1. Home ::  
  2. Trial Search

Summer Cropping Demonstrations in the Western Region

2019
CC BY 4.0

Research organisations
Funding source
Stirlings to Coast Farmers Southern DIRT
<abbr title='Grains Research and Development Corporation'>GRDC</abbr>

Trial details

Researcher(s) Nathan Dovey
Emma Russell
Contact email phillip.mackie@scfarmers.org.au
Contact phone 0437120891
Year(s) 2019
Contributor Stirlings to Coast Farmers
Trial location(s) Mount Barker, WA
Summer Cropping Demonstrations in the Western Region locations
Aims

100% of Albany and Esperance port zone growers who frequently experience waterlogging will know if ripping and/or summer/cover crops are viable tools to improve crop establishment, crop rooting depth, and yield in a waterlogging year on their property.

Key messages
  • The growing season rainfall in 2019 was below average at Perillup, and the summer cropping demonstration did not suffer from water-logging.
  • Grain growers in this region believe that the soil drying effects from growing summer crops has the greatest potential benefit to winter cropping yields.
  • In 2019, there was a 770kg/ha barley yield increase above the control from the plots where cowpea was grown in the summer.
  • There was a 470kg/ha decline in winter barley yield in the plot that was planted to canola between January 30 and May 9, 2019.
  • Nutritional requirements of summer crops need to be considered when selecting species. Cowpeas fixed useful nitrogen in the 90 growing days.
Lead research organisation Southern DIRT
Host research organisation Stirlings to Coast Farmers
Trial funding source GRDC 9176156
Related program N/A
Acknowledgments N/A
Other trial partners Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop types Oilseed: Canola Cereal (Grain): Millet Cereal (Grain): Sorghum Grain Legume: Cowpeas
Treatment type(s)
  • Crop : Type
  • Management systems : Cover crops
  • Soil Improvement : Type
Trial type Experimental
Trial design Unreplicated

Mount Barker 2019 Canola

Sow rate or Target density 5 kg/ha
Sowing machinery

Air-seeder
Sow date 30 January 2019
Harvest date Unknown
Plot size 10.97m x 250m
Plot replication 1
Fertiliser

Summer crops received 60kg/ha of a MAPSZC:MOP Mixture (Ratio 5:1)

Mount Barker 2019 Millet

Sow rate or Target density 6 kg/ha
Sowing machinery

Air-seeder
Sow date 30 January 2019
Harvest date Unknown
Plot size 10.97m x 250m
Plot replication 1
Fertiliser

Planted with 60kg/ha MAPSZC: MOP mix (Ratio) 5:1. 

Mount Barker 2019 Sorghum

Sow rate or Target density 6 kg/ha
Sowing machinery

Air-seeder
Sow date 30 January 2019
Harvest date Unknown
Plot size 10.97m x 250m
Plot replication 1
Fertiliser

Planted with 60kg/ha MAPSZC: MOP mix (Ratio) 5:1. 

Mount Barker 2019 Cowpeas

Sow rate or Target density 20 kg/ha
Sowing machinery

Air-seeder
Sow date 30 January 2019
Harvest date Unknown
Plot size 10.97m x 250m
Plot replication 1
Fertiliser

Planted with 60kg/ha MAPSZC: MOP mix (Ratio) 5:1. 
Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information

Download results

Trial results The 2019 winter barley yields in (t/ha) from the single plots at the Lynch’s 2019 summer cropping demonstration site.

# Treatment 1
Grain yield (t/ha)
1 █ Cowpea Ebony 8.15
2 █ Millett Shirohie 7.3
3 █ Sorghum Sprint 7.38
4 █ Canola Hyola 970 6.91
5 █ Control wheat stubble 7.38

Grain yield t/ha

Loading

Trial results The average NDVI readings from April 17, (summer crops), July 3, August 12 & 22, and October 21, at the Lynch summer cropping demonstration site in 2019. The last four NDVI readings were taken from the winter barley sown over the summer crops.

@T1: (17-04-2019) @T2: (03-07-2019) @T3: (12-08-2019) @T4: (22-08-2019) @T5: (21-10-2019)
# Treatment 1
NDVI (.) NDVI (.) NDVI (.) NDVI (.) NDVI (.)
1 █ Cowpea Ebony 0.64 0.66 0.7 0.7 0.62
1 █ Millett Shirohie 0.58 0.65 0.69 0.7 0.61
1 █ Sorghum Sprint 0.63 0.64 0.69 0.7 0.62
1 █ Canola Hyola 970 0.57 0.62 0.68 0.7 0.62
1 █ Control wheat stubble 0.6 0.61 0.69 0.7 0.65
2 █
2 █
2 █
2 █
2 █
3 █
3 █
3 █
3 █
3 █
4 █
4 █
4 █
4 █
4 █
5 █
5 █
5 █
5 █
5 █

NDVI .

Loading

Trial results The soil test results (0-10cm) summarised from the start and end of the summer cropping phase in 2019. Site averages from January 30, were taken from a representative transect across the whole trial site. Average soil figures calculated on May 9, were der

# Treatment 1
Organic carbon (%) Colwell phosphorus (mg/kg) Colwell phosphorus (PBI) Sulphur (mg/kg) pH CaCl2 (pH) Electrical conductivity (dS/m) NH4 (mg/kg) NO3 (mg/kg) Colwell Potassium (mg/kg)
1 █ Site Avg (30/1/2019) 0.201 1 40 36 5.3 6.3 42 3.8 NA
2 █ Canola (9/5/2019 0.138 8 35 24 5.8 6.4 35 3 32
3 █ Cowpea (9/5/2019 0.23 2.5 45 56 5.7 6.3 63 3.4 52
4 █ Sorghum (9/5/2019 0.278 2 56 50 5.8 6.4 46 3.2 68
5 █ Millet (9/5/2019 0.153 2 39 33 5.6 6.2 39 3 32
6 █ Average (9/5/2019 0.2 4 43 40 5.7 6.3 46 3.1 46

Colwell phosphorus mg/kg

Loading

Colwell phosphorus PBI

Loading

Electrical conductivity dS/m

Loading

NH4 mg/kg

Loading

NO3 mg/kg

Loading

Organic carbon %

Loading

pH CaCl2 pH

Loading

Sulphur mg/kg

Loading
Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Mount Barker, WA Sand
Derived trial site soil information
Australian Soil Classification Source: ASRIS
Trial site Soil order
Mount Barker, WA 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 Mount Barker WA
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000

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.

Mount Barker WA

NOTE: Exact trial site locality unknown - Climate data may not be accurate
Loading
Loading
Loading

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

2019 trial report



Trial last modified: 30-01-2026 22:15pm AEST