• A literature search was conducted of research into trace elements in crop production systems of south eastern Australia.
• References found in the "grey" literature (primarily printed material not available on-line) was summarised into key points and entered into the On Farm Trials database.
• All of these entries, plus those found from searching the international peer reviewed journal literature were entered into an Endnote database.
• The Endnote database is made available here, along with a text version for use by researchers.
• This activity was funded by the GRDC More Profit from Crop Nutrition program.
• Keywords: zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iron, copper, boron, trace elements, micronutrients.

• Variation for boron and salt tolerance in field pea germplasm was not associated with grain yield differences at Minnipa as a likely consequence of very low rainfall in 2008 and very high rainfall and Blackspot disease in 2009.
• Under favourable growing conditions the late flowering advanced PBA field pea line, 94-425*2b produced very high dry matter yields at the flat pod stage compared to other lines evaluated.
• Advanced field pea lines with a combination of higher dry matter and grain yield production were identified and potentially offer a dual purpose (grain and hay/silage/green manuring) option for growers in low rainfall environments and a way of managing some of the risk of production.
• Findings require further validation across years and environments.

• We have identified a small group of material with excellent agronomic performance exceeding our benchmark strand medic cultivars, Herald and Angel, by up to and over 30% for dry matter production and seed yield.
• The lines are bred from a cross between Angel strand medic and a line originally selected for powdery mildew resistance. They also have SU herbicide tolerance, aphid resistance and larger seed size.
• If the level of agronomic improvement can be confirmed at regenerating sites, there are good prospects for a future commercial release.
• Unexpected responses to Rhizobium inoculation confirm some grower observations of poor medic nodulation in the Mallee, but the reasons for this remain unclear.
• Root lesion nematode number was substantially reduced following a season of medic growth.

• Brassica juncea has the potential to be grown on a substantial area of low rainfall cropping country in South Australia with a likely area of up to 165,000 ha per year.
• Production may be expected to vary from year to year based on the timing of the seasonal break.
• Previous trials have shown that under low yield conditions, B. juncea can produce higher grain yields than canola.
• In the past two years with mild, wet conditions canola has performed relatively better than B. juncea.
• We are starting to see more blackleg occurring in low rainfall regions as the area sown to canola increases. It is not yet enough to cause problems but we need to keep our eye on it.
• Even more canola varieties have been released that may be good options in low rainfall areas.

See trial report attached for discussion.

• Please see attached trial report for full details on each variety.

• A diagnostic service is available to farmers and industry for diseased plant specimens.
• Samples of all leaf and aerial plant parts should be kept free of moisture and wrapped in paper not a plastic bag. Roots should be dug up carefully, preserving as much of the root system as possible and preferably kept damp. Samples should be sent to the following address:

SARDI Diagnostic Centre
Plant Research Centre
Hartley Grove
Urrbrae SA 5064

• Please see the attached trial report for full details.

• Guardian and Mace top yielding varieties at Franklin Harbour.
• Espada and RAC 1671 top the yields at Mt Cooper.
• Hindmarsh barley stands out; yielding 4.76 t/ha at Mt Cooper.
• Estoc, Scout and Espada top yielding varieties at Elliston.

• Guardian and Mace top yielding varieties at Franklin Harbour.
• Espada and RAC 1671 top the yields at Mt Cooper.
• Hindmarsh barley stands out; yielding 4.76 t/ha at Mt Cooper.
• Estoc, Scout and Espada top yielding varieties at Elliston.

• Glasshouse experiments and field experiments in South Australia and Victoria were conducted to examine wheat tolerance to heast stress as related to zinc nutrition.
• The results showed that good zinc nutrition could preserve membrane integrity and photosynthesis during heat stress.
• Supplementary zinc nutrition was shown to increase canopy cooling through evaporation.
• The field and glasshouse experiments showed that the combinaiton of heat stress and poor zinc nutrition were more damaging when they occurred together.
• Zinc sufficient plants had higher quality grain (glutenin:gladin) and better bread making qualities.

