experienced during experimentation, and the high returns for canola, but was also related to the efficacy and costs of ryegrass control.
• Growing pulses for brown manure (Bm) lost money in the year that they were grown, but achieved excellent weed control, provided high inputs of N and a residual carry-over of soil water, and more ground cover than if they had been cut for hay.
• In the presence of a high density of herbicide resistant ryegrass a ‘single break’ was not adequate to reduce weed seedbanks and subsequent in-crop weed competition. ‘Double breaks’ (two broad leaf break crops, or break crop - cereal hay sequence) reduced ryegrass seedbank numbers to manageable levels and were amongst the most profitable sequences.
• Break crop choice and selection should be based on individual farm management and ability to manage the various break crops options in the rotation. If growers remain flexible in break crop and end-use decisions, and make suitable choices, risks associated with producing them can be greatly reduced.
• A cropping program that includes break crops is likely to be more sustainable in terms of N inputs and risk of build-up of root diseases than continuous wheat, and provided cheaper, more effective strategies for controlling herbicide resistant grass weeds.

• Field pea had higher biomass and grain yield production than other break crop species at Minnipa, although @RISK analysis suggests field pea is only profitable as a grain crop in 41% of years.
• @RISK analysis model outcomes indicate chickpea, vetch hay and lentil are lower risk break crop species, and are profitable in more than 50% of years.
• Field pea and vetch have multiple alternative end-use options in dry seasonal conditions that can be utilised to recover crop input costs and salvage a financial return.

 

The grain yield of wheat sown after pulses were 300 kg/ha higher on average compared to wheat sown after canola. The yield gap between the canola-wheat rotation and canola-pulse rotation was a result of reduced soil nitrogen levels following harvest of the break crop phase in 2018.

The grain yield of wheat sown after pulses were 300 kg/ha higher on average compared to wheat sown after canola. The yield gap between the canola-wheat rotation and canola-pulse rotation was a result of reduced soil nitrogen levels following harvest of the break crop phase in 2018.

• Crop sequence experimentation undertaken in Central West NSW in 2011 and 2012, has demonstrated that crop sequences which include a brassica or legume break crops can be as profitable as, and in many instances more profitable than, continuous wheat.
• Growing pulses for hay was found to provide high quality feed as good as from cereals but hay from canola was less nutritious. However, canola hay provided an alternative option in cases where a possible crop failure is likely due to adverse weather.
• Growing pulses for hay was found to be profitable across a range of season types, achieves excellent grass weed control and provides greater N inputs and higher carry-over of soil water than when the same crop is grown for grain.

Brassica or legume break crops can be as profitable as wheat. In most cases, the higher the legume dry matter produced, the greater the amount of nitrogen produced. Strategic timing of operations such as hay cutting and brown manuring provide an opportunity for improved weed control.

• The +Zn treatment received 7 kg Zn/ha at sowing plus 2 foliar sprays of 0.33 kg Zn/ha.
• Generally, yield responses to Zn are greater in durum and bread wheat than in barley.
• The most inefficient lines of wheat and barley showed distinctive symptoms of Zn deficiency, such as reduced growth, pale leaves with chlorotic and necrotic lesions along the mid-vein.
• In 1999 a dry spring limited the yield response to Zn to about 0.5 t/ha, whereas, in 1998 yield increases up to 1 t/ha were measured.
• The disparity between the vegetative and the yield responses has tended to be greater in barley than in wheat.
• The wheat cultivars Goldmark and Kukri have low Zn efficiency, whereas the widely adapted, high yielding cultivars Trident, Krichauff and Worrakatta are Zn-efficient.
• Within barley, a number of Japanese breeding lines (eg SBWI-1) are very inefficient, but many current cultivars from SA as well as Arapiles (Vic.) and Stirling (WA) show a high level of efficiency.
• Pot assays for Zn efficiency have been developed and generally show similar rankings to the field tests.
• Wheat double haploid populations derived from the cross between Trident (efficient) and Songlen (inefficient) have been produced to develop molecular markers for Zn efficiency.

Trial conducted to continue evaluation into the use of chemicals to manipulate broad been plant architecture without decreasing yields.
• Unseasonably dry and warm conditions and resulting poor yields were not conducive for conclusive results.
• In three years of trials Ethephon reduced plant height without a significant yield penalty.

