• A medium level of common root rot infection reduced the yield of LRPB GauntletA by 5% with a high level of infection resulting in 13% yield loss.
• The expression of crown rot was reduced in 2016 due to the wet seasonal conditions. The medium level of infection did not significantly reduce the yield of LRPB GauntletA, but a high level of infection caused 9% yield loss.
• Combined infection with both pathogens – common root rot and crown rot – further exacerbated yield loss, which equated to 23% with a high level of inoculum of both pathogens.
• The effect from a mild, wet season on reducing the extent of yield loss caused by either of these two pathogens appears to be more pronounced with crown rot than common root rot.
   

1. Barley and wheat crops led to increases in P. neglectus, while mungbeans, wheat and chickpea led to increases in P. thornei.
2. The non-host summer crops (cotton, maize, mungbean and sorghum) provided the greatest reduction in crown rot inoculum while most non-host winter crops had virtually no impact.
3. There was little impact from most species on common root rot levels with wheat the worst crop option, while common root rot declined under the moderately resistant barley variety CompassP.

1. Grain legumes (chickpea, faba bean, field pea, mungbean) often leave more residual soil water at harvest than cereals, this difference is diminished due to lower subsequent fallow efficiencies and hence soil water is often similar at the sowing of the next crop.
2. Higher intensity systems have higher fallow efficiencies while lower intensity systems and those with more legumes have lower fallow efficiencies.

In dry conditions there is no yield penalty when delaying harvest.

Harvest of Skipper, La Trobe and Compass should be prioritised as they are more susceptible to head loss. 

To minimise risk associated with delaying harvest consider sowing only manageable areas of susceptible varieties.

• Eleven days after seeding, emergence in Minnipa and Cungena soils was higher with no fertiliser or with all the DAP banded below the seed row, compared to DAP placed with the seed or split.
• Emergence was most affected by the presence of DAP in the Streaky Bay soil, least in the Minnipa soil and Cungena soil was intermediate.
• Shoot weights decreased where DAP was placed in the seed row and this occurred in all soil types. The soil EC (salinity) was higher with DAP placed in the seed row.
• Fertiliser toxicity may be reducing wheat emergence on grey calcareous soils, even at quite low application rates of DAP at 30 kg/ha.

 

• Nodulation was reduced when pea seeds were coated with P-Pickel T fungicide before inoculation.
• Reductions in rhizobia numbers on fungicide-coated seeds occurred very quickly, within two hours, but the toxic effect of the fungicide continued after sowing.
• Dry soil conditions are likely to have exacerbated fungicide toxicity to the rhizobia.

Having an indication of the stubble load present at harvest in cereals and canola (based on grain yield harvested) will help with future decisions around harvest management and management of stubble loads during the fallow period.

A late sown winter wheat Marombi and experimental wheat 10.10.3 were grazed at three different times and compared to the ungrazed crop. Drymatter production available for grazing up to GS 30/31 was 1.48 t/ha for Marombi and 1.89 t/ha for 10.10.3. Early grazing had minimal or no impact on grain yield. Grazing in the early to mid vegetative stage increased grain yield of 10.10.3 by 0.36 t/ha or 5 %. However there was a yield reduction (0.48 t/ha or 8%) by grazing the Marombi. Given the limited number of samples taken, the variation in yield may not be different from the no grazing treatment. The change in stubble mass was less than anticipated, with a decline of up to 13%.

site.

• Similar to previous years and at other sites on Kangaroo Island, adding soil improvement agents to the subsoil did not produce any tangible benefits to wheat performance. However, chemical analysis of the soil to a depth of 40 cm below the surface did not reveal any major constraints to growth at this site except low fertility. This would help explain why adding lime and gypsum to the soil (either to the surface or into the subsoil) had no impact on crop productivity.
• In trials with deep placed nutrients in other environments, spectacular yield benefits have been measured in sandy profiles with all their fertility concentrated close to the surface and top soil drying being a frequent  occurrence during spring. Although fertility decreased at the site tested here, there was still reasonable fertility in the 10-20 cm layer and rarely did the top soil get a chance to dry in spring last year. Perhaps both of these features decreased the value of nutrients placed deep into the profile.
• Some treatments will be re-applied in 2006 in this trial so we will be able to test whether they will have an impact in a different season, and if so, how fresh applications compare to those applied in the previous year.

