• Wheat following wheaten hay produced the highest grain yield, averaging 3.22 t/ha.
• The highest gross margin for the 4 years was from the standard rotation, which included field peas and canola.
• The greatest limitation to rotation productivity was from brome and barley grass, especially in the continuous cereal rotation.

• Wheat following wheaten hay produced the highest grain yield, averaging 3.22 t/ha.
• The highest gross margin for the 4 years was from the standard rotation, which included field peas and canola.
• The greatest limitation to rotation productivity was from brome and barley grass, especially in the continuous cereal rotation.

• Three field trials assessed the relative effectiveness of a range of products for correcting zinc deficiency in wheat.
• These trials were conducted during the 1996 growing season and were located in representative areas of the Lower Eyre Peninsula and Lower North regions of SA and the Wimmera of Vic.
• They were predicted to be Zn deficient but moderate responses to Zn fertilisers were recorded at only the two SA sites.
• Responses to Zn in grain yield at these two sites were too small to assess any relative differences between fertiliser sources but assessments of dry matter production and Zn uptake during the season allowed some relative comparisons to be made.
• The technique of spraying a zinc sulphate solution onto the soil surface and incorporating prior to seeding was the most effective technique at supplying Zn to the wheat crop under the conditions of these trials.
• Under the conditions of the trials reported here there was no clear evidence that DAP sources of Zn enriched fertilisers were less effective than MAP sources.
• However, the behaviour of these two different product types was not tested under severe Zn deficiency conditions.

• Several sites where the main soil is grey sand over a yellow gravelly sandy loam {Altas of Australian Soils sheet 5; CSIRO Division of Soils).
• Neither Cu nor Zn applied alone gave increase grain yield.
• Increased grain yield resulted where Cu & Zn were applied together
• Application of greater than 2.75 - 5.5 kg bluestone (Cu sulfate] and about 1.5 -2.0 kg Zinc oxide drilled with a cereal crop gave maximum yields
• Aerophos treatements with low Zn content showed extrememly low grain yield compared to super; illustrating the value of Zn in plain super.

• Reduced yield experienced on cultivation treatment with the drying out effect at seeding.
• More root biomass in the early part of the season with cultivation.
• With no sub soil moisture cultivation did not have the desired effects on yield.

 

• Evidence from this trial indicates that further investigation of fluid fungicides banded at sowing for crown rot management is warranted.
• Many treatments decreased crown rot incidence early in the season and in these treatments, the plants had increased vegetative bulk later in the season.
• Fungicide application reduced levels of crown rot DNA in the crop at maturity.
• Expression of crown rot symptoms in durum wheat and bread wheat were different, depending on the treatment applied

• The soil treatments investigated at these sites are considered to be ineffective for broad acre farming.
• Changes to nematode composition and microbial biomass were small and did not result in plant biomass production.
• Inprovements in the effectiveness of the soil treatments may occur when applied as seed dressings.

At Hart, higher N-fertiliser rate (180 and 240 kg N/ha) produced lower grain yields compared to lower N rates (0, 60 and 120 kg N/ha).

Sowing into moist soil improved crop emergence compared to dry soil, but did not increase yield.

Under low and variable ryegrass pressure, herbicides did not reduce overall ryegrass density, but did reduce inter-row ryegrass density.

There was no difference in efficacy between the 1.5L/ha and 3.0L/ha of TriflurX®.

• Fungicides with different active ingredients had similar efficacy.
• Timing application was the most important factor in reducing sclerotinia stem rot development.
• Disease levels were reduced across all treatments, in particular at 30% bloom and the multiple applications at both 30% and 50% bloom stages.
• Yield increases were observed across all treatments, regardless of the fungicide’s active ingredients.

• Nitrous oxide losses following rainfall from a wheat crop sown into vetch stubble that was terminated in various ways in the previous year were low: ~ 1.5 g N/ha/day or less.

• In 2013, newer varieties of medic (Sultan-SU), vetch (RM1 an Timok) and forage pea (PBA Hayman) when cut at the same time (different stages between maturities) performed better or equally as well in forage values as previously used varieties.
• Choose forage legume varieties to suit your paddock system needs.
• Consider group B herbicide tolerance, disease and aphid resistance, the type of seed (hard or soft) and growing season length of newer varieties to suit grazing, hay and/or seed production.

• Pulse crops can suffer from root diseases.
• Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has potentially identified multiple pathogens of economic significance on South Australian (SA) crops — further work needs to determine which are the most important.
• Intensification of pulses in cropping rotations can increase pulse soilborne diseases.
• If you suspect soilborne disease issues in your pulse crops, send samples to SARDI.
   

• High operational speed reduced sowing depth of both disc and tyne openers.
• Counts of unsprayed (nil) annual ryegrass were greater for the tyne machine than the disc seeder at 8km/h and 14km/h.
• Within the applied herbicide treatments herbicide efficacy was fairly high. 
• all standing stubble and poor seed placement at 8km/h and 10km/h by the tyne machine severely affected crop establishment.
• At 14km/h the discs ability to penetrate the soil was greatly reduced, impacting sowing depth.
• Barley yields were higher for the disc sown treatments than the tyne sown treatments.