• Agronomic or chemical assisted canopy management could have significant benefits to fungicide penetration and efficacy, disease intensity, grain yield and harvestability.
• Four treatments reduced height without a significant yield penalty: Clomazone, Paraquat + Diquat (High), Ethephon (applied 26 Aug) and Ethephon (applied 9 Sept).

The use of Lexone on both barley and wheat was quite safe in 1996, spray conditions were quite good with moist soil and some dew on hte crop, and no heavy rain occurred within a week of appying the herbicie.

• Knockdown treatment of Gramoxone offer good control of Brome grass but must be applied before the 0.5-leaf crop stage to provide sufficient crop safety. RoundUp is also used in some situations but because it is a translocated herbicide it can do significantly more crop damage.
• Lexone offers good in-crop control of Brome grass in both barley and wheat (Lexone is not registered in wheat and only registered for broadleaf control in barley) however the window for application is both small, and critical, for safe and effective use.
• Monza offers suppression of Brome grass (at the 1 to 3 leaf stage) in wheat but has long plantbacks that need to be observed.
• The introduction of Clearfield technology in wheat appears to offer another tool against Brome grass.

• If early sowing, Morava vetch is the best choice for brown manuring, particularly if brown manuring for early weed control is the objective since early desiccation will preclude any persistence of hard-seeded vetch into subsequent crops. Field peas are the preferred option for later (mid May) sowing for either brown manuring or crop topping
• TOS 1 field peas had disease problems in early winter reducing biomass.

• Spader generally produced a positive yield response (grain and biomass) on sandier soils that had previously been clay spread and /delved.
• The inclusion of organic matter prior to spading generally improved the level of response to spading.
• Know your soils that you are spading; (not recommended on shallow red loam soils over clay where there is a sodic A2 horizon)

• Capital value improvement of $61,000 by using the stripper front.
• The cost per rotor hour of the machine increased as the capital cost went up and the number of hours decreased.
• There was a 24% reduction in fuel usage and a 16% reduction in labour costs.
• Harvest was completed on average two to three days faster with a stripper front.

• Capital value improvement of $61,000 by using the stripper front.
• The cost per rotor hour of the machine increased as the capital cost went up and the number of hours decreased.
• There was a 24% reduction in fuel usage and a 16% reduction in labour costs.
• Harvest was completed on average two to three days faster with a stripper front.

• Compared to 2008 map, rezoning based on 2009 yield monitor map improved variable rate technology (VRT) performance in 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons.
• The highest gross margin was returned from paddock N1 as a result of zoning whereby no fertiliser was being applied to 89% of the paddock.
• A limited yield response to applied fertiliser has restricted any gross margin benefit from the VRT technology from this paddock with high soil P reserves.

• Across the trial series at Grass Patch, Ballidu, Merredin and Holt Rock the highest grain yields, oil and gross margins were from the open pollinated variety, so growers should continue to use open pollinated TT varieties in the low rainfall regions, rather than hybrid varieties.
• In the hybrid treatments, there were generally increased yields and oil from the purchased (F1) seed, compared with the retained (F2) seed.  The gross margin was only significantly better at the Grass Patch site, for the 2014 F1 compared with the retained seed. Grading to increase seed size and sowing at a target density of 40 plants/m² improved the yield and gross margins of F2 retained hybrid seed, but at Grass Patch in 2015 using F1 hybrid seed or OP seed provided better results..

• N applications at flowering in 2012 increased grain protein (%) in barley and improved grain quality, but were not economically viable. In the Wimmera, 20kg N/ha/t grain at flowering time increased grain protein by 1% in wheat.
• Applying UAN late (GS65) in wheat did not increase grain protein and resulted in no economic returns.

• Overall yield from May 17 sowing was impressive for this AgZone, at 1.6 t/ha.
• Delayed sowing by 34 days, to June 20, led to 1042 kg/ha less yield – 30 kg/ha/day.
• Short season hybrids could extend the safe sowing window later in this environment.
• Difficulty establishing canola in hot conditions could limit how far the sowing window can be brought forward.
• To take advantage of early autumn rains in this environment larger seeded broadleaf species that can be sown deeper should be tested.

