Wheat trials

To determine if the application of soil ameloration,  extra nutritional treatments or treatments that will disrupt ice nucleating bacteria will reduce frost damage in a high risk zone.

To determine if the application of soil ameloration,  extra nutritional treatments or treatments that will disrupt ice nucleating bacteria will reduce frost damage in a high risk zone.

The objective of the four small plot trials is to provide statistically sound data that will inform farmer and consultant decision making in years of early waterlogging, where they are considering late sown cereals as an option. The trials will be professionally implemented and managed by industry best practice standards to ensure the data is reliable. The implementation of four trial sites also ensures the data generated is locally relevant to farmers right along the South Coast of WA.  

GRDC Project Outcome:

By March 2024, All Western Region growers and advisers will have access to trial information on late winter to early spring sown cereals (wheat and barley) on the south coast of WA to assist in making educated decisions to sow at this time when waterlogging presents and cereal crops cannot be sown at the traditional time or for other reasons that may present for a later sowing opportunity such as weed issues or poor crop establishment.

This investment is designed help build growers’ confidence and address gaps in knowledge relating to the agronomic management of recently ameliorated soils in the upper South East of South Australia. The project will include a three-year series of trials, soil characterisations, pit demonstrations and associated extension activities to:

• improve the agronomic management of ameliorated soils to the newlyestablished yield potential;
• reduce risks related to crop establishment and wind erosion in theamelioration transition phase; and
• improve understanding of soil physical and chemical properties andcharacterisation of PAW, and identification nutrition and soil constraintlimitations in ameliorated soil and how soil settles over the transitionphase.

Six distinct phases of amelioration have been identified through the planning and implementation of soil amelioration as follows:

1. Identification and ranking of constraints phase (byseverity and depth). Also includes selection of constraint specificamelioration strategies;
2. Pre-amelioration site preparation phase;
3. Amelioration implementation phase (large logistical andtime input);
4. Transition phase 1 to 2-year post amelioration , oftencharacterised by soft soil, a large flush of nutrition, acute short-term wind erosion risk, crop seeding difficulties and high cropresponsiveness;
5. New stabilised yield potential where the site has settledand immediate tillage effects on nutrient release havedissipated.
6. Mature phase where yields subside and constraints redevelop.Consideration given to re-amelioration of residual orredeveloped constraints.

This investment is designed to address gaps in grower confidence and knowledge around phases four and five (transition and new stabilised yield potential).

This project aims to demonstrate a range of management strategies for disease complexes as they arise, including plot trials at two locations assessing genetic plant resistance, fungicide and other management strategies in wheat, barley and lentils, and up to four responsive in paddock trials across the subregions, if and where need arises. Trials are aimed to support facilitated discussion and peer to peer learning around key disease management decisions.

To investigate non aggressive strategies to mitigate and manage non wetting sandy soils. These strategies include seed row placement, press-wheel design and the use of soil wetters / surfactants.

Trial 1: Lime comparison trial 
The use of new pH mapping technologies has increased the awareness and identification of soil acidity in many districts. However, there are several aspects of soil acidity management which remain a problem for growers. This trial aimed to investigate a range of lime and acidity management factors outlined in the three key areas below. 

• Lime source 
• Lime rate and particle size 
• Decline of soil pH from sulphur applications 

Trial 2: Comparison of lime incorporation techniques 

Acidic layers of soil are increasingly being identified in the topsoil (0-10 cm) and subsurface soil (10-30 cm) of no-till farming systems. Stratified low pH soil layers need appropriate lime treatment to maintain and prevent the decline of soil pH further. Surface application of lime alone is unlikely to raise the pH in subsurface layers quickly. Recent work has reported lime movement as little as 1 cm – 2.5 cm per year (Fleming et al. 2020, Burns et al 2017). Given the slow movement of lime, incorporation and mixing of surface applied lime to depth is expected to accelerate the movement of lime.

There are a range of machinery options that can provide different levels of lime incorporation and to different depths, such as cultivation, deep ripping with or without inclusion plates, spading and combinations of these. This trial was designed to investigate which of these are most effective on a sandy soil with stratified soil acidity at Bute.

Understanding return on investment of sub-surface water management options for waterlogged areas in the Western Region.

This investment aims to assist growers in making informed decisions around construction of drainage to reduce the impacts of waterlogging on crop production and farm profitability. This will be achieved through grower participation in the planning, development, monitoring and maintenance of the drainage installation trial sites. Data (cost of implementation/ maintenance, water movement, establishment, biomass, yield etc.) from within the zone of influence of the drainage and outside this zone at each site will be collected 
over time to give growers a better understanding of the improvements in yield and time to return on investment at each site. 

1. Understanding wheat variety by disease management interactions in the Gippsland sub region. 

2. To demonstrate the time of sowing of current and new varieties.

3. To assess fungicide treatments on various wheat varieties at key growth stages to evaluate fungicide performance to plan genetic disease ratings. 

Multiple trials around the theme of improving and quantifying the benefit of pulses to subsequent crops. This will include comparisons of crop types in 2022, followed by cereal crops in 2023, and techniques to increase biomass (early sowing) and increase N fixation (rhizobia studies) 

To determine benefits of various pulses compared to canola on plant available water content, mineral N content, and cereal yield. 