• Zinc (Zn) has been shown to be a clear limiting factor in achieving maximum fertiliser response from N and P on all soils sown in the SA Operation FerTill experiment program.
• Increased wheat grain yield of 4-6% has been achieved with Zn as a coat to DAP applied in each year over 3 years.
• This clearly questions the current practice of Zn application once every 3-4 years.
• These results suggest that Zn when used in combination with higher P and application should be considered every year.
• P and Zn placement are very effective management tools to reduce the severity of Rhizoctonia spp, in crops.
• Some P and Zn placement in the seed row of cereal crops is beneficial in reducing the severity of Rhizoctonia patch by up to 50%, increasing grain yield.

• A high rainfall growing season favoured blackspot disease build up and generally later flowering pea varieties at Minnipa in 2009.
• Kaspa was 17% higher yielding than Parafield, its highest margin over this variety at Minnipa in 11 years of testing.
• Kaspa’s grain yield was reduced by 19% when sowing date was delayed from 30 April to 20 May, however no grain yield reduction occurred in the advanced PBA field pea lines OZP0602 and OZP0601 with this delayed sowing date.
• OZP0601 and OPP0602, despite lower performance than Kaspa in the MAC variety trial in 2009, will provide better adapted “Kaspa type” options for low rainfall environments when they become available due to their earlier and longer flowering periods.

• Pea yields were high in 2011, but less than in the previous 2 years.
• Later maturing lines were favoured by the longer season, and apart from lower yields in Parafield there was generally little difference in grain yield between named varieties.
• A four week delay in sowing from early May resulted in a 32% yield loss across all varieties.
• Agronomy trials showed no significant effect of stubble management of grain yield in 2011, however standing stubble treatments showed increased standing height and reduced lodging compared to slashed stubble plots, which could aid harvest.

• New field pea varieties PBA Gunyah and PBA Twilight performed similarly to Kaspa and Parafield under extremely favourable conditions in 2010 at Minnipa, and given their yield advantages over these varieties in drier seasons, will be better adapted varieties for this region.
• Grain yield of PBA Stage 3 field peas averaged 2.9 t/ha at Minnipa in 2010 due to the wet and long growing season, which generally favoured later flowering pea varieties.
• Most advanced breeding lines showed no difference in yield to Kaspa (2.93t/ha) due to the favourable conditions.
• Though blackspot was present in 2010, it was not as extensive as in 2009 and had little impact on yield. This will have contributed to the 27% higher yield achieved in 2010 compared with 2009.
• Agronomy trials showed no significant effect of sowing date or stubble management treatments in 2010. This is likely due to the long growing season, and lack of disease. However early sowing is still recommended for low rainfall regions providing frost, weeds and blackspot risks are considered.

• Application of trace element (Mn,Cu, Zn) mix or manganese did not improve yield at the two sites.
• Application at sowing of fungicide with the separate (split) addition of 40kg/ha urea reduced Rhizoctonia seminal root infection at both sites.
• Phosphoric acid resulted in higher yields than granular P in two of the three years of the trial at the highly calcareous site (Streaky Bay) but not in the wet year; whereas at the other site (Waramboo) on the red sandy loam there was a small yield response in the wet year.

• Zn deficiency was evident at mid-tillering at one site only (Streaky Bay) in treatments where zinc had not been applied.
• Manganese deficiency was not identified via tissue testing at Streaky Bay despite treatments with added manganese having better earlier growth.

• Replicated trials at 22 sites were sown in factorial design of two rates of manganese sulphate (0 and 32 kg/ha), drilled with the superphosphate (200 kg/ha) at seeding, and two rates of manganese foliar spray (Mangasol®) at 0 and 10 1/ha) applied at flowering.
• Harvest yields were obtained, and the number of split seeds recorded in the grain sample.
• Manganese significantly (P < 0.05) increased grain yields and reduced the proportion of split seeds in the grain sample at 10 of the 22 sites (see table).
• Manganese significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the proportion of split seeds at 8 non-yield responsive sites, and produced no response at 4 sites (see table). Cultivar effects were not apparent. Concluded that a Mangasol® foliar spray applied at flowering is a more reliable means of controlling manganese deficiency in lupins than is the drilling of manganese at seeding time.
• Wide-spread aerial applications of Mangasol® have been commercially applied in the two seasons since these trials. The method is cost-effective, and in most cases coincides with insecticide application.