• Yield were impressive; 1.9t/ha from April 26 and 2.2t/ha from May 17.
• Mid-season maturity varieties showed the greatest plasticity in plant development across sowing dates and may be a good option over a wide sowing/establishment period.
• Short season hybrids may enable the sowing window to be extended later with reduced risk.
• Long season varieties yielded poorly from these sowing dates.

• Yields were relatively stable across sowing times ranging from 2.2 to 3.1 t/ha.
• Early and mid-season hybrid varieties out-yielded the open pollinated varieties of the same season length.
• These hybrids combine early flowering, high biomass and in some cases a long flowering period.
• In general varieties had substantial plasticity and growers may be able to use a few varieties across a wide range of emergence dates; this is important if pre-ordering hybrid seed and/or dry sowing.

• Our standard package of 100 kg 18:20/ha at seeding under the seed row (to avoid fertiliser toxicity),  and two top-ups of nitrogen during the season (50 kg N/ha as broadcast urea each time) was not the right combination for wheat at our site last year. It would appear that we were far too generous with our N inputs because we could leave out all fertiliser N and not suffer any yield loss. However, some N would appear to have been necessary to maintain high protein levels.
• In addition, our standard package of one trial spray in September did not cope with the stripe rust  infection in such a susceptible crop as Wyalkatchem. A Jockey seed dressing helped but another foliar spray of Tilt at flag leaf emergence gave the best control of the options tested.
  • This trial showed that under the high productivity conditions of Kangaroo Island, P fertiliser is still a vital requirement, even if the soil has high P reserves.
  • There was no evidence that extra management options provided any further benefits to wheat performance (ie extra seed dressings, an early aphid spray, B or K fertiliser or use of a growth regulant) under the conditions of last year’s trial.
  • All yields fell far short of the French/Schultz potential yield of 8.4 t/ha (based on the growing season rainfall in 2005 of 532 mm) which suggests that we still have a lot to learn about growing wheat under Kangaroo Island conditions, although the delayed seeding date of 28 June would have contributed to the relatively low yields.

• Reducing P inputs has a risk attached to it, but excessive use of P fertiliser is also a risk to profit making.
• After several seasons with high crop yields, reduced P inputs are not maintaining soil P fertility.
• Monitoring soil P fertility can be a cost-effective method to manage the risk associated with reduced P inputs.

• Improved knowledge of how canola varieties develop in differing regions and the drivers behind development will assist growers in choosing the correct variety for a particular sowing opportunity.
• The development of site specific optimal flowering windows, where the balance between plant growth and frost and heat risks are accounted for, will allow growers and advisors to match canola variety selection with sowing opportunities.
• Nitrogen is an important driver of canola yields in above average seasons. Low risk techniques to ensure adequate nitrogen supply are critical to capitalise on above average rainfall in the low rainfall zone.

• An early break that allows canola to be sown in April is the best option for farmers to grow canola in the rotation in low rainfall areas. Use it as an opportunity crop rather than trying to grow it each year. Mustard is an earlier flowering option and when canola quality mustard is available it may be able to be included more frequently than canola is now.
• Conventional canola cultivars, triazine tolerant cultivars and Clearfield canola are all suitable for low rainfall areas, but the conventional cultivars have the highest yield & oil content. The other cultivars have weed control advantages.

• In the Upper North it will be rare that there are stubble loads high enough (7-10t/ha stubble residue) to cause a significant issue at seeding to reduce seeding efficiency.
• The stubble loads experienced in the Upper North will on average be able to be sown through and produce effective canola establishment without burning or cultivation.
• Undertaking burning or cultivation was shown in this demonstration to have a negative impact on canola plant establishment if undertaken unnecessarily (barley stubble residue ~5t/ha).

• Tissue test results from all sites showed no trace element deficiencies and nitrogen levels were all adequate however 1% higher on plots receiving 80 kg of nitrogen. There was no significant differences in yield in response to zinc or sulphur rates across all sites. 
• For further results please see the attached trial report.

• Plant breeders have done a good job in reducing the lodging tendency of canola varieties. AIR Grace is a particularly good standing variety.
• Unless you are dealing with very high nitrogen soils and the growing season is particularly favourable, growth regulators should not be required in canola.
• Chlormequat had no effect on reducing plant height.
• Chlormequat appeared to have no adverse effect on grain yield and grain quality. 

The grain yield of TT Tornado canola was not significantly affected by nitrogen form (urea or SOA) or timing (IBS to green bud).