• Small differences in yield with extra N under conditions at this site.
• Very dry spring needs to be taken into consideration when interpreting results.
• High rates of N early did not have significant impact on number of tillers.
• Grain quality higher for all N treatments.
• Further work required with ENTEC, eNtrench and Biopolymer urea coated product.

• At two sites, excessive application of nitrogen caused haying off of Gairdner barley in 2002.
• Increasing nitrogen application had a greater effect on quality than yield. Yield was limited by moisture not nitrogen.

For further information see Payne, RA and Ladd, JN (1993) Soil organic matter and nitrogen management in dryland cropping systems, Part II: Nitrogen requirements for dryland cereal crops. Dept Primary Industries of SA. Technical Report No. 212 (Agdex 536).

• Later applications of nitrogen (GS30 & GS37) were the most profitable with the highest yield and quality, for malt barley in 2010.
• There was no significant differences in yield of varieties between early and later sowings.
• Crop sensors provide a good measure of nitrogen response and can improve nitrogen use efficiency.

• Early sulphur application supported higher tiller numbers although this did not translate into yield
• Site was very responsive to at least 79kg nitrogen application.
• An additional 50kg urea (23kg N), resulted in slightly higher protein readings.
• Site was unresponsive to sulphur application.
• Timing and splitting of in-crop fertilisation conferred no yield advantage • Good utilisation of applied N and S in spite of high rainfall year.

• Work conducted in low and medium rainfall environments indicate that N2O emissions are low from an overall national perspective. • Results showed that there was no clear response of N2O emissions to nitrogen applied at sowing and post sowing. • High pre-seeding soil mineral nitrogen raises the possibility of higher N2O losses over the fallow period following significant rainfall.

• Work conducted in low and medium rainfall environments indicate that N2O emissions are low from an overall national perspective. • Results showed that there was no clear response of N2O emissions to nitrogen applied at sowing and post sowing. • High pre-seeding soil mineral nitrogen raises the possibility of higher N2O losses over the fallow period following significant rainfall.

Preliminary results showed the level of nitrous oxide emissions did not increase over the 2013 winter as a result of near capacity soil water contents coupled with increased nitrate nitrogen levels resulting from seeding and in-crop nitrogen applications on the canola compared with a pulse crop and legume pasture.

Preliminary results showed the level of nitrous oxide emissions did not increase over the 2013 winter as a result of near capacity soil water contents coupled with increased nitrate nitrogen levels resulting from seeding and in-crop nitrogen applications on the canola compared with a pulse crop and legume pasture.

• N2O losses appear to be minimal from dryland low to medium rainfall farming systems; peak emissions of only 4.0 gN2O-N/ha/day were measured following rainfall.
• N2O emissions from legume stubble over summer and with synthetic fertiliser applied in-crop were low.
• An increase in soil water was the major driver of N2O emissions.

• N2O losses appear to be minimal from dryland low to medium rainfall farming systems; peak emissions of only 4.0 gN2O-N/ha/day were measured following rainfall.
• N2O emissions from legume stubble over summer and with synthetic fertiliser applied in-crop were low.
• An increase in soil water was the major driver of N2O emissions.

• N2O losses appear to be minimal from dryland low to medium.
• Rainfall farming systems; peak emissions of only 4.0 g N2O-N/ha/day were measured following rainfall.
• N2O emissions from legume stubble over summer and with synthetic fertiliser applied in-crop were low.
• An increase in soil water was the major driver of N2O emissions.

The addition of clay even at low rates of 75 and 150 t/ha have been very effective in increasing the yield from an average 2.45 t/ha of the Control to about 2.95 t/ha. It is expected that the claying will have a long lasting effect and that the yield increases compared to the control will remain.

• Severe drought conditions affected the results of this trial (grain yields 0.60 to 1.02t/ha), with only 130 mm for April – October and 171mm for the calendar year recorded at the trial site.
• The wheat variety Ventura, showed the benefits of quicker maturity over Sunstate in such extreme seasonal conditions. 􀂃 Plant density was not found affect grain yield or quality in a very tough year.
• Precision agriculture can be used for on-farm trials to produce statistically valid results, thereby offering an alternative to small plot trials.
• The broadacre trial will be repeated in 2007 at Northparkes Mine.

