• Agntain was found to provide little benefit for increasing canola yield. Agritain may have a role in reducing urea toxicity to germinating seeds, when crop seeds are sown close to pre-applied urea (especially when large amounts of N are used).
• This warrants further investigation.

• Seedling densities were high at both sites, reflecting favourable conditions during spring.
• Sowing 5-10 mm below the surface into furrows resulted in a significantly higher density than the other treatments at both Gillingarra and Eneabba.
• Surface seeding into furrows gave a significantly higher density than into no furrows at Gillingarra, although there were no statistical differences between the two treatments at Eneabba.
• Surface-sown plots with no furrows were also the most patchy.

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

Higher apparent N recovery efficiency was recorded in the topdressed treatments than the mid-row banded treatments, particularly the one topdressed early before waterlogging (TDE). There was no real difference in the N recovery between the MRB rates (190 and 290 kg/ha).

• The wetting agent /humectant SE14 was applied at seeding to see if crop establishment was improved in a dry sown oat crop near Lake Grace on a soil without non-wetting issues
• Significantly more oat plants germinated at SE14 3L/ha + water 47L/ha compared to the nil
• There was no significant difference in plant establishment between two different water rates used for applying the wetting agent
• It is unknown whether the increased plant establishment resulted in increased yield, as yield was not recorded.

NDVI satellite imagery was collected to establish dry matter production difference in 2011. The crop was sown as brown manure peas and therefore there were no yield results. Yield data will be collected in 2012 as part of the trial program.

The NDVI map has a strong correlation to the final yield, which indicates that the variable rate nitrogen did not achieve the goal of levelling out crop yield. This may be due to the dry finish to the season. This result does however confirm the concept of using in-season satellite imagery (typically late July, early August) o manage final yield through a variable rate intervention.

This year there was no big benefit from variable rate fertilizer in relation to yield. This is not unexpected given the dry season.

This trial gives some confidence that cutting fertilizer in particular P back on the low zone did not impact yield and had the best gross margin, therefore is a good strategy to reduce costs on the lower performing parts of the paddocks. This is consistent with current DAFWA and GRDC research findings that less phosphorus can be applied on soils with good P history without penalizing yield. Similarly it demonstrated the potential to reduce rates on the higher production zones depending on the season as tissue tests indicated adequate nitrogen just prior to the late N application. It is likely there was also more nitrogen available as a result of ripping increasing nitrogen mineralization and plant root access to water and nutrients. Reducing N applied after ripping is a recommended strategy to reduce the risk of the producing high biomass and the crop haying off early with a dry finish.

The estimated yield potential of the zones was not reached with the high zone about 1.5 t/ha below potential. This is consistent with farm observations that found there was a penalty of about 1 t/ha for crops sown later than 7 days from the 22nd May crops in this dry season.

High resolution six meter imagery was found to be very useful to identify management issues and map non-wetting soils, particularly the early July image which highlighted emergence issues. The non-wetting areas can be mapped and treated by ploughing those areas paddock not the whole reducing the cost of treatment. Ground-truthing showed the 6m resolution was high enough to identify problems with the bar such as running out of fertilizer. These are management issues that can be adjusted to improve efficiency and production to improve yield. 

In the case study paddock the imagery has highlighted issues that were not evident from the yield maps such as residual compaction from old corners and where the ripper and spader lifted over a water pipe (the red line in the top north east corner). This paddock has been deep ripped twice but old compaction is still visible suggesting it is beyond the current ripping depth of 400mm. The late season imagery was too late to see any big differences in biomass. An optimal time to capture imagery appears to be mid-July.

Applying low fertilizer to the low production zone is both a good economic strategy to improve profitability and prevents over fertilizing that increases the risk of nutrient leaching in these pale sands that have limited capacity to store nutrients.

• Seasonal conditions had an overriding influence on crop performance and bean yields in 2015. 
• Early sowing benefited yields in less favourable low/medium rainfall environments where biomass production was lower.
• Sowing densities above the recommended rates of 24 plants/m2 led to high increases in biomass production at flowering time however, had no effect on final grain yield.
• Seed size was small in 2015, adjust seeding rates accordingly to maintain optimum plant populations for 2016.

• Growers should utilise the tools, knowledge and rule of thumb guidelines for growing irrigated canola, accessible on the GRDC website.
•  The correct variety should be sown at the correct time for maximum yield potential.
• Be prepared to sow early in a suitable paddock, knowing that seasonal conditions can dictate the success of dual purpose crops.
•  Recovery and winter growth of canola is slower than cereals.
•  Don’t graze too early (wait until the 6–8 leaf stage) and lock up before bud elongation is >10 cm.

• Growers should utilise the tools, knowledge and rule of thumb guidleines accessible on GRDc website. 
• The correct variety should be sown at the correct time for maximum yield potential.
• Be prepared to sow early in a suitable paddock, knowing that seasonal conditions can dictate the success of dual purpose crops.
• Don't graze too early and remove stock before stem elongation. 

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

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

• All treatments were safe to Mace wheat in this trial with minor crop flecking recorded from all Group F treatments with symptoms diminishing within a fortnight.
• None of the yields in this trial were significantly different from the untreated however all treatments applied at Spray B recorded significantly (P≥5%) lower contamination from wild radish pods in the sample than the untreated. Pod separation was not conducted on treatments that had either Velocity or Jaguar at spray A All treatments with a Spray A were assumed to be AUH2 for ROI analysis due to the high levels of weed control.
• Velocity 800 mL/ha (4.16 t/ha) applied at application A only recorded a higher yield than Velocity 1 L/ha when applied at application B only (4.11 t/ha), demonstrating the advantages of early weed control in competing with the crop for nutrition.
• For further details please see attached trial report.

