• Grain yields can vary considerably within the paddock in the Victorian Mallee. The spatial pattern of this yield variation, however, is not always consistent, with relative yield patterns differing over consecutive seasons, and/or crop types, in a flip-flop (alternating) pattern.
• Consistently high yielding zones existed where the shallow subsoil (10-20cm) was a clay loam texture (33% clay) with low salinity. In contrast, consistently low yielding zones possessed a shallow subsoil of light clay (40% clay) and medium to high levels of salinity.
• Flip-flop yield zones were associated with gilgai (crab-hole) depressions where yields tended to increase in dry seasons (due to a concentration of surface water) but decreased in wet seasons (due to water logging of the heavy textured soils). In contrast where gilgai depressions and light textured soils occurred, crop yields were depressed in dry seasons.
• Overall, the flip flop patterns in grain yields observed within paddocks was attributed to the effect of gilgai microrelief and changes in soil texture which influence soil water availability to crops.

• Fluid forms of Phosphorus such as Ammonium Polyphosphate (APP) and Phosphoric Acid have been shown to significantly increase the growth and grain yield of crops on highly calcareous soil on the Eyre Peninsula of SA compared to granular fertiliser forms such as DAP and Triple Super.
• Field trials conducted at three sites in 2003 in Victoria on alkaline soils (central and southern Mallee and Wimmera Plains) demonstrated that fluid forms of P fertiliser promoted the growth of wheat more than granular forms at all sites but this was translated to a yield response at only one site (Birchip).
• There is no reliable diagnostic tool however presently available for predicting under what circumstances fluid forms will outperform granular forms of P.
• Experimentation will continue at the same sites in 2004.

• Field trials were conducted at two sites (comprising Sodosol and Calcarosol soil types) in the southern Mallee and one in the Wimmera (Vertosol soil) to assess the responsiveness of wheat to fluid forms of phosphorus (P) fertilisers.
• Fluid P forms (APP and phosphoric acid) generally produced greater growth during vegetative stages of crop growth compared to granular forms (DAP and Triple Super) at all three sites.
• However, in a season characterised by a late break and dry conditions prior to flowering, early growth responses to P fertiliser (regardless of form) translated to grain yield responses at only one Mallee site. In contrast there was significant grain yield responses to fluid P at Dooen (Wimmera).
• At this site, fluid P forms produced 0.24 t/ha (or nearly 10%) more grain on average than granular forms at commercially applicable rates (4 to 12 kg P/ha).

• There was no significant difference in early dry matter (GS30) or grain yield from the application of P at three trial sites at Hopetoun, Sea Lake and Waitchie
• The addition of chelated Zn and Flutriafol failed to increase grain yield at any of the sites
• There was no yield difference when P was supplied either as a fluid or a granular product
• There was no increase in grain yield from the addition of P or Zn at any of the sites.

• Fungicides are an effective management tool in protecting faba bean crops from grain yield and quality losses caused seasonally by Chocolate Spot and Ascochyta blight.
• Owing to the late break in the season crop growth rates were low until late September and the canopy remained open minimising the risk of a severe disease infestation.
• Fungicide treatments did not significantly affect yield (average yield 2.6 t/ha) or grain quality at this site.
• Seasonal conditions and disease pressures must always be taken into account when making a fungicide decision.

 

The 2001 season was a low disease pressure year, Botrytis grey-mould was not detected in this trial and Ascochyta appeared late in the season at low to moderate levels. Fungicide treatments did not affect grain yield regardless of fungicide type, application timing or the number of applications made. Fungicide timing affected seed discolouration with late season fungicide treatments on Cassab and Digger having cleaner seed than those treated earlier or not treated at all.

Native perennial shrubs other than old man saltbush are showing promise al alternative feed sources in a research trial located in the Central Victorian Mallee.

• Wildlife ponds provide suitable habitat for frogs, turtles and birds.
• Frog populations in the Wimmera and Mallee channel/dam region can be maintained by installing wildlife ponds near dis-used dams.

The outcome of the project will be an effective strategy for increasing a farm’s environmental value through establishing wildlife ponds that both sustain frog populations and enhance overall biodiversity. This will include an alternative use of farm dam sites and the protection of remnant native vegetation.

The wildlife ponds have proved to be a successful strategy for maintaining and enhancing frog populations and overall biodiversity value (as measured by birds) on farms.

