• ‘Compass type’ varieties with good early vigour, combined with a prostrate growth habit are the best competitors (Compass, Fathom, Scope CL, RGT Planet).
• ‘Hindmarsh type’ and ‘Urambie type’ varieties with very slow early vigour are poor competitors (Hindmarsh, Spartacus CL, Urambie).
• In the presence of grass weeds there was an average of 0.9t/ha yield loss across all barley varieties.
• Three years of data has reinforced that certain varieties can be used as a non-herbicide option for grass weed control.

• Trifluralin was very effective, reducing ryegrass numbers by 60 percent.
• The use of oilseeds and pulse crops provided the opportunity to effectively control resistant ryegrass using different chemistries (even within Group A - dims).
• Cutting hay is a profitable option with low risk and importantly very effective in reducing ryegrass if managed correctly.

In a trial on Yitpi at Corack there was not yield or margin benefit from using flutriafol on fertiliser at either 400 or 800mL/ha rate, despite low level stem rust and yellow leaf spot infection in the top three leaves of the crop.

Precision farming tools such as EM surveys and yeild mapping can add greatly to our understanding of grain yield and quality variation across a paddock. The results of N fertiliser and sowing rates on Silverstar wheat demonstrated that:

• grain yield differences are determined by soil type.
• high sowing rates can contribute to lower screenings but does now guarantee lower screenings.

The larger scale trial work raised issues on how to interpret small scale plot work. There is a greater need for researchers and farmers to work together towards identifying and interpreting paddock variability, before large scale, and often costly, management practices are put in place. 

•  Yields were significantly higher under narrow row spacing, but sowing direction had no influence on yield.
• Weeds had a significant effect on yield, but the scale of yield penalty (t/ha yield loss) did  not alter with row spacing or sowing direction in 2015.
• Weeds established faster where row spacings were wider, however by late tillering, all treatments had similar weed numbers and biomass levels.

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.

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.

For details please see the attached trial report.

The main purpose for demonstration trials is to show what the varieties look like and what performance was on one plot at one site.

A summary of results is presented in the associated report.

In contrast to previous years and other sites, yields of all narbon bean lines exceeded field pea yields at Birchip.

Very little yield data is available for many of the crop species from the 2006 season. Furthermore, for some crop species, notably chickpeas, seed production was severely disrupted by the drought and the release of some of the newer varieties has been delayed by a year.

• Results indicate that herbicide management practices may need to be slightly modified in many instances for new ascochyta blight resistant chickpeas to maximise the yield benefits of these new cultivars.
• For field peas and lentils, each of the new cultivars tested performed similar to or better than current cultivars in terms of their herbicide tolerance and/or yield.

Trials were sown at Birchip to assess the relative tolerance of new field pea and chickpea cultivars to a range of commonly used herbicide treatments. Results indicate that the new varieties of field pea and chickpea perform similarly to commonly grown cultivars.

• Results indicate that management practices will need to be slightly modified in many instances to maximise the yield benefits of these new cultivars.
• For example, the new pea variety Kaspa should generally be sown slightly earlier and at higher density than the traditional cultivars Parafield and Dundale.

• Velocity and Precept selective herbicides are based on a new active pyrasulfotole.
• This is a new mode of action on broadleaf weeds in cereals in Australia (Group H).
• Velocity and Precept showed excellent crop safety.
• Broad spectrum and reliable broadleaf weed control.

• At Warmur and Kalkee, Bannister was the highest yielding milling oat and Brusher the highest yielding hay oat variety in 2016 – an excellent season.
• Application of fungicides to oats did not create hay or yield benefits in the Wimmera in 2016.
• Choice of oat variety and management should be made according to the intended end-use traits – versatility if conditions change, disease resistance, ability to control problem weeds and likelihood of making premium markets.

• At Warmur and Kalkee, Bannister was the highest yielding milling oat and Brusher the highest yielding hay oat variety in 2016 – an excellent season.
• Application of fungicides to oats did not create hay or yield benefits in the Wimmera in 2016.
• Choice of oat variety and management should be made according to the intended end-use traits – versatility if conditions change, disease resistance, ability to control problem weeds and likelihood of making premium markets.

