This experiment is one in a series of nitrogen experiments aimed at establishing variety responses to different nitrogen application rates and timings.

Varieties can differ in their ability to yield at various sowing dates. The same goes for their response to various rates of nitrogen and how they turn that nitrogen into yield and protein. This trial was designed to measure the influence of sowing date and nitrogen rate across six common wheat varieties.

• Quantify current levels of herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass and common sow thistle across key herbicide groups in dryland and irrigated farming systems in the Griffith region of NSW.
• Collect site specific information to categorise levels of risk for developing herbicide resistance for various farming systems, based on rotational history and farming practices.
• Assess the ability of growers and advisers to predict the resistance status of each sample.

The Transitioning Family Farming Businesses project proposed to facilitate a discussion in the WA grains industry regarding its future industry development requirements around the establishment of farm advisory boards. It did this through the delivery of:

• Needs analysis of the Australian grains industry regarding the development of farm advisory boards using leading farmers and key industry stakeholders in;

o a series of in-depth interviews, and

o an industry forum.

• Develop an outline of a training programme that, once developed, will support grain businesses in their implementation of an advisory board of management.

• Develop fact sheets regarding the establishment of farm advisory boards.

• Provide an opportunity for members of the project team to participate with other leading businesses at a national level through;

o Participation in the National Farm Advisory Board Forum, and

o Participation in the Family Business Australia “Family Business Directors

• Delivery of information on the establishment of farm boards at identified industry conferences and field days.

To provide growers and advisers with a better understanding of the benefits of deep ripping and in particular depth of deep ripping required to optimise crop yield and profit.

To provide growers and advisers with a better understanding of the benefits of deep ripping and in particular depth of deep ripping required to optimise crop yield and profit.

To (i) ground truth through statistical analysis of small plot trials current practices of leading farmers in regards to the use of Variable Rate Technology (VRT), predictive yield modelling and nutrition modelling in improving water use efficiency and hence profitability; (ii) address the hypothesis that greater return on investment can be achieved through targeted nutrition applications according to variety, production zone, plant available water (PAW) and seasonal conditions; (iii) assist in the generation of data to extend the process of using soil moisture probe data in conjunction with Yield Prophet (YP) simulations to assist with production decisions for different soil zones (with differing PAWC), with particular focus on top-up nitrogen.

This project aimed to explore different management strategies to overcome copper deficiency in cereals. The project compared the effectiveness of copper sulfate and copper chelate applied either as liquids banded at seeding or as a foliar spray. The project also evaluated the effect of different timings of application of the foliar sprays and their efficiency.
This project aimed to benefit local and South Australian farmers by establishing an independent best practice management guide for copper applications for the future.

Why do the trial? 
Barley grass possesses several biological traits that make it difficult for growers to manage it in the low rainfall zone, so it is not surprising that it is becoming more prevalent in field crops in SA and WA. A survey by Llewellyn et al. (2015) showed that barley grass has now made its way into the top 1 O weeds of Australian cropping in terms of area infested, crop yield loss and revenue loss. 
The biological traits that make barley grass difficult for growers to manage in low rainfall zones include: 

- early onset of seed production, which reduces effectiveness of crop-topping or spray-topping in pastures,
shedding seeds well before crop harvest, reducing harvest weed seed control effectiveness compared to weeds such as ryegrass which has a much higher seed retention,•    increased seed dormancy, reducing weed control from knockdown herbicides due to delayed emergence, and
•    increasing herbicide resistance, especially to Group A herbicides, used to control grass weeds in pasture phase and legume crops. 

Barley grass management is likely to be more challenging in the low rainfall zone because the growing seasons tend to be more variable in terms of rainfall, which can affect the performance of the pre-emergence herbicides. Furthermore, many growers in these areas tend to have lower budgets for management tactics, and break crops are generally perceived as more risky than cereals. Therefore, wheat and barley tend to be the dominant crops in the low rainfall zone. This project is undertaking coordinated research with farming systems groups across the Southern and Western cropping regions to demonstrate tactics that can be reliably used to improve the management of barley grass. 

