Active stubble management to enhance residue breakdown and subsequent crop management - focus farm trials

2017

Research organisaton
Funding source

Trial details

Researcher(s) Nick Poole (FAR Australia)
Michael Straight (FAR Australia)
Tracey Wylie (FAR Australia)
Year(s) 2017
Contributor Riverine Plains
Trial location(s) Coreen, NSW
Dookie, VIC
Yarrawonga, VIC
Active stubble management to enhance residue breakdown and subsequent crop management - focus farm trials locations
Aims

The project seeks to:

  • investigate, demonstrate and extend cultural practices that will assist growers to adopt no-till stubble retention (NTSR) in medium and higher-rainfall environments;
  • build on findings from the previous Riverine Plains Inc. Water Use Efficiency (WUE) project; and
  • extend the frontier of agronomic knowledge for crops grown in NTSR systems.
Key messages
  • There were significant increases in dry matter (DM) accumulation, nitrogen (N) uptake and crop canopy greenness where second wheat was established following cultivation with additional nitrogen, however there was no yield benefit.
  • Over four years of research (2014–17) at the Coreen focus farm there has been no benefit to either cultivating, burning or additional nitrogen at sowing with cultivation over the no-till stubble retention (NTSR) control.
  • Growing a faba bean crop instead of a second wheat crop increased the yield of the following wheat by 0.34–0.47t/ha in 2016 and an average of 2t/ha in 2015, however there was no evidence that the legume benefit of the faba beans influenced canola sown two years later (in 2017).
  • Burning first wheat stubbles before establishing second wheat has offered no yield benefit, despite indications of better tillering, higher DM and superior yellow leaf spot (YLS) control.
Lead research organisation Riverine Plains
Host research organisation Riverine Plains
Trial funding source GRDC RPI00009
Related program Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble
Acknowledgments

Thanks to the farmer co-operators at each of these sites:
• Corowa/Coreen: Tomlinson Ag
• Yarrawonga: Telewonga Pty Ltd
• Dookie: Ludeman Brothers

This work was carried out as part of the Riverine Plains Inc GRDC funded project Maintaining Profitable Farming Systems with Retained Stubble in the Riverine Plains Region (2013–18).


Other trial partners FAR Australia
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop types Cereal (Grain): Wheat Oilseed: Canola
Treatment type(s)
  • Crop: Rotation
  • Stubble: Management
Trial type Experimental
Trial design Blocked

Coreen 2017 Wheat

Sowing machinery Not specified
Sow date 18 May 2017
Harvest date 9 December 2017
Plot size 40m x 15m
Plot replication Not specified
Herbicide

host farmer paddock management

Insecticide

host farmer paddock management

Fungicide

host farmer paddock management

Dookie 2017 Canola

Sowing machinery

Simplicity seeder/knife point

Sow date 20 April 2017
Harvest date 20 November 2017
Plot size 40m x 18m
Plot replication Not specified
Herbicide

host farmer paddock management

Insecticide

host farmer paddock management

Fungicide

host farmer paddock management

Yarrawonga 2017 Wheat

Sowing machinery

Aus seeder DBS tine knife point

Sow date 7 May 2017
Harvest date 10 December 2017
Plot size 40m x 18m
Plot replication 4
Herbicide

host farmer paddock management

Insecticide

host farmer paddock management

Fungicide

host farmer paddock management

Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information

Download results

Trial results Growth parameters for wheat at Coreen in 2017

@T1: GS 30-31 @T2: GS 39 @T3: GS 65 @T4: GS95
# Treatment 1
Establishment plants (plants/m2) Hectolitre weight (kg/hL) Screenings (%) 1000 grain weight (g) Head abundance (heads/m2) Cereal tillers (tillers/m2) Protein (%) Grain yield (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha)
1 NTSR (Control) 125 77.9 1 43.2 282 300 9 3.88 65 1.34 156 6.28 10.25 120 12.28 130
1 Cultivated (one pass) 121 78 0.8 45.8 269 316 10.2 3.5 60 1.34 148 6.7 9.74 141 11.84 135
1 Cultivated (one pass) + 40kg N/ha 123 77.9 0.7 46.1 323 364 10.5 3.37 89 1.88 215 8.15 11.67 167 12.45 116
1 Burnt 130 77.8 0.7 46.3 316 350 10.2 3.54 69 1.48 169 7.95 11.9 134 14.02 151
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Grain yield t/ha


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1000 grain weight g


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Cereal tillers tillers/m2


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Dry matter t/ha


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Establishment plants plants/m2


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Head abundance heads/m2


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Hectolitre weight kg/hL


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Nitrogen uptake kg N/ha


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Protein %


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Screenings %


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Trial results Growth parameters for wheat at Yarrawonga in 2017

