SARDI Minnipa Agricultural Centre trials

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 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 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 completely review the standard approach to the sheep enterprise.

To recommend options to improve;
• soil nutrients and groundcover, and 
• reduce disease levels and chemical use.

To:

• determine if physical intervention and soil mixing improved grain yield on a sandy soil on eastern EP,
• compare deep ripping with inclusion plates to spading,
• determine if deeper ripping improved results, and
• identify if the addition of fertilisers or organic material (OM) provide additional benefits.

To assess the role of annual medics as a break crop in a wheat-sheep mixed farming system, by measuring the biomass produced over the growing season followed by the retention of the pasture residue over the summer autumn period, then subsequently assessing the impact of the pasture in the following cereal phase in terms of yield and grain quality.

To assess the performance of annual medics in a pasture – wheat rotation over the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

To test the efficacy of a range of experimental (unregistered) foliar fungicides against the above strategy in controlling blackspot in field pea in three major production areas of South Australia.

Failure to control annual weed species that persist through cropping phases facilitates replenishment/establishment of weed seedbanks. Consequently, this maintains weed interference in subsequent years of crop production. Harvest weed seed control (HWSC) has been widely adopted in Australia since its inception over three decades ago to prevent redistribution of weed seeds across cropping fields during commercial harvesting operations (Walsh et al. 2017). Implementation of HWSC obstructs fresh seedbank inputs by subjecting the weed seed bearing chaff fraction to a treatment, such as combustion (narrow windrow burning), mechanical pulverisation (impact mills), decomposition (chaff-lining) and removal (chaff cart). Chaff-lining has been readily adopted by growers because of the low cost of modifying a harvester to confine the chaff fraction into a narrow row between stubble, or onto dedicated wheel tracks in controlled traffic farming systems (chaff-tramlining). There is a paucity of literature examining seedbank decline of important Australian weed species in chaff-lines, however a common conjecture is that a mulching effect is created by a combination of physical and chemical influences (Walsh et al. 2018). Field observations suggest that in the absence of seed decay, control failures of annual weed species and volunteer crop plants may be exacerbated. Therefore, growers urgently need information that substantiates the implications of chaff-lining to weed seedbanks.

To include the Minnipa flock within the program to help:

• educate ram buyers of the merits of ASBVs so they seek out, and buy rams from, breeders that are members of Sheep Genetics “LAMPLAN” or “MERINOSELECT”.
• encourage more breeders to become members of Sheep Genetics “LAMPLAN” or “MERINOSELECT” and to offer ASBVs on sale rams.
• encourage more breeders to use ASBVs when buying stud sires or semen.

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.

To build resilience into EP farms by understanding the interactions between soil potential, climate and management.

To improve the long term control of Rhizoctonia by increasing the understanding of the interactions between disease inoculum and natural soil suppressive activity and to improve the prediction and management of disease.

To compare current released varieties at two locations on Eyre Peninsula, plus a demonstration at Penong.

To identify the best break crop options for different climate, soil type and biotic stress situations within major cropping regions of the southern low rainfall zone.

Farming systems in the low rainfall zone of southern Australia are dominated by cereal production. There is increasing concern about grass weed and soil-borne disease pressure, diminishing soil fertility (particularly nitrogen), and water use efficiency, as a result of continuously cropping cereals. Break crops have a key role to play in addressing these issues, as well as diversifying crop production and economic risk, and maintaining long-term sustainability of the system. However, there remains a lack of information available to growers about choosing the break crop best suited to their situation, as break crop development to date has largely occurred in medium and high rainfall zones. The aim of this research is to identify the best break crop options for different climate, soil type and biotic stress situations within major cropping regions of the southern low rainfall zone.

To investigate the threshold temperatures to kill weed seeds, and the temperatures achieved when burning crop residues in various formats to faciliate weed seed control of problematic weeds in low rainfall cropping systems. 

Soil testing for N, P, K and S is a key strategy for monitoring soil fertility of cropping soils as well as for refining fertiliser application strategies for future crops. For this to be successful, the relationship between the soil test and likely response to applied nutrients needs to be well calibrated. Many of these calibrations were developed from fertiliser trials conducted over 20 years ago and have provided robust guidelines on many soil types, but mostly for cereals. Since these trials were conducted cropping systems have changed significantly and altered the face of soil fertility in the Australian grains industry. A detailed re-examination of those existing guidelines is needed to ensure they are still relevant in current farming systems.

As part of the GRDC funded MPCN2 (More Profit from Crop Nutrition) program, a review of data in the Better Fertilizer Decisions for Cropping (BFDC) database showed gaps exist for key crops, soils and regions. Most of these gaps relate to crops that are (i) new to cropping regions or are a low proportion of cropped area, i.e. break crops, (ii) emerging nutrient constraints that had previously been adequate in specific soil types and (iii) issues associated with changing nutrient profile distribution. This project (UQ00082) is closing gaps in the BFDC database using replicated trials. Trials have been established on sites selected for nutrient responses and run over multiple years to develop soil test-crop response relationships. By using wheat as a benchmark alongside a break crop, we should be able to extend the relevance of the guidelines beyond the conditions at the trial site.

To study the use of VRT through zoning the paddock based on pre-2008 yield monitor maps, and incorporating EM38 and elevation maps.

To investigate swathing early then harvesting for weed seed collection to evaluate usefulness for farmers in providing another tool for integrated weed management, especially for barley grass that matures and sheds seed before crops ripen.

Barley grass continues to be a major grass weed in cereal cropping regions on the upper Eyre Peninsula (EP). Swathing a cereal crop involves cutting and collecting the cereal crop and weeds into windrows at 20 to 40% grain moisture and allowing it to dry. Having the weed seeds cut and in the windrow before the seed heads shatter and before tillers fall over (lodging), may allow greater weed seed collection when using a chaff cart or windrows. Swathing early then harvesting for weed seed collection needs further evaluation as it may provide farmers with another tool for integrated weed management, especially for barley grass that matures and sheds seed before crops ripen.

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 test if there were potential yield responses and possible money to be gained by increasing fertiliser rates, testing new products and other seeding techniques like fluid fertilisers. 

To test if there were residual effects on grain production from the treatments applied in 2013.

To focus on the impact of trafficking by heavy vehicles on crop production and soil condition, as well as monitoring how quickly LRZ soils will "self-repair" if heavy trafficking is stopped. Issues of implementing CTF and managing permanent wheel tracks are being addressed in other components of the project.

To discuss the critical growth stages for maintaining sound nutrition of crops on Upper EP.

• To assess the crop production and economic outcomes from applying P at nil, replacement, 10 kg P/ha (district practice, DP) and 20 kg P/ha (double district practice, DDP) rates on 2 soil types at Minnipa.

To monitor crop production and economic outcomes from applying P at nil, replacement, average and twice average rates on both a deep sandy loam and a shallow constrained soil.

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 10 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.

To compare current released varieties at two locations on Eyre Peninsula.

To compare current varieties to ones which are not commonly grown in the district, and to compare varieties in soil types and rainfall regions where National Wheat Variety trials are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local Agricultural Bureaux to compare current varieties to ones which are not commonly grown in their respective districts, and to compare varieties in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local Agricultural Bureaux to compare current varieties to ones which are not commonly grown in their respective districts, and to compare varieties in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

The wheat and barley variety demonstrations were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureaus to compare current varieties to potential new varieties in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.

These variety trials were identified as priorities by local agricultural bureau groups to evaluate commonly grown varieties, compare them to newly released varieties and provide further information on varietal performance in soil types and rainfall regions where wheat and barley National Variety Trials (NVT) are not conducted.