Over the past three decades there has been a shift from integrated crop-livestock production to intensive cropping in dry areas, which has significantly reduced the resilience of farms in low to medium rainfall areas. Intensive cropping is prone to herbicide resistant weeds, large nitrogen fertiliser requirements, and major financial shocks due to frost, drought or low grain prices. 
A pilot project with MLA and AWi in WA and southern NSW has demonstrated how novel pasture legumes such as serradella, biserrula and bladder clover can improve livestock production while reducing nitrogen requirements, weeds and diseases for following crops. The extent to which these new legumes establish, grow and persist on South Australia's alkaline sandy soils requires clarification. 
The demonstration sites are primarily an extension tool, unlike research trials requiring detailed data collection. The purpose of these sites is to gather information on regional legume performance, including benefits to the crops that follow. 

This article will report on findings from two pasture trials conducted on the lower Eyre Peninsula in the 2019-2021 growing seasons. The trials are part of the demonstration component of the Dryland Pasture Legume Systems (DLPS) project developed with the former LEADA committee/AIR EP Medium Rainfall RD&E committee to answer several questions about how pasture performance could be improved in the region. 
Demonstration 1: What is the best pasture species/ mix of species to plant in paddocks with differing soil types? 
Background 
Paddocks across the region often have soil types that vary, ie. changing from heavier flats to sandier rises, with pH varying from below 6 to above 8. Getting pasture species established and maintaining good production levels across this landscape is often challenging. 

This project aimed to provide support to landholders in the north­eastern area of the EP to address bare areas with repeated soil erosion events. This was done by providing funding to trial a range of practices to increase soil cover and providing technical support to deliver and evaluate these practices. 

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 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.

To determine if the risk to frost damage is similar across a range of break crops in a high risk zone. 

To determine if the risk to frost damage is similar across a range of break crops in a moderate risk zone. 

Why do the trial? 
Barley grass possesses several biological traits that make it difficult for growers to manage in the low rainfall zone, so it is not surprising that it is becoming more prevalent in field crops in SA. A survey by Llewellyn et al. (2015) showed that barley grass has now made its way into the top 1 0 weeds of Australian cropping in terms of the area infested, crop yield loss, and revenue loss. In this survey, barley grass was ranked as the 7th most costly weed to control by the growers in SA and VIC Mallee and Mid-North, Lower Yorke and Eyre Peninsula. In a previous random survey in SA in 2012, Shergill et al. (2015) identified resistance to quizalofop in 15% of barley grass populations from Upper North and Eyre Peninsula. Additional herbicide-resistant populations have been identified since the previous survey. Growers in these regions have observed many control failures and have been collaborating with this GRDC-funded project to confirm the resistance status of their barley grass populations. 

Trials and demonstrations involving soil mixing either with a spader or ripping with inclusion plates have been shown to increase yields on sandy soils on Eyre Peninsula (EP). Many of these trials have included the addition of organic material incorporated at rates of 5-10 t/ha. Whilst generally these treatments have provided yield increases for a number of years post application, the rates applied have proven to be uneconomic (EPFS 2019, p 71). This project was originally developed by the Lower Eyre Ag
Development Association (LEADA) with two major objectives being:
1. To test ripping with inclusion plates on a wider range of soils.
2. To trial rates and sources of organic matter that are practical for broadacre use.

A recent N LP2 investment, Adapting cropping systems to changing climatic conditions to reduce inputs and maximise water use through improving crop competitiveness, is a demonstration and extension project which started in late 2019. An initial grower survey of current management practices and attitudes towards barley grass was undertaken in March 2020 to be used as the baseline to assess changes in grower attitudes and changes in practices at the completion of the project. 

Improving the reliability of early
establishment  plays  an role in increasing water and yield potential cropping  environ­ 
Establishing plants earlier extends the growing
a crop, and when with optimal phenology, more time for a plant to
develop resources that ultimately contribute to grain fill and yield.