Vetch has provided many farmers in our district with the opportunity to incorporate and instant grain legume or pasture crop in their cropping rotation.

Vetch can decrease cereal diseases and pests for subsequent cereal crops.

When vetch is establised in March and is terminated 'early' (three to four months later, in June, July), soil water will be conserved for the subsequent wheat crop; the risk of haying off due to high nitrogen will be lower than if the vetch were terminated 'later' (August, September),

Vetch biomass production of approximately 2t/ha is unlikely to cause a subsequent wheat crop to hay off given dry seasonal conditions. 

Residual nitrogen from vetch brown manure can carry over for two years and influence cereal crop growth, but the conservation of soil water is more critical in seasons of Decile 2 or lower. 

When vetch is establised in March and is terminated 'early' (three to four months later, in June, July), soil water will be conserved for the subsequent wheat crop; the risk of haying off due to high nitrogen will be lower than if the vetch were terminated 'later' (August, September),

Vetch biomass production of approximately 2t/ha is unlikely to cause a subsequent wheat crop to hay off given dry seasonal conditions. 

Residual nitrogen from vetch brown manure can carry over for two years and influence cereal crop growth, but the conservation of soil water is more critical in seasons of Decile 2 or lower. 

When vetch is establised in March and is terminated 'early' (three to four months later, in June, July), soil water will be conserved for the subsequent wheat crop; the risk of haying off due to high nitrogen will be lower than if the vetch were terminated 'later' (August, September),

Vetch biomass production of approximately 2t/ha is unlikely to cause a subsequent wheat crop to hay off given dry seasonal conditions. 

Residual nitrogen from vetch brown manure can carry over for two years and influence cereal crop growth, but the conservation of soil water is more critical in seasons of Decile 2 or lower. 

Nitrogen (N) fixation by vetch was closely related to dry matter (DM) production (26kg N fixed per tonne DM accumulated). The later the termination, the higher the calculated inputs of fixed N. Both soil water reserves and mineral N were highest at the end of the 2012 growing season following the earliest (June and July) termination timings. To establish the best time to terminate a vetch crop, weigh up the benefits being delivered by vetch (biomass accumulation and N fixation), the need to conserve moisture and time required for N to mineralise for the next crop.

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.

Both dry matter production and grain yield results from this site were within expectations.

All sites in this trial suffered from severe moisture stress and the effects of rust.

Blanchefluer was the best yeilding commercially released variety.

• Returns from the production of ascochyta blight susceptible desi chickpeas in Victoria become more attractive when fungicides are applied less often. But risk of crop failure greatly increases with this practice.
• Howzat is less susceptible to ascochyta blight than current varieties and may allow good returns from a desi crop when disease pressure is low or when a limited number of fungicide applications are used.
• In the southern Wimmera ascochyta blight susceptible kabulis are still profitable, even with intensive fungicide regimes.
• Varieties with effective resistance to this disease will reduce the risk of crop loss and the costs of fungicides will be available within five years.

Outback (AGA99-04) is an early-mid variety bred by Ag-Seed Research. It is new in 2001 and will be marketed by Dovuro. It is being tested in Victoria for the first time this year. There is limited information available on this line. Hyola 60 (PACN168) is a new mid maturity hybrid line to be released by Pacific Seeds in 2001. It is being tested in Victoria for the first time. It has good early vigour, but there is limited information available. Try new varieties in conjunction with proven varieties on smaller areas. Check yield, quality results and economics of new varieties before deciding on which variety to grow. A new National Blackleg scoring system will be available soon.

• Several varieties including Mitre, Yitpi, and Annuello yielded well at this site.
• Of the highest yielding varieties Yitpi received the best price per tonne and return per hectare, under AWB’s Golden Rewards, due to higher protein than the other high yielding varieties.
• H45 was one of the lowest yielding varieties at this site and was also the most affected by stripe rust. However screenings were below 5% in all varieties indicating that stripe rust had a greater impact on yield than grain size.
• Wyalkatchem and AGHW 001 also yielded lower than the other varieties despite much lower stripe rust infection – in fact AGHW 001 remained free of disease all season indicating that moisture may have been a greater yield limiting factor at this site.