The main impacts of climate change by 2030 on grazing livestock enterprises is likely to be shorter  growing seasons, greater variability in pasture growth, reduced pasture quality, less available pasture, reduced wool quality and increased variability in farm gross margins. Possible adaptations to alleviate
some of these impacts are;

• Minimising the need for supplementary feed by reviewing lambing and calving times, age at first joining, stocking rates and sale times,
• Increase flexibility in systems by varying sale times/rules, confinement feeding, movement, more animal trading (core breeding), agistment, matching feed demand to pasture production, and
• Improved pasture utilisation by grazing management.

• Chickpeas will suffer far more from being too cold and to some degree too wet than they ever will from being too hot and too dry.
• Chickpeas don’t like high levels of boron, but will handle some.
• Chickpeas have some Pratylenchus tolerance but low resistance. Do a Predicta-B test for Pratylenchus. If levels are high, you will need to find an alternative paddock.
• Chickpeas don’t like competition from weeds. Use the herbicide Balance post sowing pre-emergent. If you don’t have broad leaf weeds under control before chickpea emergence there are few herbicide options. Grass weed control is quite easy as for normal pulses, such as Targa or Select.

While this pilot study did not include an extensive survey of the issue (so we can not be certain about the true extent of K deficiency), it did find that K deficiency is present in cropping on heavier soils of south-eastern Australia. It also found that K deficiency can cause substantial losses in productivity in a range of crops when it occurs and that it may not yet be a widespread problem. However, it is reasonable to predict that its extent and severity will increase in the future because K is exported from farms in commodities and without additions of K, soil reserves of K can only decline with time (Ma et al 2022). More attention to this disorder is warranted for cropping in south-eastern Australia, including more research into detecting and managing K deficiency in current farming systems.

This project has identified several gaps in knowledge which currently make detection of the problem unreliable and its correction not fully effective or at minimised cost. These gaps and opportunities are:

The extent and severity of K deficiency in crops growing on heavier soils of south-eastern Australia is uncertain but likely to be increasing. A more thorough assessment of how widespread and severe the problem is currently across the cropping zone of se Australia would scope the size of the issue more accurately.  A range of soil types were present in the trials reported here but not frequently enough to establish whether K deficiency was more likely on some than others.  Identifying which soil types are more prone to the problem would help management of K deficiency.

The current thresholds for the Colwell K soil test are not appropriate for the heavier soils of se Australia. A high priority would be to develop robust thresholds for this region. These studies could include assessments of other soil testing approaches which might be more suitable for cropping heavier soils in this region.

Broad-leaved crops behaved differently to wheat in this study.  More knowledge about the relative sensitivities of crop types to K deficiency would be useful, especially with respect to thresholds for different crops in the Colwell K soil test.

Subsoil levels of Colwell K vary widely in the heavier soils of se Australia.  Their impact on K deficiency and its management need to be defined.  This information needs to be incorporated into interpretations of soil testing for K reserves.

Banding of MOP was far more effective at correcting a severe K deficiency than broadcasting and foliar K was not effective but there are still large gaps in our knowledge on how to correct K deficiency cost-effectively in modern farming systems.

Are sources of K other than MOP competitive in effectiveness and cost ?

Will changing timing and sources of K improve the effectiveness of foliar applications. ?

How much K can be applied with the seed on heavier soils without reducing emergence ?  Does the type of seeder affect these rates ?

What is the residual benefit of soil-applied K ?

Do different crops respond the same to applications of K ?

On heavy soils, where K deficiencies may be exacerbated by slow cycling between pools and/or slow movement of K in soil solution, investigating the role of soil microbiology in K nutrition would be valuable.

The relationship between in-season growth and grain yield was less clear for break crops than it was for wheat. Better understanding of the impact of K deficiency early in the season on the grain yield of break crops would be useful.

While this pilot study did not include an extensive survey of the issue (so we can not be certain about the true extent of K deficiency), it did find that K deficiency is present in cropping on heavier soils of south-eastern Australia. It also found that K deficiency can cause substantial losses in productivity in a range of crops when it occurs and that it may not yet be a widespread problem. However, it is reasonable to predict that its extent and severity will increase in the future because K is exported from farms in commodities and without additions of K, soil reserves of K can only decline with time (Ma et al 2022). More attention to this disorder is warranted for cropping in south-eastern Australia, including more research into detecting and managing K deficiency in current farming systems.