Frost events will occur when temperatures at the soil surface are below 0°C. These conditions often occur when a cloudy day is followed by a windless cloud free night. Cereal crops are at the greatest risk of damage when there is a frost during flowering however, damage can be done any time between late stem elongation and late grain fill.

Populations of fumitory are now exhibiting resistance to commonly used broadleaf herbicides, including Clearfield®.

Avoid cultivation which promotes the germination of fumitory.

In this trial, Precept®, Velocity® + MCPA LVE and Affinity Force® + MCPA Amine, were most effective in controlling fumitory. On-duty® and other Group B herbicides were amongst the worst performers.

• Ascochyta rabiei can be controlled in chickpeas using chlorothalonil (Bravo).
• The fungicide needs to be applied early (six weeks after sowing) and be applied, at a minimum, every three weeks after the first application.
• Kaniva chickpeas sprayed with Bravo applied at two litres per hectare, every three weeks, produced a clean sample, free of infected grain (premium priced grain).

When spraying for stripe rust in susceptible crops spraying should take place during the early stages of disease development and generally not before the flag leaf stage of the crop. Spraying when the disease has fully developed and/or waiting until the crop is past the flowering stage is unlikely to be beneficial. See also “Fungicide strategies in wheat and barley” articles in this manual.

Ascochyta blight still has the potential to threaten a chickpea crop, as varieties available to the farmer today are still susceptible to the disease. Without a fungicide plan a chickpea crop is at risk of being devastated by ascochyta. In this trial, chickpeas that had no fungicide applied during the season had significantly lower yield than those treated with some sort of fungicide plan. Those plots treated with three fungicide applications during the year had the highest yield response (1.34t/ha and 1.39t/ha) compared to 1.1t/ha for the unsprayed control.

• At both Murtoa and Birchip Gairdner barley developed spot form of net blotch; however it was most evident at Murtoa where fungicide applications gave yield responses varying from minus 0.4% to 8.5% (0-0.38t/ha).
• At this site three treatments gave significant yield increases over the untreated controls.

Severe moisture stress was a key feature of both barley fungicide trials this season with the Mallee trial yields ranging from 0.49 – 0.72 t/ha and Wimmera yields from 1.85 – 2.09 t/ha.

Fungicides were not cost effective in the Birchip and Murtoa wheat trials, despite the late appearance of stripe rust at Murtoa. The new strobilurin fungicides conferred no significant yield advantages over the triazole product Folicur, a feature probably linked to the dry conditions during grain fill. Unlike barley at the same sites, there was no indication that strobilurin treatments conferred any prolonged green leaf retention.

For the second year in succession there was no response to foliar fungicides in the Mallee trial on wheat, water stress leading to poor canopy size preventing disease build up and reducing yield potential (yield range 0.68-0.82 t/ha).

Delaying the onset of a stripe rust outbreak can be achieved using fungicide seed dressings or fertiliser treatments. In situations where this is beneficial such as in the Wimmera where conditions may be too wet for fungicide application late in the season, this could be a good strategy.

Possible strategies are:

• move from breeding to dry sheep enterprise,
• extend rotations and replace grain legumes with productive clover or medic pastures,
• build good working relationships with professional contractors and be prepared to pay them according to their skill,
• develop a positive attitude to employing casual labour or consider having a proficient student or overseas farmers on work experiences, and
• make as much contact as possible with others who have similar goals and aspirations. Exchange ideas, help each other and adopt a really positive approach to part-time farming.

 

“There are some very good reasons why we should either get into sheep or continue with them as an important enterprise.” Here are some pros and cons to the above statement.

• No-Till is a whole farming system, not just a change of machinery. If farmers only get part of the package right, the potential to succeed with no-till is greatly reduced.
• Paddock selection, stubble management, weed control, nutrition, disease management and seed placement all play a vital role in the success of no-till.
• 2007 has many advantages for the first year no-tillers with low stubble loads, residual nutrition and low disease carryover.
• Ask others who have successfully made the change to no-till what works for them. Don’t try to re-invent the wheel and make the same mistakes all over again.

• Current knowledge about the effects of gibberellic acid application to oats is limited.
• In 2016 gibberellic acid had no impact on biomass or feed quality of oats.
• Exceptional growing conditions and a mild winter may have reduced effects of gibberellic acid.