Sowing early gave best crop competition with brome grass. Select a variety with high early vigour to suppress brome grass seed set. Select a variety with a short growing season when crop-topping brome.

Water quality can vary greatly between water sources. Poor quality water can affect pesticide performance. Understand the quality of water you are using and manage accordingly to maximise your pesticide performance.

The water use efficiency concept as developed by Reg Smith and and Jeff Schultz in SA provides us with a technique for assessing the performance of a crop in terms of the quality of the grain produced per millimitre of rainfall which falls over the growing season.

With the aid of a 'web browser' such as Netscape, a number of weather charts and diagrams can be viewed. Of use to you will be daily rain and river height bulletins, climate data for most provincial towns in Australia, weekly rainfall analysis, the seasonal outlook and drought statement.

The efficacy of Select and Aramo in controlling ryegrass when sprayed under different weather conditions was investigated. It appears that neither bright sunshine nor overcast conditions affected the efficacy of these two products.

• Ryegrass and broadleaf weeds such as toadrush and capeweed are the main weeds to control in oat crops on the rising hill country in hte southern Wimmera.
• In this trial, the most cost effective option to control these weeds was Diuron and Glean applied at the 3-leaf stage of the oats.

Herbicide use is becoming increasingly complicated with restrictions on the use of more and more products and a tight water supply. The following articles outline how to cope with these limitations and provide some good information for spraying this season.

The main messages from the trial work undertaken in 2005 for weed management in 2006 are presented in this report.

 

• Significant reductions in water and chemical use can be achieved when weed sensing technology (WeedSeeker) is used, compared with blanket applications.
• Erect plants compared with prostrate plants require less spray.

Sowing cereals in early April on a soil profile full of water is possible if:

• long season varieties are planted to ensure that the crop does not flower before the high-risk frost period has passed,
• the topsoil is moist at seeding to ensure that the crop germinates and allows for early root growth down into the stored water in the subsoil, and
• weeds can be controlled.

The sites were much lower yielding and produced poorer quality grain compared to the four sites evaluated in 2003. Yields over the three 2004 sites ranged from 1.4- 2.3t/ha compared to a mean yield across the 2003 sites of 4.4t/ha. Quality was also much poorer with only one of the three sites, Lubeck, producing malt grade barley. This site received more rainfall throughout the growing season than the other two sites and all varieties performed the best here, producing higher yields and better quality.

In terms of AH quality varieties Yitpi, Mitre and Annuello are the best bets for the Wimmera. Be mindful of Yitpi’s weakness for stem rust resistance and the marginal stripe rust resistance of Mitre and Annuello.

Of the paddocks investigated in the Southern Mallee, water was severely limiting in 1994, and the amount of water that could be supplied to crop from the soil was very small.

There are still many answers required before we can be confident on how to manage this important and expensive input to our farming systems.

• There are still many answers required before we can be confident on how to manage this important and expensive input to our farming systems.
• There is little chance that we can work out a profitable N management system if we do not know what happens to applied nitrogen in our cropping soils.

• Wheat yields were relatively good at all three sites considering the season.
• There were yield responses from the N topdressed fertiliser at the N response sites, Birchip and Charlton.

• The 1999 season was fairly average with a dry spring reducing potential yields.
• Nitrogen responses were marginal due to already high levels of nitrogen in the soil.
• Topdressing nitrogen on wheat increased yields at all sites to some extent.

Thirsty, the dog, was parched. It had been a long, dry year even for him! He went looking for a drink a few days after the recent storm that dropped more than 50mm on some parts of the Mallee. Wherever he went, the water supply seemed to vary. "What's going on here?" he barked.

• The yield of wheat and barley was double on cultivated fallow compared to chemical fallow medic pasture.
• Cultivation is also known to reduce the numbers of nematodes.

It appears from limited data that in the southern Mallee most of the P. neglectus population is found in the topsoil.

• Despite high levels of available soil nitrogen at the start of the season (113 kg/ha N, 0 – 100 cm), there was a significant yield response to applied nitrogen. There was no yield advantage of 100kg/ha N over 50kg/ha N.
• At 50kg/ha N, there was a significant yield advantage (0.47t/ha) from application at GS33 (third node) compared to application pre-sowing.
• At 100kg/ha N, there was a significant yield advantage (0.55t/ha) from application at GS30 above seedbed application. Differences at 50kg/ha were not significant.

