• Despite a dry season, yields for many of the varieties was extremely good, with Aquadulce and Fiesta VF both performing well. Manafest did not perform well in this trial, although in the intermediate trial at the same site, it yielded much better and was not significantly different in yield to Aquadulce. 
• Dry conditions at sowing limited the effectiveness of the post sowing pre-emergent herbicide sprays used. This is a major constraint with growing beans as there are no broadleaf herbicides registered for use post emergent in beans. Beans are best grown as a third or fourth crop in the rotation, after broadleaf weeds have been controlled in previous years. 

• The highest yielding faba bean variety was Manafest yielding 4.4 t/ha, followed by Farah with 4.14 t/ha. Fiesta VF and Nura yielded about 4.00 t/ha and were not significantlly different from Fiesta VF.
• For further take home messages please see the attached trial report.

• The faba bean varieties produced high yields (>4 t/ha) indicating their potential as a crop in the Western Districts.
• The three major faba bean varieties, Farah, Fiesta VF and Nura, produced comparable yields in both 2009 and 2010 while there was also little difference between the varieties for chocolate spot. Farah and Nura are both MR-R to Mscochyta blight whereas Fiesta VF is MS-MR, so Farah and Nura would be the preferred varieties for the district.
• The broad bean varieties Aquadulce and PBA Kareem yielded significantly less than the faba bean varieties in both years. Broad beans are very late to fill pods and mature, compared to faba beans, and require a long and cool pod filling period to achieve maximum yields.
• A significant level of chocolate spot developed in both seasons and is likely to have affected yields. Chocolate spot is favoured by a high humidity during the flowering and pod filling period and a preventative fungicide should be applied at the commencement of flowering with follow-up applications dependent on disease development and weather conditions.

• Faba bean and its specific Group F rhizobia are sensitive to pHCa below about 5.0
• Faba bean rooting depth is limited by acid layers in the soil profile
• Unincorporated, surface-applied lime increases pH of the soil surface, but has limited effect on subsurface pH in the short to medium term
• Lime incorporation to 10cm is necessary to rapidly increase subsurface pH
• Check for pH stratification before using Group B SU herbicides – elevated surface pH slows the breakdown of herbicide residue and may extend re-cropping intervals for legume species on acid soils to 22 months – check herbicide labels

• The Making Better Fertiliser Decisions for Cropping Systems in Australia (BFDC) database allows us to search for soil test calibrations for four macronutrients across a range of crops, soils types, regions and time spans.
• As an example, the critical range for soil test P (Colwell) for wheat grown in red chromosols in NSW has increased under minimum-tillage management.

Cu greatly increased yield fro 560 kg/ha to 1570 kg/ha.  Grain yield and analyses of tops of wheat showed large granules greatly reduced the effectiveness of Cu incorporated into them, the effect being more marked at the lower granule number provided by the 100 kg/ha super mix compared with the 200 kg/ha. Doubling the rate of Cu applied by doubling the Cu concentration in the granule had little effect on Cu uptake and failed to ovecome the restrictivew effect of large granules. It is the number of granules in the root zone of the wheat plants that is critical for adequate uptake of Cu and that large granulated "wet mixed" Cu superphosphate mixtures are unsatisfactory Cu fertilisers.

In general oxide source was equal to or superior to the sulfate source in wet mixes. In dry mixes in the same trial Cu oxide was only 66 % as effective as the sulfate.

Shallow placement was miuch less effective than placing Cu fertiliser at 5 cm or more. Cu foliar at 0.54 kg cu/ha applied at 6 weeks after seeding gave highest yield.

It was concluded that application methods that reduce the number of CXu particles available for root copntact greatly reduce the effectuiveness of Cu fertiliser.

 

Cu greatly increased yield fro 560 kg/ha to 1570 kg/ha.  Copper was applied as copper sulfate at 6.6 kg/ha.

Highlights of the results are:

(a) preseeding cultivations after drilling the Cu in 1979 markedly increased Cu uptake;

(b) medium sized Cu-OSP was inferior ti fine granule size

(c) the effects of granule size & 1979 pre-seeding cultivations were not reflected in 1980 Cu uptakes.  The effectiveness of the treatments which were relatively ineffective in 1980 as those treatments which were most effective in 1979

(d) Cu drilled with the seed in 1980 was much less effective than all Cu treatments applied the previous year

(e) although all grades of Cu-OSP drilled with the seed in 1980 were relatively ineffective compared with that applied the previous year, the inclusion of 15% fine material with 85% medium material increased Cu uptake from the fertiliser by 40%, 50% fine material increased Cu uptake from fertiliser by 80%.

