Researcher(s) |
Simon Craig (Farming Systems Group) Nicole Dimos (SPAA) De-Anne Ferrier (BCG) Harm van Rees (CropFacts) |
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Year(s) | 2011 |
Contributor | Society of Precision Agriculture Australia |
Trial location(s) |
Birchip, VIC
Birchip, VIC |
To demonstrate the production risks associated with sowing different length maturity wheat varieties at different times.
As the climate is changing to warmer conditions and the atmosphere contains more CO2 (also called CO2 fertilisation), crops grow more quickly and mature earlier. It is important to be aware of these effects on crops so that the risk of frost or heat shock reducing crop yield can be better managed. Even though the climate is warming, it is not clear whether the occurrences of frosts are reducing. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence that frost severity and frequency are not changing, which could be because there is reduced moisture in the atmosphere. If this is the case, it will have implications for sowing time and variety choice. Through the use of PA and VR, growers are able to sow different varieties on more frost prone areas. Without this technology, growers would either need to sow different zones separately, reducing efficiencies, or treat the paddock as a whole, which may see reduce yields and risk in various zones. To demonstrate the advantages of this strategy, over the past two seasons, BCG and SPAA have undertaken paddock scale trials. Two demonstrations were undertaken to compare two varieties of different maturity at two different sowing times.
Lead research organisation |
Society of Precision Agriculture Australia |
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Host research organisation | N/A |
Trial funding source | GRDC SPA000010 |
Related program | N/A |
Acknowledgments |
This project was funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and run in conjunction with Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) |
Other trial partners | David Smith and Neil Luehman (site hosts) |
Crop type | Cereal (Grain): Wheat |
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Treatment type(s) |
|
Trial type | Precision agriculture |
Trial design | Not applicable |
Sow rate or Target density | Not specified |
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Sow date | Not specified |
Harvest date | Not specified |
Plot size | Not specified |
Plot replication | Not specified |
Sow rate or Target density | 130 plants/m2 |
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Sow date | 2 May 2011 2 May and 2 June 2011 |
Harvest date | Not specified |
Plot size | Not specified |
Plot replication | Not specified |
# | Variety |
Treatment 1
|
Grain yield (t/ha) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | █ Yitpi | █ Simulated at sowing | 4.5 |
2 | █ Axe | █ Simulated at sowing | 2.8 |
3 | █ Yitpi | █ Simulated post flowering | 3.8 |
4 | █ Axe | █ Simulated post flowering | 2.7 |
5 | █ Yitpi | █ Actual harvest | 3 |
6 | █ Axe | █ Actual harvest | 3.1 |
# | Variety |
Treatment 1
|
Grain yield (t/ha) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | █ Yitpi | █ Simulated at sowing | 4 |
2 | █ Axe | █ Simulated at sowing | 3 |
3 | █ Yitpi | █ Simulated post flowering | 3.9 |
4 | █ Axe | █ Simulated post flowering | 2.9 |
5 | █ Yitpi | █ Actual harvest | 3.4 |
6 | █ Axe | █ Actual harvest | 3.4 |
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.