• With very low levels of available soil nitrogen and rooting limitations due to salinity at 70cm, there was a significant response to applied nitrogen over the zero N control, but was statistically significant only in treatments that received nitrogen in the seedbed.
• Where nitrogen was applied in-crop at GS31 (14 August) and GS39 (14 September), there was no significant yield response above the control (a result attributed to limited uptake 3.25mm of rain in August, 8.5mm in September).
• While grain protein content increased after seedbed nitrogen applications, there was no protein response to in-crop applications, confirming a lack of nitrogen uptake as a result of limited follow up rainfall.

• In this water-limited scenario, with 70 kg/ha N available in the soil at the start of the season, in-crop nitrogen application served to significantly reduce yield relative to the zero N control.
• Yield depression was strongly significant (p=0.001) when nitrogen was applied at GS30 (start of stem elongation) but was less evident when applied at GS37 (flag leaf first visible).
• Unusually, the yield reduction from GS30 nitrogen timing was associated with higher grain protein than the later flag leaf first visible (GS37) timing. This result looks likely to have been influenced by protein concentration effect accompanying the stronger yield reduction at GS30.

At yield levels just under 1t/ha there was no yield response to applied nitrogen in this trial at either plant population.

If measured purely in terms of yield, nitrogen (N) application was not cost effective in this trial, with 50kg/ha N producing an average yield increase of approximately 0.2t/ha.

On a site with high N at sowing, yields of 2.0-205t/ha were achieved and there was no apparent benefit from N applications of 30 and 60kg N/ha, thus all applied nitrogen treatments lost money relative to the zero nitrogen plots.

Results on a Wimmera clay illustrate that nitrogen application gave a yield increase of 0.82t/ha at 50kg/ha N and 1.13t/ha at 100kg/ha N over the zero N yields of 2.86t/ha.

It is important to consider the seasonal risk posed by diseases when developing an appropriate disease management strategy. Avoiding susceptible barley and wheat varieties will significantly reduce the risk of grain yield and quality loss due to disease Both foliar and fertiliser fungicides can both provide effective disease management when applied to coincide with the critical development stages of disease epidemics.

Under low yield conditions Silverstar is likely to be the highest yielding variety in the Mallee.

• The harvest results show the gains to be made from the banded application of phosphorus and nitrogen to wheat crops grown in the southern Mallee.
• Carefully assess soil fertility prior to sowing of cereals and canola to ensure dollars spent on the most profitable nutrient combination for each paddock.
• Plan on balanced nutrition of crops to optimise farm profits.

Best options for the 2002 season are: ƒ

• Yitpi for low rainfall, sodic or light textured soils, particularly where boron levels are high.
• Mitre for medium rainfall, alkaline to slightly acid soils ƒ
• Chara for medium to high rainfall and irrigation on neutral to acid soils
•  H45 as a late sowing option where CCN is controlled.

The incentive to grow AH over APW varieties is small when wheat is pooled under the golden rewards payment system.

• Average yield for all varieties was 5.2t/ha, with Scout (5.86t/ha), IGW 3073 (5.95t/ha) and IGW 3119 (5.86t/ha) topping the yields.
• Correll, Gladius and Catalina yielded similarly to Yitpi (at 5t/ha).
• The higher yielding varieties - Scout, Magenta, Mace and InterGrain (Nuseed)- lines, were the most profitable.

• Espada, Lincoln and Correll yielded 10% higher than Yitpi at Woomelang.
• Gladius achieved H2 quality and was the most profitable on this occasion.
• Yitpi is likely to remain the main variety grown, though interest in Correll, Derrimut and Gladius is growing.

• There are no standout wheat varieties for the Wimmera.
• Scout yielded well in this trial but limited data are available.

• Trojan and Beckom were the highest yielding in the Mallee and Trojan, Cosmick and Scepter topped the yields in the Wimmera.
• There was a 0.5t/ha advantage in having earlier sowing varieties in the Wimmera (sown on 18 May), over later sowing
• Cosmick, Corack and Mace have performed consistently well over the last six years in NVT, showing their adaptability to these regions regardless of sowing time.