• Yellowing of wheat leaves, similar to the old ‘Frame yellows’ has been observed again in SA over the last few years.
• There does not seem to be a clear cause of the yellowing.
• Yellowing can lead to yield reductions, but also yield increases!
• The effect of yellowing on the relative performance of varieties is far less than the effect of all the other traits that go into making a good variety.
• If anyone has any ideas on what is causing this yellowing – send them through!

Three projects are running, one in each of the western, northern and southern GRDC regions. NSW DPI and FarmLInk, together with Southern Farming Systems, the Mackillop Farm Management Group and AgGrow Agronomy, are responsible for the Southern GRDC region.

The project still underway, the analyses of samples will be completed during 2016.

The main messages from BCG work are presented in this report.

• This preliminary study suggests that both chaff carts and windrow burning removes significant amounts of nutrients from the paddock.  Most of the K left behind in the windrows remains in the paddock.  However, most harvesters now have auto-steer so these nutrients are effectively placed in the same strip each year.  Growers who make windrows and have auto-steer are advised to embark on a program of moving the windrow across approximately 1m each year.  If they do not move the header each year then all of the K is placed in the same strip each year which is essentially lost from the system which is a big cost to the grower (Table 3).
• While the Harrington Seed Destructor (HSD) may be more capital intensive and more costly to run than a chaff cart or windrow burning, all of the nutrients contained in crop residue remain in the paddock.  The true cost of all systems should be considered when deciding which method of harvest weed seed management to adopt.  For a header harvesting 3000ha at an average yield of 3 t/ha the cost of the three systems is similar (assuming the header moves across 1m each year when making windrows) (Table 3).  For a smaller area of crop the relative cost of the destructor and chaff cart increase due to the capital cost being spread over a smaller area. 

The basic message has been to 'wherever possible maintain your normal management practieces'. Changing rotations, cutting back on yield, generating inputs and taking short cuts only serves to increase the risk of missing out on a return to profitable growing conditions this year.

• Conventional tillage enhances soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover with the potential to simultaneously increase plant available nutrients [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S)] in the soil compared with no-till and perennial pasture.
• Across farming management practices and under ideal soil moisture, soil organic matter (SOM) could have supplied up to 45 kg N, 16 kg P and 19 kg S/ha in the absence of plant carbon (C) input.
• Over a longer period (126 days), particularly if there is a lack of plant C input (e.g. a normal fallow period), any P or S released via native SOM turnover over a shorter period (e.g. over 30 days) would have been immobilised by microorganisms and/or adsorbed to soil minerals, hence decreasing P and S availability for crop uptake

• The omission (absence) of nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser inputs at the Inverleigh canola trial site caused a statistically significant reduction in canola grain yield
• Visual biomass differences at the Glenthompson wheat site were noted during the season, but did not translate to yield
• Low rainfall and high temperatures in the 2015 spring reduced the response of crops to the presence or absence of nutrients

The main messages from the trial work undertaken in 2005 for nutrient management in 2006 are summaried in this report.

• Time of sowing had a greater influence on oat grain and hay yield, and oat grain quality than variety selection or level of applied nitrogen in 2015.
• High screenings limited the ability of grain to meet Oat1 quality standards, this was due to the detrimental impact of delayed seeding and/or applied nitrogen in excess of that required in lower rainfall environments.
• Applying more than 20 kg N/ha did not improve the return per hectare ($/ha); rather, applying 80 kg N/ha consistently reduced return per hectare ($/ha).
• Screening of Williams and Carrolup were more sensitive to applied nitrogen than WA02Q302-9, Bannister and Yallara.
• WA02Q302-9 appears a suitable replacement for Yallara and Carrolup, and should achieve a better hectolitre weight than Bannister at similar or lower yields.

In a year with an outlook of a dry finish and lack of grain fill due to limited moisture, high temperatures or frost, the ability to take advantage of early crop growth through oaten hay is a reasonable risk management tool to consider.

• Hay crops can be used for both risk management and as part of an integrated herbicide resistant grass management program.
• Paddock selection is important. It is best to select a paddock with a low weed burden; there are limits to the amount of ryegrass that is accepted for export oaten hay.
• For quality oaten hay it is important to minimize stem thickness; this can be achieved by the use of high seeding rates. Cross sowing may be necessary to ensure windrows are supported by stubble for bailing, especially if sowing using wide row spacings.