This project has identified several gaps in knowledge which currently make detection of the problem unreliable and its correction not fully effective or at minimised cost. These gaps and opportunities are:

The extent and severity of K deficiency in crops growing on heavier soils of south-eastern Australia is uncertain but likely to be increasing. A more thorough assessment of how widespread and severe the problem is currently across the cropping zone of se Australia would scope the size of the issue more accurately.  A range of soil types were present in the trials reported here but not frequently enough to establish whether K deficiency was more likely on some than others.  Identifying which soil types are more prone to the problem would help management of K deficiency.

The current thresholds for the Colwell K soil test are not appropriate for the heavier soils of se Australia. A high priority would be to develop robust thresholds for this region. These studies could include assessments of other soil testing approaches which might be more suitable for cropping heavier soils in this region.

Broad-leaved crops behaved differently to wheat in this study.  More knowledge about the relative sensitivities of crop types to K deficiency would be useful, especially with respect to thresholds for different crops in the Colwell K soil test.

Subsoil levels of Colwell K vary widely in the heavier soils of se Australia.  Their impact on K deficiency and its management need to be defined.  This information needs to be incorporated into interpretations of soil testing for K reserves.

Banding of MOP was far more effective at correcting a severe K deficiency than broadcasting and foliar K was not effective but there are still large gaps in our knowledge on how to correct K deficiency cost-effectively in modern farming systems.

Are sources of K other than MOP competitive in effectiveness and cost ?

Will changing timing and sources of K improve the effectiveness of foliar applications. ?

How much K can be applied with the seed on heavier soils without reducing emergence ?  Does the type of seeder affect these rates ?

What is the residual benefit of soil-applied K ?

Do different crops respond the same to applications of K ?

On heavy soils, where K deficiencies may be exacerbated by slow cycling between pools and/or slow movement of K in soil solution, investigating the role of soil microbiology in K nutrition would be valuable.

The relationship between in-season growth and grain yield was less clear for break crops than it was for wheat. Better understanding of the impact of K deficiency early in the season on the grain yield of break crops would be useful.

• This three year research project aims to increase the yield and reliability of field pea under water deficit and is a major pre-breeding target of Pulse Breeding Australia.
• Key traits being monitored include phenology, canopy and yield traits and the adaptive value of these traits will be explored.
• The trade-offs between adaptation to stress and yield in good environments will be investigated.
• Improving the reliability of yield of field pea in water limiting environments will help to provide a robust break crop option for growers in low rainfall regions.
• Preliminary results from the second season and summary of first season experiments are presented with more detailed trait data currently being analysed, with one more year to follow.
• Correlations between yield and canopy traits such as greenness and growth rate have been identified.
• We have also used APSIM to model the seasonal soil moisture stress for all environments.

• This three year reserch project aims to increase the yield and reliability of field pea under water deficit and is a major pre-breeding target of Pulse Breeding Australia.
• Key traits being monitored include phenology, canopy and yield traits and the adaptive value of these traits will be explored.
• The trade-offs between adaptation to stress and yield in good environments will be investigated.
• Improving the reliability of yield of field pea in water limiting environments will help to provide a robust break crop option for growers in low rainfall regions.
• Preliminary results only from the first season of experiments are presented with more detailed trait data currently being analysed, with two more years from different seasons to follow.
• Correlations between yield and canopy traits such as greenness have been identified.

• A full liquid system including N, P, Trace elements and fungicides provided the greatest yield response and was significantly better than district practice granular treatments.
• Liquid N gave the most significant response of all liquid treatments in terms of mid-season biomass and yield.
• Full liquid and liquid N treatments provided similar returns to that of traditional treatments and greater returns than liquid P only.

• Incorrect identification could be costly as with Take all and Crown rot require different management.
• Check the bases of plants for symptoms, don’t rely on whiteheads (which need not even be disease related).
• Even where whiteheads are not present, significant yield losses can occur.
• Know the risk of yield loss in your paddocks before sowing. For 2012 crops, this will mean sending summer/autumn soil samples to the Predicta B testing service for analysis.
• The most effective management tool for both diseases is host-free breaks.
• Where old cereal rows have medium to high inoculum levels, sowing between those old rows can reduce yield losses from these diseases, but only if the inter-row has low levels of inoculum.
• When Take-all inoculum levels are medium to high, the best option is a 12 month break from hosts. If susceptible cereals must be sown, keep the paddock(s) weed free and sow the atrisk paddock(s) last in the cereal cropping program.
• When crown rot inoculum levels are medium to high, the best option is a break from hosts (2-3 years may be needed). If cereals must be sown then barley is least likely to show yield loss, followed by oats and bread wheat. Do not apply excessive nitrogen early in the season.