GRanules > 3 mm are much less effective than medium sized granules.

REsearch suggests that 1 kg/ha copper sulfate at early boot is required for the first crop where Cu fertiliser is applied at recommended rates.

 

• A soil and sediment survey of 10 irrigated cotton paddocks across four cotton-growing valleys revealed the tail drain sediments were enriched in organic carbon (1.03% ± 0.05) and nitrogen (0.11% ± 0.01) compared with head ditch soils (0.73% ± 0.07 for carbon and 0.08% ± 0.01 for nitrogen) of the same paddocks. Nitrate-nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon analyses showed similar trends.
• After irrigation, tail drain samples tended to release more nitrous oxide compared with head ditch samples. Emission rates were linked to the pre-irrigation mineral nitrogen concentrations of the soil/sediments.
• These non-cropped areas, representing up to 2% of the paddock area, are a significant source of nitrous oxide emission per unit area of farm as they retain high soil moisture and nutrient concentrations in the absence of plants.
• Nitrous oxide emission calculations for cotton farming systems should incorporate the emissions from head ditch and tail drain sections of the irrigation network.
   

The 1995 cropping season was the final season that will be monitored by the FAST Project, and ironically it was also the best. 1995 provided a combination of good yields and prices, returning good gross margins to farmers, as well as adding another full year of excellent data to the large database that has been collected over the last four cropping seasons.

2012 was a set up year for the Rhizoctonia best bets demonstrations. Fungicides banded with fluid fertilisers at seeding did not reduce Rhizoctonia in the following cereal crop.

In 2013 the Rhizoctonia best bets demonstrations using rotations were over sown with cereal and showed break crops which are grass free are the best option to lower Rhizoctonia inoculum levels.

In the 2014 season there were no significant yield advantages recorded at five sites across upper Eyre Peninsula when using the fungicide products over the nil treatments. This was in a season with an early start and minimal stress during crop establishment, and at sites with high Rhizoctonia inoculum levels. The broad acre farmer demonstrations in the 2014 season showed no visual differences or early plant growth measured at the given sites during the cropping season. There were differences in the level of crown root infection at Cleve, where the nil treatment had a higher number of crown roots infected and a greater % of crown root infection than the fungicide treatments. There were differences between treatments recorded in the mid-May sown barley crop at Piednippie in Rhizoctonia patch score and the seminal root score. Differences in protein, screenings and test weights were recorded between treatments at several sites with a general trend of lower yields having higher protein, higher screenings and lower test weights. Further evaluation of research trials and farmer demonstrations using new fluid products and fungicide placement, will occur over two more seasons to evaluate the economics of using fungicides in low rainfall farming systems.

Six different farmer operated seeders were used in a minimum tillage situation to compare seeder set up and the effect of trifluralin incorporated by sowing on crop emergence. The demonstrations were taken through to harvest to compare yield.

Average trial yield was 2.8 t/ha, approximately 1 t/ha below the nitrogen unlimited potential as identified by Yield Prophet® during the season. No significant differences in yield were found between stubble treatments (stubble retained, worked or removed) and nutrient treatments (normal practice, normal practice plus additional nutrients to enhance stubble breakdown). After three years of trial work, no significant differences in soil carbon were found between the stubble and nutrient treatments.

The farming systems trial is in its first yera of operation and has collected base line information so that the effects of each farming system on soil characteristics, weed composition and disease burden  an be assessed as the trial progresses.

2001 was the second year of complete monitoring and recording at the BCG's farming systems site.

2002 was the third year of monitoring and recording at the BCG’s Farming Systems site. The Systems trial site was severely affected by the drought, which limited monitoring and results for this year.

The drought of 2002 continued to impact on sheep production in early 2003 through a lack of bulk in crop stubbles and a high erosion risk if these stubbles were grazed. Breeding ewes were retained in the Hungry Sheep system using containment areas to avoid erosion problems and to maintain ewes. No other system contained significant sheep numbers during 2003. July-dropped crossbred lambs grazed on medic pasture and reached a weight of 45kg in mid-December. The ewes received no supplementary feeding from July, at a stocking rate of 3.7 ewes/ha. This was largely due to early germination of medic pasture in February, and sufficient follow-up rain to keep some plants alive, producing adequate pasture in late autumn/winter. Regenerating pastures were more productive than pastures sown at the autumn break.