Corack, Cosmick and Correll were soild performers in the Mallee in 2014.

Mace and Shield were the highest yielding varieties in the Wimmera (Horsham).

Mace, Scout an Corack topped the variety trial in the West Wimmera (Nhill). 

Corack and Mace have been solid performers for the past three years across the Wimmera and Mallee regions. 

 

The best performing varieties at the Berriwillock trial site (central Mallee) in 2003 were Annuello, H45 and Yitpi. The worst performing variety in the trial was JNZ Clearfield.

• Scepter was the highest yielding variety (or equal highest) at Berriwillock, Quambatook and Pira (based on one year of data only).
• Earlier maturing varieties such as Corack, Mace, Derrimut and Hatchet CL Plus tended to be higher-yielding than later maturing varieties.
• In Mallee National Variety Trials (NVT) Corack, Mace, Cosmick and Shield have been higher than the site mean for the last five years. 
• When averaged over the last five years, Mace, Corack, Cosmick, Scout and Derrimut have yielded better than the site mean in Wimmera NVTs. 

Best options for the 2003 season are:

• Yitpi for low rainfall, sodic or light textured soils, particularly where boron levels are high.
• Annuello for low to medium rainfall areas where the domestic market is targeted to achieve a price premium.
• Mitre for medium rainfall, alkaline to slightly acid soils.
• Chara for medium to high rainfall and irrigation on neutral to acid soils.
• H45 as a late sowing option where CCN is controlled. Be aware of the stripe rust risk.

Eleven of the 14 sites were harvested. All the participating farms received well below their average growing season rainfall and consequently the average yield per site varied from 0.3t/ha at Rainbow and Rupanyup North to 2.3t/ha at Goroke. Protein ranged from 12 to 17% and screenings varied from 1 to 15%. Most sites had screenings below 5%. There was little varietal difference for protein and screenings.

• On-farm demonstrations were used to compare wheat variety performance in the Wimmera. Wyalkatchem, Ventura, Pugsley, Mitre and GBA Sapphire all performed well in this year’s trials.
• It is difficult to make a decision about which variety is best. If a change in variety is required be sure to consider all characteristics about the variety, considering long term yield data and make sure it is suited to your environment with the desired quality characteristics.

• A new strain of stripe rust has emerged that is virulent against the Yr17 resistance gene present in Derrimut, Young, Pugsley and Carinya. Although resistance data is not yet available for these varieties in the presence of the new strain, the resistance ratings of these varieties may be reduced and growers should be mindful of this in their variety selections.
• Replacement of Yitpi with a stem rust resistant AH alternative is a high priority for Victorian growers. Correll, Derrimut, Young and Catalina should be considered.
• Correll and Derrimut are currently favoured as a Yitpi replacement, although the impact of the new strain of stripe rust on the stripe rust resistance rating of Derrimut needs to be closely monitored.

• A new strain of stripe rust has emerged that is virulent against the Yr17 resistance gene present in Derrimut, Young, Pugsley and Carinya. Although resistance data is not yet available for these varieties in the presence of the new strain, the resistance ratings of these varieties may be reduced and growers should be mindful of this in their variety selections.
• Replacement of Yitpi with a stem rust resistant AH alternative is a high priority for Victorian growers. Correll, Derrimut, Young and Catalina should be considered.
• Correll and Derrimut are currently favoured as a Yitpi replacement, although the impact of the new strain of stripe rust on the stripe rust resistance rating of Derrimut needs to be closely monitored.

2003 will be remembered for many as a stripe rust year, however variety selection in 2004 should also be based on agronomic performance and potential grain quality. Varieties with a minimum stripe rust rating of MS-S should be selected, factoring in a single fungicide application if required. New wheats to consider for the Wimmera and Mallee are Drysdale, GBA-Sapphire and GBA-Ruby.

The 2005 season in general suited wheats with mid-late maturity because of the favourable spring following a dry winter. Entries in the National Variety Testing (NVT) system were not sprayed for rust control and stripe rust had a large effect on yield of susceptible varieties in many environments. Growers should keep these two factors in mind when assessing yield data from the 2005 season.

