South Australian Research and Development Institute trials

To test the impact of adding gypsum, lime or fertilisers to the subsoil of a profile typical for the Vivonne Bay environment but in a situation which usually gets very wet, and is designed to run for at least two years.

To test a range of early maturing canola cultivars.

To verify that recommendations for maximum production in other pulse growing regions of SA are applicable under low rainfall conditions.

The aims of these experiments were to determine:

• the potential effect of natural enemies on insect pests

• any long-term effects from insecticide seed treatments on natural enemies

• any differences in natural enemies and pest distribution.
 

• To investigate the effect of different nitrogen and grazing strategies on crop competition with annual ryegrass.
• To evaluate the performance of new durum varieties at different crop densities.

To investigate the use of different sowing timings and N management to improve yield and maintain protein of wheat.

This trial aims to assess the biomass production and quality of legumes oversown with cereals.

To evaluate the potential of novel slower developing barley varieties to increase profitability in the higher rainfall zones of SA. 

To analyse the data collected over eight seasons and see if a correlation can be found in the SouthEast environment of South Australia between grain yield and harvest residue.

To provide grain growers across the south east (SE) region with access to real-time soil moisture data through a website that pulls together information from the existing MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG) network and the South East Natural Resource Management (SENRM) weather station network.
 

The expected outcome of the project is that by 2021, growers in the MRZ of the South East and their advisors will have access to new relevant information on diverse crop rotations and integrated farming systems, particularity the incorporation of a pasture phase. 

To examine varieties of industrial hemp

To compares grain yields and quality of milling oats, durum wheat, bread and feed wheats and feed and malt barley varieties and the subsequent gross margin when all crops are grown side by side on the Wolseley flats.

This research aims to determine in which situations extra fertilisation can bring benefits to growers in 14 different Eyre Peninsula (EP) environments.

Every season, growers need to make choices over limited resources in order to optimise their profitability. Soil type and water represent two of the key limiting resources which define the grain yield potential of a paddock. The unpredictability of growing season rainfall patterns restricts in-season fertiliser applications for EP growers, due to the associated high economic risks. As a risk management strategy, growers often apply lower rates of nutrients than required to achieve the water limiting yield potential (Sadras and Roget 2004, Monjardino et al. 2013). Therefore, less than optimum nutrient rates are applied in many instances, and maximum grain yield gains are not reached on occasions where opportunities have existed. Understanding soil water and nutrient dynamics can be useful to determine when in-season extra fertiliser applications are worth the investment in EP dryland farming systems.

This study used a subset of the Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation (EPARF) soil moisture probe network locations to benchmark the water limited yield potential and determine the achievable grain yield of cereals crops across major soil types of EP.

On the upper Eyre Peninsula (UEP), highly calcareous soils constitute a high proportion (more than 1 million hectares) of soils used for agricultural production (Bertrand et al. 2000, Bertrand et al. 2003). The website ‘Yield Gap Australia’ (http://yieldgapaustralia.com.au/maps/) identifies that the average grain yield on Western Eyre Peninsula (WEP) and UEP is between 41 and 45% of the water limited yield potential (1.5 t/ha for WEP and 1.8 t/ha for UEP). Closing the grain yield gap for wheat on UEP presents a challenge to growers, particularly on highly calcareous soils where nutrient deficiencies are common (Holloway et al. 2001). The production of insoluble minerals through the interaction of soil calcium carbonate with soluble nutrients such as phosphorous and trace elements (Holloway et al. 2001), combined with low soil moisture conditions prevents these nutrients from being readily available to the plant (Lombi et al. 2004). Holloway et al. (1999-2003) demonstrated the possibility of providing phosphorus (P) to the plant in an available form by applying fluid P fertilisers instead of granular fertilisers at seeding.

The majority of landholders in Australia, including the western and upper Eyre Peninsula currently use granular fertilisers which require good soil moisture conditions to enable uptake of nutrients by crops. Growers and advisors have noted that highly calcareous top soils dry out quickly after rainfall events, which may contribute to poor water use and nutrient extraction efficiency, and may also be a reason why diseases such as Rhizoctonia solani have greater impact in these soils. In addition, as a risk management strategy, growers often apply lower rates of nutrients than required to achieve the water limiting yield potential (Sadras and Roget 2004, Monjardino et al. 2013). A better understanding of soil moisture, root disease and factors which influence nutrient availability and the efficacy of fertilisers are needed to increase the water limited yield potential of the highly calcareous soils (McLaughlin et al. 2013).