• Reliance on chemicals as the only weed control option is difficult (almost impossible) in a run of dry years.
• This trial will cease at the end of 2004 (3 years too early to obtain meaningful results) unless other funding is found.
• The trial showed, in the 2003 season, that there was no yield penalty for waiting until rain for sowing, although grain protein was lower in these crops.

Of the seven frost events that showed significant differences, all showed that the reduced stubble treatment (2t/ha) reached colder minimum temperatures than the removed stubble treatment (1.6t/ha). Across the seven events, the retained stubble treatment (2.5t/ha) also remained warmer than the reduced stubble treatment. The removed stubble treatment spent significantly less time at -2⁰C temperature threshold compared to the reduced stubble treatment. The retained stubble treatment was not significantly different to either of these.

These results suggest that removing stubble decreases the severity and duration of frost, however as discussed, there was variability in the results between the retained and reduced stubble treatments. This suggests, that in seasons where frost events are so severe, stubble management does not have a large effect on the severity of events.

The interim temperature results suggest that retaining 4t/ha of stubble significantly increases the severity and duration of frosts when compared to 0t/ha. On all occasions, reducing stubble loads to 0t/ha reduced the severity and duration.

• Crop yields in 2006 were driven by fallow (no difference between mechanical/conventional).
• Early sowing set an upper limit to yield but did not compensate for not being sown on fallow.
• Crop emergence was very sensitive to sowing conditions, with later sowing and sowing into 2005 cereal crop stubbles leading to much later crop emergence.
• The difference in soil available water driving the fallow response was difficult to measure with soil sampling on these soils; soil available nitrogen was a better predictor of yield in 2006.
• There were no yield penalties to adopting no-till in the Hungry Sheep and Fuel Burner systems.
• Cultivation in No Till and Reduced Till paddocks produced inconsistent effects on yield.

• There is no clear difference between till and no-till crop establishment systems for yield at the Farming Systems Trial.
• Low protein in some plots indicated nitrogen deficiency in 2009.
• Pre-sowing deep soil nitrogen tests indicated low protein but not always at the levels expected.

• Long chemical fallow plots achieved record yields in 2010.
• Rotation was a factor in higher 2010 yields, but the cause of differences is not clear.
• Pre-sowing soil nitrate was not a good predictor of crop yield potential in 2010.

• It is possible that a one off cultivation in no-till systems could increase crop yields in successive years..
• Standard and Fuel Burners outyielded No Till, followed by Reduced Till, followed by Hungry
  Sheep

• A survey was conducted in early 2010 to determine the current management practices of farmers and the average water use efficiency of farms on upper Eyre Peninsula.
• The survey will be repeated in 2013 to see if there are changes in the management practices and water use efficiency.

• Using crop growth models to quantify the season to season yield performance on different soil types and predict in-season potential yield can be a very useful tool for managing risk and inputs.
• Given the high spatial variability in soils and grain yield, mapping paddocks into zones of similar soil and yield potential enables farmers to better target input levels as well as understand crop yield potential in different seasons.
• Information about the capacity of a soil to hold water, the water and mineral N levels at sowing are the basic information needed to use Yield Prophet - given this information, grain yield can be accurately predicted.

Overall, the trial was successful in demonstrating to the students the effects of varying urea rates on plant growth throughout the season.

This study of Victorian wheat crops shows that:

• increasing the uptake of nitrogen by 50kg N/ha improves WUE by 3.4kg/mm,
• introducing a break crop increases WUE by 2.1-4.2kg/mm,
• the efficiency with which fertiliser nitrogen is taken up by wheat increases from 40 to 80% as GSR increases from 200 to 400mm,
• each 1% of OC contributes from 16kg N/ha (200mm GSR to 32kg N/ha (400mm GSR) to the uptake of nitrogen,
• at current prices for fertiliser N ($1kg/N) and for wheat ($170/t) is is still more economic to apply fertiliser N than to increase N supply by raising OC levels with pasture,
• grain protein levels tend to fall by 1% for each 100kg/ha increase in yields.