Five different stubble additives were applied to standing stubble: commercial digestor with and without microbes, a Uni of Tas experimental brew with and without a sticker and ammonium thiosulphate. While there was a significant increase in fungal colonisation for some of the treatments there was no significant difference in the amount of stubble dry matter after 6 months i.e. the rate of stubble breakdown was comparable between all treatments. Differences in digestibility and fibre will be further evaluated.

A fertiliser additive was applied to standing stubble and compared with untreated stubble. The fertiliser additive was applied with and without a sticker or molasses. There was no significant difference in the amount of stubble dry matter remaining after 6 months i.e. the rate of stubble breakdown was comparable between all treatments. Similarly there were no consistent effects on feed and chemical
characteristics. Addition of nutrients and molasses did not improve intake by grazing sheep.

A combination of fertiliser inputs and irrigation can rapidly breakdownincorporated cereal stubble and allow sowing 4 weeks later. Getting the balance of fertiliser, in particular N rates, to ensure rapid breakdown, but creating neither N deficiency or excessive N remains elusive.

Measuring soil organic carbon following incorporation is giving mixed results as to the ability to increase soil OC via incorporation with fertiliser

Burning the stubble gave greater yield and oil content

• In 2017 the removal of a high barley stubble load resulted in better medic plant numbers late in the season (September), and increased (but still very low) dry matter production.
• Heavy barley stubbles from harvesting either high or low resulted in similar medic regeneration.
• Treating heavy barley stubbles with either rolling, a light tickle or left standing did not change medic establishment or dry matter production in 2017.

There were no differences in medic regeneration in wheat stubbles either harvested at two heights, left standing or rolled.

• There was no significant difference in wheat yields following different pulse crops in 2004.
• The short season limited the potential differences being expressed.

• The highest yielding pulse in 2003 at Euabalong was field peas, followed by lupins and then vetch.
• All pulse crop gross margins were negative, reflecting the cost of seed, the cost of herbicides and the effect of drought on grain production.

• Field peas have proven to be the most reliable pulse option on the upper Eyre Peninsula with yields remaining the most stable across seasons.
• Under favourable conditions there is potential for alternative pulse crops to be successful.
• Paddock selection, soil type, time of sowing, pulse agronomy, marketing and storage options all need careful consideration when looking at growing alternative pulse crops.
• New varietal options offer earlier maturity as well as improvements in harvestability, disease resistance and herbicide tolerance over older commercial standards, aiding production and profitability.
• Higher value alternatives, such as lentils, may be a high risk option and pulse crops better suited to the region could still prove to be the most profitable option in the long term.

• Production of alternative pulse options to field pea in low rainfall regions has potential to be successful under favourable seasonal conditions providing essential production criteria are met.
• Some new varietal options offer earlier maturity as well as improvements in harvestability, disease resistance and herbicide tolerance over older commercial standards, aiding production and profitability.
• Field peas have proven to be a reliable option on the upper Eyre Peninsula and are likely to be a lower risk and more profitable option in seasonal conditions that are less favourable for alternative pulse options.
• Chickpeas are generally less suited to many cropping regions of South Australia, and with a change in the ascochyta blight pathogen growers need to carefully consider their risk to AB infection and ability to effectively control the disease, including in low rainfall regions.

• This and other research demonstrates that it is possible to improve crop establishment and productivity on water repellent soils using modified furrow sowing techniques.
• Banded wetting agents are helpful with early dry or partially dry sowing before opening rains but show less benefit later in the sowing program when there has already been rain and the soil has started to wet up more (see Banded wetting agent paper WMG 2012 research annual). In very erodible conditions with high wind erosion risk the use of this strategy may be safer than the options with winged points or boots due to less soil disturbance and release of root anchorage for existing plant cover. Optimal wetting agents for WMG areas still need identification.
• Winged points and winged-paired row systems perform better than knife points under certain soil conditions but the benefits are variable and in some sowing conditions may provide little benefit. Further research is required. Winged points look most attractive when shallow moist soil can be ‘delved’ to the seed zone to provide early establishment (as in the winged knife point on the gravelly sand with shallow moisture).
• Simple approaches like sowing next to or at a shallow angle across the previous year’s crop row and broadcast spreading a portion of the seed in front of the seeding tynes are relatively simple approaches that can provide establishment benefits.
•  

We focussed on measuring paddock variability rather than implementing an actual variable rate trial. Soil pH mapping proved to be a valuable step towards variable rate lime with significant variability found, pH(CaCl2) varying from 4.0 to 7.1 across a 50ha paddock. A variable rate management approach to pH on this paddock would deliver a 75% saving of lime.

• Selecting wheat varieties with stripe rust resistance (rating 7-8) is the most effective form of managing the disease, however the limited number of varieties with the combination of desirable agronomic traits and sufficient resistance will see the continued need for fungicide control strategies
• Yields of H45 (very susceptible to stripe rust) were maximised by keeping the crop free from disease until flag emergence and, most critically in high yielding situations, following up with a foliar fungicide.