 

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

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

• Early sowing is the key to maximising canola yield in the northern region;
• Delaying sowing by 15 days after March 31 led to 195kg/ha less yield – a loss of 13kg/ha/day.
• When sowing in March at Wongan Hills the mid and mid/late maturity varieties performed best.
• When sowing in mid-April early and early/mid maturity varieties performed best.

• Vetch grain and dry matter yields were very good at Minnipa in 2015, the grain trial mean was 1.4 t/ha with the top lines achieving 2.1 t/ha, mean dry matter yields were 4.1 t/ha with the top line achieving 4.3 t/ha.
• The Piednippie SAGIT trial was poor, suffering from moisture stress post emergence which stunted growth and limited the potential once the crop received rain in mid-June, the site mean was only 1.1 t/ha of dry matter.
• Early sowing (mid-April) can achieve good results but is heavily reliant on either good subsoil moisture or follow-up rain.
• The new varieties, Volga and Timok continue to out yield all existing varieties in both grain and hay production on the EP.
• Herbicide choices for vetch are very dependent on local conditions so talk to your local agronomist about the best options for your conditions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Early termination of vetch resulted in higher soil N and soil water at sowing the following year compared with later termination timings of vetch. Wheat yield in the year following vetch was highest for the earlier termination timings of the vetch. Brown manure vetch had higher soil N and soil water compared to vetch taken through to harvest.

Environmental conditions were not conducive for disease development. Good biomass yields were achieved due to favorable rainfall and likely to provide good profits. Varieties did not differ in biomass production but sowing earlier resulted in greater biomass. Timok produced more grains when sown early but Morava preferred late sowing. Although differences in grain yield due to fungicide were observed these are unlikely due to disease.

All varieties produced greater biomass and grain yields when sown early. Disease control strategies did not have significant effects on growth and yield because the site had low disease prevalence. PBA Butler produced greatest biomass at flowering (4.36 t/ha) and grain yield (2.16 t/ha) across both times of sowing. Vetch varieties were similar in biomass yield but Timok performed well when sowing was delayed, indicating a higher tolerance to delayed sowing.

Inoculant and MAP fertiliser improved biomass yield and plant height of vetch during early vegetative stage at Kimba, Coomandook and Mundulla. This highlights the importance of adequate fertiliser and inoculant for early plant growth.

A negative grain yield and harvest index response to inoculant and MAP fertiliser was observed at Kimba under drought conditions.

There were no production responses in vetch to sulphur application.261 Very few positive responses or more often negative responses were observed in response to gibberellic acid. Further work needs to be done in this area to determine the best use for gibberellic acid in pulse production.

Narrow disc seeding system resulted 72% and 87% more biomass than wide row knifepoint and paired row systems across all varieties. Timok yielded 1.5 t/ha of biomass when averaged across all harvesting dates, which was 13% and 25% higher than Studenica and Morava.

Establishment and plant growth: The different seeding systems had a large effect on plant establishment with greater number of plants emerging in the disc sown treatments. As the trial was dry sown, the discs were not able to penetrate as deep as the tine-based systems (Root Boot and PSS) and therefore it is possible that the shallower sowing has resulted in an establishment advantage. However, the seed bed was noticeably more cloddy following seeding with the tine-based systems, which may also have had a negative effect on the establishment, as seed-soil contact was likely to be poorer.

Biomass: The disc seeding system resulted in 99 – 166% more biomass than the tine systems at each harvest date. By the final September harvest data, the narrow row disc system with the highest SBU resulted in over 1 t/ha (117 – 166%) more biomass than the other seeding systems.

Field pea and vetch hay was most economical due to strong hay prices this year. Field peas were the best performing grain crop (Table 1). Early sowing maximised biomass (hay) and grain yield.

Field pea and vetch hay was most economical due to strong hay prices this year. Field peas were the best performing grain crop (Table 1). Early sowing maximised biomass (hay) and grain yield. Table 1. Potential gross margins from the highest yielding varieties and treatments selected from these trials.

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

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

• A mixture of Moddus and Cycocel at GS 24 will reduce wheat plant height more reliably compared to the other treatments applied on their own.
• Plants sown into situations of higher fertility will produce taller plants that may respond better to the use of PGRs to control plant height and biomass which may improve WUE.
• For season long plant growth regulation a follow up PGR may well be required later in the season to stop plant 'bounce back'.

Engineering solutions:

• On flat waterlogged land, raised beds provided the best yield result but they do have some management issues.
• Gravel slots and moles also worked well but the slots are expensive for broad acre use.
• Conventional moles are prone to collapse with Kangaroo Island’s sodic clays.
• The nature of many of our clays (sodic and poor draining) results in poor water movement from the soil into a slotted agricultural pipe.