@T1: @T2: @T3: @T4:
# Establishment plants (plants/m2) Head abundance (heads/m2) Cereal tillers (tillers/m2) Protein (%) Grain yield (t/ha) Harvest index (value) Hectolitre weight (kg/hL) Screenings (%) 1000 grain weight (g) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha)
1 NTSR-long stubble (control) 102 237 223 11.9 3.39 37.9 76.1 0.3 44.7 43 0.82 2.57 72 6.62 62 7.8 87
1 NTSR-long stubble + 40kg N/ha 108 249 232 11.6 3.52 40.5 76.3 0.2 44.8 43 0.82 3.01 79 6.72 69 7.69 94
1 NTSR-short stubble 115 271 293 11.5 3.38 36.3 76.4 0.2 45.3 46 0.96 2.88 70 6.86 72 8.04 89
1 Straw Removed 115 247 287 11.3 3.65 38.8 76.6 0.2 44.1 45 0.88 3.01 80 6.78 69 8.03 94
1 Cultivated (one pass) 113 250 227 11.3 3.14 39.7 76.3 0.2 45.3 40 0.88 2.94 76 6.59 69 7.16 89
2 Cultivated (one pass) + 40kg N/ha 108 250 266 11.4 3.56 43.2 76.5 0.2 45 47 0.89 2.76 79 6.65 73 7.43 89
2 Burnt 127 295 303 10.7 4.08 40.3 76.2 0.2 42.4 50 0.98 3.65 93 7.44 68 8.97 100
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Grain yield t/ha


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1000 grain weight g


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Cereal tillers tillers/m2


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Dry matter t/ha


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Establishment plants plants/m2


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Harvest index value


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Head abundance heads/m2


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Hectolitre weight kg/hL


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Nitrogen uptake kg N/ha


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Protein %


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Screenings %


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Trial results Growth parameters for canola at Dookie in 2017

@T1: @T2: @T3: @T4:
# Flowering (%) Crop vigour (1-9) Canola yield (t/ha) Stems/m2 (stems/m2) Establishment plants (plants/m2) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha) Nitrogen uptake (kg N/ha) Dry matter (t/ha)
1 NTSR-long stubble 2 8.5 3.7 119 56 1.4 76 4.09 111 5.36 68 8.1
1 NTSR-short stubble 13 8.5 3.75 110 49 1.7 84 4.31 101 5.7 77 8.11
1 Cultivated (one pass) 13 9 3.85 101 49 1.64 69 4.33 102 5.44 93 8.2
1 Straw Removed 15 8.3 3.74 115 52 1.78 73 4.59 108 5.89 91 9.08
1 Burnt 17 8.5 3.74 112 53 1.72 75 4.65 136 5.8 77 8.55
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Canola yield t/ha


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Crop vigour 1-9


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Dry matter t/ha


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Establishment plants plants/m2


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Flowering %


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Nitrogen uptake kg N/ha


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Stems/m2 stems/m2


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Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Site Depth Type pH EC P K N A OC CAT
Coreen, NSW 0 - 60cm 58.00
Yarrawonga, VIC 0 - 60cm 63.00
Dookie, VIC 0 - 60cm 58.00
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Coreen, NSW Not specified
Dookie, VIC Red loam over medium clay
Yarrawonga, VIC Loam over clay
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Coreen, NSW Sodosol
Dookie, VIC Sodosol
Yarrawonga, VIC Sodosol
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 Coreen NSW Dookie VIC Yarrawonga VIC
2017 529.9mm424.5mm285.2mm
2016 510.7mm418.7mm304.9mm
2015 498.8mm377.2mm270.8mm
2014 501.1mm371.4mm250.0mm
2013 511.1mm373.2mm256.3mm
2012 581.7mm429.9mm309.9mm
2011 622.2mm448.1mm309.5mm
2010 646.9mm369.2mm299.6mm
2009 622.1mm262.5mm228.7mm
2008 617.8mm316.7mm242.0mm
2007 577.2mm277.0mm170.4mm
2006 568.5mm298.3mm163.7mm
2005 582.8mm344.6mm206.6mm
2004 519.8mm296.8mm172.9mm
2003 556.2mm314.6mm181.5mm
2002 506.5mm290.7mm202.3mm
2001 502.5mm411.3mm321.0mm
2000 512.8mm397.7mm382.8mm
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

Coreen NSW 2017


Observed climate information

Rainfall trial gsr (mm) 273mm

Dookie VIC 2017


Observed climate information

Rainfall trial gsr (mm) 281mm

Yarrawonga VIC 2017


Observed climate information

Rainfall trial gsr (mm) 270mm

Derived climate information

Coreen VIC

Dookie VIC

Yarrawonga VIC

Coreen VIC

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Dookie VIC

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Yarrawonga VIC

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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

2017 trial report



Trial last modified: 28-11-2019 10:37am AEST