The dry September limited yields at this site, yields were about on par with the district, there was no difference between treatments at flowering or at any stage of growth. Available soil sulphur (S) at sowing was 55 kg/ha (taken to a depth of 35cm) and with a yield of 1.5 t/ha maximum, only 38kg S was required for the crop. This crop had enough soil sulphur already supplied before additional sulphur was applied.

• A single slug baiting was ineffective at controlling slug populations.
• Direct drilling into a heavy cereal stubble from a previous crop can result in significant slug damage to canola, even with a single baiting.
• Cereal stubble removal by burning, will significantly reduce the amount of slug damage.
• Cultivation prior to sowing will have a positive effect on reducing slug numbers and damage to canola.
• An integrated pest management approach is required to control slugs effectively. Each treatment alone does not adequately control slug populations.

There has been widespread use of continuous cereal in the Mallee over the past decade, and with many drought years throughout this period fertiliser inputs have generally been greater than crop demand. As a consequence, soil phosphoruslevels are often well above the critical level. By identifying soils and conditions where continuous cereal systems perform best and where inputs can be most effectively targeted, there is an opportunity to reduce input costs and increase profitability. This trial used PA methods to identify soil types for targeted soil sampling to achieve a greater understanding of soil phosphorus levels in different soil zones. Yield mapping was then used to identify if and where fertiliser applied to the crop impacted grain yield.

• There is still a lot of work to be done but it appears crops can be sown successfully into perennial pastures in some situations.
• Agronomic results from the Moora focus site appear to support the view that Marginal or problem soils are a potential fit for pasture cropping systems. However, it is important to note that the extra green feed produced over summer-autumn needs to be converted into wool or meat in order to offset any grain yield losses.
• Further research is required across different sites and seasons as the yield penalty on better soil classes may well be greater than on deep pale sands which have limited capacity to store moisture from summer rainfall for crop production. The viability of pasture cropping systems based on other sub tropical grass species, native grasses. lucerne and bluebush are also worth evaluating.

Key findings:

• Increasing levels of inoculum (oospores/ plant) of Phytophthora medicaginis (P. med) was strongly correlated with the decreasing yield of Yorker, a moderately resistant chickpea variety.
• An inoculum level of 660 oospores/plant (PreDicta B >5000 P. med copies/g soil) at sowing significantly reduced yield compared with lower inoculum levels under both dryland and irrigated conditions.
• These findings provide further evidence that the PreDicta B P. med test will be a useful tool for growers to determine their risk of Phytophthora root rot before sowing chickpeas.
• Note: the SARDI PreDicta B test for Phytophthora medicaginis is under development and is not yet available commercially.

Summary

P.med inoculum level, PRR disease and yield

Can the P.med DNA soil test predict the risk of Phytophthora root rot?  Based on the results of this trial with Yorker (MR) and the 2014 Tamworth trial with Sonali (S), the answer is YES.  For Yorker significant yield loss can be expected with starting (pre-sow sampling) inoculum levels above ca 3000 P.med DNA sequences/g soil (ca 130 oospores/plant). However, these values may need to be interpreted with some caution as seasonal conditions will modify outcomes, for instance in a dry season less disease may develop from the same amount of inoculum.

As Phytophthora can reproduce rapidly and cause new infections over a relatively short period there was concern that under PRR conducive conditions (a wet season), that low initial levels of inoculum could catch up to high initial levels as cause similar disease severity and yield loss.  The 2015 season was wet but not very wet, under these conditions there was separation in the disease and yields of the low and high inoculum treatments.

P.med DNA detection in commercial in paddocks and disease risk determination

These second season of detection capability results for the soil P.med DNA test were again generally promising, with most samples with positive and negative P.med DNA results corresponding to expected P.med isolation results.  However, results for some samples indicate that further work is required to a) identify what factors may contribute to false negative results and b) determine if false positives are due to the presence of dead or inactive P.med DNA

The DNA result for a soil sample from a paddock can only provide an indication of inoculum concentration and disease risk for the areas of the paddock which were sampled.  Therefore, the spread and locations of sampling across a paddock will affect how representative DNA results are for a paddock.  Because of the risk of rapid PRR disease buildup following wet conditions it may be appropriate to treat a negative Predicta B® test result as indicating a low risk rather than a nil risk, as the pathogen could still be in areas of the paddock that were not sampled and so still cause PRR and reduce yield. 

Work in 2016 will evaluate maximising the probability of detecting P. med by targeting those areas of the paddock where P.med is more likely to occur.  The pathogen thrives in high soil moisture contents and so often occurs in low lying regions of paddocks where pooling following rain may occur.  The pathogen also carries over from season to season on infected chickpea volunteers, lucerne and, native medics.  Including low lying areas and weedy areas of paddocks during PreDicta B® soil sampling may provide the best strategy to detecting P. med and so identifying a paddocks disease risk of PRR in chickpea.

Provided disease pressure does not become an issue, dual purpose wheats are an attractive option particularly where an initial irrigation is possible.

