Grass weed management in retained stubble systems - farm demonstrations

2016
CC BY 4.0

Research organisaton
Funding source

Trial details

Researcher(s) Amanda Cook (SARDI)
Ben Fleet (University of Adelaide)
Year(s) 2016
Contributor Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation
Trial location(s) Minnipa Agricultural Centre, SA
Grass weed management in retained stubble systems - farm demonstrations locations
Aims

The GRDC ‘Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble’ projects on upper and lower Eyre Peninsula (EP) aim to improve farm profitability while retaining stubble in farming systems. Grass weed management is one of the key issues of current cropping systems with annual ryegrass and barley grass being of most importance on lower EP (LEP) and upper EP (UEP) respectively. Herbicides continue to be the main strategy for weed control, and on LEP the intensification of cropping rotations and the decrease in livestock from farming systems has resulted in even further pressure on herbicides, resulting in the accelerated development of herbicide resistance in ryegrass.

 

An integrated approach to weed management (IWM) is required to slow the development of herbicide resistance and improve the sustainability of our farming systems. IWM aims to lower the weed seed bank with the use of herbicides as well as non-chemical techniques such as cultivation, higher sowing rates, and harvest weed seed management such as burning stubble, narrow windrow and chaff cart dumps. Demonstration paddocks were monitored to assess grass weed management strategies in current farming systems. This information will be used to improve the Ryegrass Integrated Management (RIM) model for EP systems, and potentially produce other grass weed management models (barley grass).

Key messages
  • The ability to capture barley grass seeds at harvest is limited.
  • If seed can be captured and placed in windrows, windrow burning can reduce grass weeds.
  • Seed capture at harvest is higher with annual ryegrass than with barley grass.
  • Burnt narrow windrows sustained temperatures above 400oC for longer than 10 seconds, which is sufficient to sterilise annual ryegrass seed.
  • Snail numbers were reduced with windrow burning.
  • Barley grass germinates later in Minnipa Agricultural Centre cropped paddocks than in non-cropped areas.
Lead research organisation Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source GRDC EPF00001
Related program Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble
Acknowledgments

Ian Richter, Sue Budarick, Bruce Heddle, Jake Hull and Wade Shepperd

Research funded by GRDC Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble - upper Eyre Peninsula (EPF00001).


Other trial partners Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop types Oilseed: Canola Cereal (Grain): Wheat
Treatment type(s)
  • Harvest: Timing
  • Stubble: Management
Trial type
Trial design

Minnipa Agricultural Centre 2016 Canola

Sowing machinery Not specified
Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Minnipa Agricultural Centre 2016 Wheat

Sowing machinery

In 2016 monitoring of farm paddocks was undertaken to assess grass weed management strategies by;

  • Monitoring grass weed numbers in narrow windrows from harvest 2015 in MAC paddocks ‘Airport’, ‘S3N’ and ‘N6W’ (canola).
  • Monitoring grass weed numbers, narrow windrows and chaff dumps in grower’s paddocks ‘CE42’ (lentils) and ‘Carina’ (canola).
  • Monitoring weed seed banks of ryegrass in narrow windrows from harvest 2015 on a property south east of Cummins. Two paddocks, ‘80 Acre’ and ‘Salt Lake’ were monitored. See EPFS Summary 2015 p155-158 for more detail regarding this property.

 

Only broad conclusions from the farmer demonstrations can be made in regards to weed seed capture, as there

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information
Trial source data and summary not available
Check the trial report PDF for trial results.
Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Minnipa Agricultural Centre, SA Not specified
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Minnipa Agricultural Centre, 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 Minnipa Agricultural Centre SA
2016 354.3mm
2015 317.0mm
2014 375.1mm
2013 309.1mm
2012 341.1mm
2011 384.6mm
2010 373.1mm
2009 382.1mm
2008 300.4mm
2007 302.9mm
2006 341.2mm
2005 307.8mm
2004 299.0mm
2003 308.0mm
2002 309.5mm
2001 351.3mm
2000 354.3mm
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.

Minnipa Agricultural Centre 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 last modified: 06-08-2019 07:54am AEST