Agronomic solutions:

• The adverse effects of waterlogging are primarily due to anoxic conditions in the soil, rather than element toxicities or deficiencies, except perhaps for aluminium.
• Liming acidic soils will reduce al toxicity.
• In waterlogged soils the application of poultry manure doesn’t appear to improve yields. But the application of lime may increase yield.
• Waterlogging may cause nitrogen (N) deficiency but high rates of N will not turn a waterlogged crop into a good crop.
• There may be some potential for varietal difference to waterlogging in wheat.
• Broad beans: improve nodulation through a combination of liming and application of molybdenum. Liming will also reduce inherent nutritional problems of low soil pH. Early tissue testing and nutrient correction with foliar applications help overcome some soil ph deficiencies

• Although chickpea yields were higher than previous years, the rapid finish to the season
  favoured earlier flowering and maturing varieties such as GenesisTM079 and Sonali.
• Ryegrass competition at 31 and 86 plants/m2 reduced chickpea grain yield by 31% and 56%, respectively. Similarly, at Turretfield ryegrass at 41 plants/m2 corresponded to 33% yield loss, and 62% at 123 plants/m2.
• Similarities between moisture stresses caused by lack of finishing rainfall in 2009 and from
  competition with ryegrass meant that the same varieties yielded well with or without  ryegrass competition eg GenesisTM079.
• Breeder’s line “Chickpea 4” recorded the lowest yield loss from ryegrass competition at both
  sites (9% at the low ryegrass density at Hart), and also displayed 35% better tiller suppression than other varieties at Hart.
• Early vigour appeared an important trait in chickpea for improved competivness with ryegrass, plant height was a disadvantage, but further work is required on a larger set of
  phenotypes and in a more favourable growing season.
• Some ambiguous results in 2009 (eg PBA Slasher and Chickpea 2) may be due to the
  unfavourable seasonal conditions for chickpea production which prevailed in SA last year.
  However they do indicate the need for more work in a more favourable growing season, and
  potentially on a larger set of phenotypes.

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

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

• On average sown species provided the majority of feed available (>62%) within a paddock but there was very large variation from paddock to paddock.
• Most species used in the pasture mixes can be productive but mixes need not contain more than three different species.
• Pasture species need to have greater than 50% frequency to be a productive component of the pasture.
• Each species in the mix needs to be included for a purpose and managed accordingly rather than a “shotgun” approach hoping that one species will work.
• Grazing management of lucerne needs to consider periods of rest to ensure productivity and persistence.

• Early to mid season wheat varieties (Axe, Gladius and Wyalkatchem) sown in March yielded less than May and June sown crops.
• A mid to late season wheat variety (Yitpi) and two barley varieties (Barque and Maritime) produced similar yields from a March and April sowing.
• The earlier the sowing the later maturing variety and vica versa.

May 4th sown Mackellar wheat produced yields in the range of 4.74 – 5.99 t/ha following canola stubble. With high soil nitrogen reserves (176 kg/ha N, 0‐90cm) recorded 2 days pre sowing, there was a small but significant response to applied nitrogen (0.43 t/ha at 50kg/ha N & 0.58 t/ha at 100kg/ha N). There was a significant advantage to nitrogen timed during stem elongation (GS30‐39) over nitrogen applied in the seedbed. This advantage was evident in both single and split applications between which there was
no difference.

• Our standard package of 100 kg 18:20/ha at seeding under the seed row (to avoid fertiliser toxicity), Jockey-treated seed, endosulfan and simazine pre-seeding, a follow up spray of atrazine and a grass herbicide mid-season, and two top-ups of nitrogen during the season (50 kg N/ha as broadcast urea each time) gave us a clean, high yielding and good quality crop with no pests or diseases.
• There was no evidence that extra management options provided any further benefits to canola performance (ie a fungicide spray, B fertiliser or use of a growth regulant) under the conditions of last year’s trial.
• However, it would appear that we may have been a bit generous with our N and P inputs in the standard package because we could halve the mid-season N rate and not suffer any yield or quality loss. Additionally, leaving out P altogether had little impact so a rate lower than 20 kg P/ha may have been the best compromise last year.
• There seems little reason to change from a management strategy of plenty of N at seeding (providing you can avoid seedling toxicity by separating the N and the seed) followed up by an early season top-up. Delayed aapplications of N produced yields or quality no better than our standard.

The trial demonstrated clearly that late May sowing gave higher wheat yields and better grain quality than late April and early July sowing. Some varieties such as the winter wheat MacKellar went against this trend, with higher yields being achieved with the late April sowing.

Although only a demonstration, the various treatments within the later sown trial showed that small yield differences between the various row spacing treatments. With the earlier sown trial, narrow row spacing gave higher yields, however there were some deficiencies with the trial design which means that a confident conclusion can’t be reached.

• The first sowing date produced the highest grain yields but there was a significant interaction between varieties and sowing date at each site.
• Nitrogen application rate had large effects at both sites while application time had small effects on yield and quality.
• Due to the heat wave in early November, longer season wheat varieties produced lower grain yields than earlier maturing varieties
• Control of BYDV had less effect on grain yield than in previous years.

• Grain yields increased with the addition of nitrogen, producing a maximum of 4.64 t/ha, with 75 kg N/ha.
• Nitrogen application timing produced no significant differences to grain yield.
• Crop sensors used at early stem elongation, were able to accurately measure crop nitrogen uptake and tiller number.

• Nitrogen application timing produced no significant differences to grain yield.
• Grain yield was reduced by 12% with the presence of ryegrass.
• Crop sensors were able to accurately measure crop dry matter.

Chara was the top yielding variety in the milling wheat demo site and Brennan was the highest yielder of the winter wheat varieties.

• Pre-sowing: dry seeded some moisture below seeding depth.
• Early season and pre-harvest: dry and hot days caused tipping.

• In dry years wheat has little response to extra inputs.
• Avoid using unneessary inputs early to maximise income.

• There was significatn rain in early April.
• Main weed problem was radish.

Traditionally sowing wheat in Western Australia was not recommended until after Anzac Day.  A date based on the yield performance and maturities of commercially available wheat varieties in the 1990s. Since then growers have seen the release of Mace, a high yielding and very adaptable variety which at 67% dominates the area sown to wheat in WA in 2015 (Data courtesy of CBH group). Growers are now set up and keen to take advantage of any summer rainfall, but there is limited information on which wheat varieties to grow with a very early sowing opportunity.