It’s been, once again, a frustrating season. A dry spring, then a late rain to spoil the rainfall records - and too late to be of benefit. The role of livestock in the system to diversify income has, once again, been demonstrated. It is worth looking after the stock you have because they can be a huge benefit in years like this. Many people are reaping crops with very high screening levels due to the harsh finish. What is the value of these screenings for livestock?

Feeding stock for survival during a drought is certain to be a financial loss. Feeding might not be the best strategy. However, if feeding is used, it needs to be planned and concentrate on increasing production.

Ryegrass and barley grass were the dominant weed species along fence-lines.

Higher sowing rates resulted in higher dry matter yield at late flowering and higher seed yield with no significant differences between varieties 'Fenugreek' and 'A287'.

Spinnaker at 150ml/ha was the safest post-sowing-pre-emergent herbicide for use in fenugreek. Post-emergent herbicides with good crop safety included Broadstrike 25 g/ha + Uptake 0.5%, Buttress 2 L/ha, Buticide 2.5 L/ha and Broadstrike 25 g/ha + Buttress 1 L/ha.

• Varieties 150265 and 150292 were the highest yielding varieties at Birchip and over all sites.
• Dry matter increased 10-fold from early flowering to mid pod fill which may have implications on the optimum time for terminating crop growth for green manuring.

• Wheat was surprisingly tolerant of continuous flooding for nearly 4 months, yielding up to 2.8 t/ha with the best combination of nutrients tested.
• Despite the extended flooding there was a 13% response to P at a starting Colwell P of 29 mg/kg, with an economic optimum application rate of 7 kg P/ha.
• Canola was intolerant of extended flooding, producing no harvestable yield.
• In-crop application of urea shortly before flooding showed no grain yield response in wheat, while there was a negative response of 9% to applying S as in-crop sulfate of ammonia.
• Ideally in-crop applications of fertiliser should be made at least a week prior to flooding to allow time for the crop to take up the nutrients.

• Application of P fertilisers increased pasture growth and dry matter production (t/ha).
• Application of P above maintenance levels will increase soil P levels.

Sowing more than 20kg of N with seed (seeder set at 9inch spacings) resulted in seedling burn and poor crop establishment.

The success of this project continues to grow as the concept of developing useful tools to empower farmers to make changes to their practices takes hold

• Crop nitrogen requirements should be applied at or before sowing as poor spring conditions can reduce crop responses to topdressed nitrogen.
• When drilling nitrogen with the seed, rates should not exceed 25 kg/ha (7" rowing spacing).
• Grain protein levens under 10.5% indicate crop yields are below thier optimum potential - apply additional nitrogen.

Stretegic (up-front) nitrogen was useful in a wet year, but no N rate used was high enough to anticipate the wet and cool spring at Ouyen.

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

• Both desi and kabuli chickpea varieties suffered severe plant establishment reductions from fertiliser placement with the seed and with increasing fertiliser rates.
• Fertiliser rates of 20 kg P/ha and above placed with the seed had a significant negative effect on grain yields.
• The dry spring conditions have compressed achieved yields to that possible from the limited water supply. Differences in plant population still negatively influenced achieved yields. Yields increased with fertiliser rate up to about 20kg/ha of P in this particular season.

• Both desi and kabuli chickpea varieties suffered severe plant establishment reductions from
  fertiliser placement with the seed and with increasing fertiliser rates.
• All amounts of fertiliser placed with the seed had a significant negative effect of kabuli grain yields.
• Desi type PBA Slasher can tolerate low rate of fertiliser with the seed.
• Yields increased with fertiliser rate up to about 20kg/ha of P in this particular season and soil type

• Fertiliser trials often take a few years for the real results to become evident.

• Fertiliser trials often take a few years for the real results to become evident.

• After 3  years of no fertilizer applications in the low P sites, residual P levels have fallen by 25% and are significantly affecting productivity.
• After three years there appears to be little significant difference between the three products applied.

• After four years of no fertilizer applications, residual P levels have fallen and are significantly affecting productivity.
• Granule placement appears to be more critical in low P sites.

Many wheat varieties grown in WA already have the major gene for acid soil tolerance. In this trial several other acid tolerance traits are being assessed under field conditions to determine if they confer growth and yield advantages in addition to the major gene. If the traits do prove useful they can then be back-crossed into current well-adapted WA wheat varieties and ultimately become available for growers to use. In addition to these field trials, the project aims to identify molecular markers to facilitate the breeding process. The traits are likely to be beneficial in situations where soils are being limed to correct soil acidity but are not likely to help in highly Al toxic soils in the absence of liming. This trial and others like it will help determine under what soil acidity levels the traits are likely to be beneficial.