From this trial:

• Soil applications from 2015 were poorly effective at improving grain yield. Foliar applications of sulphate increased yield by about 1t/ha. Best yield increases of more than 2t/ha were achieved with a combination of soil and foliar applications. 

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• The site was severely deficient in Cu for wheat. 
• Under these severely deficient conditions, soil applications of Cu were poorly effective compared to foliar sprays but fluid applications performed better than Cu enriched granular fertilisers.  However, soil applications of Cu can persist for decades.
• There was no evidence that a chelated source of Cu as a foliar spray was more effective than a sulphate source and less Cu seemed to end up in the grain with the chelated source.
• A single foliar spray of Cu prior to flowering is often sufficient to protect a cereal crop from Cu deficiency but under the severe deficiency encountered in 2015, two foliar sprays were necessary to overcome the problem completely (one at first node, the second prior to flowering).
• Cu deficiency can make a crop more sensitive to adverse conditions.  In this trial, the hot drying conditions of the early October weekend, severely scorched all plots with no or poorly effective Cu management strategies.
• The soil and leaf tests taken during this trial support that the current guidelines for Cu deficiency are still relevant to modern farming systems and varieties.  A DTPA Cu level in soil of less than 0.3 ppm in the top 10 cm is considered deficient, and 1.3 ppm Cu in YEBS is considered very deficient for wheat.

From the whole project:

Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.

Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.

No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.

Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.

Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial: 

• No crop response to the addition of copper. Soil and plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project: 

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.
•  

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Manganese. Plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No change in crop performace with the addition of Manganese. As a foliar spray, sulphate was as effective as an EDTA chelate at increasing leaf manganese at Z30. Halving the recommended rate of sulphate decreased leaf manganese levels.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Manganese. Plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Manganese. Plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Manganese. Plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Zinc. Soil and plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Zinc. Soil and plant tests were in the deficient range. As a foliar spray, sulphate was as effective as two chelate sources for increasing leaf zinc at Z30.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of zinc. Soil and plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of zinc. Soil and plant tests not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Zinc. Soil and plant tests were not in the deficient range.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• Grain yield increased by 7% with the addition of zinc. Effectiveness of fertiliser strategies could not be assesed with such a small increase in yield. Soil and plant tests were in the deficient range. At Z14 zinc enriched fertilisers at sowing increased leaf zinc. At Z30 a sulphate as a foliar was as effective as an EDTA chelate. 

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

From this trial:

• No crop response to the addition of Zinc. Soil and plant tests were in the deficient range. Zinc applied at seeding either as a granular fertiliser or as a fluid fertiliser increased leaf zinc Z14.

From the whole project:

• Current guidelines are still relevant and effective for TE management.
• Some current interpretations of soil tests are causing issues - the suggested levels to avoid deficiencies are much higher in some lab reports than is our experience from field trials. These are creating false impressions of the extent and severity of Zn and Cu deficiencies.
• No evidence of a major increase in the incidence or severity of TE deficiencies in the cropping zones.
• Fluid delivery of TEs at seeding is a valid management strategy but rates of the target TE need to be the same as used with compounded fertilisers.
• Generally, all sources of foliar TE were equally effective.

• Yield losses caused by Pratylenchus are still being defined, in the meantime growers should focus on implementing management strategies to reduce impact of Rhizoctonia; most of these also reduce impact of Pratylenchus.
• Cereal cyst nematode (CCN) is a potential risk this year, particularly in continuous cereal paddocks with high frequency of susceptible varieties e.g. Wyalkatchem.
• Take-all risk is also increasing in continuous cereal and cereal/grassy pasture rotations; this is driven by above average growing seasons on Eyre Peninsula for the past few seasons.
• Field trials are underway to assess the yield losses caused by Pratylenchus in current varieties. Results of the first trials indicate yield losses caused by Pratylenchus in 2011 were relatively small; this program is continuing to determine if losses are higher in different seasons.
• Pratylenchus multiplication varies between varieties, check the 2012 Cereal Variety Disease Guide for the latest resistance ratings. Note; some barley varieties are better hosts for P. neglectus than previously thought.