Research carried out by James Hunt et al. (2014) suggested that the faster maturing winter wheat Whistler appeared well adapted to WA. When sown in mid-April Whistler was able to yield equivalent or better than Mace planted in late May (Crop Updates 2015). Results from Dandaragan and Katanning trials do support this suggestion but this research also suggests there are commercial varieties currently available in WA which can yield similar or higher and have a superior grain quality classification compared to Whistler. However these varieties can still be at the risk of frost and grain quality problems associated with very early sowings.

At all three sites in this trial series, barley out yielded wheat with both the mid-April and the early May planting (note we have included the predicted yield for barley with mid-April planting at Dandaragan of 7t/ha in this assessment). Barley was over 1.5t/ha better than wheat with both mid-April and early May planting. Whilst this research continues to highlight the need for a wheat variety which is more suitable for early sowing opportunities in Western Australia, growers looking for a cereal to sow in April could consider barley as being their new wheat variety until such wheats are released. Whilst this is only one year of observations there are many reasons to consider barley particularly with mid-April planting ahead of planting a wheat variety, including reduced (but still possible) frost risk.

The feed barley varieties Lockyer, Oxford, Rosalind and Urambie did not provide any yield advantage over those with a ‘malt’ classification at Dandaragan in 2015. The ‘malt’ varieties would therefore have been more profitable than the feed varieties as they were received with a premium over the feed barley varieties (either Malt 1 or Malt 2) at a similar grain yield.

With any early planting opportunity growers need to factor in increased fungicide costs. At Dandaragan powdery mildew and barley leaf rust in the barley plots and yellow spot in the wheat plots had to be controlled, particularly in the mid-April planting.

 

Pre sowing comment: good moisture. Small amount of capeweed and lupins.

Early season comment: dry period after emergence. Some lupins present and a small amount of radish.

Mid season comment: dry periods after frost.

Pre harvest comment: severe frosts during grain fill effected earlier maturing lines.

Increasing inputs significantly increased crop emergency for all four varieties, setting up the highest yield potential for the high input treatments, but also increasing the risk of drought stress early in the season.

Despite weed competition, less-than-ideal winter weather and soil conditions, wheat responded to both P and N application at this site. Grower returns on fertilizer investment were best with P applied at 8 to 16 kg/ha and N applied at 40 kg/ha. Greater response and returns from increased fertilizer application may be expected with improved early-to-mid season moisture conditions and less weed competition.

• The flowering time response of varieties was influenced by sowing time. 
• Managing a varieties sowing time to target flowering within a flowering window is one tool to manage risk of reduced yield reduction and frost damage risks. 
• The estimated flowering window in the northern districts is August 16th to September 9th.  Early maturing varieties such as Emu Rock, Bonnie Rock, Supreme and Westonia achieve 50% flowering before August 18th when sown on May the 9th
• Mid –long maturing varieties such as Calingiri, Cutlass and Zen, flowered after September 9th when sown on the 2nd of June.
• Mace wheat is a parent of Scepter, and both are considered mid-long maturing wheats.  However, the development of Scepter wheat at the trial site in 2016 was longer than Mace.  Scepter reached the start of flowering approximately 6 days after Mace when sown in either May and June.  It yielded similarly to Mace at the first sowing time but significantly better at the second sowing time.
• The cooler temperatures and the higher rainfall have benefited production of the longer maturing wheats which have some adaptation for the northern region. 

• 2012 saw high yields across all varieties and across all three SFS trial sites with a Western District average of 7.3 t/ha.
• The red grained feed varieties topped the yields. Beaufort was the top performer across all of the sites in 2012, with Revenue and Preston also producing high yields.
• Amongst the white wheats, Bolac and Forrest produced the best gross margins in a year where there was a good premium for growing quality wheat.

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

• The most intense of three heat events avegarged 35.5 degrees celcius and reduced grain numbers per spikelet by 21%.
• Significant genetic variation was observed for floret sterility induced by natural heat events. The variety Halberd was identified as most heat tolerant and Westonia as most heat sensitive.
• The results indicate a genetic variation that could be exploited to improve wheat crop resilience under heat stress. 

There was no influence of seeding rate on crop production in 2012 at Mullewa when the crop was sown close to the break. However there was a yield penalty with the higher seeding rate when the sowing time was delayed by a month. These results are in contrast to 2011 at Mullewa . Increasing seeding rate increased crop production when sown close to the break and there was no effect on  roduction with increasing seeding rate when seeding was delayed.

Emergence: 

Emergence was staggered for the first sown treatments only. This is because seeding was on the 11th May into a drying seed bed. It had rain ed in April and early May. The second sowing time was on the 7th June. Rainfall in June was 56 mm.The seeding rate treatments targeted 100, 200 and 300 plants/m2. The actual plant population was 100, 147 and 200 plants/m2 respectively (averaged across variety and sowing time). The range in ears produced across treatments was not large however it was a significantly different between the highest (145 ears/m2) and the lowest seeding rate (137 ears/2) (ave across variety and sowing time).

Yield:

At Mullewa, there was no interaction between seeding rate, sowing time and variety on crop yield. However, there was an interaction between seeding rate and sowing time on crop production for all varieties. When sown close to the break of the season, changing seeding rates did not affect crops yields significantly. In contrast to the first sowing time, the grain yield (averaged across all varieties) was significantly reduced at the higher actual plant population compared to the middle and lower targe ted plant populations of 100 and 147 plants/m2. Delaying seeding by a month later, reduced crop production by 500 - 600 kg/ha. This equates to 20kg/day/ha.