Acid soil tolerance in wheat is not a stand-alone solution for managing acid soils, rather it complements a liming program to ameliorate subsoil acidity. Subsoil at the site is acidic to a depth of at least 40 cm as demonstrated by the indicative site soil pH (CaCl2): 0-10 cm = 5.4; 10-20 cm =  4.2; 20-30 cm = 4.3; 30-40 cm = 4.3. Prior to the site being seeded 1.5 t/ha limesand was spread and this has lifted the topsoil pH to ~5.4 on average. More lime will need to be applied to the site to lift the low subsoil pH values.

• Kaspa continues to show a yield advantage over earlier maturing varieties and blends in regions with high yield potential (eg Turretfield) due to its later maturity and subsequent higher yield potential.
• Earlier maturing varieties and blends may confer a yield advantage over Kaspa in lower yielding situations/seasons.
• This work will continue for a number of years reusing the seed from each location to identify any potential benefit for growers using a mix of these varieties to manage pea yields across variable seasonal conditions.

• Commercial viability has been difficult to demonstrate.
• Field trials demonstrated that the H Senor was able to accurately classify annual ryegrass in several broadleaf crops, including canola, faba bean, lentil and field pea.
• Other grass weeds such as brome grass and wild oats were also correctly identified as grasses in these crops.
• Broad leaf weeds were accurately classified in cereal crops, however this was more difficult due to the overlapping nature of the cereal crops at the time when the broadleaf weeds had emerged.
• Classification accuracy was lower for detection of grass weeds in cereal crops and broadleaf weeds in broadleaf crops, and these scenarios were not pursued for that reason.  

• Kaspa continues to show a yield advantage over earlier maturing varieties and blends in
  regions with high yield potential (eg Turretfield). This is due to its later maturity and
  subsequent higher yield potential.
• Earlier maturing varieties and blends will generally provide better yield stability compared to
  Kaspa in lower yielding situations/seasons eg Minnipa, Snowtown.
• At sites with generally lower yield potential (eg Minnipa, Snowtown), blends containing Kaspa
  may confer a yield advantage over earlier maturing varieties in some favourable seasons (eg
  Snowtown in 2013).

• The field peas sown at Hart on the season break in 2009, were heavily infected with blackspot and grain yields were reduced by 30% (0.8 t/ha) compared with later sowing times.
• Sowing peas two to four weeks earlier (late May) than the conventional time (early–mid June) optimises production of Kaspa and the earlier, longer flowering line OZP0602.
• OZP0602 was generally higher yielding than Kaspa particularly in later sowing treatments.
• Yield loss from blackspot can be minimised if peas are sown after 60% of airborne spores have been released.
• The combination of P-Pickel T with two sprays of mancozeb was economic in some cases in the time of sowing trial at Hart in 2009, resulting in an average 7-14% yield gain in Kaspa and OZP0602.

• Overall lentil and pea grain yields averaged 1.18 t/ha across all sites and treatments.
• There was no significant foliar disease and the major yield limiting factor was the lack of late season rainfall, only 25mm in September and October.
• Although only small the slightly higher grain yield at the eastern site compared to the western site highlights the importance of paddock and crop selection to maximise pulse yields in these more marginal areas.
• A similar result was found in 2011 where there was a 0.46t/ha yield increase from the western site to the eastern site, 1.76 t/ha to 2.23 t/ha respectively.

NVT is a national program of comparative crop variety testing with standardised trial management, data generation, collection and dissemination. The program is supported by the Australian Government and growers through the Grains Research Development Corporation and is managed by the Australian Crop Accreditation System Limited.

• All varieties showed similar levels of yield loss from crop topping two weeks prior to the recommended timing (rye grass milk dough stage) and no yield loss at the recommended timing under dry finishing conditions in 2014 and therefore no one variety was more or less suited to this agronomic practice.

• Yield losses from Early crop-topping generally followed cultivar maturity, with latest maturating varieties (eg Glenroy) showing the highest yield losses. Glenroy was also the only variety to show yield loss at the Recommended timing, supporting previous findings that later maturing varieties are not as well suited to crop-topping as earlier maturing recent releases PBA Twilight, PBA Gunyah and PBA Oura.

