• Lentils were better at establishing and reaching target plant densities than canola.
• Canola was considerably more responsive to converting increasing sowing densities into yield than lentils.
• Seeder type had no consistent effect on establishment and yield.
• The differences in yield response to plant numbers suggests that it is more critical to get it right in canola than lentils.

• Higher P rates (more than typical replacement P rates) were required on sites with moderate to high PBI values.
• There were no significant trends in P use efficiency between wheat and barley varieties selected.
• Variety choice should be made on yield potential and not any potential savings from growing a P efficient variety.

• Economic gains can be made by applying higher than typical replacement P rates on soils with the ability to fix applications of P.
• Highest gross margins are obtained by growing the most suitable variety for your region assuming P nutrition is corrected.

Applying gypsum can reduce soil pH and lower the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (C) to 30 cm depth within a year. Soils with pH > 9 will benefit most from gypsum. The solubilisation of soil organic C increased markedly at pH above 8.5. The availability of aluminium (Al) in soil increases at pH above 9. There was no significant effect of gypsum on the biomass or yields of crops within 2 years.

Applying gypsum can reduce soil pH and lower the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (C) to 30 cm depth within a year. Soils with pH > 9 will benefit most from gypsum. The solubilisation of soil organic C increased markedly at pH above 8.5. The availability of aluminium (Al) in soil increases at pH above 9. There was no significant effect of gypsum on the biomass or yields of crops within 2 years.

At low available soil P and moderate PBI levels relatively high P inputs are required to maximise yields. Replacement P programs should incorporate a measure of PBI in order to effectively balance available P across different soil types. Significant yield differences between varieties of wheat and barley could not be attributed to varying P uptake efficiencies

• There were no significant differences in lentil grain yield among seeding system or stubble treatments.
• Stripper and conventional stubble treatments resulted in taller and more erect plants with higher pods, improving harvestability

• Grain yield was driven by biomass production rather than harvest index.
• Timing of nitrogen had relatively little impact on yield or nitrogen response.
• Nitrogen rate had little effect on total crop water use.
• Nitrogen use efficiency and water use efficiency were improved with additional water availability (irrigated treatment).

• At three out of the 4 sites gladius wheat sown onto a pea crop background from 2011 produced the best grain yields.
• At Condowie wheat on barley (2.54t/ha average) was always better than wheat on wheat (2.10t/ha average), regardless of extra nitrogen.

• The addition of a straw layer acted to reduce evaporation and significantly increased grain yields and water use efficiency in 2012, at 4 field sites.
• Soil evaporation also decreased with increasing light interception from larger crop canopies.

• The highest yielding treatments were the early high nitrogen rate (2.80t/ha) or the high nitrogen rate (2.91t/ha).
• Treatments imposed to manipulate crop growth were unable to save more soil moisture for grain fill

• Plant growth regulators had no significant impact on wheat grain yield in 2012, at four different sites.
• Plant growth regulators can reduce grain yield and quality with incorrect application timing, especially to crops under stress i.e dry, nutrient deficient, frost, waterlogging.

• The highest recorded water use efficiency (WUE) was observed at Spalding where 26.6 kg of wheat was produced per hectare for every mm of growing season rainfall.
• Growing season rainfall was below average meaning that stored summer soil moisture was very valuable in 2011.
• The WUE at Hart has been 14 kg/mm/ha or 70% calculated since 2001.

• The addition of a straw layer acted to reduce evaporation and significantly increased grain yields and water use efficiency in 2010 and 2011 at 3 field sites.
• Soil evaporation also decreased with increasing light interception from larger crop canopies.

• Wheat dry matter production and total crop nitrogen was significantly lower in wider row spacing treatments.
• For the all the crops grain yield was significantly lower in the wider row spacing treatments.
• Treatments imposed to manipulate crop growth were unable to save more soil moisture for grain fill.

• The absence of sodium and chloride significantly contributed to salt tolerance and grain yield production in barley varieties examined in this trial.

The highest recorded WUE was observed at Spalding where 18.3 kg of wheat was produced per hectare for every mm of growing season rainfall.

• Soil and solution culture studies were conducted to examine the relative contribution of different mechanisms of zinc efficiency at the whole plant level in bread and durum wheat during early vegetative stage.
• While there are a number of mechanisms of zinc efficiency, zinc uptake appears to be the most important mechanism • Seed zinc remobilisation and root to shoot translocation do not appear to be important to zinc efficiency.
• Visual scores of zinc deficiency were significantly correlated with zinc efficiency, and they provide a useful criterion for an initial screen of zinc efficiency.
• This study was based on vegetative growth and the conclusions need to be verified under field conditions.
• The percentage deviation technique provided a straight forward means of comparing the relative effects of different components of zinc efficiency and the method could be extended to studies that use grain yield as the measure of zinc efficiency.

