• Cu application no effect on grain yield without Zn.
• Zn application depressed grain yiled without Cu
• With Zn applied Cu application restored grain yield
• Cu at 2.75 Cu sul/ha & Zn O at 0.8 kg/ha supplied enough Zn for maximum grain yield.
• .Researchers suggest the combination to cover future crops and the suggest there is a long residual value.in mid-1960's residual value was about 5 years.

• Cu application no effect on grain yield without Zn.
• Zn application depressed grain yiled without Cu
• With Zn applied Cu application restored grain yield
• Cu at 2.75 Cu sul/ha & Zn O at 0.8 kg/ha supplied enough Zn for maximum grain yield.
• .Researchers suggest the combination to cover future crops and the suggest there is a long residual value.in mid-1960's residual value was about 5 years.

• Cu & Zn either separately or in combination increased grain yield.
• Combination of 11 Kg Cu sulfate and 3.3 kg ZnO recommended
• Follow with a combination of 5.5  Kg Cu sulfate and 1.6 kg ZnO recommended in following crops.
• No information on Zn depressing yield with nil or low rates of Cu.

Intensive grazing at GS 30 – GS 31 (start of stem elongation) reduced grain yield compared to no grazing by an average of 37%. The greatest yield loss of 57% occurred with Monstress triticale and the lowest yield loss occurred with Amarok wheat (18%). Up to 2.1 t/ha of drymatter was available for grazing before stem elongation was reached. Yerong barley yielded the greatest drymatter pre grazing, with Brennan wheat the lowest drymatter yielding at 1.5 t/ha.

• New pre-emergence herbicides provided effective control of annual ryegrass under both knife point and disc systems.
• Good crop safety was observed with preemergence herbicides under knife-points; however, herbicide damage was evident under discs and was due to shallow seeding depth.

• There were large weed control benefits of delayed sowing of barley at Minnipa. However, when a highly effective pre-emergent herbicide was applied the benefit of delayed sowing was negligible.
• In barley a three week delay in sowing time did not significantly reduce grain yield as it did in the previous year in wheat. Lower yield penalty in barley from delayed sowing may be related to its earlier maturity and more competitive nature compared to wheat.

 

Applying gypsum can reduce soil pH and lower the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (C) to 30 cm depth within a year. Soils with pH > 9 will benefit most from gypsum. The solubilisation of soil organic C increased markedly at pH above 8.5. The availability of aluminium (Al) in soil increases at pH above 9. There was no significant effect of gypsum on the biomass or yields of crops within 2 years.

Applying gypsum can reduce soil pH and lower the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (C) to 30 cm depth within a year. Soils with pH > 9 will benefit most from gypsum. The solubilisation of soil organic C increased markedly at pH above 8.5. The availability of aluminium (Al) in soil increases at pH above 9. There was no significant effect of gypsum on the biomass or yields of crops within 2 years.

• 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.
   

• Trial work with Southern Farming Systems over the past four years has demonstrated significant improvements in nitrogen efficiency from applying ENTEC treated urea to wheat crops, compared to untreated urea.
• The experiment this year showed no response to nitrogen, but did highlight some important tools for predicting the liklihood of nitrogen response.

• Establishment and growth to date have been good.
• Low survival rates for some species appear to be consistent with that seen at other trial sites.
• Monitoring will continue, and information on responses to grazing will be available in due course.

 No BYDV was observed in the trial and as a result there were no significant yield differences due to BYDV control recorded in either Manning (tolerant) or Revenue (non BYDV tolerant) cultivars.
 Omitting the GS31 fungicide however (treatment 7 & 8) had a significant impact on grain yield with both Manning (minus 2.13t/ha) and Revenue (minus 2.34t/ha).
 Adding azoxystrobin to the first fungicide application at GS31 over and above the experimental fungicide increased yield with Manning but not with Revenue.
 The additional application of Dominex Duo along with the experimental fungicide (as opposed to Opus 250mL/ha) at GS31 significantly increased the yield of the non BYDV tolerant cultivar Revenue but the yield of Manning was unaffected.
 The “Revenue BYDV tolerant bred line” with no insecticide input was the highest yielding treatment of Revenue and not significantly different from the best Manning treatment that received azoxystrobin at GS31.