• 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 is firm evidence that, in addition to climate variability, there are also changes (trends) in key climate indices (i.e. rainfall and temperature) resulting from human activity, which will have important consequences on agricultural production in Australia.
• Good risk managers need to consider both climate variability and change in their on-farm plans in order to ensure future sustainability.
• Under changed climate conditions (up to 1.1oC warmer and up to 6% drier) expected around 2030 simulation studies show that in the Wimmera Mallee region yield losses can be offset through improved residue management and longer fallows.

• There is now firm evidence that, in addition to climate variability, there are also changes (trends) in key climate indices (i.e. rainfall and temperature) resulting from human activity.
• This means that good risk managers need to consider both climate variability and change in their on-farm plans in order to ensure future sustainability.
• Many of the actions required for adapting to climate change are extensions of those currently used for managing climate variability.

• For the fourth year running, on-row sowing proved it has potential as a brome management tool on non-wetting sands, reducing brome grass seed set by 55%.
• The use of trifluralin with metribuzin reduced the brome density in July but did not reduce seed set.
• On-row sowing resulted in more soil water and nitrogen supply potential near the crop,  improved crop establishment and higher crop biomass.
• On-row sowing did increase root disease incidence, but there were low levels of disease for both on- and inter-row sowing in 2017.

All tillage treatments had a little effect on the management of SWR and plant establishment in the severe water repellent gravel sand at Moora. Nevertheless, yield improvements were recorded, in particular with the “Large offsets” and the “Modified one-way with standard discs” treatments.

At this stage, it is not possible to clearly state what changes drove the yield increase. Given the little effect that the cultivations had on the SWR it is possible that improved soil structure, increased nutrient availability and nitrogen mineralisation may have played a role on the increased productivity.

The yield potential of the canola crop in 2015 was low given it was sown relatively late, plant numbers were low and there was a dry finish, this may have compromised the response to the tillage treatments. Observation of the trial in the following growing seasons and the response of a cereal crop in 2016 will help us to better understand the long term effect of the treatments on crop growth.

On deep sandy profiles subsoil compaction and acidity are major constraints. At this site the limited cropping history resulted in an expectation that the site would not be compacted but compaction was severe, indicating how susceptible these pale sands can be to compaction. For many deep sands, liming followed by deep ripping with topsoil slotting may be one of the most economical ways of effectively overcoming subsoil compaction and acidity to depths of 40-60cm.

On severely repellent sands however, it may be that deep ripping alone is inadequate and options which overcome the repellence and assist with weed control while at the same time addressing subsoil compaction and acidity may be required to get sustained productivity benefits (Davies et. al. 2017). The impact of deep ripping on highly repellent soils is variable with anecdotal reports that ripping can sometimes worsen the expression of repellence and result in poorer crop establishment. Other reports indicate substantial productivity gains can also be achieved (Blackwell et. al. 2016). Deep ripping may help overcome soil water repellence by: 1) creating a rougher soil surface allowing water to pond and infiltrate over time; 2) loosening the dry topsoil making it a more effective mulch, reducing soil moisture loss from the subsurface soil; 3) delving some seams of subsoil to the surface which act as pathways for water entry, with some ripper tine designs and attachments facilitating this more than others. Conversely the negative effects of deep ripping can include: 1) enhanced drying of the repellent topsoil from the loosening action; 2) increased expression of the water repellence when the soil is ripped when it is quite dry. Repellence severity, or expression, is increased with these negative effects which was the case for this site. For other sites where repellence is more moderate any benefits of deep ripping may outweigh the negative impacts. The mixed effects of deep ripping on repellent soils needs further research to be better understood. It is likely that rippers with C-shaped or parabolic shaped tines with broader points and wider ‘face’ plates will achieve more subsoil delving into the topsoil. Some rippers can also be fitted with wings which can also increase the degree of soil mixing. A greater degree of subsoil delving could result in development of more effective infiltration paths and longer lasting reductions in topsoil water repellence.

In this study rotary spading and modified one-way ploughing were effective in improving water infiltration on severely repellent sand even if they did not remove the deeper compaction. Second-hand one-way disc ploughs have a relatively low capital and operating cost (Table 1) and are relatively cheap to modify into a simple but robust tool for partial soil inversion (Davies et. al. 2016), although good seed bed preparation is still essential.

In this instance the opportunistic crop of canola in 2011 has proven the more successful rotation. At the beginning of the season, given the rainfall during harvest, the soil had comparable moisture at depth irrespective of the crop in 2011. The weed break given by the canola was significant, very few grass weeds coming through in old canola plots. The management of weeds proved telling in this trial. Much of the potential wheat yield was removed by the brome grass in the wheat on wheat plots.