• PBA Coogee being a dual purpose pea provides growers the option to either cut for hay, harvest for grain, or graze.
• PBA Pearl is consistently the highest yielding pea variety in all areas across SA (2013 NVT data). It stands well and has better pod shattering tolerance than traditional varieties.

• Significant grain yield responses to P fertiliser application occurred at the Goonumbla site.
• At Goonumbla, 25 kg P/ha significantly increased grain yield over 15 kg P/ha only when applied with starter N.
• Field peas proved very sensitive to heliothis damage at Gunning Gap and to harvest delays at Wirrinya.

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

• Despite a late break to the season (12 June), very favourable conditions followed resulting in exceptionally well grown plants and above average yields with very little disease.
• Yield declined in all varieties when densities were below 35-40 plants/ sq m.
• There were no significant yield responses above 35-40 plants/ sq m in all varieties except 96-262*1.
• Seed size increased with density for Kaspa, Moonlight & Parafield but unaffected in others
• Increasing density increased lodging in the semi-dwarf types (Kaspa, Moonlight, Yarrum and 96*262*1).

• Despite a late break to the season (12 June) and very late sowing, very favourable conditions followed resulting in exceptionally well grown plants and above average yields with very little disease.
• Yields at Yenda were not significantly different for the 19, 30 & twin 50 cm spacing.
• Stretching row spacing to 50 cm reduced yields

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

• New varieties of field peas are available for southern Victoria, offering a range of grain types and forage options, associated with excellent yield potential.
• Kaspa continues to perform well with new line OZP1101 consistently producing the highest yields.
• Crop topping saw a yield reduction in most varieties due to crops not being advanced enough when ryegrass was at milky dough stage.
• In 2013, a fortnightly fungicide program proved profitable to control disease in field peas (particularly black spot).
• Sowing earlier has been found to be most profitable in this region, but disease management needs to be a priority.
• Based on yields achieved where disease was managed (4.7 t/ha) peas could have achieved a net profit of approximately $1000/ha based on management costs of $370/ha and grain price at $300/t.
   

The best field pea varieties recommended for growers in the Wimmera and Mallee are for:

• Dun type peas: 1) Kaspa, 2) Parafield,
• White peas: 1) Snowpeak, 2) Mukta,
• Blue peas: 1) Excell.

A new high yielding white field pea "Sturt" was commercialised in 2003 and showed the highest yield performance in 2003 in Victoria. Sturt will be available from growers from 2005/06.

Field pea grain yields were severely affected by a combination of moisture and heat stress and frost damage during flowering and podding. As a consequence, experimental and commercial grain yields were very low and discrimination between varieties often too small to interpret. Downy mildew and bacterial blight were observed in the Wimmera but had relatively very little impact on yield.

• With a dry warm summer few grass weeds were present.
• Wet weeds controlled well with sprays.
• Trial germinated well.

• Yields for the spring sown field peas at both Gnarwarre and Hamilton were promising this year, despite the dry spring conditions. Site means of 2.89 and 2.51 tlha were obtained for Gnarwarre and Hamilton respectively. 
• For further discussion please see the attached trial report.

• Despite consistent stubble loads between treatments, differences in lodging (in all crops) and
  grain yield (field peas only) were generated between the three stubble heights at Pinery in 2013.
• In a similar trial in 2012, stubble treatments generated significant responses for biomass, maturity and grain yield.
• This supports previous work conducted by this project showing that the physical arrangement of stubble (ie standing versus slashed) can have a significant effect on the growth and performance of pulse crop types, as well as the amount of stubble present (ie retained versus removed).

• Our results show that stubble management (reduction in height from 40cm to 5cm) had no improvement on yield and lodging between crop types and varieties within a crop type under the seasonal conditions in 2014.

• there was a highly significant effect of sowing time across all varieties.