In 2002 barley breeding and evaluation trials were as susceptible to drought conditions, as was the rest of the farming community. Only 12 of 21 advanced variety trials warranted harvesting, with trials in the Wimmera and north-central districts being the most severely effected – only 4 of 12 trials were harvested from these areas. Average yields of those trials harvested were only 1.4t/ha compared to the long-term average yields of these trials (on a State wide basis) of 3.0t/ha. Taking into account both the average yields of these trials, and the loss of almost 50% of trials, the trials reflect closely to a Victorian season where the crop harvest was only approximately 25% of average.

• Back to back droughts are extremely rare.
• The year following a drought is almost always better than the year preceding a drought.
• The cropping area will increase because of de-stocking during the drought and the need to generate cash flow.

PGR applied to barley in this trial suppressed plant height, generated a yield benefit and improved crop gross margin.

No single variety responded differently to the addition of PGR or fungicide in this trial.

Fungicide extended the green leaf duration of the crop.

Early dry matter production (forage value) was boosted by earlier sowing.

• Forage cereals offer a more flexible grazing resource than the traditional grain cereals.
• The grain yield penalty as a result of grazing depends on the timing of grazing, the level of grazing pressure and allowing sufficient time for the crop to recover. If these factors are optimised, grain yields will not be affected.

For the findings please see the attached trial report.

Filed peas, lentils and chickpeas are responsive to the application of phosphorus.

Growers should soil test paddocks going into grain legumes to determine the optimum phosphorus rate to apply and ensure lentils and field peas are priority crops for P fertiliser.

The regular use of grain legume super zinc on alkaline, calcareous soils of this region is recommended for legume crops to provide sufficient zinc for other crops in the rotation.

Soil analysis is being performed on each individual sub-plot to determine the amount of Nitrogen each crop and stubble treatment produced/retained in the soil. The phase is being done in conjunction with the CSIRO laboratories in Canberra.

In work undertaken by the MSFS project it was reported that grass sprays affected the nodulation and possibly the N fixation ability of legumes. Four different types of grass sprays were investigated in relation to the effect of these sprays on nodule number and health. No differences in nodulation between the grass sprays could be determined during the 2002 season.

There was no significant differences in yield between the post emergent herbicides used in the trial.

• In a drier season, early-mid maturing Mace wheat provided better feed and grain value than mid-late maturing Trojan.
• Make variety choice based on the stored soil moisture, the potential time of sowing and the seasonal outlook.
• Variety differences exist between Mace and Trojan and their response to grazing.

Subsoil moisture and an early sowing opportunity meant that grazing did not affect yield or the gross income return of canola at Sea Lake in 2012. Dry conditions increased canola tissue nitrate levels to toxic levels as plants matured. Canola has a shorter grazing window than cereals, and requires careful grazing management to avoid high tissue nitrate situations, and roughage to balance fibre.

• Barley produces more feed than wheat at the time of grazing and is nutritionally superior.
• Early maturing varieties had the greatest yield penalties when grazed.

• Four farmer grazing cereal demonstrations showed no difference in yield between grazed and un-grazed crops.
• Grazing increased screenings in all four demonstration paddocks.

In July 2010, barley and wheat crops provided nutritious fodder for livestock in July.

• Forage barley variety Moby has vigorous early growth and matures quickly, and should be grazed sufficiently early to enable recovery for a second grazing.
• Spring wheat variety Bolac maintained yield when sown early and grazed in 2014.  
• Winter wheat variety Wedgetail can be sown very early (March-early April) in low rainfall areas to utilise early rainfall, and widen both the sowing and flowering window of crops.

• Forage barley variety Moby has vigorous early growth and matures quickly, and should be grazed sufficiently early to enable recovery for a second grazing.
• Spring wheat variety Bolac maintained yield when sown early and grazed in 2014.  
• Winter wheat variety Wedgetail can be sown very early (March-early April) in low rainfall areas to utilise early rainfall, and widen both the sowing and flowering window of crops.

• Forage barley variety Moby has vigorous early growth and matures quickly, and should be grazed sufficiently early to enable recovery for a second grazing.
• Spring wheat variety Bolac maintained yield when sown early and grazed in 2014.  
• Winter wheat variety Wedgetail can be sown very early (March-early April) in low rainfall areas to utilise early rainfall, and widen both the sowing and flowering window of crops.

Dry matter production is essential - therefore sowing early is essential.

It is important when considering a change in your farming system to look at both the gross margin and the rotation and any extra costs which may be concurrent in changing.