Wheat on wheat this season achieved approximately 16kg/mm of rainfall. Wheat growing without the competition of weeds on the canola plots achieved in excess of 19kg/mm. Making crude assumptions that wheat on fallow grew at 19kg/mm, and the additional 400kg/ha yield was the result of additional moisture alone, then there was approximately 21mm of additional moisture in the fallow plots. Fallow had more moisture available closer to the surface than the other plots though not significantly more moisture throughout the remainder of the profile.

In 2012 wheat on fallow plots returned $100 more than wheat grown on either wheat or canola residue. This recouped the $40 loss from the 2011 fallow with additional profit. But fallow did not result in the greatest total profit over the two seasons of the trial. The extra production on the fallowed treatments was unable to make up the opportunity cost of not growing a crop in 2011. This is not unexpected given the high crop yields achieved in 2011.

In this instance the opportunistic crop of canola in 2011 has proven the more successful rotation. At the beginning of the season, given the rainfall during harvest, the soil had comparable moisture at depth irrespective of the crop in 2011. The weed break given by the canola was significant, very few grass weeds coming through in old canola plots. The management of weeds proved telling in this trial. Much of the potential wheat yield was removed by the brome grass in the wheat on wheat plots.

Wheat on wheat this season achieved approximately 16kg/mm of rainfall. Wheat growing without the competition of weeds on the canola plots achieved in excess of 19kg/mm. Making crude assumptions that wheat on fallow grew at 19kg/mm, and the additional 400kg/ha yield was the result of additional moisture alone, then there was approximately 21mm of additional moisture in the fallow plots. Fallow had more moisture available closer to the surface than the other plots though not significantly more moisture throughout the remainder of the profile.

In 2012 wheat on fallow plots returned $100 more than wheat grown on either wheat or canola residue. This recouped the $40 loss from the 2011 fallow with additional profit. But fallow did not result in the greatest total profit over the two seasons of the trial. The extra production on the fallowed treatments was unable to make up the opportunity cost of not growing a crop in 2011. This is not unexpected given the high crop yields achieved in 2011.

• Continuous cropping can be sustained for decades, but requires careful management.
• A larger proportion of N supply as fertiliser will be required over time even when grain legumes are included in crop sequences.
• Herbicide resistance develops faster under continuous cropping. Integrated management to keep key weed populations at very low levels is essential for long-term viability.
• Suitably diverse crop and end-use portfolios and flexible management help build resilience to climate and crop price shocks.

• Highest yields were obtained when flowering started in early to mid-August. Treatments that flowered in July were affected by frost and treatments that flowered in September were affected by heat and drought.

• The strongest yield response to nitrogen was on treatments that flowered in early to mid-August.

• Hybrids tended to recover better from frost damage than open-pollinated (OP) triazine tolerant (TT) varieties, but flowering date and nitrogen management were more important to maximise yield potential than variety type.

• The highest oil concentration was obtained from varieties that flowered in early to mid-August.
 

EGA Wedgetail can successfully be grown for grain only or dual purpose use and achieve yields competitive with recently released main season cultivars sown in May.  Growers wishing to graze EGA Wedgetail should use high plant densities (at least 100 plants/m2 on 305 mm row spacing, higher on narrower spacing) and some N fertiliser at sowing (particularly if soil mineral N is low) to maximise forage yield.  Gorwers who wish to grow EGA Wedgetail for grain only should defer N fertiliser application until after Z30 to reduce early vegetative growth.  Neither of these experiments or any others during the early sowing project have found a yield benefir from reducing plant populations, and target plant density should be kept at 100-150 plans/m2 (less on wide rows, more on narrow rows) in order to better compete with weeds.

The INSPIRE Summit was an overwhelming success. Registrations quickly sold out and were then extended. The atmosphere at the 2-day event was inspiring in itself. Growers were enthusiastic, ready to learn and relished the opportunity to network with like-minded women and industry representatives. Feedback from participants, speakers and sponsors was all extremely positive. The event received good publicity locally, state-wide and nationally. Participants left the event feeling confident and ready to implement changes in their businesses.