To identify the severity of K deficiency in broad-acre crops in respect to the Colwell K level in the top 10 cm of soil.

To identify the severity of K deficiency in broad-acre crops in respect to the Colwell K level in the top 10 cm of soil.

To identify the severity of K deficiency in broad-acre crops in respect to the Colwell K level in the top 10 cm of soil.

Investigate strategies for correcting K deficiency in broad-acre crops.

To identify the severity of K deficiency in broad-acre crops in respect to the Colwell K level in the top 10 cm of soil.

To identify the severity of K deficiency in broad-acre crops in respect to the Colwell K level in the top 10 cm of soil.

To identify the severity of K deficiency in broad-acre crops in respect to the Colwell K level in the top 10 cm of soil.

To explore herbicide interactions across depths of sowing to investigate crop safety and ways of adjusting/changing IBS and EPE herbicides.

This field trial at Gladstone was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of wheat seed rate and herbicides on the management of annual ryegrass.

This field trial at Roseworthy was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of wheat seed rate, and herbicides packages on wheat grain yield and the management of annual ryegrass.

To investigate if subsoil amelioration can increase faba bean root and shoot growth, nodulation and grain yield in soils with subsurface aciditiy and/or dense sodic subsoil

To determine the effect of soil amelioration on frost damage 

To determine the effect of soil amelioration on frost damage 

To determine if the application of soil ameloration,  extra nutritional treatments or treatments that will disrupt ice nucleating bacteria will reduce frost damage in a high risk zone.

To determine the effect of soil amelioration on frost damage 

To investigiate if variety phenology has an impact on frost damage in a high risk frost zone

To investigiate if variety phenology has an impact on frost damage in a medium risk frost zone 

To determine if mixing cereal varieites with differing maturing will help reduce risk of crop failure in a high risk zone. 

To determine if mixing cereal varieites with differing maturing will help reduce risk of crop failure in a moderate risk zone. 

To investigate how nutrition can help mitigate waterlogging losses in wheat, canol and faba beans after a wet winter

To assess the ground cover and legacies of pulses in rotation

To evaluate the impact of inoculum loads on septoria tiritici blotch severity and grian yields in wheat in the medium rainfall zone of southern Australia

This project aims to establish field sites which demonstrate amelioration techniques that growers can use to address the specific sandy soil constraints for their local landscape type and where in the landscape different tactics are best deployed.  

The aim of the focus paddock was to see if deep ripping could increase plant avaliable water by removing any compaction and allowing roots to access stored moisture deeper into the soil profile.

To increase irrigated wheat yields with well-timed applications of foliar sprays as well as pre seeding applications of micronutrients.

To observe the effect of fungicide application timing in controlling Septoria tritici blotch in wheat in the MRZ and LRZ of the Southern Australia.

This investment aimed to locally validate previous R&D investment relating to spring sown crops (albeit include newer crop types and varieties where suitable), building local grower and adviser knowledge to inform decisions when managing excess soil moisture. It aimed to provide production and economic information from both farm-scale demonstrations and a small plot trial to inform good business decisions in regard to spring/summer sown crops.

The trials evaluated the crop performance on a range of metrics to provide a thorough assessment of summer crops, and the role they can play in agronomic systems, and the potential they have to reduce the waterlogging risk.

GRDC Outcome:

By February 2023, 20% of Western Region Growers who farm in areas with a medium to high-risk of regular waterlogging will have built the knowledge and confidence to profitably sow a crop in spring or summer on paddocks were winter crops/pastures have failed due to excessive waterlogging or where soil moisture levels permit in future years.

To achieve this outcome, Stirlings to Coast Farmers (SCF) worked with a number of other Grower Groups to ensure the key learnings of the trial were broadly and successfully extended to growers in the Great Southern Region of WA.

This research aims to trial and demonstrate different management practices which could be used by growers to ameliorate saline soil patches:

1) Amending soil with sand, straw or gypsum - application of amendments to the soil surface can improve crop emergence by reducing evaporation leading to more soil moisture, or by reducing the moisture required to germinate a seed by increasing the sand content of the soil surface. Gypsum was also included to increase the amount of calcium relative to the level of sodium (salt) and address sodicity in the longer-term.  

2) Selecting crop types/varieties – to investigate the differences in crop performance on saline soils between crop types and varieties with improved salt tolerance.

The aim of this project was to work with growers to maximise harvester throughput capacity with acceptable losses in the Western region and compare data to that collected in 2022.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the LRZ.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the LRZ.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the MRZ.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the MRZ.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the MRZ.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the MRZ.

The aim of this trial is to compare a range of ‘N banking targets’  to ‘N crop demand’ driven N application strategies in terms of their impact on productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint,  losses) in diverse soil types in the MRZ.

To evaluate herbicide options for residual control of Phalaris paradoxa in cereals

This trial is part of a larger series of experiments in the southern region aiming to compare the productivity (yield, protein), profitability (gross margin, risk) and sustainability (soil organic matter, carbon footprint, N losses) of different N management systems over the long term.