• The results of this trial suggest that there is good promise for ongoing improvement in oil extraction levels from canola and hence their worth to biodiesel (and other oil) markets.
• This trial also shows that the KI environment is conducive to high oil levels in canola which improves their relative value as an oilseed crop.

Continuous wheat has worked in the Charlton district over the past below average rainfall seasons. It has been a relatively low risk option and has provided a better return compared to growing pulses and canola in rotation with wheat. Whether continuous wheat will be as successful in other areas with different weather patterns, soil types and disease pressure should be investigated.

• Although not statistically validated a trend of either higher or lower NDVI’s in the centre of the tram tracks was observed on 7 of the 14 farms investigated.
• The trend to wider header fronts makes the practicalities of redistributing residue evenly back across the width of the header all the more difficult and may accelerate any rate of change in crop performance.
• In the short term CTF producers should target even redistribution of crop residue across header widths
• Further work is needed and the author would welcome collaboration from others in helping to design a future experiment and statistical analysis.

• Although not statistically validated a trend of either higher or lower NDVI’s in the centre of the tram tracks was observed on 7 of the 14 farms investigated.
• The trend to wider header fronts makes the practicalities of redistributing residue evenly back across the width of the header all the more difficult and may accelerate any rate of change in crop performance.
• In the short term CTF producers should target even redistribution of crop residue across header
  widths
• Further work is needed and the author would welcome collaboration from others in helping to design a future experiment and statistical analysis.

• The fluid fertiliser system increased yield and dry matter production at both sites.
• The added carbon treatments with increased microbial activity have not increased grain yield in 2011.

Wimmera had the greatest yield loss in the presence of weeds and produced the highest weed yield. Hindmarsh also produced the same weed yield. Both of these varieties should not be sown into weedy paddocks unless there is a good management strategy. Scope, Buloke and Compass were identified as very competitive varieties, with the least amount of yield loss and weed seed production. Generally, the presence of weeds reduced barley yields by 1.4t/ha on a 5.4t/ha crop (mean of all varieties).

• Grain yield and lodging increased with additional nitrogen application for all varieties and plant growth regulator (PGR) treatments
• Applying Moddus Evo reduced lodging and increased grain yield of both Rosaling and La Trobe.
• Applying PGRs did not significantly affect either lodging score or grain yield of Compass, despit it lodging severely.

• Two lontrel resistant biotypes have been identified in overseas vetch populations.
• Risk of resistance in Australian farming systems is low, but management practices to avoid lontrel resistant vetch should be implemented.
• Be more wary of wild vetch populations as opposed to volunteer vetch.

• Three field sites were sown with grass clover pasture and limed and 11 rates.
• Soils were also collected from lime treatments incubated for 2 months and then used to grow clover in the glasshouse.
• Increasing soil pH by liming decreased availability of manganese at all sites and in the glasshouse experiment.
• In the glasshouse experiment yields decreased on all soils at the higher lime rates.
• Diagnosis of manganese deficiency in sub clover is confounded by lack of a reliable critical value.
• If 20 mg/kg is taken as a critical concentration fulfilled run clover and flowering 2 of the experimental sites are nearing manganese deficiency at moderate line rates.
• Calcium chloride extractable manganese determined in the pot soils correlated well with planned manganese in the youngest open leaf.

Crop stubbles provide a valuable feed source for stock over the summer period. The results from this trial indicate that grazing stubbles does not reduce either the amount of soil water stored during the summer fallow period or subsequent crop yield. In low rainfall environments, it is rarely possible to grow sufficient stubble to improve summer fallow efficiency by reducing evaporation (>5t/ha): growers should make use of this valuable feed source. Growers should maintain at least 70 per cent stubble cover (about 2t/ha of cereal stubble) to minimise the risk of wind erosion.