Field trials were conducted in 2019 to investigate these factors on the nutrition of wheat on highly calcareous soils.

To trial supplementing sheep grazing medics with La Trobe pellets to accelerate growth.

• To evaluate Ascochyta blight (AB) response of new varieties and advanced breeding lines by comparing their susceptibility to known varieties

To assess wether field pea breeding advancements in resistance to blackspot are significant enough to allow management changes to sowing time in this crop.

• To assess the use of fungicides for the control of blackspot (ascochyta blight) and effect on yield in field pea.

• To compare three time of sowing dates across five newly released and commercial varieties of field peas, lupins and vetch and evaluate their contribution to soil nitrogen and the benefits to the following wheat crop.

• To determine the effect of agronomic practices, various herbicides and a plant growth regulant canopy architecture and grain yield of faba bean.

• To determine the effect of various plant growth regulant (PGR) hormones, herbicides,  fungicides and agronomic practices on canopy architecture and grain yield of faba bean.

• To identify optimum ascochyta blight management strategies for maximising grain yield of new varieties.

• To evaluate ascochyta blight response of new varieties by comparing their susceptibility to known cultivars.

• To identify lines with improved adaptation (through earlier maturity) to this practice.

• To compare disease management strategies for minimum fungicide input and maximum grain yield and quality of new chickpea varieties.
• To demonstrate the much improved levels of ascochyta blight disease resistance in new varieties of chickpeas to SA growers.

• To compare disease management strategies for minimum fungicide input and maximum grain yield and quality of new chickpea varieties.
• To demonstrate the much improved levels of ascochyta blight disease resistance in new varieties of chickpeas to SA growers.

To determine optimum disease management strategy, focussing on podding applications, in new resistant and moderately resistant desi and kabuli chickpea varieties.

To maximise production advantages of new kabuli and desi chickpea varieties through the development of appropriate disease management strategies.

To determine optimum disease management strategy, focussing on podding applications, in new resistant and moderately resistant desi and kabuli chickpea varieties.

To report on chickpea disease management in the Wimmera, Victoria.

• To investigate the effects of fertiliser rates and its placement on the germination and establishment of deci and kabuli type chickpeas.
• Tto measure the grain yield responses to fertiliser rates.

To report onf chickpea herbicide tolerance at Dimboola, Victoria.

To maximise production advantages of new kabuli and desi chickpea varieties through the identification of optimum sowing dates and plant densities.

To maximise production advantages of new kabuli and desi chickpea varieties through the identification of optimum plant densities.

To test the yield response of new varieties and advanced lines of chickpeas to changes in plant populations in southern NSW.

• To test the yield response of new varieties and advanced lines of chickpeas to changes in plant
  populations in south western NSW.

To test the yield response of new varieties and advanced lines of chickpeas to changes in plant populations in high rainfall area of south eastern NSW.

To test the yield response of new varieties and advanced lines of chickpeas to changes in plant populations in south western NSW. 

To maximise production advantages of new kabuli and desi chickpea varieties through the identification of optimum sowing dates and plant densities.

To investigate effects of changing row spacing on chickpea yield.

To look at the yield response of new chickpea varieties to varying row spacing.

To investigate the effects of row spacing and plant populations across a range of advanced varieties on yields of chickpea at Yenda in south western NSW.

• To maximise yield, quality and agronomic performance of new chickpea varieties through the identification of optimum sowing dates.

To test the yield response of new varieties of chickpeas and faba beans to different sowing times in southern
NSW.

To determine optimum sowing dates, plant densities and row space for new kabuli and desi chickpea varieties.

To report on chickpea sowing time x row space x plant density at Curyo,Victoria.

To report on chickpea sowing time x row space x plant density at Wimmera (Minyip),Victoria.

To test the yield response of eight chickpea varieties to different sowing times in south eastern NSW. The information from this trial will be used to improve current grower sowing time recommendations for chickpeas.

To evaluate the appropriateness of chickpea varieties for the Victorian high rainfall zone (HRZ) on an autumn or spring sowing date.