Seeding deeper, into soil moisture present below the 'normal seeding bed' may help to establish 
plants earlier without relying onan autumn break for germination. Currently, wheat growers are 
restricted to a seeding depth of 3-5 cm because modern wheat varieties have a shortened  coleoptile 
associated with dwarfing genes that were introduced  in  the  1960's  to increase yields. The 
length of a coleoptile restricts seeding depth because it is a hollow shoot that protects the first 
leaves as they grow  towards  the soil  surface during  germination.  Breeders have now identified 
an alternate dwarfing gene 'Rht18' that allows a coleoptile up to 12 cm long, whilst maintaining  
the reduced height associated  with modern high yielding wheat varieties.

The trials reported here assessed the performance of long coleoptile wheats  in an Eyre Peninsula 
farming system.
 

This article reports a trial at Minnipa which investigated mixed species cover crops grown over winter and their impact on wheat production the following year. 
 

The project aims to unlock value in existing data to drive innovation in agronomy and livestock management by bringing together data from a range of sources including satellite, soil moisture probe networks, weather stations, proximal sensing and yield models. By working with farmers and advisors to link data with decision making, the project aims to make more informed and significantly improved land management decisions. 

Why do the trial? 
There are around 5 million hectares of sandy soils under agricultural production in the low to medium rainfall areas of south-eastern Australia. These soils have multiple constraints limiting production including water repellence, soil acidity, compaction and low organic carbon levels leading to poor biological cycling and nitrogen mineralisation. Estimates of the yield gap (the difference between water limiting potential and average actual crop yield) are between 1.8 and 2.1 t/ha on Upper Eyre Peninsula and as much as 2.3 t/ha on Lower Eyre Peninsula (http://yieldgapaustralia.com .au/ maps/). 
In 2016, GRDC invested in a research program to help grain growers identify and overcome the primary constraints to poor crop water-use on sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall environment (CSP00203). The 'Sands Impacts' component of this project enables grower groups to test outcomes from the research component by applying targeted mitigation and amelioration interventions to overcome production constraints. 

The trial has 6 treatments with 4 replications and compares various BioAg products and rates against an annual application of single super.

The BioAg fertiliser trial was established in 2019. The trial has 6 treatments with 4 replications and compares various BioAg products and rates against an annual application of single super.

• To validate the results of the development of a rhizobium strain that is able to nodulate with lucerne at lower pH, as achieved in glasshouse trials.

Varied. Please see article. 

• To investigate an agronomic solution to waterlogging through the use of Agpipe.

• To investigate the use of slotted drainpipe (Agpipe) for removal of water from waterlogged crops.

• To test the performance of a range of subsoil amendments.

• To investigate the effects of nitrogen fertiliser application to established kikuyu stands.

To report on results of a visit by Wayne Hawthorne (esteemed pulse expert from Pulse Australia) to Kangaroo Island.

This was the second year in a three-year project that is focusing on building resilient farm businesses and strengthening farm decision making.

to explore how biological approaches to restoring soil health and holistic grazing practices lead to improved soil health, increased soil carbon, increased soil water holding capacity, improved plant health, improved production, increased on farm diversity and a reduced need for synthetic inputs.

• To evaluate the benefit of yield and pod development from the introduction of bees and the management of the pollination process.

To investigate the potential of using a modified delving operation, which rips the clay and allows topsoil/gravel to fall back into the clay slot, to create a subsurface drainage line through the clay and reduce waterlogging.

To investigate whether kikuyu improve soil organic carbon levels on Kangaroo Island.

To identify key ingredients of agronomic packages that deliver high yielding wheat crops with good quality in the Parndana environment.

To answer the question: can you affod to lime?

To assess the efficacy of foliar, on-seed and on-fertiliser commercially available fungicides on blackleg control in retained stubble systems. 

To test 8 TT varieties of hybrid and open pollinated canola.

• To demonstrate the effect of crop canopy densities on pollination.