• Similar to previous years and at other sites on similar KI soils, adding soil improvement agents to the subsoil did
• not produce any tangible benefits to wheat performance in last year’s trial.
• However, chemical analysis of the soil to a depth of 60 cm below the surface did not reveal any major constraints to growth at this site except low fertility.
• This would help explain why adding lime and gypsum to the soil (either to the surface or into the subsoil) had no
• impact on crop productivity.
• Deep ripping did not produce any benefits to crop performance in the very dry year of 2006.

• In the first two seasons, 2009 and 2010, there was a strong and consistent yield increase in response to mouldboard ploughing. 
• In 2011 the mouldboard plough plots on average yielded 300 kg/ha (13%) less than the unploughed plots.
• This trial is an unreplicated demonstration so it’s hard to tell if the negative response is real or not. 
• For further results please see attached trial report.

For results please see the attached trial reprot.

• There was a 0.17 t/ha yield advantage in the 2014 season due to removing or cultivating the previous season’s stubble, possibly due to extra nitrogen being available to the crop during the growing season.
• There was a 0.08 t/ha yield advantage at MAC this season by inter row cropping rather than placing the seed on row.
• There were no differences in either barley or ryegrass numbers at the start of the cropping season or in crop.

• There were no differences in wheat yield at Minnipa in response to stubble architecture, seeding position and nitrogen treatments in 2015.
• In 2015 plant establishment was reduced with cultivation and the addition of nitrogen at seeding compared to standing stubble cut low at harvest. The extra nitrogen applied at seeding also reduced the early dry matter.
• Removing and cutting stubble low decreased the Yellow Leaf Spot disease incidence and snail numbers compared to high cut stubble.
• Stubble management and seeding position had little effect on grass weed numbers.
• Overall at Minnipa, stubble management and seeding position have not impacted highly on crop production, weeds, disease and pests over two years with relatively high stubble loads in low rainfall farming systems.

• Barley sown into standing stubble yielded higher (between 0.15-0.33 t/ha) than cultivated or removed stubble in 2016.
• Standing stubble cut low (15-17 cm) resulted in the highest level of stubble being maintained into the following season.
• Maintaining standing stubbles may be the best option for yield and stubble carry over, but adequate nitrogen must be maintained.
• In 2014 and 2015 stubble management and seeding position did not impact strongly on weeds, disease or pests with relatively high stubble loads in a low rainfall farming system at Minnipa.

Standing stubble cut low (15-17 cm) resulted in the highest level of stubble being maintained into the following season.

Stubble management and seeding position had little effect on grass weeds.

Snail numbers were higher in standing stubble cut high (30 cm) and stubble removed had the lowest numbers.

Stubbles can be estimated using 1.3-2.8 times the grain yield, but it may underestimate the stubble in an average season following a good year, or after a very poor season.

In many low rainfall farming systems livestock are still a very important part of the farming system and the level of stubble carryover is reduced after grazing.

Stubble management and seeding position have not impacted greatly on crop production, weeds, disease and pests over three years with relatively high stubble loads for low rainfall farming systems.

Grower adoption of rotary spading and mouldboard ploughing in the West Midlands has been steadily increasing.

• This trial demonstrates the productivity and financial benefits that can arise from implementing rotary spading and indicates that the practice of deep ripping prior to spading appears to be worthwhile as not only does it remove obstacles and make spading easier it also appears to be a benefit to crop growth and productivity particularly in times of drought.
• Soil compaction was a significant constraint on this site and deep ripping alone has shown an advantage. Ideally controlled traffic system should be implemented after deep tillage to prevent re-compaction and loss of these benefits.