There are two main forms of ‘precision agriculture’: guidance, to improve accuracy, decrease overlapping, improve efficiency etc (the benefits are well understood for guidance); and variable rate agriculture. Variable rate agriculture

Livestock in farming systems provide a level of risk management compared to a solely cropping enterprise. Average stocking rates on pastures are substantially lower than could potentially be achieved through the adoption of more appropriate pastures. The lack of suitable pastures is due to perceptions of poor economic returns as a result of difficulties with the establishment and persistence of pastures, and problems with the seasonal nature of pasture production leading to excessive production in the spring and lack of production in the autumn.

• Further examination is necessary to determine to what degree winter cleaning in the final pasture year will improve the nitrogen status of the soil.
• These conclusions will need to be verified over several more seasons before reliable relationships can be confirmed.

• The most important results from this work, being those obtained from the wheat stage of the system, will need to be collected for several more years in order to develop substantial findings.

• Demonstration sites are monitored annually for pasture and surface cover, biomass production and frequency of perennials.
• Soil sampling will occur again in late 2014/15 to determine any change in soil organic stocks as a result of the implementation of a change in management practice.

• First wheat following canola yielded between 3.65 and 5.35t/ha depending on row spacing, plant population and nitrogen application.
• A narrow row spacing of 22.5cm produced higher dry matter (DM), grain yields and water use efficiency than a wider row spacing of 37.5cm.
• Higher grain yields were associated with plant populations of 150-165 plants/m2.
• Wide row spacing reduced grain yields by and average of 6.5% and DM by 15% compared with narrow row spacing. 

• Crusher TT canola yielded between 2.24–2.79 t/ha with 232mm of growing season rainfall (Apr–Oct) and an estimated 118mm of stored available soil moisture (total 350mm).
• All plant populations were high (150–200 plants/m2) due to an error in calibration, however results produced were similar to previous years, with no significant difference in yield between the narrowest (22.5cm — 2.67t/ha) and widest (37.5cm — 2.75t/ha) row spacings.
• The 30cm spacing yielded significantly lower than both the 22.5cm and the 37.5cm spacings in this trial. 

For a summary of key messages and results see the attached trial report.

• Canola following two years of wheat yielded 2.08t/ha despite establishing 50% fewer plants than canola grown during 2009, which yielded 1.59t/ha. The higher yield achieved during 2011 was attributed to more stored soil moisture at sowing. 
• The higher biomass produced with the narrower row spacing (22.5cm) did not translate into higher grain yield with the same yield achieved across the narrowest (22.5cm) and widest (37.5cm) row spacings.
• About 102-122kg nitrogen/ha was removed in aboveground biomass (straw and grain). There was no statistical difference in nitrogen off-take between the 22.5cm and 37.5cm row spacings.  

• Canola trials during 2012 had high plant populations, which may have created atypical crop canopy structures in relation to different row spacings.
• In four canola datasets generated from 2009 – 2012 at Coreen, New South Wales and Bungeet, Victoria the influence of row spacing on yield has been inconsistent.
• During 2012, the narrow row spacing (22.5cm) produced higher yields and a higher harvest index (HI) than wider row spacing, however this has not been the case in previous years. 

• With 537mm growing season rainfall (April- mid-November) wheat yields followig faba beans were 2.2t/ha higher than those experienced in 2009.
• The yield reduction moving from a narrow row spacing (22.5cm) to wide (37cm) was 12% (0.64t/ha), compared with 16% (0.49t/ha) in 2009.

For a summary of key messages and results see the attached trial report.

• With 570mm growing season rainfall (GSR) 2010 wheat yeilds were more than double those experiences during 2009 in the same rotation position (wheat after canola).
• Yield drop-off associated with the wide row spacing (37.5cm) was almost identical to 2009 results, with a 12% yield reduction compared with the narrow row spacing.

• In the 2012 wheat after canola trial, moving from a narrow row spacing (22.5cm) to a 30cm spacing reduced yield by 9%.  Moving from 22.5cm to the widest (37.5cm) row spacing reduced yield by 11%.
• In a season where yields averaged about 3t/ ha overall (based on a GSR of 196mm plus 85mm stored soil moisture), increasing row spacing beyond 22.5cm significantly reduced yield.
• During 2009, in the same rotation position on the same trial site, there was no difference in yield between the 22.5cm and 30cm row spacings (based on 2.5t/ha average yields), although the 37.5cm row spacing still yielded significantly less. 

For a summary of key messages and results see the attached trial report.