Emu Rock, Mace and Corack were the higher yielding varieties at each sowing time. Emu Rock and Mace are AH varieties, Corack is an APW variety.

Quality:

There was no influence of seeding time, plant density or variety on grain protein (P>0.05). Initial assessment of grain screenings includes whole and cracked grain. Except for Emu Rock, screenings of all varieties were lower than 5% when sown at the first sowing time (P<0.05). Observations of Emu Rock at harvest suggest the screenings are a result of mechanical damage, rather than small grain (further measurements are to be undertaken to assess this).

.

Sowing time has a greater influence on production of all wheat varieties than seeding rate. Weed competition is one factor which can limit early sowing and increasing crop competition through increasing plant density has been demonstrated as a useful non chemical tool to reduce weed growth. The research has demonstrated that increasing plant density did not adversely affect crop yield or grain quality of crops sown close to the break of the season in May however higher plant densities of varieties sown in June did reduce yield of wheat varieties.There was no influence of seeding rate on crop production in 2012 at Mullewa when the crop was sown close to the break. However there was a yield penalty with the higher seeding rate when the sowing time was delayed by a month. These results are in contrast to 2011 at Mullewa. Increasing seeding rate increased crop production when sown close to the break and there was no effect on production with increasing seeding rate when seeding was delayed.

For results and discussion please see the attached trial report.

In spite of a warm and very dry October combined with 3 frosts over the site, the winter wheat varieties performed well. Tennant, with the longest maturity of the 4 winter wheat varieties was the variety most affected by the dry, hot October. MacKellar performed extremely well, with a yield of 5.9 t/ha. The spring wheat varieties all produced high screenings as well as high protein. This was the result of the later sowing coupled with the seasonal conditions. Silverstar, an early maturing variety, produced an outstanding yield, possibly being affected less by frost than the other varieties.

• Axe yielded significantly lower than Mace and Espada in the demonstration.
• Due to the early maturity of Axe relative to Mace and Espada, Axe did not receive the full iquid nitrogen program before coming to head which may have had an impact on final yield.
• High screenings were the result of cracked grain rather than small grain.
• Interpret results of farmer demonstrations carefully and utilise numerous sources of data to make final decisions regarding varieties.

• Fifty-six lines and varieties were sown at Nile and a subset of these at Burnie. Waterlogging was a contraint at both sites, particularly Nile.
• Revenue was the stand-out variety across both trials and this continues on from previous high yields in Tasmania in six years of grain-only and dual purpose trials.
• For further take home messages please see attached trial report.

• Sowing date, particularly for mid–late maturing varieties, was found to be a significant determinant of grain yield potential, with yield reductions of >25% observed due to a delayed sowing date (8 May vs. 7 June).
• Variety and sowing date in particular affected grain quality parameters, with a significant increase in the level of screenings for all varieties when the sowing date was delayed.
• Higher plant populations had a greater influence on grain yield when the sowing date was delayed. Yield potential was optimised at 200 plants/m2 for a 7 June sowing date vs. 100 plants/m2 for the earlier 8 May sowing date, supporting the principal of increasing targeted plant populations when sowing is delayed.
• Altering variety and maturity type, and increasing targeted plant population in response to a delayed sowing date did not fully compensate for yield losses associated with a delayed vs. timely sowing date.

Conclusions:

Results from this experiment highlight the importance of timely sowing, particularly for mid–late maturing varieties. Yield reductions of approximately 1.3 t/ha averaged across plant population treatments were recorded for the mid–late maturing varieties LRPB LancerA and EGA GregoryA with delayed sowing, which equates to a 25% and 26% yield decline, respectively. Similarly, the late maturing variety EGA EaglehawkA suffered a yield penalty of around 22% (0.98 t/ha) whilst the mid maturing variety SuntopA suffered a 14% (0.70 t/ha) yield reduction due to delayed sowing. In comparison, the earlier maturing varieties LRPB DartA and LRPB SpitfireA suffered only minimal yield reductions when SD was delayed. Importantly however, the earlier maturing varieties did not exhibit any yield advantage over the later maturing varieties in SD 2 and were significantly lower yielding than these varieties at SD 1. Temperature and plant available water during anthesis/grain fill would also have affected both yield potential and grain quality parameters, with limited effective in-crop rainfall in September/October, and temperatures exceeding 35 °C for an extended period from 4 October. The longer season variety EGA EaglehawkA in particular had high screenings for both SDs, and also produced a low yield in SD 2, reinforcing the need to sow this variety early due to its lack of adaptability under unfavourable conditions. Increasing plant population had a greater influence on GY when SD was delayed, with yield potential optimised at 200 plants/m2 in SD 2 vs. 100 plants/m2 in the earlier SD 1, supporting the principal of increasing targeted plant populations with delayed sowing. These findings further emphasise the advantage of planting early in the sowing window compared to delayed sowing just simply in terms of input seed requirements. Variety selection and sowing date particularly affected grain quality parameters and screenings. There was a significant increase in the level of screenings for all varieties when sowing was delayed. LRPB LancerA was the only variety in this experiment that achieved screenings of <5%, but only at SD 1. All other varieties, including LRPB LancerA in SD 2, exceeded the critical 5% screenings receival standards level. LRPB LancerA appears to have excellent grain stability with significantly lower screenings than either EGA GregoryA or SuntopA. Findings from this experiment indicate that there were differences between varieties in terms of grain stability, due possibly to variations in kernel shape/plumpness and or kernel weight stability. These results also highlight the adaptability of some of the mid–late season 16 | NSW Department of Primary Industries varieties, and the yield and quality advantages of sowing these varieties early, compared with sowing earlier maturing varieties later

