Deep ripping and nitrogen availability - a paddock diagnostic strip approach

2015
CC BY 4.0

Research organisaton
Funding source

Trial details

Researcher(s) Bill Bowden (WMG)
Chris Wilkins (WMG)
Year(s) 2015
Contributor West Midlands Group
Trial location(s) Dandaragan, WA
Deep ripping and nitrogen availability - a paddock diagnostic strip approach locations
Aims

To motivate growers to carry out direct problem diagnostics in their crops using:

  • nutrient and deep cultivation strips in crops, to compare with standard management;
  • follow-up work to find out why they have observable crop growth variations in a paddock

To develop a protocol for setting up strip tests and interpretation procedures for growers with different levels of commitment and time and to answer the 'why is it so?' quesitons.

Key messages

Deep cultivation strips on growers’ properties did not show much in the way of early responses and so did not excite much grower interest as a direct diagnostic of the hardpan conditions in their paddocks. However, at responsive sites, there was a lot of grower interest to the level where it might be worth funding another year of this direct diagnostic approach in the hope that early season conditions are conducive to major nitrogen growth responses.

Lead research organisation N/A
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source GRDC
Related program Regional Cropping Solutions Network
Acknowledgments

Thanks to GRDC for funding the project, Charles Roberts for use of the land and to Caz Abbey for technical assistance and dangerous videotaping.


Other trial partners Paper reviewed by Steve Davies
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop type Cereal (Grain): Wheat
Treatment type(s)
  • Soil Preparation: Tillage
Trial type Experimental
Trial design Blocked

Dandaragan 2015

Sow rate or Target density 100kg/ha Mace wheat
Sowing machinery

Ripped with the DAFWA Merredin ripper to 35 cm with modified box boots.

The trial was sown by the farmer as a bulk wheat crop across the ripped treatments.

Sow date 25 May 2015
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size 10m x 3m
Plot replication 4
Fertiliser

80 kg/ha of MAXamRITE and 50 litres/ha of MAXamFLO applied at seeding. 100kg NKS applied in late June.

Treatments:

The 4/5 WAS N treatments were applied at 110 kg urea/ha on 1 July and the 8/9 WAS N treatments were applied at 110 kg urea/ha on 29 July.

Herbicide

Pre-seeding: 0.4L 2,4-D ester 680 + 1.8L Roundup 570 (80L water rate).

Seeding (25 May): 2L trifluralin 480 + 1L Sprayseed + 300mL chlorpyrifos (80L water rate).

Post-seeding: 0.8L 2,4-D ester 680 + 10g Logran + 50g Lontrel + 300mL Tebuconazole + Alpha Cyper 125mL Wetter 1000 0.2% (100L water rate).

 

Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information

Download results

Trial results Table 1

@T1: (10-07-2015) @T2: (29-07-2015) @T3: (11-08-2015) @T4: (08-09-2015) @T5: (09-11-2015)
# Treatment 1
1000 grain weight (g) Harvest index (value) Screenings (%) Plant density (plants/m2) Biomass (t/ha) Biomass (t/ha) Biomass (t/ha) Biomass (t/ha)
1 Ripped 31 0.41 17 150 0.7 1.2 3.3 4.9
1 Not ripped 31 0.39 23 85 0.4 0.8 2.4 3.3
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2

1000 grain weight g


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Biomass t/ha


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Harvest index value


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Plant density plants/m2


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Screenings %


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Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Dandaragan, WA Red loamy sand
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Dandaragan, WA Tenosol
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 Dandaragan WA
2015 112.0mm
2014 102.7mm
2013 139.2mm
2012 161.2mm
2011 108.2mm
2010 107.4mm
2009 149.1mm
2008 142.7mm
2007 104.4mm
2006 131.2mm
2005 149.5mm
2004 140.0mm
2003 143.4mm
2002 122.8mm
2001 133.1mm
2000 175.5mm
National soil grid Source: CSIRO/TERN
NOTE: National Soil Grid data is aggregated information for background information on the wider area
Actual soil values can vary significantly in a small area and the trial soil tests are the most relevant data where available

Soil properties

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Climate

Derived climate information

No observed climate data available for this trial.
Derived climate data is determined from trial site location and national weather sources.

Dandaragan WA

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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

2015 trial report

2015 trial report

2015 trial report



Trial last modified: 23-07-2019 11:53am AEST