SARDI Minnipa Agricultural Centre trials

To investigate whether the VRT approach will markedly shift yields and profitability from the levels achieved using blanket inputs across the whole paddock in the Minnipa region.

This article summarises the first season’s wheat performance after increasing severity of trafficking was imposed on a red calcareous sandy loam at Minnipa Agricultural Centre. Three other trials similar in design and monitoring have also been implemented across the LRZ – on a deep sand at Loxton (SA), a brown loam near Swan Hill (Vic) and on a deep red earth at Lake Cargellico (NSW). All these trials will be maintained for at least the five year life of the project.

Farmers in the Kimba area have been producing oaten hay for export for several years. The industry has been expanding, with dedicated storage facilities established in recent years on the outskirts of Kimba. To maximise production and quality, the Buckleboo Farm Improvement Group wanted to identify the best current oaten hay variety for the Kimba area.

To identify the current best oaten hay variety for the Kimba area to maximise production and quality.

To explore the variation of PUE among varieties of wheat across a range of seasons in order to provide farmers with better knowledge of their current varieties.

To compare P efficiency of commonly grown varieties (plus a few new ones) on the upper EP to provide farmers with better knowledge of their current varieties, or select new varieties that may better utilise applied P in a grey calcareous soil.

To address the question, what would happen if a commercial cereal crop was sown at such an early date?

To include a primary trial of breeding material funded by GRDC, at Minnipa, to investigate advanced common vetch lines with specific traits best suited to this region, and enable comparison with other sites in the southern cropping region.

SAGIT trials looking at vetch for a genuine legume break crop option for cereal and mixed farmers in the marginal cropping areas of South Australia were conducted at Piednippie and Minnipa. Other trials were conducted at Morchard, Loxton and Kingsford research centre.

To understand the impact of soil carbon and nitrogen cycling on disease suppression.

This article summarises the first four years of crop performance after trafficking was imposed on a red calcareous sandy loam at Minnipa Agricultural Centre (a detailed summary of 2015, 2016 and 2017 results can be found in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems Summaries, respectively). Three other trials similar in design and monitoring have also been implemented across the LRZ – on a deep sand at Loxton (SA), a brown loam near Swan Hill (Vic) and on a deep red earth at Lake Cargelligo (NSW). All these trials except Swan Hill (land ownership has changed) have been maintained for at least the five years of the project. A new trial was set up in 2018 to investigate the role of CTF on a deep sand which has been ameliorated with deep ripping.

To provide data to assist in decision making of using a cereal for grazing, hay and/or grain based on seasonal conditions, while knowing the relative multipurpose performance of the cereal options.

To understand the impact of soil carbon and nitrogen cycling on Rhizoctonia solani disease suppression.

• To test whether soil fertility and health could be improved under a higher input system compared to a lower input and more traditional system.

To test whether soil health and fertility can be improved under a higher carbon input system with or without grazing.

To test whether general soil health and fertility can be increased under a higher carbon input system with well managed grazing.

The effect of combinations of crop row spacing, seedbed utilisation and preemergence herbicides on ryegrass management in barley

To report on 'think tank' responses to the following quesitons:
• How do you increase your crop water use efficiency?
• How do you maximise profit?
• How can you find more leisure time?

To assess barley grass weed seed capture by swathing and weed seed capture in chaff dumps after harvest, to determine how effective these practices can be in contributing towards an IWM program for barley grass on upper Eyre Peninsula.

Barley grass is now one of the top 10 weeds of Australian cropping in terms of area infested, crop yield loss and revenue loss (Llewellyn et al. 2016). Barley grass has 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.

Through recent GRDC investment, the research project ‘Demonstrating and validating the implementation of integrated weed management strategies to control barley grass in the low rainfall zone farming systems’ (hereby referred to as GRDC Low Rainfall Barley Grass) has commenced. An initial grower survey of current practice and attitudes towards barley grass was undertaken in 2019 to be used as the baseline to assess changes in grower attitudes and any change in practices after the completion of the three-year project.

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

To demonstrate the impact of different stubble management techniques on soil biota activity and nutrition demands would be monitored using the same fertiliser applications in crop and by comparing yields. In subsequent years the effect of different treatments will be monitored.

To evaluate variable rate technology using low, standard and high seed and fertiliser inputs on 3 soils zoned as of poor, medium and good production potential from a pre-2008 yield monitor, EM38 and elevation maps.

To investigate the potential non-chemical options for managing barley grass in a crop is increasing crop competition by reducing row spacing and increasing sowing rate. 

To investigate the potential non-chemical options for managing barley grass in a crop is increasing crop competition by reducing row spacing and increasing sowing rate.

The aim of this project (SAGIT S914) was to:

• Provide a genuine legume break crop option for cereal and mixed farmers in the marginal cropping areas of South Australia. Focusing on Western Eyre Peninsula, the Upper North and the Murray lands/Mallee.
• Trial advanced common vetch lines with specific targeted traits in replicated trials in these regions of South Australia for assessment of potential new releases.
• Validate the benefits and potential of common vetch in the targeted areas.
• Provide farmers with high yielding alternative vetch varieties that are well adapted to sandy-alkaline soils in low rainfall environments.

Russian Wheat Aphid (RWA) was first reported in 2016 in South Australia (SA), and has since been detected widely throughout Victoria, and in New South Wales (NSW) as far north as Coonamble and as far east as Tamworth.  It has not been detected in Queensland or Western Australia.