• The use of Group B herbicdes such as chlorsulfuron can help fight the battle against Group A resistant ryegrass. Although they have a different mode of action, Group A resistant ryegrass populations can rapidly become resistant to Group B herbicides.
• This trial showed that when different products from Group B were applied to ryegreass of the same growth stage, varying results were observed. Glean offered marginal control when applied to tillering ryegrass, while Hussar successfully controlled the same ryegrass population.

Triflur480 (trifluralin) and Stomp (pendimethalin) were compared on wheat and canola in relation to crop emergence and ryegrass control. The canola crop failed due to the dry conditions. The wheat crop was very marginal (average yield of 0.1 t/ha) and no yield differences between products could be determined. In relation to ryegrass control the higher rates of the products applied and incorporated by sowing (IBS) (Triflur480 1.2L and Stomp 1.8L) were more effective compared the lower rates of these products (0.8L and 1.8L respectively) when applied and incorporated 5 days prior to sowing.

Canola can be successfully grown on a cereal stubble. It is not essential to burn stubble as long as seedling emergence and establishment is not affected by the retained stubble. If the seeder does not leave a good seed bed and the harrows leave the paddock uneven with clumps of mixed up straw and soil it is better to burn the stubble.

The incidence of black leg was quite high and the fungicide treatments, Rovral and Impact in Furrow did not decrease the level of infection.

• Achieving quality high protein hard wheat (11.5% protein) and Durum (13% protein) can be difficult.
• Agronomic practices can have a large influence on wheat yield and quality achieved. Soil testing for available N is essential if high yielding and high protein crops are targeted. Topdressing nitrogen fertiliser after the 5 to 6 leaf stage of the crop will further add to protein. Sowing on narrow rows (between 18 and 23 cm or 7 and 9") results in higher yields and can also reduce the level of screenings. High sowing rates (between 90 and 120kg/ha) can increase yield and reduce screenings in some situations.
• No negative effects on yield or screenings were found with high sowing rates.

Many farmers who target high protein wheat find malting barley a difficult crop to grow. The quality characteristics for malting are tight (less than 11.8% protein and less than 28% screenings). Trial work has shown that to have an increased chance of growing malting barley it is important to:
• sow early (mid May to early June)
• use a sowing rate less than 90 kg/ha
• only use pre-drilled urea if the soil has less than 100 kg/ha of available N at sowing
• do not top-dress urea

Winter wheat (Rosella) sown in mid-March yielded 2.1t/ha, comparable to spring wheat sown in May (2.5t/ha). All varieties provided large quantities of excellent feed, and simulated grazing did not reduce grain yield. Sowing winter wheat in response to late summer and early autumn rain is a successful strategy for overcoming a drier April-May, but varieties adapted to the Wimmera and Mallee are needed

Growth regulators were not beneficial in barley and canola in the 2001 season in the Wimmera. A yield penalty in barley resulted from double applications of a growth regulator (applied early and late).

Negotiated and executed properly, leases (including flexible rain-based leases) and share farm arrangements have the ability to generate profit and wealth for farm businesses and landowners alike without jeopardising business survival.

In dry years, many canola crops are short and thin. Windrowing is recommended where yield potential exceeds 1 tonne/ha and crops are tall and thick enough to sit on 25-30cm of stubble. With light crops, where windrows may be blown about by strong winds, other options are desiccation and harvest or direct heading, depending on seed moisture levels.

The above data provides some food for thought regarding marketing options. The same analysis needs to be carried out with a larger data set that can be averaged over a greater number of years, in order to create a better picture of the trends. If over time these trends continue we must really start questioning our marketing decisions. The above figure may indicate that farmers are already questioning the marketing decsions they make.

• Compass (bred as WI4593) is a legitimate contender to replace Hindmarsh, but growers will need to wait until 2015 to acquire seed.
• Those still growing Gairdner are costing themselves at least 15-20% in yield.
• Fathom (feed) has a potential fit on deep sands in the Mallee, and La Trobe is an alternative to Hindmarsh in all regions, but it is yet to be Malt accredited.

The yield advantages of earlier sowing may not be achieved if volunteer plants cannot be controlled. Compass showed good adaptability at each sowing time both at Horsham and Watchupga East. Earlier sown barley plots at both sites were limited by nitrogen in 2013.

Time spent setting the front and combine to match the crop conditions will be critical to ensure you reap as much grain as possible.