• Two trials were conducted to compare dry matter production and subsequent grain yield from cereal crops. In one trial four cereal crop species wheat (Mackellar), barley (Urambie), triticale (Breakwell), and oats (Bass) were compared. With a longer vegetative period, a second DM cut was able to be taken from Bass oats and consequently total DM production was significantly higher than from Mackellar which in turn produced significantly more DM than Breakwell and Urambie. Grain yield was significantly higher from Breakwell (9.4 t/ha).
• In a second trial, 7 wheat varieties and breeding lines were compared. There were statistically no differences in DM production between the wheats. The CSIRO line 95102.1 and Alberic were the highest grain producers.

Mackellar wheat showed the most potential as a dual purpose crop with the highest grain yield and DM production comparable to all other varieties except Bass. The latter produced the most fodder but the lowest grain yield. There was no significant difference in DM
production between Mackellar, Breakwell, Urambie and Franklin however there was a large difference in when this was produced. Franklin barley (and a Chinese line) were far more vigorous early whereas the later developing varieties, in particular Bass, tended to produce less DM but extra cuts ensured a higher total DM.

Provided disease pressure does not become an issue, dual purpose wheats are an attractive option particularly where an initial irrigation is possible.

• A range of forage varieties were grown as rotational options at the MFMG site at Frances.
• Drummer Annual tetraploid ryegrass (6.482t/ha DM) grew the largest amount of dry matter, followed by Graza 80 (5.491t/ha DM) and Grassmax (5.099t/ha)
• The annual clovers grew signifcantly less dry matter, with Laser Persian Clover growing (3.025t/ha DM), Zulu Arrowleaf (3.008t/ha DM) and Bolta Balansa (2.977t/ha)
• The cereal/grass based options grew more DM and offered more competition, but legume & broadleaf crops offered different herbicide options, disease breaks and in case of legumes, nitrogen fixation.
• More work required to show possible yields, both as monocultures and as mixes for rotational options

Due to unforseen circumstances, results for 2011 aren’t available for the Seedmark pasture evaluation sites. Seedmark do however look forward to continuing their work with MFMG in 2012 to explore the most appropriate Forage/Pasture rotation options.

The Field Days did however see the release of the new pasture variety “Monti” bred and developed by SARDI’s pastures group and released by the Australian Pasture Alliance (APA), an alliance between SARDI and Seedmark. Struan based SARDI researchers Andy
Craig and Freya Hawker lead the development of Monti with an extensive evaluation program run across a number of research site for the last 4 years. Below are some photos from the event.

• A range of forage varieties were grown as rotational options atthe MFMG site at Frances and Conmurra. 
• At Conmurra and Frances,the highest DM producing forages were annual ryegrass; R2 tetrapkhid annual ryegrass (12.28 t/ha DM) at Conmurra and Grassmaar Diploid annual ryegrass  (7.53 t/ha DM), primarilty due to their ability for a winter cut. 
• The best annual clovers at both Conmurra and Frances include Zulu II Arrowleaf (6.46t/ha and 3.93t/ha) and Bolta Balansa (6.27t/ha and 4.11t/ha).
• The cereal/grass based options generally grew more DM and offered more competition but legume and broadleaf crops offered different herbicide options, disease breaks and in the case of legumes, nitrogen fixation. 
• The legume and brassica varieties produce forage of a higher quality than that of cerels and grasses, which provides greater benefit to grazing animals.
• More work required to show possible yields both as monocultures and as mixes for rotational options. 

The performance of the canola varieties evaluated in this study indicates that this crop is a viable option for inclusion as a non-cereal break crop in the nothern Wimmera and southern Mallee rotations. 

• Pie-sowing treatments of trifluralin herbicide are effective in increasing yields in a barley crop infested with Vulpia. Application rates of 3.0 1/ha produced a significant result, while application rate of 1.5 1/ha produced a strong trend.
• No significant differences could be demonstrated between Post-sowing treatments employed in this trial due to large variations between plots. However averaged results indicate trends that can be further explored with more trial work. 
• For further conclusions please see the attached trial report.
   

(i) Managing slug populations is unlikely to be successful unless both cultural and chemical control strategies are used. (ii) Research has found burning, light cultivation and rolling improves slug control. (iii) Control measures must be carried out before slug damage is observed. (iv) Paddocks with a previous history of slug damage are always a good place to start monitoring in a susceptible crop like canola. (v) Slug bait should be applied at a rate to provide sufficient bait points per m2 relative to slug populations in the paddock. (vi) Check the accuracy of your bait spreader to make sure there is an even distribution of bait across the spreading width. This width may not be the same as the width you spread urea. (vii) Identify slug species present in a paddock for the most effective control. Different species demonstrate different behaviours.

• Mungbean yield potential ranged from a low of 0.81 t/ha up to a high of 2.70 t/ha in three years of irrigated variety evaluation experiments at Trangie in the Macquarie Valley.
• Jade_AUA (released 2013) is the recommended variety for Macquarie Valley mungbean growers with the highest yield potential, largest seed size (an important quality attribute for marketing) and best disease tolerance package. CrystalA would be an adequate second-best option based on yield and potential seed size.
• Niche mungbean varieties such as Regur (black gram type), and the two small-seeded lines Celera IIA and Green DiamondA, would have to command a substantial premium for their respective seed quality attributes to compensate for the poorer yield potential demonstrated in these experiments.

