Sowing strategies to improve productivity on sandy Mallee soils - Loxton

2015

Research organisaton
Funding source

Trial details

Researcher(s) Bill Davoren (CSIRO)
Vadakattu Gupta (CSIRO)
Stasia Kroker (CSIRO)
Rick Llewellyn (CSIRO)
Therese McBeath (CSIRO)
Willie Shoobridge (CSIRO)
Year(s) 2015
Contributor CSIRO - Agriculture and Food
Trial location(s) loxton, SA
Sowing strategies to improve productivity on sandy Mallee soils - Loxton locations
Aims

To investigate 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).

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 CSIRO - Agriculture and Food
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source GRDC MSF00003
Related program Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble
Acknowledgments

Peer review: Margaret Roper, CSIRO

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 Not specified
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Method

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

loxton 2015

Sow date Not specified
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

trifluralin applied @1.5 L/ha

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Download results

Trial results Table 1

@T1: @T2:
# Treatment 1
Establishment plants (plants/m2) Grain yield (t/ha) Protein (%) Biomass (t/ha) Biomass (t/ha)
1 Plus Trifluralin 142 1.33 9.21 1.52 2.91
1 Minus Trifluralin 162 1.3 9.23 1.59 2.89
1 Inter-row 158 1.34 9.12 1.63 2.89
2 On-row 146 1.3 9.32 1.48 2.91
2 April sow 154 1.48 8.96 1.48 3.05
2 May sow 150 1.16 9.89 1.62 2.75
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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
loxton, SA Not specified
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
loxton, 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 loxton SA
2015 211.2mm
2014 245.1mm
2013 221.3mm
2012 276.0mm
2011 331.8mm
2010 278.3mm
2009 216.3mm
2008 216.5mm
2007 213.9mm
2006 222.8mm
2005 245.4mm
2004 200.3mm
2003 181.7mm
2002 182.0mm
2001 237.7mm
2000 251.5mm
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.

loxton 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: 14-05-2023 08:13am AEST