Nitrogen use has resulted in great improvements in crop yield in favourable seasons.
In dry seasons too much applied nitrogen can result in haying-off and lower yields.
Good guidelines are now available for nitrogen use to reduce the risk of crop failure resulting from applying too much fertiliser nitrogen.
The critical factors are:
• Stored soil water (control summer weeds)
• Measure how much nitrogen is in the soil prior to sowing
• Calculate nitrogen requirement from the target yield
• Do not pre-drill more than 60 kg/ha of urea in the 350mm rainfall zone (100kg/ha in the 450mm zone)
• Split applications are safer
• Topdress with urea if the soil test indicates a need, the crop is healthy, and the outlook is for an average to wet season

Calculating N supply in a highly variable climate is a difficult task and delivering split applications is attractive when aiming to minimise the risk of over- or under-fertilising.

Vetch is a multi-purpose crop; its versatility allows decisions about its end-use to be made during the year (grain, hay/silage or green manure/grazing) and also can be used as a management tool against resistant weed development. Vetch can improve soil fertility by returning organic matter to the soil, increase yield in the following crop by means of nitrogen fixation and reduce disease and insect risk for the following crop. Two new varieties; SA-34823 and SA-35103 are set for release in spring 2013.

• In the dry season of 2001, lentils, field peas and canola yielded poorly whereas whet and barley yielded well.
• Hostile subsoil conditions limited the rooting depth of pulses and canola, while wheat and barley were more tolerant and able to extract moisture down to a dep of 1m.
• Pulses and canola will always struggle to perform in dry springs unless they are grown on soils where their roots can extrac soil water deeper than 50cm.

The reasons why barley at high sowing rate has the potential for high screenings are:

• Barley produces significantly more shoots per plant than wheat

• Grain weight decreases for each shoot

Hence because barley has many more shoots than wheat, and these extra shoots have smaller grain, the screening level in barley is often higher than in wheat In both crops it is possible to reduce the amount of tillering by increasing the sowing rate. For Silverstar wheat 2.2 shoots formed at a sowing rate of 60 kg/ha, at 120 kg/ha only 1.5 shoots formed. For Sloop barley the number of shoots also decreased but nowhere near as much (at 60 kg/ha - 5 shoots; and at 120 kg/ha - 2.8 shoots).

Hence even at the high sowing rate of 120 kg/ha barley still produced too many shoots and the contribution of the small grain in the third and subsequent shoots is too large a percentage of the whole sample which results in an overall reduced grain weight for the sample.

In 2014, an estimated 61 per cent of the seed bank germinated throughout the season, enabling a rapid reduction of the wild radish population and having a positive effect on grain yield. However, due to the long dormancy of the seed (six to eight years), 100 per cent control would be needed to eradicate the entire seed bank.

Approximately 30 per cent of the seed bank germinated as a result of summer rainfall; best practice is to make the most of seasons that deliver a summer break to get a good knockdown.

Aim to control 100 per cent of seed set by using multiple cultural, chemical and mechanical practices to eradicate the seed bank and stop resistance development.

• In many areas wild radish control requires two applications of herbicide.
• The first is early in the season to reduce the competition of the radish and the second is late in the season to reduce seed set.
• The choice of product required to reduce competition should be based on cost and potential for crop damage.
• For the late application to reduce seed set, 2,4D Amine is the preferred product.

Corack and Mace have topped BCG and NVT trials since 2011. Both have very good resistance to yellow leaf spot, making them suitable for wheat on wheat paddocks. Although Corack provides a lower risk for stripe rust, its APW quality rating will reduce its uptake by growers. Crown rot affected wheat yields in southern Mallee. Emu Rock has slightly better tolerance to crown rot than other varieties, which could also be linked to maturity. Grain quality (test weight and screenings) was exceptional across all trials however, low proteins would reinforce that crops required more N in 2013.

A number of consequenes of wind erosion are discussed.

Yields at this site were high, ranging from 6.1-7.2t/ha. There was a large spread in protein across the varieties (10.6-13.4) and screenings were below 5% for all varieties.