• Soybean yield potential ranged from a low of 1.01 t/ha up to a high of 2.94 t/ha in two years of harvested irrigated variety evaluation experiments at Trangie in the Macquarie Valley.
• Delayed sowing of a soybean crop in the Macquarie Valley can increase the likelihood of delayed maturity, potentially running into prolonged periods of wet autumn weather at harvest time; the 2015–16 experiment was not able to be harvested for this reason.
• MoonbiA (released 2010) is the recommended variety for Macquarie Valley soybean growers under fully irrigated conditions. It has high yield potential, maturity adaptation, excellent grain quality to meet human consumption markets, and resistance to powdery mildew.
• Djakal (southern NSW variety) is recommended for partial irrigation or dryland situations. Its earlier maturity and lodging resistance due to shorter height and reduced biomass enables it to achieve high yields and human consumption quality under less favourable growing conditions.

• Brome grass is increasing in prevalence across southern Australia and control in cereals is heavily reliant on Group B herbicides (sulfonylurea and imidazolinones).
• Experimental herbicides evaluated in this study were effective on brome (>90% control), but were also unsuitable for barley causing severe crop damage; trials undertaken this season (2017) will focus on wheat.
• Identifying effective but safe herbicide options for brome in cereals remains a high priority.

• All crops emerged and established well in the early stages.
• Lentils and fieldpeas were very quick and uniform.
• Lupin emergence was staggered but were eventually very even.
• Narrow leafed lupins were severely damaged in all replicates by hares, which removed the central spike of every flowering plant.

• The best yielding winter cultivars yielded similar to the best yielding spring cultivars despite a month difference in flowering date.
• Winter barley shows promise but we are still learning.  Strategies utilising Nitrogen, Plant Growth Regulators and Grazing need development to manage the increased biomass production and to improve the conversion of biomass to grain yield
• Early sown winter barley is a different agronomic system. The farming system benefits of winter barleys such as grain and graze, improved disease resistance should not be overlooked
   

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

In this survey, 76% of the paddocks had a Colwell P greater than 20mg/kg.

• Spading has mixed the non-wetting layer of soil in this paddock through the soil profile, resulting in an increase in crop yield in two out of past three years.
• Using the spader to mix lime and dolomite into the subsoil has improved the pH of the soil and increased yield. 
• Wind erosion is a big risk with spading and caused a yield decrease in 2010, the year the spading occurred. 
• Spading also reduces compaction at a similar level to deep ripping by physically breaking down any compacted layers in the top 30cm.
• Soil type is a large factor in the success of a spading operation; careful consideration must be given to this prior to commencing any spading program. 

 

• Spading has buried the non-wetting layer of soil in this paddock, resulting in an increase in crop yield in two of the past three years.
• Using a spader to mix lime and dolomite into the subsoil has improved soil pH soil and increased yield.

Key messages:

• Treating EGA GregoryA seed with Rancona Dimension reduced establishment losses associated with the addition of crown rot inoculum to 7% compared with 26% when no seed treatment was used.
• In this instance, Rancona Dimension did not provide a significant or consistent yield benefit in the presence of high levels of crown rot infection across the 12 trial sites in 2015.
• Growers should not expect Rancona Dimension to provide a significant and consistent reduction in yield loss from crown rot infection when used as a standalone management strategy.
• Growers considering the use of Rancona Dimension should follow the manufacturer’s advice and only consider it as part of an integrated management strategy against crown rot.

Conclusions

Rancona® Dimension is registered in Australia for the suppression of crown rot infection. Rancona® Dimension reduced establishment losses associated with severe early infection, created by the addition of crown rot inoculum to the seed furrow at sowing, to 7% compared to 26% in the absence of a seed treatment. Further research is required to determine if this improvement in establishment is associated with reduced Fusarium seedling blight. It should also be established whether such severe establishment losses are an artefact of the inoculation process used in the trials or occurs naturally in paddocks with high stubble-borne inoculum loads. In a separate larger trial conducted at Tamworth in 2015 in which infected stubble at the surface was the inoculum source Rancona® Dimension did not have a significant impact on the establishment of EGA Gregory compared to the Nil seed treatment (data not presented). Establishment benefits apparent in the 12 trials unfortunately did not translate into any improvement in grain yield. Rancona® Dimension did not provide a significant yield benefit over the use of no seed treatment or the two other commonly used seed treatments examined in this study under high crown rot pressure across 12 sites in 2015.

Although Rancona® Dimension is registered for the suppression of crown rot, with activity against early infection and potential establishment losses evident in this study, growers should not expect this to translate into a significant and consistent reduction in yield loss from crown rot infection when the product is used as a standalone management strategy. Integrated management remains the best strategy to reduce losses to crown rot. Growers may like to consider including Rancona® Dimension (320 mL/100 kg seed) as one additional component in their integrated management of crown rot.