Maturity of wheat varieties and their associated phenological traits need to be considered when making decisions about
variety selection and seeding programs. The correct combination is required to achieve yield potentials across different seasonal
conditions. In seasons with an early break or situations which require early feed, winter wheat varieties have shown the ability to mature, provided they are sown early. High rainfall zone growers should be aware of disease pressures when sowing early.
If sowing later, mid-maturity spring wheats that have a moderate vernalisation and moderate photoperiod requirement have out-performed the early maturing varieties with weak vernalisation and weak photoperiod, regardless of the spring finish.

• Amarok yielded highest out of the TOS1 wheat varieties. Bolac and Wedgetail had the highest protein content.
• Preston produced the highest yeild of the TOS2 wheat varieties.
• For varieties grown in both TOS1 and TOS2, their combined average yields were significantly highter in TOS2 thatn TOS1. The test weight for TOS2 wheat also tended to be higher thatn the test weight of the varieties of wheat grown at TOS1.
• Longer maturity varieties in each trial tended to out-yield shorter season cultivars.

• These trials are carried out each year to assess the range of wheat varieties at several sites across the South East.
• Cosmick, Trojan and Corack are the highest long-term yielding varieties across all of the South East NVT sites.
• Variety trial sites are selected and managed to maximise the full genetic potential of each variety; when selecting varieties ensure that the disease profile of varieties is taken into account.
• Early vs late sowing at Conmurra highlighted the importance of matching the variety to the time of sowing to maximise yield.

• The performance of the wheat varieties sown at the first sowing time was influenced by drought induced copper deficiency (visual assessment).   These symptoms were not observed in the other sowing times. 
• Noodle varieties Fortune and Calingiri had the highest economic returns due to the exceptional prices received for noodles in 2010.  If noodle prices return to traditional premiums then returns for these varieties will significantly reduce.
• Magenta was the highest yielding variety at the first sowing time however there was a 600kg/ha drop in production when seeding was delayed by 18 days.  Screenings (whole and cracked) were greater than 5% at time of sowing 1 and 2 which influenced economic returns.
• Mace and Wyalkatchem yielded similarly at each sowing time however economic returns were greater for Mace because it is classified as Aust. Hard wheat.

Early maturing wheats generally performed well in 2002-03 due to the sharp finish to the season and lack of frosts at flowering. Overall MacKellar (mid maturity) continued to yield well. With one year of evaluation the two late CSIRO lines LH49E2 and LH50M16 showed good potential for Tasmanian conditions. 

• These trials are carried out each year to assess the range of wheat varieties at several sites across the South East.
• Cosmick, Trojan and Corack are the highest long-term yielding varieties across all of the South East NVT sites. 
• Variety trial sites are selected and managed to maximise the full genetic potential of each variety; when selecting varieties ensure that the disease profile of varieties is taken into account.
• Early vs late sowing at Conmurra highlighted the importance of matching the variety to the time of sowing to maximise yield.

• Ιn the upper South East the best yielding varieties were the early spring types due to the heat wave conditions in early November.
• In the lower South East, longer season wheats produced high grain yields at Millicent, although longer season varieties were affected by the hot early November at Conmurra.

• Early sowing increased grain yields in all of the wheat varieties trialed, however, the size of the increase was dependent on the variety.
• Nitrogen application increased grain yield in the early sown treatments and increased grain protein especially in late sown crops.

• All oat varieties tested at Kimba in 2018 produced the same dry matter, hay quality and grain yield.
• Durack was the earliest maturing variety (for potential hay cutting and grain), so a good choice in very dry seasons.
• In a dry season Moby barley performed well for early dry matter production compared to oats, but performed poorly for grain yield.

Match the maturity of a variety with sowing date to maximise biomass accumulation, flowering during the optimum time and maximise grain yield potential: – “If sowing early, sow long, or don’t sow wheat at all”.

• There is an opportunity cost and yield penalty of sowing short-mid season varieties too early (early to late April) in the central and southern production zones, similar to sowing mid-long season varieties too late.
• If sowing mid-April in the northern, eastern and southern wheatbelt without frost risk sow mid-long season varieties. If sowing in late May sow short-mid season wheats.
• If sowing in areas of frost risk in the northern, eastern and southern wheatbelt, don’t sow wheat in April, in early May sow mid-long season varieties in areas of low to moderate frost risk and sow areas of severe frost risk in late May to mid-long varieties.
• Highest yields at all sites have typically been achieved by mid-long maturing varieties sown from late April onwards, and short-mid maturing varieties sown in mid-May. At moderate to severe frost prone sites and with disease pressure, however, delaying sowing of mid-long maturities into mid-May, and the use of winter/long wheats when sowing in early to late April, is essential to minimise frost and disease risk.

• Canola grown in wide rows (50-60cm) yielded well enough to consider this row spacing as an option.
• Canola plants were able to compensate for being sown in wide rows - biomass similar to narrow rows.
• We may be able to reduce input costs, seed and fertiliser by refining the production package in wide rows.
• Wide rows offer benefits of reduced fuel costs at seeding, easy stubble handling and safety of IBS herbicides.