• Grain yields and lowest pod height of chickpeas were generally higher in no-till wider row systems sown inter-row (30 and 60cm) compared with conventional system (20cm).
• Herbicide damage in both lentils and chickpeas were significantly more severe in conventional systems where herbicides were applied post sowing pre-emergent.
• In lentils, despite showing significant early growth and good biomass production, yields were generally less than 0.2t/ha.

• Results too variable to determine effect of pH/lime on waterlogging.
• Trial will be continually monitored with greater changes in pH expected.

• The yield of both pulse crops decreased in general when delaying sowing.
• Modifying sowing time produced changes in the phenology that affected main yield components and grain yield.
• In general, the later sowing dates reduced grain number/m2 and produced a lower thousand grain weight.

Adequate crop nutrition following summer crop is essential for optimised winter grain yield. Soils moisture was not limiting this season, therefore wheat responses were driven by crop nutrition.

Early termination of vetch resulted in higher soil N and soil water at sowing the following year compared with later termination timings of vetch. Wheat yield in the year following vetch was highest for the earlier termination timings of the vetch. Brown manure vetch had higher soil N and soil water compared to vetch taken through to harvest.

• Our results from the first year of the study show that the method used to manage soil water repellence had little impact on soil nutrient supply with the exception of phosphorus. The lack of grain yield response to applied P in the mouldboard and spading treatments suggest that soil phosphorus is more available in these soils, though is not clear whether this is due to the removal of the non-wetting constraint or mineralisation following tillage.
• The lower grain yield and harvest index in the spading treatment suggests that there was less soil water available late in the growing season. Further research is required to determine how these management practices, in particular inversion and rotary spading, changes fertiliser advice. The results of this work will be used to develop guidelines on if or how nutrition should be managed for crops sown on soils treated for water repellence.

• Winter cereal crop and variety choice can have a large impact on Pratylenchus thornei (Pt) population build-up within paddocks.
• Averaged across winter cereal entries, final Pt densities were 83% higher when sown in early May compared with early June.
• Final Pt populations were between 1.6 and 4.7 times higher in 14 of the 24 barley entries, the durum line 190873, and 12 of the 19 bread wheat entries when sown in early May compared with early June.
• The additional population build-up with early May sowing generally increased the risk level for yield loss in the following wheat crop from either low to medium, or medium to high compared to sowing in early June.
• Although earlier sowing can reduce yield loss associated with both crown rot (CR) and Pt, it does, however, appear to favour higher Pt population development in some winter cereal varieties, which could exacerbate negative consequences on following crops and/or varieties in the rotation.

• Concentrated chaff distribution had no significant impacts on nutrient stratification either horizontally or vertically across the landscape at three sites.
• Chicken litter applications appear to complement traditional chemical fertiliser applications by increasing P availability.
• All nutrients assessed were well above established critical levels and there was a tendency for all nutrients to be concentrated at the surface (0-5 cm) regardless of the known differences in mobility between N, P, K and S.

• Paraquat Treatments provided 100% control of all sizes of onion weed.
• Ally treatments (metsulfuron) were slower than paraquat, however provided 100% control.
• Double knocks improved the speed of burn off and control.
• Glyphosate does not provide complete control of onion weed and recovery can occur.
• Glyphosate mixed with Pyresta or Starane Advanced showed reduced glyphosate efficacy.
• Glyphosate mixed with Valor and Sharpen showed no increase in control compared to glyphosate applied alone on all sizes of onion weed.
• Local seeding machines successfully established canola into a heavy barley stubble and there was no benefit in pre-sowing cultivation or burning.

• Native grasses have been established on numerous properties, however the project has highlighted difficulties with sowing light fluffy seeds.
• Wallaby Grass established well at several sites, however the dry summers have drastically reduced populations.
• The dry springs have not been suitable for the establishment of Windmill Grass and rain in the middle of summer does not appear to favour establishment

The 2002 drought may have major implications for potential weed problems during the 2003 season, including management in fallows, pastures and crops. However, there is very little published information on the impact of drought on weed population dynamics. There is some information on the impact of weather (rainfall and temperature) on effectiveness of weed control methods. The 1982 and 1994 droughts provide some guidance on the consequences of a major drought on subsequent weed problems. The most likely impact of the drought on weeds is the incursion of new weed problems into districts via fodder, grain and seed.