• Both Aramo and Bounty performed as expected in the field in accordance with the label recommendations.
• Conditions at time of spraying and for the rest of the season were not favourable, however, both products stood up and performed quite well when compared to the unsprayed areas.

• On average the wide row lupins yielded 115kg/ha higher than the narrow lupins.
• Simazine damage was very pronounced in this particular crop. However, damage in the wider rows appeared to be much less than that in the narrow rows.
• The same seeding and fertiliser rates were used for both treatments which made changing the bar over relatively quick.

Sumemr fallow efficiencies at these sites were generally found to be within the range of 20 to 30%.

Averaged over all nitrogen treatments, there was no statistical difference between the 2 different plant populations in terms of yield or quality parameters, however the trends were identical to MacKellar: lower plant population 108 plants/m2 giving slightly lower yield (0.25 tlha) and higher protein.

• Seasonal conditions can affect the disease complexes that exist for sub-clovers in any season (eg. the drier summers in 2014 & 2015 would be expected to cause a higher incidence of Rhizoctonia, whereas the wetter season in 2016 saw Pythium sp., Aphanomyces sp. and Phytophthora sp. more likely to be the dominant diseases).
• Current sub-clover establishment management practices (knockdown herbicide, cultivation, use of Apron seed dressing and sowing newer varieties or those that are widely adapted to the region) appear to be reducing the risk posed by root disease across the region.

• Sowing late into a high disease burden may offset any benefits of varietal disease resistance or the benefits of chemical control methods (i.e. seed treatments).
• Seasonal conditions can affect the disease complexes that exist in any season (eg. the drier summers in 2014 & 2015 would be expected to cause a higher incidence of Rhizoctonia, whereas Pythium sp., Aphanomyces sp. and Phytophthora sp. are likely to be more dominant in wetter seasons).
• Varietal differences were observed in establishment and persistence, however it is yet to be determined if this was due to root disease tolerance.

• The timing of brownout had no significant effect on the germination rate. This may have been due to a simulated “cultivation” immediately prior to sowing.
• Significant differences were found in the germination levels between varieties; Woogenellup is an older variety that is thought to be more susceptible to root diseases. The varietal difference suggests that root disease may be an issue across the region.
• Demonstration site responses to metalaxyl seed treatments in sub-clover germination suggests that root disease may be present and affecting establishment and persistence.

• Know the risk of yield loss from eyespot before sowing a cereal - inspect stem bases (lodging does not always occur) in a previous cereal crop or take soil samples pre-sowing and submit them to PreDicta B for analysis.
• Select less susceptible varieties which are well adapted to the area - untreated they will perform better and they may also be more responsive to fungicide application, particularly where disease pressure is high. Avoid varieties with weak straw strength as they are more likely to lodge when affected by eyespot.
• No fungicides are registered at present for eyespot management, but a number are in the process of registration. Once these are registered - use the correct rate (lower rates can be less effective); apply before canopy closure (GS30-31 is usually recommended); use high water rates; target the base of the plant.
• Delays (due to waterlogging) in fungicide application until after early stem elongation may reduce eyespot incidence and severity but may not give a yield response.
• Inoculum carryover is unlikely to be influenced by variety resistance alone but is likely to be reduced where a fungicide is applied prior to canopy closure. Greatest reductions in inoculum carryover were seen where two fungicide applications were made (tillering plus GS30-31) or where one fungicide application was made to a less susceptible variety.

• This is the first quantitative information we have for the effects of varietal resistance and fungicide application and timing on eyespot expression and crop yield in the South East. These preliminary recommendations will become more robust as we gather more information.
• No fungicides are registered at present for eyespot management, but it is anticipated at least one registered product will be available for use in the 2017 season. Applying fungicides for eyespot management reduced eyespot expression and increased yields in the trials at Kangaroo Inn.
• Select more resistant varieties – untreated they will perform better and they may also be more responsive to fungicide application, particularly where disease pressure is high.
• Delays in fungicide application until after early stem elongation (recommended timing, as the canopy is still open enough to allow good coverage of the stem bases) may reduce eyespot incidence and severity but may not give a yield response.

Current projects are:

• Can adjusting zones within N1 paddock at Minnipa improve VRT outcomes?
• Small plot evaluation of the variable rate sowing paddock N1 at Minnipa
• Farming systems WUE survey 2010 – practices
• Responsive farming for soil type at Mudamuckla
• Responsive farming for soil type at Wharminda
• Manganese response in barley at Wharminda
• Can we reduce our phosphorus inputs?
• Crop production using replacement P
• Measuring the effect of residual P

The following series of articles are from trials undertaken in 2010 on the three focus sites:
• Responsive Farming Using Variable Rate Sowing at Minnipa
• Responsive Farming for Soil Type at Mudamuckla
• Responsive Farming for Soil Type at Wharminda
• Farming to Soil Potential on the Upper Eyre Peninsula: How Accurate was In-season Yield Prediction in
2010?
• Crop Production Using Replacement P Rates
• Measuring the Effect of Residual P
• Nitrogen Management on Upper Eyre Peninsula
• Wheat Variety Response to P on Grey Calcareous Soil

• Prices for faba beans have remained very high compared with long term averages, enhancing the profitability of faba beans. Growers always need to be aware of possible price swings as the international market is limited. The potential return for the crop should be based on longer term pricing between $300 and $400/ t.
• New varieties, PBA Zahra and PBA Samira, offer significantly improved grain yield (>10%) and disease resistance compared with older varieties.
• Sowing early is essential to maximise benefits to the farming system from improved biomass and grain yield to maximise profitability.
• Good disease management is critical to maximise grain yield and quality. Growers are encouraged to carefully plan their strategies, regularly monitor crops and have fungicide purchased in advance, to ensure appropriate timing of application.