• Canola grown in wide rows (50-60cm) yielded well enough to consider this row spacing as an option.
• Canola plants were able to compensate for being sown in wide rows - biomass similar to narrow rows.
• We may be able to reduce input costs, seed and fertiliser by refining the production package in wide rows.
• Wide rows offer benefits of reduced fuel costs at seeding, easy stubble handling and safety of IBS herbicides.

• Canola grown in wide rows (50-60cm) yielded well enough to consider this row spacing as an option.
• Canola plants were able to compensate for being sown in wide rows - biomass similar to narrow rows.
• We may be able to reduce input costs, seed and fertiliser by refining the production package in wide rows.
• Wide rows offer benefits of reduced fuel costs at seeding, easy stubble handling and safety of IBS herbicides.

• The main difference in yield may have been due to poor tillage in the 500mm spaced crop.
• The entire crop was reliant on the soil nutrition from the pasutre as no fertiliser was applied to the paddock prior to and following seeding.
• Later sowing of the trial may have jeopardised the wide row's yield capacity therefore it would be encouraged that when considering sowing in wide rows early seeding is preferable.
• It may be noted that if nutrition was not a limiting factor for the 500mm crop, the water supply from the wide row may have increased yield to similar or better than that of the 250mm crop.

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

To effectively establish windrows requires forward planning and potentially slows harvest tand increases harvest costs. Burn as early as conditions allow. Make it a priority job. Small rainfall events may germinate weeds in burnt areas that require attention before the whole paddock area.

1. Winter cover crops can improve ground cover, increase plant available water and improve subsequent cotton yields in pivot-irrigated systems.
2. The early spray-out treatment was the best cover crop for storing water over the short fallow in this study where cover did not have to last very long. However, the extra cover in the mid-terminated cover treatment continued to boost infiltration in the cotton’s
early growth stages.
3. All cover crop treatments improved the yields of cotton by approximately 3 bales/ha; well in excess of any gains expected from the increased fallow soil water storage.

• There is no significant difference between any of the sowing rates over 100 kg/ha this year, although the higher yields were obtained with the higher rates.
• This is probably due to the dry conditions killing off a large number of secondary tillers at the lower rates, while the increased plant densities at the higher rates with fewer secondary tillers resulted in more grain per hectare.

Early sowing resulted in excessive vegetattive growth and also provided excelelnt conditions for ryegrass that proved difficult to control.

Take Home Messages

• Near perfect growing season for canola, provided ideal opportunity to assess the residual N feeding effect of the legumes.

• All legumes sown in 2016 – peas, lupins, sub clover and faba beans had similar starting soil N levels and soil water nitrate readings throughout the year which was reflected in similar grain yields inferring that all legume species were equal in terms of their N fixing capabilities.

• The average amount of N fixed by the legumes was calculated as ~86kg/ha.

• Growing adequately nodulated legumes can give rise to a ~1t/ha canola yield advantage compared with a non-legume.

• Linseed used more moisture, from a greater depth, than the faba beans in 2016. Resultantly more moisture was extracted by the canola crop sown on the faba bean stubble in 2017, and yet there is still more  residual moisture left.

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

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

• Fungicide reduced disease levels in all varieties, but failed to eliminate disease completely.
• Observed differences in disease levels agreed with published variety resistance ratings.
• Early infection of yellow leaf spot (YLS) caused high yield losses in the more susceptible varieties.
• Variety selection will always play an important role in high risk areas.
• Crop rotation and best practice methods are required to maximise the benefits of correct variety selection.

• Fungicide reduced disease levels in all varieties, but failed to eliminate the disease completely.
• Observed differences in disease levels were broadly in agreement with published variety resistance ratings.
• Yield losses were observed in the more susceptible varieties due to early disease development.
• Low disease levels from an early stage can cause yield losses.
• Variety selection will always play an important role in managing disease in high risk areas.

• Pasture cropping systems can provide grain (and out of season fodder) on deep sandy soils and reduce the likelihood of groundwater recharge.
• Potential yield penalties associated with pasture cropping across perennials on deep sandy soils in the west midlands appear to be less than 20%.
• Pastures started competing with the crop for soil water during grain filling, but impacts on soil water and grain yield were generally small given average rainfall in spring.
• During the crop growing season, there was little difference in soil water under annual crop, perennial pasture, and pasture-cropped plots.
• Soil water contents were much lower under pasture and pasture-cropped plots during summer and autumn.

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

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

• The quicker maturing varieties LRPB DartA, HatchetA LivingstonA, MaceA, SceptreA, MitchA and SuntopA were generally lower yielding than other entries at SD1, but were more yield competitive with other entries at SD2 and SD3.
• The longer season varieties EGA WedgetailA (6.08 t/ha) and EGA EaglehawkA (5.88 t/ha) were the highest yielding varieties at SD1, followed by CutlassA (5.51 t/ha) and LRPB FlankerA (5.36 t/ha).
• The mean yield at SD1 (4.89 t/ha) was not significantly different from SD2 (4.63 t/ha), but SD3 (3.56 t/ha) was significantly lower yielding than either SD1 or SD2.
• All varieties yielded their lowest from SD3.
• Protein percentages were low to moderate (mean of 9.8% for SD2 and 10.3% for SD1) with no significant difference from SD for any of the entries

Registered Yitpi seed came in two sizes in the 2000 season (small - 36g/1000 grain and large - 43g/1000 grain). The general concern for those who purchased Yitpi with small seed was that it was of poor quality. A demonstration investigating emergence and crop yield showed that there was no difference between the small and large sized grain in emergence and crop yield. The harvested grain from the small and large sown seed was the same size (40g/1000 grain).
It is advisable to know grain size and emergence potential so that optimum sowing rates can be determined.