• In general for the bulk of the paddock in the wetter 2011 season there was little obvious difference in establishment between the knife point and winged point with paired rows seeder. However there were a several water repellent patches where establishment was poor for the knife point seeder but was much improved for the winged point-paired row seeder.
• Plant counts in these areas revealed that establishment was more than doubled from <100 plants/m2 to >200 plants/m2 through use of the winged point-paired row system in both the sandy gravel and pale deep sand soil types
• The advantage of improved furrow sowing as a tool to manage water repellent soils is it can be applied over all the repellent cropping areas, potentially for relatively low cost if only points and press wheels need changing on an existing seeder.
• For further results please see the attached trial report.

• Large range of cocksfoot cultivars trialled at three sites: Vivonne Bay, Parndana and Stokes Bay.
• Trials will be rotationally grazed .
• Persistence and productivity will be monitored over several years, subject to further funding.

• Lazuly and Porto cocksfoots are standout perennial grass cultivars, with Uplands cocksfoot showing promise for persistency in shallow dry soil environments.
• Gosse sub clover the standout annual legume, with Napier showing promise as a later cultivar. Trikkala sub clover still a good performer.

• Porto cocksfoot the standout perennial grass cultivar, with Uplands cocksfoot showing promise for persistency in shallow dry soil environments.
• Gosse sub clover the standout annual legume, with Napier showing promise as a later cultivar. Trikkala subclover still a good performer.
• Persistence and productivity will continue to be monitored over several years, subject to further funding.

• Knowing how much water is available at any point in time, and where the crop is using water from is extremely valuable when making management decisions.
• Potential water extraction depends not only crop type but also crop growth during the season.
• Correct data interpretation is critical for success when using soil moisture data.
   

• Modern wheat varieties have a higher demand for nitrogen and agronomic practices need to take this into account.
• The most critical period for setting grain yield potential is between stem elongation (GS31) and flowering.
• Current varieties are well beyond the potential 20kg grain/ha per mm water benchmark. This needs to be updated to 24kg grain/ha per mm water.

• Fathom barley was more competitive than Hindmarsh barley, bread wheat and durum.
• Increasing seeding rate and seed bed utilisation improved crop weed competition (by up to 60%) without a yield penalty or quality downgrading.
• Tjilkuri and Mace sown at 300 seeds/m2 with a spreader boot achieved similar ARG suppression as Fathom barley sown at 150 seeds/m2 .
• Pre-emergent herbicide application offered the best control of ARG in this trial across all varieties and agronomic management factors. 
• Non chemical strategies can significantly enhance crop’s competitive ability with weeds and should be integrated with herbicide use.

• The impact of 13 different soil wetter treatments ranged from none to more than a doubling of wheat establishment.
• Grain yield benefits ranged from zero to 21% (or 0.22 t/ha).
• While higher grain yield generally correlated with better crop establishment, some treatments with low crop establishment were able to generate substantial yield responses, suggesting specific chemistries may promote later season effects.
• Combinations of some soil wetters interacted positively to maximize grain yield response.

Yield variability across the 22 focus paddocks in the project was moderate to very high. Yield variation needs to be managed to minimise the significant economic losses experienced in low performing parts of a paddock. We found very good correlations between soil EM38 maps, satellite imagery of crop vigour and crop yield at harvest. Utilising our knowledge of how the crops grew this season together with the precision farming tools available we will develop management plans in each of the focus paddocks to improve water use, yield and economic return.

In this article we summarise results of a recent study of ecological function of 60 patches of remnant native vegetation (“remnants”) in the Wimmera and Murray Mallee bioregions, the major dryland areas in Victoria’s northwest. We assessed soil and vegetation characteristics assumed to contribute towards the long term survival of remnants in the agricultural landscape.