• Weather patterns experienced early in 2015 resulted in growers in many districts being advised by DAFWA’s Blackspot Manager Prediction model to delay sowing of field peas in SA. This sowing was often out of alignment with optimal sowing times based on best agronomic practice for some districts.
• Under high disease risk situations, growers in low rainfall areas may be best suited to choose alternative break crop options to field peas to avoid significant yield losses through delayed sowing or disease infection. If field pea remains the preferred crop it is important that growers consider the current recommended fungicide strategy of PPT and Mancozeb treatments, selecting paddocks with little or no field pea history, avoiding close proximity to previous field pea stubbles, and delaying sowing as long as possible.
• Several experimental fungicides with greater efficacy than Mancozeb showed improved blackspot control and significant yield increases over the nil and Mancozeb treatments in 2015.
• Disease progression and grain yield were both reduced by dry and hot spring conditions in early October at all sites in 2015. Further evaluation is warranted in years and environments with more favourable spring conditions. Earlier application timings than the 8 week treatment used in these experiments may also be warranted, along with additional ‘spring’ treatments in longer more favourable seasons.
• A number of industry support groups have reported the economic benefit of using fungicide in controlling blackspot in field pea. Results in 2015 showed the current fungicide application strategy, using PPT and two Mancozeb applications suppressed blackspot at most sites, but previous yield benefits reported from this treatment were not realised due to the hot and dry spring conditions experienced in 2015.
• New fungicide actives and formulas being evaluated showed significant increases in efficacy for controlling blackspot compared to untreated plots and those treated with Mancozeb. Furthermore, a significant yield benefit (approx. 15%) were also identified in these treatments this year. Further trials are planned in 2016 to explore these results.

Despite the lack of significant disease, grain yields were reduced by 20% (0.54t/ha) in a ‘nil’ treatment compared with a fortnightly fungicide application regime.

• Early sowing of field pea is essential for economic yields in dry years in low rainfall environments, providing frost, weed and blackspot risks are considered.
• Kaspa & OZP0602 had lower disease severity and slower build up of blackspot than the old Alma cultivar.
• Strategic applications of foliar fungicides led to a small but significant reduction in blackspot.
• Sowing field peas on the season break will increase blackspot risk however exposure to risk can be reduced through the use of the blackspot predictive tools (Blackspot Manager and DIRI) and careful paddock selection.

• Pulse production was generally much higher at the Mildura site than the Ouyen site.
• Field pea was the best yielding pulse crop at both sites.
• Selecting the right crop was more important than selecting the best variety.
• Field pea, lupins and faba beans had the greatest biomass production.
• Vetch biomass production was low due to the late break.

• Pulse production was generally much higher at the Mildura site than the Ouyen site.
• Field pea was the best yielding pulse crop at both sites.
• Selecting the right crop was more important than selecting the best variety.
• Field pea, lupins and faba beans had the greatest biomass production.
• Vetch biomass production was low due to the late break.

• 2013 was a year of multiple germinations of radish and products with good residual were required.
• Velocity + MCPA, Precept + Lexone and Flight are currently the best performing products on the market to control radish in situations of multiple germination.
• Wild Radish with Group B and I resistance was found in 50% of surveyed paddocks.

• The cereal varieties and winter gap fill blend provide livestock with substantial feed during autumn and winter, then go on to produce high quality hay in spring.
• Clover, medic and forage brassica varieties provide nutrious feed over winter, spring and into early harvest time. These varieties also offer a disease break in a cereal rotation.
• Nutritional value of varieties was exceptional and would provide an excellent feed source for lactating ewes, and lambs.
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Knowing phosphorous levels in the soil is critical. At low levels of nutrition, an economic response to phosphorous application will be achieved. This work is critical in determining where the nutrient response curve flattens out – allowing for improved management decisions to be made.

• Since the year 2000 farm debt has doubled but so have land values hence current debt has adequate security.
• Farming systems which increase income through intensive cropping and higher inputs also increase costs of farm input and machinery. Higher costs will increase the loss in droughts. Target low cost options in 2007 to reduce the level of new debt and the risk of losses in 2007/08
• In 2007 it will be OK to leave 25 to 40% of area to livestock or fallow. Focus crop selection towards the low cost paddocks.

1. There was a 35% (970 kg/ha) grain yield response to the highest deep-P treatments in the 2018 sorghum crop.
2. There was no significant response to K in the 2018 sorghum crop.
3. Over 5 crops the deep-P treatments have produced between 2500-3000 kg/ha of extra grain over the zero P treatments.
4. After 5 crops the return on investment for 20 kg and 40 kg P/ha are 4.7 and 3.4 respectively.