This quick look at rainfall patterns does not prove whether there is, or isn’t, a change t to farming in the dry mid 1990s nwards. High rates of N and no fallowing worked during the wet periods but have ot worked very well in the last decade. We need to adapt our farming practices to prevent over-supplying inputs in low rainfall years. This must be done in a way which does not compromise potential yield if it turns out to be a wet season. We cannot change crop type once sown but can increase the proportion of cereals and fallow if there is no stored soil moisture at seeding. We can also reduce P rates in accordance with past applications and with potential yield AND we can delay N inputs until later on the season. Refer to numerous articles on these topics in this manual. occurring in our climate and rainfall patterns. It does show that, although not desirable, it is not unusual to have a run of dry years – it could be just chance or a normal periodic event. Other long periods of dry seasons occurred at the start of the 20th century (1897 to 1906), mid 1920s to early 1930s; and the longest dry spell between 1938 and 1950.

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

Yield loss of 0.1-0.5t/ha was observed in some SFNB susceptible varieties at Horsham that had two fungicide applications. The Quambatook site suffered significant yield loss but this was due to a combination of SFNB and an additional factor (possibly crown rot). It is unlikely that a single application of foliar fungicide would have provided effective control of SFNB and prevented yield loss if applied after GS39 or to MS or better rated varieties.

• Minnipa Agriculture Centre results showed significant yield advantage with earlier sowing in trial data even in a great season.
• Weeds can have a large effect on early sown crops, but most farmers try to have some paddocks set up to sow early.
• If early sowing is an option take advantage of it.

Zinc needs to be applied as part of the fertiliser program every three to four years in the Wimmera and Mallee. The use of zinc as a seed dressing or foliar application will only be beneficial when the paddock has had a poor zinc history. In trials at the Rupanyup site where zinc had been applied 2 out of the last 5 years there were no yield benefits of adding more zinc even to responsive crops such as faba beans and lentils.

UK grain farmers are very fortunate that their soils and climate sustain high and very reliable yields. On average, the wheat yield is around 8 t/ha and it varies little between years. Indeed, the cost of land and labour in the UK makes it essential that high economic yields are achieved in order to spread the costs over as many tonnes as possible. Labour and machinery costs for grain farmers in the UK run at around £250-300/ha. Despite poor returns from agriculture, the cost of land has been increasing in recent years, often driven by people outside the industry. Rents for grain production can be around £150-250/ha, depending on the type of tenancy and the quality of the land.

At the Millicent site a similar response occurred with no significant difference in yield between the broad bean farmer races. One
interesting observation is that the varieties that originated from a different area performed better when they were grown under a different environment (this was seen with the Millicent farmer race #4 yielding the highest at Conmurra (4.27t/ha), and the Bray & Conmurra farmer races #2 and #1 (5.81t/ha and 5.56t/ha respectively) being the highest yielding varieties at the Millicent
site.

• The wheat yields were quite acceptable considering the time of year they were sown. The average yield of 3.2 t/ha is still economic, even if feed prices are used. 
• The four winter wheat varieties grown in the trial are not suited for a July sowing, as the risk of stem rust carrying over summer, to infect the following years crop, is too high. In addition, if sowing has to be delayed into July, then a shorter season variety with the potential to make milling quality should be the preferred option. Winter wheats should only be grown if they can be sown early to maximise their high yield potential. 
• If the yield loss between the June and the July sowing at the Hamilton site is analysed, then an average yield loss of 26 kg/hectare/day is obtained. In other words for every week you delay sowing you are losing 180 kg/ha of wheat yield. 

• JumpStart is phosphate inoculant containing naturally occurring soil fungi
• Trial showed no significant difference in JumpStart treatments
• Significant yield increases achieved with increasing phosphorus rates
• DGT test results suggest JumpStart increases plant available P residual for following crop

There was no yield or protein response to the application of K-Komplex at the rates tested.

• Monitor canola crops at windrowing for the presence of Blackleg disease.
• Know the Resistance group your canola variety and be prepared to change both variety and resistance group if required.

• Soil testing is essential for monitoring soil fertility levels.
• Of all the soil samples taken the majority were below critical levels for pH.
• Phosphorus levels were low on some properties particularly with ironstone soils

• Soil testing is essential for monitoring soil fertility levels.
• Of all the soil samples taken the majority were below critical levels for pH.
• Sulphur levels were low on some properties with sandy soils.