Soil health is not a static issue. Soil is the foundation of our agricultural systems. Collating existing knowledge and building a framework for visual, tactile and oral learning based on the needs of the ‘customer’, in this case farmers and advisors, is supporting more informed decisions and a greater capacity to manage soils for a healthy future.

• Healthy Soils workshops are delivering knowledge, skills, and tools to better manage soils for improved soil health
• Care must be taken with soil sampling, transport and laboratory procedures for accurate test results
• Management significantly influences soil biology through various practices such as controlling what quality and quantity of organic matter is incorporated into the soil through crop and rotation choice, the utilisation of additives such as pesticides and herbicides, and the intensity and type of tillage employed.

Common heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum L.) is an opportunistic annual weed that grows in ‘disturbed’ areas (i.e. areas of bare or sparsely vegetated soil) following summer rain in regions with a Mediterranean climate (hot dry summers, cool wet winters). In its natural habitat, which includes most of the rim of the Mediterranean Sea, farming practices result in there being few disturbed areas during summer, hence common heliotrope is not such a problem. However, in the dry-land cropping belt of southern Australia, the wholesale clearing of native vegetation and the endemic broad acre agricultural practices leave vast areas of fallow, hayed-off pasture and sparse stubble over summer; all of which are ecologically speaking ‘disturbed’, and hence fantastic habitat for common heliotrope.

• Care has to be taken with many residual herbicides to avoid potential damage to the following crop.
• On alkaline soils the residual effects of Glean and Ally used for summer fallowing will be severe on pulses and conventional and TT canola.
• Atrazine used for summer fallowing in dry seasons slows the growth of conventionalcanola and wheat.
• Diuron used as an over summer herbicide in this demonstration had a negative effect on conventionaland TT canola

• Velocity®, Precept® and Affinity® are the best options for elongating amsinckia.
• There is a wider range of effective herbicides to control amsinckia when they are small and actively growing than when they are elongating.
• Trifluralin is very effective for controlling amsinckia, but weeds can still persist in the crop row where the trifluralin has not been applied.

• There are few broadleaf herbicides registered in conventional canola.
• Bladex 1L/ha, Dual Gold at 150 and 300ml/ha, Brodal at 100 and 200ml/ha, Dicamba500 at 140ml/ha and Spark at 150ml/ha were all visually acceptable (rather than visually acceptable try caused no phyto-toxic effect) when applied to canola at the 5 leaf stage.
• These products are not currently registered, the work was undertaken to assist any possible registration processes.

The herbicide tolerance of two new desi chickpea varieties (Howzat and ICCV96836) were compared to Tyson. All three varieties showed similar tolerance to a range of herbicides. Simazine, Balance + Simazine and Spinnaker applied Post Sowing PreEmergent had little effect on yield, whereas Broadstrike applied Early Post Emergent on stressed plants it suppressed yield. For the main weeds in the trial (prickly lettuce, milk thistle) the best weed control option was Balance + Simazine. In paddocks where musk is a problem the best control option will be Spinnaker.

In this trial Simazine, Diuron and Brodal were quite safe when used post sowing preemergent. However, Brodal has been known to cause crop damage when used at this stage. There are no safe early post emergent herbicides available in vetch for the control of broadleaf weeds. It appears that Morava is less tolerant of pre-emergent and in-crop herbicides compared to Blanchefleur or Languedoc.

The best overall herbicide options for controlling the most common broadleaf weeds in the southern Mallee are Simazine alone or Simazine plus Diuron, applied post sowing pre-emergent.

The three wheat varieties all showed good tolerance to the herbicides used in this trial.

• Field Peas - There were no differences in pea yields from the applied post sowing pre-emergent herbicides. However, Tough at 2L significantly reduced pea yields in the post emergent herbicide applications.
• Lentils - Simazine alone (1.5L) or in combination with Lexone (1L + 100g respectively) significantly reduced lentil yields. The best options were post sowing pre-emergent Lexone (180g) or Diuron (Diurex at 1.1 kg) or post emergent Broadstrike (25g, no wetter) or Brodal at 150ml.
• Chickpeas - the chickpea yields in the control plots were significantly reduced because of weed competition. The best options were post sowing pre-emergent Simazine and Atradex (1L + 275g respectively) or Spinnaker and Simazine (125ml + 0.75L respectively).
• Lupins - there were no significant differences found in lupin yields between the different herbicides applied.

Rainbow vs Karoo canola - Karoo canola is tolerant to the triazines Simazine and Atrizine; however, it also appears that Karoo has a higher degree of tolerance to Lexone.