This site had high soil nitrate reserves (45 mg/kg Nit N in 0 - 10cm) but there were still very good responses to Flexi-N. Although there were no Flexi-N placement/timing or stubble effects on yield, an analysis of protein yield showed that stubble reduced N recovery in the grain by about 30 kg protein/ha or 5 kg N/ha – most likely due to increased immobilisation. Leaf disease symptoms were most severe where stubble was retained but they were less obvious where Flexi-N was banded. Hectolitre weights were 78 – 79 kg/hl and screenings were 2 - 3% in all treatments.

These results show a strong tend towards N applied and what is remaining in the soil after the failed wheat crop.

• Cereals yield well relative to other crop types under low rainfall conditions, but use all available water and nitrogen
• Grain legumes do not yield well in dry seasons but can fix valuable amounts of nitrogen if brown manured
• Forage legumes (vetch and forage peas) can produce profitable amounts of dry matter in dry seasons.
• Research in higher yielding environments has shown that break crops provide significant yield benefits to subsequent wheat crops. Benefits to subsequent crops should be accounted for when making decisions regarding break crop options and end-uses.

• Cereals yield well relative to other crop types under low rainfall conditions, but use all available water and nitrogen
• Grain legumes do not yield well in dry seasons but can fix valuable amounts of nitrogen if brown manured
• Forage legumes (vetch and forage peas) can produce profitable amounts of dry matter in dry seasons.
• Research in higher yielding environments has shown that break crops provide significant yield benefits to subsequent wheat crops. Benefits to subsequent crops should be accounted for when making decisions regarding break crop options and end-uses.

• 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.

• In 2016 there was a small yield response to phosphoric acid over granular P at Warramboo.
• Fungicides and the addition of extra 40 kg/ha urea at seeding separately reduced Rhizoctonia seminal root infection compared to the control at both sites.
• Including fungicides will increase input cost and risk over a cropping program.
• The addition of a trace element mix or manganese did not improve yields at Streaky Bay or Warramboo.

• Phosphoric acid as a liquid fertiliser resulted in 13% and 8% higher yields in 2014 and 2015 respectively at Streaky Bay, and an 8% yield increase at Warramboo in 2016 when compared to the same rate of P delivered in granular fertilisers.
• Despite the yield increases at Streaky Bay and Warramboo, the economics showed granular fertiliser had greater returns in $/ha compared to using phosphoric acid at 9 units of P.
• The guidelines for moving to the adoption of phosphoric acid as a P source exist in the Fluid Fertiliser Manual which adequately covers the principles, economics, recommendations and chemistry of adopting fluid delivery systems. The manual is available at www.fluidfertilsers.com.au.
• Knowing the responsiveness of a soil type to phosphoric acid is an important factor to consider before investing in a fluid delivery system. The responsive soil types are generally higher n calcium carbonate (greater than 25%). P source responses may also be driven by soil moisture conditions because in 2016, which had wetter seasonal conditions, phosphoric acid and granular P performed similarly in the same soil type at Streaky Bay.
• The adoption of fluid fertiliser systems to place fungicides in-furrow for rhizoctonia disease management is not recommended in this environment. The addition of fungicides showed small and variable yield advantages at Warramboo in 2014 and 2016 and Streaky Bay in 2016. Using fungicides in above average seasons the greatest yield benefit was only 0.22 t/ha with an in-furrow application with granular phosphorus and trace elements. This is lower than the benefits achieved in other regions where yield increases of up to 0.49 t/ha in wheat with split applications of fungicides were achieved. Inluding fungicides on wheat up front will increase input costs and risk over a large cropping program. 
• Large scale demonstrations by growers across Eyre Peninsula with in-furrow fungicide applications at seeding did not reduce rhizoctonia or produce yield benefits over three seasons.
• The adoption of fluid fertiliser systems will depend in growers' soil types for phosphorus responses, the existence of trace element deficiences and ease or timing of application (in-furrow at seeding) and machinery ability to deliver fluids.

• Fungicides as seed treatments or in-furrow did not increase canola yield in 2015 or 2016.
• In 2016 Intake (on fertiliser) and Jockey (on seed) which is current standard practice, lowered Blackleg stem infection, and in 2014 this treatment increased yield.

• 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).

Despite the wet year, little folir disease was detected in the trial, therefore the foliar fingicides tested had no effect on yield.

• 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.

 

None of the fungicide treatments gave a statistically significant increase or decrease in yield compared to the untreated. Disease levels were extremely low all season at the Gnarwarre site, such that at GS72 (milky ripe stage) there was little difference between treatments in terms of green leaf area (GLA) of the whole crop canopy.