• The long season UK wheat RGT Relay out yielded Manning but none of the treatments of insecticide or fungicide produced any significant difference in grain yield.
• There were clear indications that symptoms of BYDV were present in the RGT Relay that were not present in the BYDV tolerant variety Manning, but these differences did not result in a yield effect.
• BYDV like symptoms became more apparent in the canopy as the crop began to grain fill with less BYDV observed in the insecticide treated plots in RGT Relay (non-tolerant).
• Little or no BYDV like symptoms were observed in the Manning.
• There was no significant expression of erect heads in this trial or significant differences in erect head numbers.
• ELISA testing confirmed Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV-prv) presence but not Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV-pav).

• There were small visual differences in BYDV control recorded in this trial (which were variable in effect) but no differences were assessed in erect heads at harvest.
• As a consequence, there were no differences in yield due to insecticide management in the BYDV tolerant (Manning) and non-tolerant variety (Anapurna) in this trial.
• There was a significant yield increase associated with the application of the GS31 experimental fungicide application.
• The effect of the fungicide had no impact on erect heads observed in the trial and was primarily associated with superior STB control compared to the other four treatments that received no GS31 fungicide.
• There was no advantage from the addition of azoxystrobin at GS31 added to the experimental fungicide.
• It should be noted that two more fungicides were applied to all treatments at flag leaf emergence (GS39) and head emergence (GS59) (see Table 3).

• There were significant yield increases in both BYDV non-tolerant (Anapurna) and assumed tolerant germplasm (DS Bennett) due to insecticide management.
• The application of insecticide for BYDV control produced a significant reduction in the level of BYDV (4% plot affected – mean of two varieties).
• There was no significant difference amongst the insecticide strategies in terms of BYDV control with an application of neonicotinoid seed treatment (Gaucho) generating the same level of control and yield response as multiple insecticide applications.

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

Further work will be done analysing results when the new CWFS Research Coordinator commences duty in May 2002.

• 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.

• 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.

• Grain yield was highest (5.8 t/ha) from Revenue and loest from Bass. Dry matter produciton was greatest from the barley lines as with the later sowing there was isufficient time for the other cereals to catch up.
• New barley germplasm from France is later flowering and has considerable potential for early sowing in the most frost prone areas of Tasmania. Both lines appear to possess some water logging tolerance.

• Grain yield was highest for Revenue and Endeavour (5.4 and 5.1 t/ha respectively) and lowest from Barley Z and Henley. Dry matter production was lowest from Revenue as with the water-logged conditions no third cut was taken.
• Winter barley germplasm is late flowering and may have considerable potential for early sowing in the more frost prone areas of Tasmania.
• There appears to be a strong interaction between grazing/cutting and water-logging with the additional stress of water-logging leading to poorer recovery after cutting.

• 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.

• A range of forage varieties were grown as rotational options at SFS mininera and Dunkeld sites.
• At Mininera, a relatively well drained and high fertility site, Graza 80 Forage Oats (10.06 t/ha DM), Graza 51 Forage Oats (8.9 t/ha DM) and Grassmax Annual Diploid Rypgrass (8.4 t/ha DM) produced the highest forage yields.
• At Dunkeld, a wetter site and lower fertility and cropping history, Leafmore Forage Rape (6.6 t/ha DM), Rasina Vetch (6.1 t/ha DM), Graza 51 Oats (6.3 t/ha DM) and Mitika (6.4 t/ha DM) were the highest forage yield.s
• For further take home messages please see the attached trial report.

With increasing pressure on rotations, there are a number of forage options that can be considered;

• On higher fertility sites, with better N levels-  Annual ryegrass such as Drummer and Grassmax as well as forage cereals such as Graza 80 and 51 are an option
• Brassicas (Leafmore) should be avoided on canola stubble
• On lower N sites, Blaza Crimson Clover,  Laser Persian Clover, Zulu Arrowleaf clover and Bolta Balansa grow reasonable hay and fix Nitrogen
• Further work needs to be conducted to evaluate competition value (esp with Wimmera RG) and yield benefits to following crops.   

• 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. 

• Cereal and pea mixtures increase the crude protein and measurable energy content without reducing yield.
• Growing cereals with peas appears to help to reduce lodging in the peas.

Fifteen months after establishment the study has shown:

• Lucerne to be well adapted to good Eyre Peninsula cropping soils.
• Cullen and Tedera to be more persistent and productive than lucerne on shallow calcareous and highly acidic soils respectively.
• Sulla to be highly productive on good lower EP cropping soils in the growing season following  establishment.