• All treatments were safe to the crop except for Sakura 118 g/ha + Sencor 150 g/ha which resulted in biomass reduction at all assessments.
• This was in part due to a couple of rows being sown into the inter row that contained herbicide which re-sulted in the death of some plants.
• This mixture would not be recommended on conventional wheat. An overall crop bio-mass rating was taken 106 DAA rated Sakura 118 g/ha as 100% with the other treatments benchmarked against it.
• The crop was water stressed at this time. Inspection of the crop heads found they were not filling to potential with small grain and empty husks common across the trial.

• There were no significant visual vigour or establishment differences between retained or pedigree ATR Cobbler. However, in previous seasons this has been observed in the paddock with some growers, as well as at other trial sites this year from the same seed that was used in this trial. This may be due to the unknown vigour of the seed under different broad-acre paddock situations.
• CB Eclipse RR showed good vigour and growth initially from emergence until late flowering. From this stage, CB Eclipse RR finished flowering quite rapidly in comparison to the Hyola 404RR and 505RR, both which continued to flower strongly tak-ing advantage of the seasonal conditions. This correlates to past experiences with Hyola 404RR being an adaptable variety that will flower earlier or later depending on current seasonal conditions.
• There was a distinct increase in plant vigour and biomass with the RR Hybrids compared to the RR open pollinated varieties, which is commonly observed in many trials across Australia. This improvement in vigour (along with adequate plant popula-tions) has a significant impact on the level of crop competition achieved which is critical for adequate weed control in the RR system. The vigour advantage in the Hybrid TT varieties was not apparent until late vegetative through to early flowering.

• There were no significant visual vigour or establishment differences between retained or pedigree ATR Cobbler. However, in previous seasons this has been observed in the paddock with some growers, as well as at other trial sites this year from the same seed that was used in this trial. This may be due to the unknown vigour of the seed under different broad-acre paddock situations.
• CB Eclipse RR showed good vigour and growth initially from emergence until late flowering. From this stage, CB Eclipse RR finished flowering quite rapidly in comparison to the Hyola 404RR and 505RR, both which continued to flower strongly tak-ing advantage of the seasonal conditions. This correlates to past experiences with Hyola 404RR being an adaptable variety that will flower earlier or later depending on current seasonal conditions.
• There was a distinct increase in plant vigour and biomass with the RR Hybrids compared to the RR open pollinated varieties, which is commonly observed in many trials across Australia. This improvement in vigour (along with adequate plant popula-tions) has a significant impact on the level of crop competition achieved which is critical for adequate weed control in the RR system. The vigour advantage in the Hybrid TT varieties was not apparent until late vegetative through to early flowering.

• There were no significant visual vigour or establishment differences between retained or pedigree ATR Cobbler. However, in previous seasons this has been observed in the paddock with some growers, as well as at other trial sites this year from the same seed that was used in this trial. This may be due to the unknown vigour of the seed under different broad-acre paddock situations.
• CB Eclipse RR showed good vigour and growth initially from emergence until late flowering. From this stage, CB Eclipse RR finished flowering quite rapidly in comparison to the Hyola 404RR and 505RR, both which continued to flower strongly tak-ing advantage of the seasonal conditions. This correlates to past experiences with Hyola 404RR being an adaptable variety that will flower earlier or later depending on current seasonal conditions.
• There was a distinct increase in plant vigour and biomass with the RR Hybrids compared to the RR open pollinated varieties, which is commonly observed in many trials across Australia. This improvement in vigour (along with adequate plant popula-tions) has a significant impact on the level of crop competition achieved which is critical for adequate weed control in the RR system. The vigour advantage in the Hybrid TT varieties was not apparent until late vegetative through to early flowering.

• All treatments applied in this trial were safe to the crop with any early crop effects recovering quickly.
• At 44DAA all Velocity treatments applied alone or in tank mixtures recorded excellent control (≥94 rating) of wild radish in this trial. All Velocity treatments including tank mixtures provided superior control to Precept 300 at 750 mL/ha (88), Jagu-ar 1 L/ha (86) and Paragon 500 mL/ha applied with (88) or without (81) Bromicide 200 500 mL/ha.
• All Velocity and Precept 300 treatments achieved commercially acceptable control (≥97 rating) of volunteer lupins in this trial.

• Snapshot of some aspects of a large project on diagnosis of the deficiency, yield responses to zinc, residual value of zinc, protein increases and improvement of quality, and genotypic effects in relation to zinc.
• Zinc (as zinc sulphate hepta hydrate) was applied at rates up to 40 kg/ha. Nitrogen was applied at 30 kg/ha. Wheat cv. Hartog was sown at 30 kg/ha. In some experiments Cu was applied at 5kg/ha.
• Yield and protein in the grain increased with application of zinc.
• Zinc deficiency symptoms seen in crops without Zn applied throughout tillering and leaf samples confirmed the deficiency.
• The reduction in yield was largely due to plant mortality and fewer productive tillers per plant.
• Bread making quality as measured by a mixograph showed that the dough strength of zinc deficient grain was very poor.
• However, the dough itself mixed very quickly.
• Residual value of the initial application of zinc is at least 2 years: yield responses have occurred in successive seasons.
• In yield response experiments, responses to zinc have been recorded up 10 kg/ha; at 40 kg/ha, toxicity has been recorded at early tillering but the crop has recovered totally by maturity.

• Spectacular increases in yield in response to early application of foliar zinc in navy bean.
•  Zinc sulphate heptahydrate application during early crop growth should be standard practise until better varieties become available.
• Soil applied zinc has given inconsistent results.