• Current guideline of YEB values at tillering greater than 15mg Mn/kg indicative of adequate status still appear appropriate.
• No yield response recorded to application of Mn in different form or timing.

• Applying N at GS31 increased yield but no response to manganese was measured.

• New powdery mildew resistant hybrids have performed very well agronomically at three sites in SA (despite absence of significant powdery mildew infection this year).
• The insecticide/nematicide aldicarb, increased medic dry matter at Arthurton by 15%.
• Lines with putative tolerance to root lesion nematodes showed reduced root damage but overall were not as productive as the powdery mildew resistant hybrids.

• Tested effect of rates, methods of application and residual effects of zinc oxide on hybrid maize XL45.
• Zinc was either broadcast or drilled at initial rates of 0, 5.6, 11.3 or 38 kg Zn/ha and 0 or 5.6 kg Zn/ha in subsequent seasons.
• In most seasons, treatment with zinc almost doubled grain yields.
• Broadcasting and working in was more effective than drilling zinc with the fertilizer.
• Residual effects of the initial 5.6, 11.2 and 38 kg Zn remained evident throughout the 6 years and the higher rates continued to produce highest yields.

• Responses to Zn were measured in terms of seed yield, yield components and growth.
• Responses differed between varieties. In terms of yield response to Zn.
• Forrest is extremely responsive; Dare, Dodds and Bragg are moderately responsive; and Lee and Ruse are relatively tolerant of Zn deficiency.

• The first year of trials show that there is material with real potential to do well in low rainfall environments and develop lines which will be economic as break crops in future.
• In 2009, about 120 lines were trialled at Minnipa and Condobolin.
• At Minnipa with an exceptional season yields ranged from 1.7 to 2.9 t/ha, with an average over 2.4 t/ha.
• At Condobolin, under tough conditions, individual plots yielded up to 1 t/ha.

• Field experiment to test the relative effectiveness of a zinc spray to the soil surface compared to zinc-enriched fertilizers.
• These results suggest that zinc-enriched fertilizers which are of a heterogeneous nature will not be effective at correcting zinc deficiency in the year of application, or in the following year.
• Both soil sprays of zinc pre-sowing and zinc-enriched fertilizers drilled with the seed of a homogeneous nature are effective at correcting zinc deficiency.

• 67% of divalent manganese incubated on calcareous sands form Warooka was immobilised within 167 hours by chemical and biological processes.
• In field experiments over seven years manganese up to 16 kg/ha drilled with the barley crop did not prevent manganese deficiency in crops.
• However, manganese applicaiotn increased crop growth, delayed deficiency symptoms and increased grian yield by an average of 61%.
• The optimum applicaiotn at seeding was 6 kg/ha manganese (25 kg/ha nanganese sulphate).
• Three foliar sprays of manganese did not completely correct manganese deficiency.
•  The best results were obtained by applying 6 kg manganese at sowing followed by three foliar sprays.

• Grain and soil samples were collected from 13 field experiments where zinc deficiency had been identified as a problem.
• Zinc was applied in the field experiments at rates of 0-20 kg zinc/ha.
• Application of zinc (2.5 - 5 kg/ha) reduced grain cadmium concentraitons by up to half.

• Glasshouse solution culture experiments were used to examine root growth and nutrient uptake with chlorsulfuron application.
• The herbicide chlorsulfuron inhibits the growth of wheat roots and also directly interferes with the uptake of zinc, copper and phosphorus .
• Increased zinc supply alleviates or prevents deleterious effects of chlorsulfuron application to wheat in solution culture.

• Across three years addition of trace elements and fluid fungicide in-furrow did not provide increases in emergence, tillering or final yield - although this contradicts what other farmers have reported.
• Liquid N at sowing can improve crop emergence and early vigour, especially under dry conditions .
• Full liquid systems did not provide a profit benefit (due to higher input costs) even where they did provide increased yield which was not in all years.
• Recommendation most likely to provide higher returns for this area will be an in-furrow fertiliser system that incorporates some elements of liquid nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser ,trace elements, fungicides and granular phosphorus and nitrogen fertiliser.