• The evaluation of alternative perennial legume forages has commenced at 4 sites on EP in 2010.
• The production and persistence of Tedera, Cullen and Sulla are being compared to Lucerne.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.  

• 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.  

• 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.

• 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.  

• 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.

• 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.

 

• 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. 

Similar, to previous seasons and consistent with other sites in 2019, the early flowering and maturing breeding line, AF12025, produced the highest grain yields (17% - 53%) higher than all other varieties. Faba beans had the highest net return ($1410-2310/ha) of all pulse crops in 2019 at Curyo, ranging from $1410-2310/ha.

• Soil amelioration, particularly liming with incorporation to depth, increases break crop options.
• Faba beans can be successfully grown on light soil types if pH is managed.
• Subsequent nitrogen fertiliser programs should take account of residual N to optimise the benefits of pulse crops.

• 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.

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 southern Victorian Mallee environment, grazing crops intended for grain production can be risky, with potential penalties to grain yield and/or quality.
• The success of grazing crops relies on an early sowing opportunity and good spring.

Average trial yield was 3.8 t/ha, close to the 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). Changes in Soil Organic Matter fractions over the duration of the trial (2012 to 2014) resulting from the stubble and nutrient treatments will be assessed in March, 2015.

No difference in yield or quality was noted for the stubble or nutrient treatments. It is likely that soil carbon is being increased as the additional nutrients did not increase yield. Increasing soil carbon is a slow process and several years are needed to see whether these treatments do increase soil carbon. A range of sites across southern Australia have been chosen to see if soil carbon can be increased.

The extra nutrition treatment had no effect on yield or grain quality this season. In the 2012 season the stubble removed treatment had the highest 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.

• 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.

• 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

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?

• 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.

Grain yield increased by approximately 1.0t/ha as fertiliser increased from nil to the higher rates.

• 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.  

• See Milestone 2 for weather interpretation.
• Emergence was 55 plants/m2 for Kaspa, 45 plants/m2 for Moonlight and 42 plants per/m2 for Sturt. Targeted densities were 50 plants/m2 for Kaspa and Moonlight and 40 plants/m2 for Sturt.
• All varieties responded similarly to the herbicide treatments. No visual damage was observed for any of the herbicide treatments. This was probably due to the dry conditions experienced.
• Grain yields were strongly correlated with weed populations, i.e. herbicides that gave good
  weed control resulted in highest grain yields. To overcome this affect, we used weed score as a covariate. This showed that Imazethapyr applied at double rates caused a significant reduction in yield (approximately 40%). This implies that the safety margin for this chemical is relatively low, therefor growers need to use caution and avoid overlapping within their crops.
• Sturt appears to have the best adaptation to dry environments with yields 50% greater than
  Kaspa and Moonlight. This is the same trend as has been observed in the breeding program.

• 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.
   

• Field pea trial yields across the Mallee were variable, ranging between 0.8 and 2.5 t/ha, reflecting those achieved in commercial crops in the region.
• The main factors affecting yield were low spring rainfall and presence of powdery mildew and downy mildew.
• Many of the new varieties show a significant advantage in yield, disease resistance, harvestability, early vigour, shatter resistance and seed quality compared to the commonly grown variety Dundale.
• A series of late maturing breeding lines have given superior yields in the Mallee over the last three years.
• The yield advantage due to shatter resistance in PSL4 was clearly demonstrated at the North Central sites where heavy rains fell prior to harvest.
• The dun pea PSL4 with its excellent shatter resistance and the white pea PSL10 will be multiplied as potential variety releases.

Grain yield of PBA Oura field pea was 400 kg/ha at Kimba, 2019, due to dry seasonal conditions. A foliar fungicide strategy is only recommended for crops that have a potential yield of at least 1.5 t/ha. However, it is not economic to apply fungicides in crops with grain yields below 1.5 t/ha.

• 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).

• 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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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

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

 

• The absence of leaf rust was presumably a function of the dry finish to the season and dry autumn and lack of a "green bridge" (alternative hosts). Scald infection levels were low. Based on the pessimistic seasonal forecast, nitrogen was not applied to the crop and it is likely this retarded the development of scald. 
• Further trials are required to evaluate these fungicides in seasons with higher disease pressure. 