• Early sowing, concurrent with previous research, was highest yielding in 2012
• There appear to be several promising new varieties available for southern Victoria, offering a range of grain types and forage options, associated with excellent yield potential.
• Crop topping results highlight the importance for growers and advisors to be aware of both weed and crop growth stages, otherwise significant grain yield loss could occur.

• New varieties are likely to offer significant yield improvement in southern Victoria, along with improvements in disease resistance.

• There were no significant differences in yield between lupin or faba bean varieties.
• Farah was the highest yielding faba bean variety and Mandelup was the highest yielding lupin variety.
• Disease and weeds were a significant problem in these poorly competitive crops in this wet year in Gippsland.

• An advanced breeding line (AF07125) has been developed with improved resistance to CLS.
• There was no CLS in the trial, and the fungicide amended fertiliser (Impact-in-furrow) provided no additional benefits in terms of grain yield.
• Disease levels were low, and grain yield was high, averaging 4.3t/ha across the trial.
• The potential release AF07125 was the highest yielding variety, outyielding Farah and Nura by 5%

• Chocolate spot is a major disease in bean crops, causing significant losses to yield and profitability.
• Low disease levels in 2012 and favourable seasonal conditions meant that there was no treatment or variety response for either disease severity or grain yield.

• Crop-topping 7-14 days prior to milky dough stage of ryegrass caused significant yield loss at all three sites, and ranged from 24% at Melton to 72% at Bool Lagoon.
• Crop-topping at the milky dough stage (MDS) of ryegrass caused significant yield loss at only one of the three sites (Bool Lagoon).

• The late break (12 June) and prevailing seasonal conditions were unfavourable for the spread of disease, although chocolate spot and rust did infect the trial plots early in the season. Disease was not a yield limiting factor in this trial this year.
• No significant difference was recorded between any of the different fungicide spray programs within varieties or between varieties.
• Fiesta VF plots had a reduced plant population compared to the other varieties due to poor seed quality of the commercial seed sourced.y treatment.

• Low levels of ascochyta. Fiesta had a significantly higher foliar symptom score (2.1) than
  Farah and Ic*As/7/3 (both 1.1). The Standard and Complete spray treatments reduced
  ascochyta on Fiesta to negligible levels (score of 1.0).

• A low level of rust infection occurred during October and was the only foliar disease affecting bean performance.
• 7% higher grain yields occurred in the fortnightly sprayed (improved rust control) and single
  cercospora treatment (reasons unclear) compared with the nil treatment.
• Grain yields decreased by 14% when sowing date was delayed from May 1 to May 18. No
  further yield loss occurred when sowing date was delayed to June 6.
• Nura was higher yielding than Farah at the mid sowing time and equal at the others, unlike
  in previous trials where Nura has been lower yielding at later sowing dates. Late rainfall events in 2007 were of more benefit to Nura than Farah.
• Necking (collapsing of top part of bean plant) was greater at the early sowing time. Nura
  had a higher level of necking than Farah sown early, but yields were the same. Similar
  necking and yield occurred between the two varieties when sown late.

• Yield of faba beans (ignoring the broad bean PBA Kareema) averaged 1.5t/ha at Wanilla in 2012. Early establishment and growth was excellent, disease pressure was low, and beans showed high yield potential.
• Beans appeared to “hay off” late in the season due to high early season biomass production and the dry and rapid finish to the season, together with the occurrence of several high temperature events during late flowering.

• There was low disease pressure in 2018 and there was no difference in grain yield between the nil control and various fungicide programs. 

• There was low disease pressure in 2018 and there was no difference in grain yield between the nil control and the fungicide programs.  
   

• The three bean varieties, Farah, Fiesta and Nura, gave similar yields and showed a similar yield response to delayed sowing – i.e. around 1.5 t/ha when sown on May 12, falling to around 0.9 t/ha with a June 7 sowing.
• Foliar disease levels (ascochyta) were negligible in Farah and Nura at both sowing times, and very low in late sown Fiesta. The slightly higher, but still low, levels of ascochyta in early sown Fiesta were reduced by fungicide sprays, but this did not produce a yield response.
• Spinnaker herbicide applied at 100 g/ha post-sowing pre-emergence caused no yield depression in any of the varieties at either time of sowing, and showed no effect on total plant height or height to bottom pods at harvest.
• The extreme dry late winter/spring conditions may have limited responses to fungicide spray regimes and Spinnaker in this trial.