• The +Zn treatment received 7 kg Zn/ha at sowing plus 2 foliar sprays of 0.33 kg Zn/ha.
• Generally, yield responses to Zn are greater in durum and bread wheat than in barley.
• The most inefficient lines of wheat and barley showed distinctive symptoms of Zn deficiency, such as reduced growth, pale leaves with chlorotic and necrotic lesions along the mid-vein.
• In 1999 a dry spring limited the yield response to Zn to about 0.5 t/ha, whereas, in 1998 yield increases up to 1 t/ha were measured.
• The disparity between the vegetative and the yield responses has tended to be greater in barley than in wheat.
• The wheat cultivars Goldmark and Kukri have low Zn efficiency, whereas the widely adapted, high yielding cultivars Trident, Krichauff and Worrakatta are Zn-efficient.
• Within barley, a number of Japanese breeding lines (eg SBWI-1) are very inefficient, but many current cultivars from SA as well as Arapiles (Vic.) and Stirling (WA) show a high level of efficiency.
• Pot assays for Zn efficiency have been developed and generally show similar rankings to the field tests.
• Wheat double haploid populations derived from the cross between Trident (efficient) and Songlen (inefficient) have been produced to develop molecular markers for Zn efficiency.

• We examined the interaction between zinc nutrition and heat stress on the photosynthetic activity and grain yield of wheat plants under both field and growth room conditions.
• The zinc inefficient cultivar Goldmark was found to have an improved chlorophyll fluorescence ratio (Fv/Fm), a measure of injury to photosynthesis, under heat stress when supplied with elevated levels of zinc compared to plants where less zinc was applied.
• However supplementary zinc did not prevent a decline in kernel weight or grain yield under high temperature conditions.
• The results indicate that supplementary zinc nutrition, in a zinc inefficient genotype at least, can provide thermotolerance to the photosynthetic apparatus of wheat.

• Studies examined the interaction between Zn nutrition and heat stress on the photosynthetic activity and grain yield of wheat plants under both field and growth room conditions.
• The Zn inefficient cultivar Goldmark was found to have an improved chlorophyll fluorescence ratio (Fv/Fm), a measure of injury to photosynthesis, under heat stress when supplied with elevated levels of Zn compared to plants where less Zn was applied.
• However supplementary Zn did not prevent a decline in kernel weight or grain yield under high temperature conditions.
• The results indicate that supplementary Zn nutrition, in a Zn inefficient genotype at least, can provide thermotolerance to the photosynthetic apparatus of wheat.

• The relative sensitivity to manganese deficiency is broadly : bread wheat (least), barley, durum wheat (most).
• The relative sensitivity to zinc deficiency is broadly: barley (least) bread wheat, durum wheat (most).
• With a very inefficient variety adding a micronutrient fertiliser may not be sufficient to overcome the deficiency.
• Special attention needs to be given to the micronutrient requirements of durum wheat especially where high rates of N and P fertilisers are used.

In very general terms, the relative sensitivity to Mn deficiency (from least sensitive to most sensitive) is bread wheat, barley, durum wheat , while the relative sensitivity to Zn deficiency (from least sensitive to most sensitive) is barley, bread wheat, durum wheat. However, there is considerable overlap between the three species in terms of their sensitivity.

• Compared some of the physiological differences in two bread wheat genotypes (Stylet (Zn-efficient) and VM506 (Zn-inefficient).
• Results indicate that higher zinc efficiency may be achieved through greater distribution to younger parts and lower internal requirement.
• Selection for such attributes can be considered in breeding programs aiming to develop zinc efficient genotypes for cropping zinc deficient soils.

• Genotypes of chickpea were grown at 5 levels of zinc in the glasshouse.
• After 8 weeks of growth chlorosis occurred in the zero zinc treatments.
• The critical concentration in the shoot tissue associated with 90% of maximum growth was 20 mg per kilogram at the flowering stage.
• In a 2nd experiment to genotypes were grown at 3 zinc levels and to moisture regime.s.
• The critical zinc concentration institutes was 21 mg per kilogram and thus neither genotype nor soil moisture influence the critical zinc concentration.

• Response of 13 chickpea genotypes to zinc nutrition was studied in a pot experiment under glasshouse conditions.
• When grown with no added zinc, zinc deficiency symptoms appeared 3–4 weeks after planting.
• Zinc efficiency based on shoot dry weight showed marked differences among genotypes.
• Root:shoot ratio was increased and proportionally more zinc was transported to the shoot when the soil was deficient.
• Cultivars that were very sensitive to zinc deficiency tended to have their root:shoot ratio increased by zinc deficiency more than less sensitive cultivars.
• The insensitive lines transported more than 70% of the total absorbed zinc to the shoot .
• Chickpea genotypes vary in their sensitivity to zinc deficiency.

• 10 chickpea genotypes were grown in the field with and without added zinc.
• Zinc sulphate was applied to the soil at sowing and later as a foliar spray at the start of flowering.
• Zinc fertilisation increase shoot dry matter by 13% at maturity.
• There were differences between cultivars in zinc efficiency.
• Gains in yield by improved to sink efficiency are possible in chickpeas.
•  The ranking of cultivars was consistent between sites and in pot studies in the glasshouse.
•  Significant responses to zinc fertiliser confirmed that zinc deficiency was a limitation to chickpea yield.