KI NRM Board staff are preparing environmental audits for each property which summarise all the environmental
issues (including flora and fauna) and water resources relating to each property. Six training sessions were held on the topics related to the project. The differing skills, backgrounds and experience of participants made it difficult to develop course material that was suitable for all participants. This was overcome by one to one discussions that addressed the information in a way that was more relevant to each individuals' needs.

• Summer weed control is not a luxury item and should be considered an essential expense.
• The financial reward of timely summer weed control far outweighs the outlay and this was again proven in 2006.
• Expenditure on summer weed control can be minimised if weeds are sprayed early.

The use of a Speed tiller to incorporate stubble did not appear to have any negative impacts in the mixed farming systems in the medium rainfall zone in the South-East of South Australia in a very dry season. There was high paddock variability, due to moisture stress, which would have impacted the results.

KI’s 7 golden rules for successful establishment

•  Good weed control is absolutely critical – it’s a waste of time seeding if you don’t get weed kill.
•  Apply broad spectrum insecticides pre-seeding.
• Seed in early Spring.
•  Seed at 2kg/ha.
•  Ensure good seed soil contact.
•  Allow the plants to become well established before grazing.
•  Continually monitor the paddock, after seeding for insects and pests and during the first graze to ensure stock are not pulling up runners.

• Kikuyu has the potential to become a valuable addition to pasture mixes on parts of KI
• Kikuyu may provide many economic as well as environmental benefits
• Early spring sowing plus weed and insect control is essential for successful establishment (and the odd rain dance won’t go astray either!)
• Kikuyu is less likely to become an environmental weed if the adjacent native vegetation is fenced and is in good condition.

• Kikuyu has the potential to become a valuable addition to pasture mixes on parts of KI.
• Follow the nine golden rules for success – weed, insect and vermin control, good seed/soil contact, shallow seed at 2kg/ha in spring, don’t graze until well established, use N fertiliser or legumes.

The results of the trial confirmed what we expected to see from kikuyu pastures – better growth rates through Summer/Autumn, lower supplementary feed cost, more wool growth with a higher tensile strength and better Vitamin E status.

Although full results are not yet in it appears at this stage that the kikuyu paddocks are resulting in:

• more weight gain by the weaners
• increased wool growth
• reduced hand feeding costs
• reduced vitamin E deficiency

• In terms of feed value, kikuyu out performed the annual pastures for nearly all criteria during the spring/summer period.
• Kikuyu paddocks were able to sustain a higher stocking rate than the annual paddocks over the spring/summer period.

• Kikuyu paddocks grew more pasture than the annual paddocks for most months of the year.
• In terms of feed value, kikuyu outperformed the annual pastures for nearly all criteria over the 18 month monitoring period.
• Kikuyu paddocks were able to sustain a higher stocking rate than the annual paddocks.

• Weed control is essential for effective kikuyu establishment.
• Two sprays of round up is the ‘safest’ bet although you do lose some grazing value and may have difficulties with seeding at the optimum time if the paddock is too wet to spray early.
• Further work is required to quantify the benefits of application of TM 21 on kikuyu pastures on KI.

• Weed control is essential for effective kikuyu establishment.
• Two sprays of round up is the ‘safest’ bet although you do lose some grazing value and may have difficulties with seeding at the optimum time if the paddock is too wet to spray early.
• Further work is required to quantify the benefits of application of TM 21 on kikuyu pastures on KI.

• 2015 - Plots with-out lime were consistently lower yeilding than plots with lime irrespective of incorporation treatment. Threatments with incorporation tended to have higher yield than where lime is left on the surface.
• 2014 - sowing setup remains the weakest link when using deep tillage. Depth of sowing is critical and fifficult to control on ameliorated soils. A good establishment density is critcal for reducing erosion potential at both ends of the season.