• In second wheat after faba beans, moving from a narrow row spacing of 22.5cm to 30cm and 37.5cm row spacings reduced yield by 4% and 10% respectively.  This compares with respective yield reductions of 12% and 14% in the fi rst wheat trial grown in the same paddock at the same time.
• The narrow row spacing (22.5cm) produced greater biomass than the wider row spacing but had a relatively poor harvest index (26%) compared with other row spacings in this trial.
• There was no difference in crop establishment or yield due to drill opener (tine versus disc), however plant establishment was superior with the narrow row compared with the wider spacings tested.
   

• Gauntlet wheat sown as the second wheat crop after canola yielded between 3.84–4.44t/ha with 232mm of growing season rainfall (Apr-Oct) and an estimated 118mm of stored water at sowing (total 350mm).
• Moving from a narrow row spacing (22.5cm) to 30cm and 37.5cm row spacings reduced yield by 13% and 11% respectively in the 2012 season.  In 2011, moving from a 22.5cm spacing to 30cm and 37.5cm spacings reduced yield by 4% and 10% respectively for the second wheat trial grown in the same paddock.
• It was estimated that the narrow row spacing (22.5cm) resulted in better water use efficiency (WUE) than the widest spacing (37.5cm), despite having a lower harvest index (44% vs 47%) than the widest rows.  

• Wheat on wheat (following canola) yielded 4.91t/ha, almost 1t/ha less than the neighbouring first wheat trial after canola, which yielded 5.84t/ha.
• There was no yield drop-off associated with wider row spacings (30cm and 337.5cm) in this wheat-on-wheat situation.

• Plant establishment at a 22.5cm row spacing was signifi cantly superior to 30cm, which in turn was signifi cantly higher than 37.5cm. The disc drill opener gave better establishment than the tine at the narrow (22.5cm) row spacing but not at the wider row spacing. 
• Advantages with the narrow row spacing were seen early in the season in terms of plant population, dry matter (DM) and tiller production. These advantages did not translate to signifi cantly higher yield in this rotation position. This result was identical to the results of the 2010 trial when wheat on wheat yields showed a similar, but not signifi cant, trend for narrow row spacing (22.5cm) to be better than wide row spacing (37.5cm). 

The Rand site was sown on the 12th May 2010 with 8 treatments of various amounts of seed and P fertilizer. The variety was Lincoln and the sowing fertilizer was MAP. The site had grown canola in 2009 and had been summer sprayed for weeds. It was direct drilled into the canola stubble. The site had an N rich strip of 50hg/.ha of N applied about 5 weeks prior to the assessment in July 2010.

• The production and farm management lessons learned during the project will be made available to the KI farming community and wider South Australia through a range of information events, including field days, offered during the project and at the conclusion of the programme.

• This project has had a large impact on Albany and Esperance growers.
• The underrepresented soil types are now predominantly covered making the Yield Prophet project more relevant to the area.
• Growers can access the information in the paddock on smart phones and tablets.
• This enables them to make better informed decisions when it comes to soil inputs and management.

• This demonstration suggests that there is a trend towards higher yields as a result of ploughing stubbles.
• The cost of ploughing stubbles is relatively low and it may be an effective way to increase soil organic matter.

For discussion please see the attached trial report.

• Calingiri generallly yielded higher than Arrino, had slightly higher protein and screenings.
• The highest yielding treatment of each variety were the district input treatments.
• The district input treatments of each variety returned the highest gross return per hectare and although Calingiri yielded higher, Arrino provided slighly higher returns, having slightly better grain quality.

This trial was severely limited by dry conditions, with yields ranging from 0.16 to 0.42t/ha with not significant differences between any variety or management input level.

• Continuous cropping is not an effective way to manage herbicide resistant annual ryegrass over the long term in the high rainfall zone.
• The increase in weed numbers over time can be slowed by adopting an intensive and high cost herbicide strategy, but not enough to reduce soil weed seed bank.
• Increasing annual ryegrass density by 100 seed heads per square meter was associated with a 150 kg/ha decrease in grain yield. 

• Variable rate nitrogen management has great potential; particularly in the higher rainfall areas of the region with good responses being received in years where rainfall hasn’t been limiting.
• EM38 technology is useful in detecting depth to limestone; the benefits of this however will depend on if the yield is being constrained by rock or not (and in a lot of cases this isn’t occurring)
• In most cases, NDVI biomass readings have been highly correlated with yield.

