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Is stubble worth the trouble? Crop stubble threshold for maximised moisture conservation

2012

Research organisation
Funding source
Birchip Cropping Group
<abbr title='Mallee Catchment Management Authority'>Mallee CMA</abbr>

Trial details

Researcher(s) Tim McClelland (BCG)
Dannielle McMillan (BCG)
Year(s) 2012
Contributor Birchip Cropping Group
Trial location(s) Jil JIl, VIC
Is stubble worth the trouble? Crop stubble threshold for maximised moisture conservation locations
Aims

To determine whether maintaining stubble cover in low rainfall environments increases summer moisture conservation, and, to establish the minimum stubble quantity or threshold necessary to ensure maximum moisture conservation over the summer.

Key messages

Crop stubbles provide a valuable feed source for stock over the summer period. The results from this trial indicate that grazing stubbles does not reduce either the amount of soil water stored during the summer fallow period or subsequent crop yield. In low rainfall environments, it is rarely possible to grow sufficient stubble to improve summer fallow efficiency by reducing evaporation (>5t/ha): growers should make use of this valuable feed source. Growers should maintain at least 70 per cent stubble cover (about 2t/ha of cereal stubble) to minimise the risk of wind erosion.

Lead research organisation N/A
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source Mallee CMA
Related program N/A
Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the Mallee CMA.
Other trial partners Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop type Forage: Oats
Treatment type(s)
  • Stubble : Management
Trial type Experimental
Trial design Replicated

Jil JIl 2012

Sow date 9 May 2012
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication 4
Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information

Download results

Trial results Table 1

@T1: Initial @T2: Final
# Treatment 1
Treatment 2
Difference in volumetric water content (mm) Anthesis biomass (t/ha) Protein (%) Grain yield (t/ha) Soil moisture (mm) Volumetric water content (mm) Volumetric water content (mm)
1 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 0-10cm 7 5 13
1 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 20-30cm 3 18 21
1 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 20-30cm 11 18 29
2 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 30-40cm 9 17 26
2 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 40-50cm 9 17 26
2 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 50-60cm 6 14 20
3 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 60-70cm 5 21 26
3 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 70-80cm 5 24 29
3 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 80-90cm 6 22 28
4 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 90-100cm 2 25 27
4 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 0-10cm 5 7 11
4 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 20-30cm -3 22 19
5 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 20-30cm 6 19 25
5 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 30-40cm 9 16 25
5 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 40-50cm 10 18 28
6 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 50-60cm 6 15 22
6 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 60-70cm 4 24 27
6 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 70-80cm 6 25 31
7 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 80-90cm 4 23 27
7 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 90-100cm 1 24 26
7 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 0-10cm 6 5 11
8 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 20-30cm 1 18 20
8 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 20-30cm 8 18 25
8 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 30-40cm 8 16 24
9 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 40-50cm 10 18 28
9 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 50-60cm 8 15 23
9 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 60-70cm 11 19 30
10 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 70-80cm 7 22 28
10 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 80-90cm 5 23 28
10 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 90-100cm 3 26 29
11 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 0-10cm 6 6 13
11 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 20-30cm 1 19 20
11 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 20-30cm 5 18 24
12 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 30-40cm 7 17 24
12 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 40-50cm 10 19 29
12 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 50-60cm 7 15 22
13 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 60-70cm 8 22 29
13 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 70-80cm 7 21 29
13 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 80-90cm 4 21 25
14 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 90-100cm 3 24 27
14 █ Nil stubble (0% cover) █ 4 9.3 2.7 62
14 █ 1t/ha stubble (50% cover) █ 3.7 8.6 3 47
15 █ 2t/ha stubble (75% cover) █ 3.1 8.5 2.4 67
15 █ 4t/ha stubble (ungrazed 100% cover) █ 4.2 8 2.7 59
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Grain yield t/ha

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Anthesis biomass t/ha

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Difference in volumetric water content mm

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Protein %

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Soil moisture mm

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Volumetric water content mm

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Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Jil JIl, VIC Sandy loam
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Jil JIl, VIC Calcarosol
Soil Moisture Source: BOM/ANU
Average amount of water stored in the soil profile during the year, estimated by the OzWALD model-data fusion system.
Year Jil JIl VIC
2012
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Climate

Jil JIl VIC 2012

Observed climate information

Rainfall trial gsr (mm) 134.5mm

Derived climate information

Jil JIl VIC

NOTE: Exact trial site locality unknown - Climate data may not be accurate
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Some data on this site is sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology

SILO weather estimates sourced from https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/
Jeffrey, S.J., Carter, J.O., Moodie, K.B. and Beswick, A.R. (2001). Using spatial interpolation to construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data , Environmental Modelling and Software, Vol 16/4, pp 309-330. DOI: 10.1016/S1364-8152(01)00008-1.

Trial report and links

2012 trial report