Copper deficiency of wheat in Victoria. 1. Correction

1987

Research organisatons

Trial details

Researcher(s) AG Flynn
WK Gardner
Year(s) 1987
Contributor South Australian Research and Development Institute
Trial location(s) Wimmera, VIC
Further information View external link
Copper deficiency of wheat in Victoria. 1. Correction locations
Aims

To investigate the use of foliar applied copper to correct copper deficiency in wheat.

Key messages
  • Trials on Yellow Duplex Soils at 3 sites in the Southern Wimmera.
  • At one site commercial chelated copper was foliar applied.
  • Treatments were Nil; 75 or 150 g Cu/ha at late booting; 37.5 or 75 g Cu/ha at late tillering and; split applications of 75 g Cu/ha at late tillering plus either 75 g or 150 g Cu/ha at late booting.
  • At two sites formulations of copper were compared, these treatments included Nil; copper oxychloride; copper sulphate and a commercial chelated copper. All were applied at 75 g Cu/ha at late tillering plus 150 g Cu/ha at booting. All plots were sown to wheat. Dry matter cuts were used at anthesis and maturity to estimate crop growth and yield components.
  • Since copper is important in wheat for production of viable pollen the late booting treatments (applied after pollen set): resulted in only an 18% increase in grains/ear and grain yield.
  • Whereas copper applied at late tillering increased grain yield by 1.55 t/ha or 93% (resulting from 60% more grains/ear and 20% more ears/m2 • Split applications did not result in higher yields.
  • Both copper oxychloride and the chelated product resulted in grain yield increases between 0.94 and 1.26 t/ha but the chelated product is approximately seven times as expensive.
Lead research organisation N/A
Host research organisation Agriculture Victoria
Related program More Profit from Crop Nutrition
Acknowledgments N/A
Other trial partners Not specified

Method

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

Wimmera 1987

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified
Fertiliser

A commercial formulation of chelated copper was applied to the foliage as a spray at various rates and times of application. Treatments were nil; 75 or 150 g Cu/ha at late booting (Bl and B2); 37.5 or 75 g Cu/ha at late tillering (T0.5 and Tl) and; split applications of 75 g Cu/ha at late tillering plus either 75 g or 150 g Cu/ha at late booting (T1/B1 and Tl/B2). At two sites formulations of copper were compared, these treatments included nil; copper oxychloride; copper sulphate and a commercial chelated copper. All were applied at 75 g Cu/ha at late tillering plus 150 g Cu/ha at booting.

Other trial notes

Flynn AG and Gardner WK (1987) Proc. 4th Aust. Agron. Conf. Melbourne.

Gartrell JW and Glencross RN (1968) W.A.J. Agric. 9(4): 517-21. Graham RD (1975) Nature, 254: 514-515.

Graham RD (1976) J. Exp. Bot. 27(99): 717-724.

Trial report and links


No trial reports or attachments found


Trial last modified: 21-10-2019 09:30am AEST