• Knowing the amount of moisture that is available in the soil profile is invaluable when making nitrogen management decisions.
• Previous crop history (particularly hat of pulses) can have a very large impact on the levels of nitrogen required in following seasons. 

The data received from the 2007 trial year proved similar results to 2006. Although we received an extra 50mm more growing season rainfall than 2006, it was still 50mm short of the Corrigin average rainfall. With yields over 3t/ha, no-one can complain though, especially with barley prices around $480/t cash, at harvest in 2007. In terms of the trials’ aim – to find which stubble treatment better suits downhill tramlinning, the jury is still out as for the two years that the trial was run; 2006 & 2007, with limited rainfall we can only draw conclusions on the results that have been found; and for both years it was found that the burnt stubbles had higher yields over all. The burnt plots [having barer ground to seed into] collected more runoff than the other treatments in 2007. Removing the stubble can allow for light falls of rain to be more useful for a crop in such years, hence the better yield whereas having high levels of stubble in such cases can often intercept this moisture making it not available to the crop; rainfall that ponded on the stubbles evaporated before the plant could acess it [Jeff Russell pers.comm]. Subsoil moisture could have played a part in the earlier establishment of the burnt stubbles too as these plots would have got away sooner having no surface restrictions [stubble or organic matter] and therefore these plots would have had a chance to tap into the summer rainfall earlier than the other treatments [Glen Reithmuller pers.comm]. According to Dan Carter [DAFWA], burning stubbles removes valuable nitrogen, soil carbon and other nutrients and leaves the ground vulnerable to damage from wind erosion. In most cases, retaining stubbles will contribute to long-term soil fertility, through both preservation of nutrients and better moisture-holding capacity.

 

In saying this however, we found in 2007 [as we did in 2006] that the burnt [bare] stubble treatments yielded higher than any of the other stubble treatments as seen in trials. To compare against the control treatment, which has the least runoff, we use the 5%LSD = 2.14*3.94 = 8.4, which suggests that the burnt/bare and raked are significantly higher than the control since the difference between the means is higher than the LSD.

 

Key achievements were getting the trial in the ground, harvesting and collection of results. Also successful application for 2nd & 3rd years of funding Project 053042 – Precision Agriculture Systems – Impact on zone management, soil health and surface water management (Years 2 & 3).

Key findings from the trial in 2006 were that the most run off was collected from burnt stubble tramline which suggests that bare ground with tracks, can potentially aid the channelling of water more than with stubbles where water can ‘dam’ with the interference of stubble and foreign matter. As this was the first year of the trial at Corrigin it raised many more questions which will hopefully be answered in the next two years.

Late notification of project approval combined with difficulty in employing a suitable coordinator resulted in the project starting 6 months late (February 2006).

Farmer with tramlining capability easily identified.

Paul Blackwell’s (DAFWA) assistance proved beneficial, were able to combine two trial sites into one paddock to better utilise the farmers controlled traffic system. Minor issue occurred when fire from burning chaff heap destroyed original stubble trial site. New site established.

The biggest issue for the trial in 2006 was lack of heavy rainfall events, while a crop was taken off, there were very few rainfall events greater than 10mm.

Several issues occurred with the design, construction and collection of water from the water traps. After consultation with Paul Blackwell on trap design and a visit to his Pindar site (Liebe project) to visually assess the traps, we had a better understanding of how to construct the Corrigin traps. To bury 20 chemical containers into hard soil it was decided to hire local contractor to use his backhoe/digger to dig them out.

Collection of water from the water traps was a major issue too. A range of equipment and methods was trialled and found to be inadequate. After consultation with the local businesses in town, a powerful suction pump that could be screwed to a battery pack for power and ease of moving was order. The pump proved to be the right combination for the job required. A further issue arose over the 2006 trial year with water traps chemical drums becoming

slimy and animals getting trapped resulting in  blocking and clogging of the pump. To overcome this problem in 2007 we decided to a) place gauze over the hole from the trap to the pipe leading to the drum, so large matter cannot enter the drum. This has worked well so far, however it has restricted some trap’s water from entering the pipe. We are currently working on rectifying this problem. and b) a second filter was put on the water pump so now it has a main filter and a hose filter to sort though the ‘gunk’ before allowing it to enter the water pump.

 

Crop dry matter at maturity and grain yield were significantly higher in the ‘High Yielding’ zones than in the ‘Low Yielding’ zones.