As part of the GRDC investment “Russian Wheat Aphid Risk Assessment and Regional Thresholds”, field trials were run at Minnipa for the second year through the Minnipa Agricultural Centre team. The purpose of these trials was to look into the level of natural infestation of cereal crops, and the effect of high RWA populations (obtained through artificial inoculation) on aphid and symptom dynamics and yield loss. This trial was one of a suite of trials undertaken in SA, Victoria, Tasmania, and NSW over 2018 and 2019, and contributes to a larger dataset.

The aim of the trial reported here was to determine the risk of RWA infestation in cereal crops in the Minnipa area in 2019 and observe the effect of high aphid numbers achieved through artificial inoculation on crop development and yield.

To investigate the impact of row direction and row spacing on grass weed competition and ceral performance over three years.

Controlling barley grass in upper EP farming systems is becoming a major issue for growers, due to the development of herbicide resistance and delayed weed emergence. Management options other than herbicides need to be considered to address the issue for long-term sustainability. One of the best bets for cultural control of barley grass in-crop may be increased crop competition. The Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (ARHI) based at University of Western Australia has shown an increase in grain yield with wheat and barley sown in an east–west (E-W) orientation over crops sown in a north-south (N-S) orientation due to a decrease in ryegrass competition. This effect is due to lower light interception by the weed due to the crop row orientation resulting in a decrease in weed seed (Borger, 2015).

A trial was established at Minnipa Agricultural Centre to investigate the impact of row direction and row spacing on weed competition and cereal performance over twoyears. The previous season’s research is reported in Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems Summary 2015, Row orientation and weed competition, p163.

To investigate the effects of row direction, row spacing and stubble cover on grain yield and quality.

To investigate the effects of row direction, row spacing and stubble cover on grain yield and quality.

To determine if disease suppression against rhizoctonia is achievable in an upper EP environment on a grey highly calcareous soil. It also assessed whether soil microbial populations can be influenced by rotation and fertiliser inputs in this environment.

To see how the commonly grown varieties with a range of maturities respond to seasonal conditions, soil type and sowing time, i.e. to evaluate how they can best fit into the farming system.

To provide early feed for stock in autumn, a time of year when pastures haven’t established properly, and get ewes and lambs out of the confinement feedlot and onto good quality feed as soon as possible.

• To compare very early maturing feed and malting barley lines selected from the University of Adelaide Barley Program advanced yield trials.
• To compare these varieties with other adapted and current varieties, and to evaluate their specific adaptation to the upper EP environment.

To further evaluate variable rate sowing as a tool to improve profitability in low rainfall upper EP farming systems, this broad acre trial
began in 2008 and has continued through to 2010.

To manage risk through variable rate technology using different inputs over variable soil types and testing the use of Yield Prophet to match plant available water and nutrition with modelling of climatic conditions, knowing that we can have unpredictable finishes to seasons.

To investiage management of risk through tailoring inputs to the different production zones
potential by using variable rate technology.

At Wharminda the focus is on managing risk through variable rate technology (VRT) using different inputs over variable soil
types.

To manage risk through variable rate technology using different inputs over variable soil types and testing the use of Yield Prophet to match plant available water and nutrition with modelling of climatic conditions, knowing that we can have unpredictable finishes to seasons.

To investiage management of risk through tailoring inputs to the different production zones potential
by using variable rate technology.

To manage risk through tailoring inputs to the different production zones potential by using variable rate technology.

To manage risk through variable rate technology using different inputs over variable soil types and testing the use of Yield Prophet to match plant available water and nutrition with modelling of climatic conditions, knowing that we can have unpredictable finishes to seasons.

To address the issues of canola being a high risk crop in low rainfall areas two experiments were established in 2015, at Minnipa (upper Eyre Peninsula) and Ouyen (Victorian Mallee). Only Minnipa results are reported here.

This trial is part of the GRDC funded Optimising Canola Profitability Project currently underway across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia (CSP00187).

To develop improved AB disease control management strategies through the use of fungicides.

To develop predictive formulas that can be used by growers to estimate in-season soil moisture at different depths and crop nutrient content from proximal sensing (PS) data.

This research was done to develop predictive formulas that can be used by growers to estimate in-season soil nutrients from soil samples taken at different depths and crop nutrient content from proximal sensing (PS) data.

The upper Eyre Peninsula (UEP) is a challenging environment for growers, due to the irregular rainfall patterns which are coupled with lower soil fertility. Additionally, calcareous soils with poor structure and low water holding capacity provide additional restrictions for plant growth, as growers currently use granular fertilisers which require good soil moisture conditions to enable the uptake of nutrients. Topsoils from calcareous soils may dry quickly after rain events, which may explain poor water use and nutrient extraction efficiency.

PS technologies have the potential to support grower’s nutrient management decisions by monitoring in-season soil and crop water and nutrient content (Allen et al. 2017, Arsego et al. 2017). PS uses a wide range of wavelengths to predict soil and crop nutritional status in a non-destructive, quick, and inexpensive way. PS technology is mostly limited to laboratory use. The development of small, portable PS devices may allow the use of this technology in farm paddocks in the near future. In this study, we combined different UEP trials to develop predictive models for PS for crop nitrogen, crop nutrient content and soil moisture.

To determine the comparative performance of alternative crops and pastures as pest and disease breaks in an intensive cereal phase. In low rainfall regions of south-eastern Australia broad-leaf crops make up only a very small proportion of the total area of sown crops. 

To determine the comparative performance of alternative crops and pastures as pest and disease breaks in an intensive cereal phase. 

To determine the optimum ratio of peas and canola for grain yield, profitability and post harvest ground cover.

To assess a range of commercial rhizobia inoculant products, application strategies and sowing times to provide growers with recommendations that ensures adequate nodulation and nitrogen fixation in dry sown crops.