• One hundred barley lines from a world collection were grown in plant breeders' plots (4 rows x 5 m) on a severely manganese-deficient soil.
• Only 10% of the lines showed good tolerance of manganese-deficient conditions, which were severe enough to kill many of the entries in the tillering stage.
• Extreme sensitivity to manganese deficiency was shown by all progeny of CI3576, an introduction from Egypt, which has conferred considerable yield advantage and disease resistance on its progeny under more highly fertile conditions.
• In all, there were 20 lines from CI3576, including Corvette, and Galleon, a newly released high-yielding feed barley.
• At present, Galleon is not recommended for calcareous sands, pending further agronomic work on its manganese fertilizer requirements.
• The established variety Clipper and its relatives, and Forrest, were also sensitive to manganese deficiency. The tolerant lines fell into three genetically related groups, all of which had pedigrees going back to traditional English land races or their derivatives.

• A series of glasshouse experiments were conducted with a range of different soils planted to triticale, wheat or rye.
• In one experiment at pH 5 and pH 8.4, triticale was tolerant of flow copper at pH 5 like rye but sensitive to low copper at pH 8.4 like wheat.
• Copper concentration in shoots decreased as pH increased the effect was greatest in wheat and lowest in rye.
• In a similar experiment with zinc these relativities were maintained, that is rye was most tolerant of zinc deficiency and wheat least tolerant.
• In a third experiment in soils deficient in both copper and zinc, these relationships were maintained but adding zinc alone aggravated copper deficiency and decreased pollen viability and yield, while adding copper alone generally increased pollen viability and yield.

• A potted history and review of research into trace element deficiencies in South Australia (PDF available).

• No further yield benefit was measured from applying other nutrients (S, K, Mg) and trace elements (Zn, Mn, Cu) over and above that from applying nitrogen and phosphorus alone.

• When considering the time of flowering it is apparent that a warmer, low rainfall location like Minnipa (flowering in September) may have less risk of heat events than a medium rainfall region like Roseworthy (flowering later in October).
• A purpose built chamber was able to function well in the field and heat the enclosed air to 35oC.
• More work is needed to quantify the impact of hot days on wheat yields.

• Vetch is a versatile crop that can be used for grain, pasture, hay/silage or green manure.
• Common vetches can be successfully grown in lower to mid rainfall areas of southern Australia where no other legume crops perform consistently well.
• It offers disease and weed breaks in rotation and also returns significant amounts of nitrogen to the soil.
• New vetch species are showing potential in very low rainfall areas, with trials to be conducted on Eyre Peninsula in 2012.

• Spores travel long distances so reducing stubble will only reduce white grain levels if adjacent paddocks are managed in the same way.
• Spraying fungicides is unlikely to be the answer to white grain problems.
• All the common wheat varieties grown on Eyre Peninsula can be susceptible to white grain.
• If growers observe white grain they may be able to reduce contamination by blowing away lighter grain during harvesting.
• Trials and monitoring will be ongoing on EP during 2012.

• Scout and Mace continue to out-yield the rest of the pack at Witera.
• Oxford and Fathom (WI4483) break 3 t/ha under severe leaf rust pressure at Witera.
• Espada and Scout top Elliston yields in 2011.

• Snapshot of some aspects of a large project on diagnosis of the deficiency, yield responses to zinc, residual value of zinc, protein increases and improvement of quality, and genotypic effects in relation to zinc.
• Zinc (as zinc sulphate hepta hydrate) was applied at rates up to 40 kg/ha. Nitrogen was applied at 30 kg/ha. Wheat cv. Hartog was sown at 30 kg/ha. In some experiments Cu was applied at 5kg/ha.
• Yield and protein in the grain increased with application of zinc.
• Zinc deficiency symptoms seen in crops without Zn applied throughout tillering and leaf samples confirmed the deficiency.
• The reduction in yield was largely due to plant mortality and fewer productive tillers per plant.
• Bread making quality as measured by a mixograph showed that the dough strength of zinc deficient grain was very poor.
• However, the dough itself mixed very quickly.
• Residual value of the initial application of zinc is at least 2 years: yield responses have occurred in successive seasons.
• In yield response experiments, responses to zinc have been recorded up 10 kg/ha; at 40 kg/ha, toxicity has been recorded at early tillering but the crop has recovered totally by maturity.