The higher yielding zone of the paddock did not require more DAPSZC than the lower yielding zones. Such on-farm experiments have a great potential to inform and improve paddock management for increased profits and environmental outcomes by using inputs more wisely.

• Chaff lining is an evolving harvest weed seed control method
• It presents as a low cost, easy weed management tool
• It is considered to be good control for ryegrass and radish but not as successful for brome grass

This trial has identified that foliar fungicides can provide good control of eyespot but there is variation in fungicide efficacy and that results are seasonally dependent. Fungicides with a higher level of activity on eyespot might give satisfactory control or suppression of eyespot if applied in-furrow.

• Unlike wheat, higher seeding rates in malt barley may have a detrimental impact on grain yield and quality. This is particularly the case for Schooner (lower yields) and Vic Sloop (higher screenings).
• The exception to this rule may be Gairdner. Higher plant densities had no impact on yield or grain quality so increasing seeding rates in this variety may be a management tool available to compensate for its poor early vigour.

The outcome from this project will be more reliable and more productive low rainfall farming systems through the increased use of less risky broad leaved break phases.

This will be achieved through the promotion of the following outputs from the proposal in low rainfall regions of south eastern Australia 1. More reliable management strategies for the production of broad leaved phases.

2. Identification of more reliable break phase options.

3. Guidelines to identify trigger points for when, for how long and which break phases to use for improved farming systems outcomes.

4. Reliable estimation of risks with break phases as well as their total impacts on following cereal crops.

• Crops can be established and grown in 6.6 t/ha of retained stubble in the HRZ without compromising establishment
• Stubble retention in the HRZ requires careful systems based planning and attention to detail
• Seasonal conditions will strongly influence outcomes of stubble retention through factors such as pest pressure and conserving soil moisture
• Burning may not be an option in the near future because of unacceptable risks of litigation 

• The standard treatment in this trial, namely Sencor (metribuzin) 750WG plus TriflurX, provided no more that weak suppression of brome allowing substantial seed set.
• The trial demonstrates a new option for brome control in barley crops now available to growers, namely growing Scope barley and using Clearfield herbicides such as Intervix or Midas. Both products provided excellent to absolute control of brome, as well as silver grass.
• The trial also demonstrates that while the pre-emergence treatments alone provide only modest control of brome, their use in combination with Clearfield herbicides has the potential to improve the overall Clearfield performance. Their use is recommended for resistance management purposes and as a means of securing yield by reducing early weed competition.
• Achieving absolute control of brome grass by treatments that pay for themselves and deliver a surplus to users (of $45 – $150 per hectare) should make most Clearfield treatments highly attractive. Atlantis, Crusader and Monza each only provided strong suppression that in the long run cannot be expected to overcome brome. Regardless of their return on investment, they failed to deliver satisfactory brome control (i.e.. >90% so that the seed bank is not dramatically reduced) and are useful only in terms of managing brome within the current crop at best.
•  

• Sowing depth had no effect on emergence, biomass production or grain yield in lentils and field peas.
• Field peas - Early sowing (early - mid May) beneficial at the Mallee sites for newer varieties (PSL4, Snowpeak and Excell).
• Lentils - Later sowing (mid June - early July) beneficial this year due to late rainfall.

• The use of pulses in the southern regions show some potential- further trial work needs to be done to examine this fit.
• Follow up Sub soil and Deep N tests need to show +/- effect of N in system
• Pulses could be economically viable as a crop, disease and weed break.

Pulses have a major role to play in the cropping rotation in the high rainfall zone. Many growers are already achieving good results due to sound management and the ability to ensure that operations such as sowing and spraying are done on time. These growers have shown that if done successfully, pulses can form a profitable part of the rotation. In the high rainfall zone they can be high yielding and produce a sound gross margin, as well they provide opportunities for disease breaks and herbicide rotations and the grazing value of some pulse stubbles, such as beans and peas, should not be under estimated

• In the dry conditions there was no significant differences between the two pea varieties and no significant difference between the faba bean varieties. The yields for all of the varieties was disappointing and is due in part to the hot dry conditions at flowering but also due to the late sowing of the beans. There are also some indications that a frost may have had some affect on the final yields.
• For further conclusions please see the attached trial report.

After two years of trials it appears that the 30cm row spacing is the better option sowing width for both field peas and faba beans. These results should still be treated with caution however as disease levels were extremely low in both years and 2002 was an extremely dry year.