• Chocolate spot levels were high in 2009, and accounted for 32% yield loss across varieties
  in untreated plots.
• Nura had higher disease levels and lower grain yield than Fiesta across all treatments in
  2009, but a triple chocolate spot spray strategy was effective in reducing yield loss by 25%
  in both varieties.

• In a year with high rust pressure, fungicide application provided beneficial to all genotypes, even those with a good level of rust resistance.
• Several advanced breeding lines from the northern breeding program show promise, with high yield and large seed size combined with rust and chocolate spot resistance equal to or better than the current northern varieties.

Conclusion:

The high rust pressure and frequent rainfall towards the end of the season was likely responsible for the poor fungicide response in the LF experiment in terms of reducing symptoms and improving yield and seed size. In the HF experiment, mancozeb and
tebuconozole were most effective overall in reducing symptoms and improving yield and seed size. Four of the five fungicides were effective in increasing yield in the HF experiment compared with only one in the LF experiment, indicating the need for repeated sprays when disease pressure is high.

Note that the permit for tebuconazole allows for only three applications of 145 mL/ha in commercial crops.

 

• In a year of high disease pressure, most fungicides did not provide a yield and seed size benefit when used at low frequency.
• A high frequency fungicide strategy provided yield benefit using a number of products.
   

No product had significant effects on crop height.

•Across all varieties tested, there was no significant response to sowing time, which validates the current sowing window recommendation. Therefore, the optimum time to sow faba bean at Lockhart in 2016 was late April–mid May.
• PBA Nasma and Fiesta VF were the two highest yielding commercial varieties.
• The advanced breeding lines AF10089 and AF09169, developed by Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) were significantly higher yielding than all other varieties.
• PBA Samira and Nura yielded significantly higher when sown on 18 May compared to 28 April.
• Crop lodging was significantly less for the 18 May sowing date.
• PBA Nasma flowered 17 and 14 days earlier than PBA Samira and PBA Zahra at 28 April, and eight and six days earlier at 18 May.

• Despite relatively low growing season rainfall in 2012, bean yields were still reasonably high at Bool Lagoon in 2012. It is likely that yields were buoyed by high December 2011 rainfall, lack of disease, and the relatively mild (although dry) finish to the 2012 season.

• Sowing early (April 26) produced the highest grain yields in 2018.
• In a drier than average year there was a yield benefit from very high sowing rates on narrow row spacings, with significant gains from 21 to 31 plants/m2, and from 31 to 45 plants/m2.
• 2018 was a low disease year and there was no disease penalty from higher sowing rates. Yield benefits from higher plant densities should be weighed against higher disease risks in wetter years. 

• Sowing time has far greater consequences on growth, development, dry matter and grain yield of faba bean than variety choice.
• The dry spring combined with temperature constraints, imposed a common ceiling to yield despite large differences measured in dry matter (DM), height and reproductive number across all treatments.
• Early sown faba bean was primarily affected by severe frosts, while later sown was limited by flower node production and heat stress.
• Under these conditions, early April sowings resulted in greater biomass, taller plants, more flowering nodes, additional lodging, more disease and greater frost damage. Given a more favourable spring, disease and lodging could have been further exacerbated, inflicting even greater yield penalties to the first time of sowing (TOS).
•  Findings from this and previous experiments show the optimum sowing window for faba bean on acidic, red brown soils of southern NSW to be from 20 April to 15 May. The later sown crops within this window could still be disadvantaged under early unfavourable finishing conditons. 

• Winter and early spring seasonal conditions favoured faba bean production in 2009, and yields were more than double those in 2008.
• Yield was generally maximised at the early sowing date and at the narrow row spacing.
• Farah was the highest or equal highest yielding variety at both sowing dates in 2009.
• The taller varieties Farah and 974* showed the largest reduction in yield when row spacing
  was doubled from 9” to 18”.
• Chocolate spot levels were high in 2009, and accounted for 32% yield loss across varieties
  in untreated plots. Agronomic techniques that delayed canopy closure (ie later sowing, lower
  plant densities and wider row spacings) were important in reducing disease severity.
• Nura had higher disease levels and lower grain yield than Fiesta across all treatments in
  2009, but a triple chocolate spot spray strategy was effective in reducing yield loss by 25%
  in both varieties.
• Decreasing plant density was the most significant factor influencing disease levels after
  delayed sowing, and resulted in lower disease levels across all varieties, and increasing row
  spacing reduced disease infection in early sown Fiord only.
• Increasing row spacing reduced chocolate spot infection, but only in the susceptible variety
  Fiord when sown early.

• New varieties are likely to offer significant yield improvement in southern Victoria, along with improvements in disease resistance.
• Residual herbicide caused issues in 2013, most likely due to the dry summer of 2012/13.
• Similar to 2012, AF05095 was the highest yielding variety at 3.95 t/ha, 37% higher than Farah.
• Based on yields achieved (3.9 t/ha) beans could have achieved a gross profit of approximately $1300/ha based on management costs of $250/ha and grain price at $400/t.