Sowing strategies to improve productivity on sandy mallee soils

2015

Research organisatons
Funding sources

Trial details

Researcher(s) Bill Davoren (CSIRO)
Vadakattu Gupta (CSIRO)
Stasia Kroker (CSIRO)
Rick Llewellyn (CSIRO)
Therese McBeath (CSIRO)
Year(s) 2015
Contributor Mallee Sustainable Farming Inc.
Trial location(s) Karoonda, SA
Related trials
Sowing strategies to improve productivity on sandy mallee soils locations
Aims

Trials in the Mallee have highlighted the benefits of strong early crop establishment and nutrition, particularly on sands. Non-wetting (or water repellent) sands have presented additional challenges. Global Positional System (GPS) guided seeding is increasingly common and presents the opportunity for strategic placement of seed in relation to last season’s crop rows. Trials have been established at Karoonda and Loxton to examine when and where on-row (or near-on-row) seeding may have benefits over inter-row seeding in stubble-retained systems.

Key messages
  • In a non-wetting sand, sowing on-row allowed seedlings to germinate in a wetter soil, with increased competitiveness against weed and disease pressures resulting in significant advantages in crop establishment and biomass production.
  • Sowing on-row in sands or loam that did not express non-wetting did not capture the same level of benefits.
  • Sowing crops on or very near last year’s crop row greatly suppressed grass weed populations and reduced brome grass seed set by over 70% compared to inter-row seeding.
  • Early sowing in the last week of April instead of the third week of May helped to overcome the dry spring conditions and resulted in yield benefits of 28% at Loxton and up to 13% at Karoonda.
  • When sowing crops on last year’s row, the potential for higher stubble borne pathogen (Take-All and Fusarium) inoculum and a greater likelihood of N tie-up after opening rains needs to be considered. However, impacts on rhizoctonia disease depend upon inherent biological fertility of soil.
Lead research organisation Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source GRDC MSF00003
Trial funding source CSIRO
Related program Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble
Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Loller family and to Bulla Burra for their generous support in hosting the trials. Thanks to Robin Schaeffer, Matthew Whitney, Michael Moodie, Jeff Braun and Lou Flohr for discussions around trial design. Funding for this work was from the Stubble Retention initiative (Project MSF00003) and Agriculture, CSIRO.


Other trial partners Mallee Sustainable Farming
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop type Cereal (Grain): Wheat
Treatment type(s)
  • Sowing: Method
  • Sowing: Timing
Trial type Experimental
Trial design Replicated

Karoonda 2015

Sow date 27 April 2015
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified
Fertiliser

All plots received a pre-sowing application of 33 kg/ha of potassium sulfate to eliminate K and S deficiency as confounding issues and were sown into cereal stubble with DAP @ 50 kg/ha and Urea @ 24 kg/ha (20 kg N/ha, 10 kg P/ha). A trace element spray of Zn, Mn and Cu was also applied at early tillering.

Herbicide

Plots were sprayed with or without trifluralin @ 1.5 L/ha applied immediately prior to sowing

Other trial notes

In 2015 plots were sown at Karoonda and Loxton with wheat cv. Mace both on-row or inter-row at two sowing dates (April and May). At Karoonda the emphasis was on the effect of the sowing treatment on weed populations and crop performance on two contrasting soil types (a dune sand and a heavier clay loam swale). At Loxton the emphasis was on testing the effect of pre-emergent herbicide (trifluralin) on the response of crops to the position of the seed row in a sand.

Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information

Download results

Trial results Table 1

@T1: GS31 @T2: GS65
# Treatment 1
Establishment plants (plants/m2) Grain yield (t/ha) Protein (%) Biomass (t/ha) Biomass (t/ha)
1 Dune 44 0.85 9.69 0.37 1.87
1 Dune inter-row 20 0.68 10.08 0.22 1.01
1 Dune on-row 69 1 9.31 0.51 2.73
2 Dune April sow 60 0.93 9.39 0.59 1.95
2 Dune May sow 29 0.76 10 0.15 1.8
2 Swale 129 2.13 9.74 1.13 5.33
3 Swale inter-row 121 2.08 9.84 1.15 5.7
3 Swale on-row 137 2.18 9.65 1.1 4.96
3 Swale April sow 127 2.26 9.16 1.44 4.15
4 Swale may sow 130 2 10.32 0.81 6.5
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Grain yield t/ha


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Biomass t/ha


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Establishment plants plants/m2


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Protein %


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Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Karoonda, SA Not specified
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Karoonda, SA 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 Karoonda SA
2015 261.2mm
2014 252.1mm
2013 237.4mm
2012 295.6mm
2011 357.6mm
2010 309.7mm
2009 240.5mm
2008 226.5mm
2007 265.4mm
2006 275.1mm
2005 288.1mm
2004 252.3mm
2003 265.0mm
2002 222.9mm
2001 240.8mm
2000 304.2mm
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

Karoonda SA 2015


Observed climate information

Rainfall trial gsr (mm) 172mm

Derived climate information

Karoonda SA

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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



Trial last modified: 25-06-2019 10:55am AEST