This demonstration investigated knockdown weed control options prior to sowing. For the knockdown control of ryegrass, canola and wild radish prior to sowing, glyphosate is quite effective and no additional herbicides are generally required. Glyphosate is weak on marshmallow and a group G herbicide is required as a mix with the glyphosate. To reduce the risk of group M (glyphosate) resistance developing in ryegrass it is strongly recommended to use the ‘double knock’ approach (glyphosate followed four to seven days later by SpraySeed®) on at least some paddocks every year.

• Establishment densities were higher at both sites following the double knockdown treatment.
• Sand infill was less with the single knockdown treatment, but these differences were not statistically significant.

• It is no longer a question of whether ryegrass will become resistant; it is when! 
• Double knock was the most effective treatment for managing this ryegrass population  (98% control).
• Alternative crop options should be integrated into the rotation to manage weeds and reduce the reliance of glyphosate. 
• High water rates, spraying closer to evening and no later than 7-10 days after the initial knockdown are essential when using Paraquat.

• Following drought affected cereals, labile P concentration was greater in the crop row than in the inter row.
• There is potential to exploit carry over P following 2006.
• In addition this may also have implications for those with auto steer systems with 2cm accuracy to seed into higher concentration of P in last years failed or low yielding crops.

Lambs grazed on forage brassica at Jil Jil from November 2011 to early January 2012 achieved adequate growth rates (230 g/head/day). The forage brassica provided green paddock feed for nearly two months during harvest, saving stubbles for later use and avoiding hand feeding.

There were no significant yield differences between the treatments with an average of 1.37 t/ha. There were similar results for the test weights of all treatments but there was a significant difference between the highest – 400mls/ha Amistar Xtra at GS 39 – and the lowest – 250mls Tilt at GS 32.

Farmers planning to renovate pasture’s can face an almost bewildering choice of varieties to select from. Victorian perennial rye grass is one of the best known of the ryegrass varieties and is still used by many. However, given it was developed and released in the early 1900’s it’s been superseded by many new and improved varieties. To look at this another way, this would compare to you buying rams from a breeder that had not done any genetic improvement in his flock for 100 years. 

Farmers planning to renovate pasture’s can face an almost bewildering choice of varieties to select from. Victorian perennial rye grass is one of the best known of the ryegrass varieties and is still used by many. However, given it was developed and released in the early 1900’s it’s been superseded by many new and improved varieties. To look at this another way, this would compare to you buying rams from a breeder that had not done any genetic improvement in his flock for 100 years. 

How quickly can your N be lost? Most yield reductions come from one or two nitrogen- loss events pertaining to:
Denitrification  

• 10 percent lost in 3 days of saturated soils saturated (i.e. 20+ percent lost in four days of  wet soils)

Leaching  

• Heavy soils: lose NO3 nitrogen with tile-line flow  (7 to 23 Kgs/year)

 

• The use of eNtrenchTM, adequate sulphur at sowing, AwakenTM foliar all should be considered to enhance hay yields.
• A more complete approach to nutrition (sulphur, zinc & copper) is only beneficial if the nutrition is managed within the environment provided. This is what AwakenTM, eNtrenchTM & Pro Gibb take advantage of.
• By stabilising the nitrogen, big gains in utilisation were able, which results in more efficient use of land for hay production which could be adopted easily as all changes fit with existing operations.
• The extra costs are easily returned in yield, even in a poor rainfall season.
• The adoption of these products is not difficult as they fit as part of existing regimes.

• The one-off 2010 mouldboard ploughing treatment has resulted in yield increases of 1.0 t/ha or more for the past 4 seasons.
• The measured yield increases were partly a result of overcoming the water repellence by soil inversion and improving crop establishment.
• For further details please see attached trial report.

Late (Z39+) application of N resulted in yield and protein increase over the control.

• Commander was the only variety which did not meet the minimum protein of 9%.
• 50kg/ha Urea was required to increase Commander’s protein into the malt range from 8.6 to 9.7%.
• To increase grain protein by 1%, 10kg/ha Urea is required for every tonne of expected yield.
• For example, a 5t/ha crop requires at least 50kg/ha Urea. applying nitrogen (N) later in the season, when the yield potential is relatively certain, knowing the N (available soil N, mineralisation and applied N) available to the crop, will help refine the amount of N required.