• Foliar application of a micronutrient mixes failed to provide in any yield improvement over and above the standard nutrition adopted.
• Tissue testing prior to, and at tasselling, revealed no micro or macro nutrient deficiencies, and no response to the additional nutrient applications..

• With an average grain yield of 16.51t/ha there were no significant differences in header grain yield from varying nitrogen rate or applying liquid potassium products.
• Applying Calcium Nitrate Ca (NO3)2 caused a decrease in yield when it was combined with an additional application of pre drill 90 kg/ha of nitrogen.
• There was evidence that additional nutrients significantly interacted (p=0.044) with the overall level of N fertiliser applied with liquid calcium nitrate giving greater benefits with 230N (applied as fertigation than when N was application was increased to 320kg N/ha (predrill urea = fertigation).

• Simulated grazing up to early tillering on cereals caused only a minor reduction in grain yield.
• There are broad leaf field crop alternatives, forage peas and vetch, that as a monoculture or as component of a cereal or oilseed mixture can increase total (anthesis) biomass production.
• There are further opportunities to develop farming systems around the multipurpose break crops on upper Eyre Peninsula.

• Forage pea varieties produced similar levels of biomass to other peas and less than vetch at Hart in 2014. They were also more susceptible to blackspot than other pea varieties.
• The value of PBA Hayman as an alternative to vetch will depend largely on being able to sow it early and control blackspot disease infection. This will often be difficult to achieve and sowing dates will need to be as early as possible around safe “black spot manager” predictions.
• Where sowing of field peas was delayed, biomass was maximised by increasing sowing densities above 50 plants/m2 with little negative effect on grain yield.

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

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

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

• Mace and Scout both yielded higher when fungicide was applied.
• Triad is a cheap fungicide and can be effective, but needs to be used strategically and at rates of at least 2 L/ha.
• Management and attention to monitoring wheat crops must match variety grown to achieve yield potential.
• Regular crop inspections are essential to maximize yield potential • All fungicides work best when used as a preventative spray than as a cure.

• Mace and Scout both yielded higher when fungicide was applied
• Triad is a cheap fungicide and can be effective, but needs to be used strategically and at rates of at least 2 L/ha
• Management and attention to monitoring wheat crops must match variety grown to achieve yield potential
• Regular crop inspections are essential to maximize yield potential
• All fungicides work best when used as a preventative spray than as a cure

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

•  A survey of 80 winter cereal crops across central and northern NSW in 2016 established that low levels (generally <1%) of Fusarium head blight (FHB) were evident with the causal pathogen predominantly being Fusarium pseudograminearum (Fp).
• This was the crown rot fungus (Fp), reminding growers that it does not disappear in a wet season.
• FHB infection caused by Fp has a reduced risk for mycotoxin accumulation in infected grain, but could have detrimental impacts on crop establishment if seed is retained for planting.
• Planting Fusarium-infected grain can also introduce seed-borne crown rot infection into clean paddocks, negating the rotational benefits associated with growing non-host crops.
   

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

• Pasture cropping is a relatively new system combining livestock and crop production on the one area of land.
• Production of crop and pasture individually can be lower when grown together in a pasture cropping system compared with when either is grown alone, however the overall annual production can be higher.
• Pasture cropping systems can be managed so that annual winter crops have no direct competition from pastures while the crop is growing.
• Pasture cropping can improve year-round resource use increasing overall annual productivity compared with conventional annual cropping or pasture systems.
• Pasture cropping will be most effective in soil types that do not store soil moisture well and have some summer rain.

In summary, the TOS1 showed a greater variance overall between grazing treatments and the frost events of 2016 seemed to have a greater impact on this section of the trial. Results from TOS2 did not vary greatly between treatments and the effects of frost damage were not as prevalent. This indicates that grazing early sown cereals can have a great effect on yields and provide an excellent source of feed to livestock and the grazing of later sown crops in a season like 2016 does not impact yields or quality

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

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

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

For discussion of results please see the attached trial report.

• Late sowings could have a negative effect on barley yield due to heat and water stress during grain fill. In 2015 this was the key detrmining factor for grain yield.
• While mid season varieties yielded well in the first sowing time, mid and late sowings favoured early-flowering.
• Early sowing, early flowering crops are at risk of flowering during frost events, and sowing decsisins should be based on the phenology of teh particular variey and understanding the region's climate.

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