Sclerotinia stem rot (sometimes known as white mould) is an important disease of many crops around the world. On canola it can cause substantial losses, but a number of fungicides (mostly benzimidazoles and dicarboxamides) have been used in different countries for control. To date, sclerotinia has not been a major problem on canola in the Wimmera, but in adjacent areas it does cause losses. Furthermore, it may become more important in the Wimmera in wet years because of the increased cultivation of broad-leaved crops. All broad-leaved crops are susceptible to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the fungus pathogen that causes stem rot.

Agricultural crop film may be the future of agriculture. This project aims to understand the degradation process of polyethylene, as well as understand the effects on crops when covered with polyethylene.

Similar to trials undertaken in previous years, the fungicide trials undertaken in 2005 indicated there was no fungicide activity on Yellow Leaf Spot (YLS) when applied early post emergent (GS13 – three leaf stage). Fungicides applied to fertiliser or as a foliar application did not reduce the level of YLS in the crop and showed no yield benefits. Zincsol® applied to crops in paddocks which have had a good zinc fertiliser history also showed no benefit in reducing YLS pressure. After several years work the BCG conclude that spraying fungicides for YLS is not a successful practice.

Similar to trials undertaken in previous years, the fungicide trials undertaken in 2005 indicated there was no fungicide activity on Yellow Leaf Spot (YLS) when applied early post emergent (GS13 – three leaf stage). Fungicides applied to fertiliser or as a foliar application did not reduce the level of YLS in the crop and showed no yield benefits. Zincsol® applied to crops in paddocks which have had a good zinc fertiliser history also showed no benefit in reducing YLS pressure. After several years work the BCG conclude that spraying fungicides for YLS is not a successful practice.

The best strategy against yellow leaf spot is to avoid sowing susceptible varieties in a wheat-on-wheat situation. The effectiveness of foliar fungicides for the control of yellow leaf spot is often variable; appropriate timing is crucial. In a low rainfall environment, it is rare to achieve an economic response when applying fungicides to control yellow leaf spot. Under the right seasonal conditions, YLS can reduce yields by between 5-10%.

• APSIM, as a crop simulation model, can accurately estimate actual crop yield.
• The Yield Prophet builds on output tools based on APSIM simulations.
• Inputs returns that can be modelled to build a likely profit profile based on probability functions.
• Climate risk (hence production risk) can be modelled to project forward the likely seasonal outcome.

• Yield Prophet® in 2005 had many new features and capabilities and was delivered to 338 paddocks that were subscribed Australia-wide. From 5 April to 1 December, 6813 reports of various types were generated by subscribers, with most around time of top-dressing.
• Final simulated yields for wheat crops, using appropriately measured soil characterisation and initial soil data, fitted observed yields comparable to previous seasons (R2=0.74, 67% of simulated yields within 0.5 t/ha of observed, 98 % within 1.0 t/ha).
• Yield Prophet simulates yield more accurately than it does grain protein content.
• However, overall accuracy for all subscribed crops was lower due to expansion into new regions with less soil characterisation data available.

• 2007 was an unusual year and one in which playing the odds as they looked at the start and middle of the growing season did not pay off.
• When making decisions based on probability, be aware of the likelihood and consequences of downside risk.
• Our climate is changing; climate science is moving away from forecast systems that rely on the past to predict the future and investing its efforts in improving general circulation models.
• Yield Prophet in 2008 will be capable of simulating paddock-specific yields under climate change scenarios for 2030.

• APSIM simulations, accessed through the Yield Prophet web interface, were evaluated for their ability to forecast nitrogen fertiliser responses at the canopy management trial in the Wimmera.
• Yield Prophet accurately simulated crop yield and protein for a range of nitrogen fertiliser application rates and timings.
• Yield Prophet was able to estimate likely nitrogen fertiliser responses and dollar returns during the season.
• For accurate simulations Yield Prophet requires good soil characterisation data (crop lower limit, drained upper limit and bulk density) and pre-sowing measurements of soil water and available nitrogen.

Yield Prophet® saved many subscribers from over investing in inputs during the 2006 season. From early in the 2006 growing season, Yield Prophet® predicted that profitable yields in our region were unlikely.

The value of Yield Prophet® as a risk management tool is often overlooked because of a common perception that Yield Prophet® is only a nitrogen management tool to be used in good seasons. An analysis of Yield Prophet® predictions made throughout 2006 busts this myth.