To investigate proactive non-herbicide management strategies for reducing ryegrass seed set and so 'run down' the seed bank.
Key messages
Early sowing of barley may be an effective way of controlling ryegrass growth and limiting seed set.
Results in wheat are more variable than for barley: at Wanilla, mid-May seemed the optimal time of sowing to reduce ryegrass with less effect obvious at Yeelanna.
Higher seeding rates also followed the same trend, with little ryegrass suppression benefit seen in wheat but a benefit evident in barley.
Increasing seeding rate did not improve wheat yields significantly however barley (Fleet) did seem to benefit from higher seeding rates when sown late (mid-June).
Lead research organisation
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Host research organisation
N/A
Trial funding source
GRDC LEA00002
Related program
Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble
Acknowledgments
Thankyou to the Puckridge family for hosting the site
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.