• Apply nitrogen early (stem elongation) for yield and later (head emergence) for protein.
• Nitrogen decisions should be made as the season unfolds because a good finish can make all the difference.
• Given the total amount of nitrogen applied to the crop and the soft finish, all treatments met APW specification for protein (above 10.5%).
• There was no significant difference in yield or protein between the different urea, UAN and liquid urea.
• There was also no significant difference between the 25 kg N/ha and the 50 kg N/ha rates for yield, however protein was increased.
   

For a variety information and results of the trial please see the attached trial report.

Crop yields were dissapointing due to the frost in late October.

Key points to be taken from this trial are, ensure early sprays are applied when Wheat Leaf Rust is detected. All fungicide treatment with an early treatment resulted in a significant yield benefit. it is important to take into consideration the cost of any particular fungicide treatment and the potential yield response.

In the post emergent treatments a range of herbicides produced very good control of all oilseed and legume crops included.

• In the post-emergent treatments a range of herbicides produced very good control of all oilseed and legume crops included.

• In the post emergent treatments, a range of herbicides produced very good control of all oilseed and legume crops included.

• In the post emergent treatments a range of herbicides produced very good control of all oilseed and legume crops included.
• Lucerne was significantly damaged by almost all herbicides applied.

• Simazine and metribuzin produced more crop effect compared to normal, especially in lentils. 
• For all the PSPE application treatments 50% more product significantly increased the crop damage.
• The double knock of glyphosate followed by SpraySeed gave excellent control.

• A wet June meant that many of the PSPE treatments like simazine at 850g/ha, diuron 410g/ha with simazine 410g/ha or Terbyne 1kg/ha produced more damage compared to normal.
• Group B tolerant Angel medic does not tolerate Logran, Ally or Eclipse post emergent.

• Good soil moisture conditions allowed clear separation of relatively safe and more damaging treatments.
• Many results from 2010 were replicated in 2011.
• Spinnaker at all application timings and Raptor at 4 node appeared to be more damaging to beans than in previous years.

• Good soil moisture conditions allowed clear separation of relatively safe and more damaging treatments.
• Wilpena sulla showed improved tolerance to Simazine and Broadstrike at the 5 node stage.
• At the 6 node stage Hussar and Crusader did a good job of controlling all crops.

• Sakura (BAY-191) and Boxer Gold produced slight effects on all 3 types of canola.
• Raptor had no negative impact on beans at Hart in 2009.

• New post emergent broadleaf herbicides Torpedo, Conclude, Precept and Velocity generally gave good control of pulses or canola.
• Pre-emergent grass herbicides had no effect on the growth of pulses or canola.

Available soil N at the start of 2014 was 20-50 kg N/ha higher for legume treatments compared to wheat. Starting soil N did not affect grain yield for nil or additional N applied treatments. Differences in grain protein were correlated to starting soil N levels

For results, please see the attached trial report.

There are very few quick and easy ways of obtaining reliable information in the field for use in the management of legume nitrogen. The development of tools for this purpose awaits further research and innovation.

good nodulation in the uninoculated treatments, and the absence of growth or yield responses to inoculation in this trial, indicated that pulses have been grown sufficiently often in this particular paddock (lentil in 2007 and pulses every two/three years previously) to maintain appropriately high rhizobial populations in the soil. as the numbers of rhizobia decline in the soil over time, consider inoculation based on, paddock history and length of time since growing the last legume crops. Pulses often benefit from inoculation if there has not been a legume grown in the paddock for six years. where rhizobial populations are low in the soil, inoculation of legumes at sowing is extremely important to ensure adequate nitrogen fixation

• In all but Paravic and Ascot, the innoculated crop yielded better than the uninnoculated crop. In fact, the average gross return for the innoculated crops was $346 per hectare, versus $247 per hectare for the uninnoculated crops. This represents an extra return of $99 per hectare. 
• It is therefore recommended that in all cases, legume crops should be innoculated with the correct strain of rhizobia prior to sowing. It is very cheap insurance against the bacteria not being present in the soil.