• Hindmarsh, Skipper and Fathom all yielded consistently better than other varieties across all the trial sites.
• Commander performed the best out of the malt varieties and achieved Malt more often.
• Hindmarsh dominated the yields and is still worth selecting over any other variety, even in the Wimmera.
• At current Malt premiums, growing Hindmarsh is a good alternative to most malt varieties.

Previous trials and demonstrations have highlighted zinc deficiencies in both cereals and pulses, which could produce substantial profits over the cost of zinc. A trial conducted on wheat at Hopetoun in 2006, on a zinc responsive soil type with a good zinc history defined responses to zinc and demonstrated that responses to phosphorus or nitrogen cannot be achieved if zinc is deficient, in a drought year.

Over the last two years the Department of Agriculture WA, has been developing an analogue forecasting system for southern Australia. All through 2002 we issued analogue years (similar years in the past) that were typically El Nino years and/or droughts. In 2003, we were confident that the El Nino would decay. This paper discusses the forecasts that were issued and how they related to what happened at Birchip in 2003.

Farmers make their luck by:
• concentrating on preventing losses, rather than depending on bonanzas,
• giving priority to reducing costs, even if it means missing some income in good years, and
• diversifying markets (on-farm) and investments (off-farm).

• Wheat grain yield in 2007 was increased by 0.2t/ha after the addition of 5.0t/ha of wheat straw
• Straw is important for decreasing evaporation and conserving moisture in topsoil, particularly after canopy closure and when the crop is senescing
• The additional moisture available under straw significantly increased dry matter production after GS65.
• Inter-row sowing reduces straw burial

• We can not rely on current varieties remaining resistant and as farmers, breeders and pathologists we must remina vigilant in manageing stripe rust.
• This involves managing diversity in our varieties, reducing the opportunities for hte fugus to carryoever from one season to the next on volunteer wheat and using seed treatments where appropriate.

Full laboratory analysis of all samples has not been completed, but some interesting data have already emerged.

Experiments were conducted in a commercial lentil crop (2006) in a paddock considered representative of the southern Mallee region of Victoria (McCellands Jil Jil East). The study identified that seasonal variations in the spatial pattern for grain yield were explained principally by differences in the ‘effective plant available water’ (ePAW) rather than differences in nitrogen supply. ePAW was considered to be related to both the textural properties of the surface soil (eg. small rainfall events at the season break are more effective in coarser textured soils than in clay soils) and the presence of physio-chemical in the subsoil, which can limit crop access to stored water.

• VBHT805 is an inidazolinone tolerant barley variety in the final stages of evaluation and commercialisation.
• VBHT805 could be a useful tool for managing Group B soil residual herbicide carryover for improved grass weed control in intensive cereal rotations.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

• Profitability and risk are driven largely by a combination of soil type, associated enterprise mix, level of debt, machinery investment and land purchases.
• There is not best best farming system. Successful farming depends on factors within each system such as labour, soil type, rainfall and skills.

• EM38 surveys need to be calibrated through soil testing to identify areas with subsoil constraints.
• Simulated wheat yields using historical rainfall data demonstrated the effects of soil type and subsoil limitations on potential crop yields and recharge.
• Variable rate technology for fertiliser could optimise returns for paddocks with subsoil limitations.

• There was no effect of stubble retention on canola yield because it followed chickpea and there was very little, if any, stubble of chickpea.
• There was no significant effect of gypsum application on the yield of both canola and chickpea.

Yield results in both wheat and chickpea indicate minimal if any differences between treatments; however, analysis of soils, grain and plant samples may reveal some interesting information.

• Surface application of organic matter significantly increased early growth of wheat and canola, but not lentils at Birchip.
• At anthesis, no difference existed between treatments for wheat and at maturity, conventionally sown crops out yielded all other treatments.

Surface application of organic matter significantly increased early growth of wheat and canola, but not lentils at Birchip. At anthesis, no difference existed between treatments for wheat and at maturity, conventionally sown crops out yielded all other treatments.

• As a result of very poor seasonal conditions, there was no response to nitrogen applied to Yitpi wheat at either Rupanyup or Hopetoun in 2006, despite very low soil nitrogen levels.
• Delaying nitrogen application until after the end of tillering can allow a more accurate assessment of seasonal conditions to be made and money to be spent on nitrogen only if a response is likely.