Sandy loam trials

To demonstrate the effectiveness of liquid surfactants and related application methods at seeding on crop performance on non-wetting soils with differing stubble loads and types in the Albany, Esperance and Kwinana West port zones.

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

To conduct trials across CW NSW to provide objective data on the potential for SU and Zn interactions in wheat.

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.

• To investigate the impact of different stubble treatments imposed towards the end of the fallow have on nitrogen response (applied as urea) in wheat yield and quality.
• To evaluate any interaction between pre-sowing stubble treatment and topdressing timing.

To investigate the impact of different stubble treatments (burning, cultivation or standing stubble) imposed towards the end of the fallow have on the yield of wheat and barley, and evaluate any cultivar responses within crop species to the impact of the different stubble treatments.

• To investigate the potential role of reducing inputs to improve gross margins.
• To examine the effect of in crop monitoring using appropriate PA technology to enhance yield.
• To demonstrate to local farmers the potential use of PA tools for crop management.

To evaluate the phenology and grain yield responses of various albus lupin, faba bean, vetch, lentil and chickpea varieties. 

Caring for Our Country funding was obtained to demonstrate the impact of new fungicides for Rhizoctonia suppression by monitoring farmer implement broad acre strips in their current farming systems in 2014.

To evaluate the suitability of different pulse species as break crops for different climatic, soil and biotic stress conditions.

To evaluate the effectiveness of different fungicide strategies for the management of blackspot disease infection in field pea to determine the most appropriate strategy for the southern low rainfall zone.

Onion weed (Asphodelus fistulosusis) is a significant pest of crops and pastures on many soil types on upper EP. Onion weed that germinates in the pasture phase often results in thick stands of large plants that require repeated herbicide application and/or cultivation to control prior to a crop phase. Cultivation prior to sowing is a widespread practice to control the weed and reduce the residues to manageable levels. However, cultivation can expose the soil to erosion.

Onion weed in pastures regularly sets seed prior to the end of the growing season, ensuring the seed bank is replenished and the weed persists in every phase of the rotation. A key strategy to reduce the impact of onion weed, and the need for cultivation, is to reduce growth and seed set in the pasture phase of the rotation. Non-selective herbicides can control actively growing onion weed plants, but pasture growth is also affected.

Previous trials by the UNFS group, MDB NRM, and PIRSA have shown the following herbicides can provide adequate control of onion weed in non-selective situations:

                    Paraquat and double knocks of paraquat

                    Glyphosate plus metsulfuron methyl mixtures (+/- paraquat second knock)

                    Glyphosate plus LVE ester 2,4- D plus metsulfuron methyl,( +/- paraquat second knock)

                    Chlorsulfuron

                    Spray Seed

                    Alliance

This trial was established to investigate herbicide control of autumn/winter germinating onion weed in the pasture phase, while maintaining the productivity of the medic pasture. This trial evaluated the herbicide control of young actively growing onion weed in a vigorous medic pasture. The herbicides, with the exception of paraquat, were chosen to minimise the impact on the medic biomass production.

To examine differences in zinc efficiency between chickpea cultivars.

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 establish which of the following components has the greater effect on yield: liquid, granular or combined liquid/granular forms of fertiliser nitrogen, phosphorus and trace elements, and in-furrow fungicide.

To determine what impact delaying the timing of N applications after growth stage 32 will have on wheat yield and protein, and whether there is an advantage of using solid or liquid fertiliser.

To raise awareness about the increasing occurrence of herbicide resistant wild radish populations in the Wimmera and Mallee and to determine the best management practices for farmers to combat it and reduce its spread.

To evaluate the performance of new and current wheat varieties in the Mallee and Wimmera.

To determine the effectiveness of controlling brome grass seed set with crop-topping short- season cereals sown at different times.

To compare the efficacy of broadleaf selective herbicides to control radish in wheat.

To understand the effects of row spacing and row direction on plant growth, grain yield and pod drop of lentil varieties differeing in architecture and tolerance to pod drop.

To evaluate chickpea varieties and breeding lines against ascochyta blight and their response to foliar fungicide application.

To evaluate the performance of faba bean varieties and breeding lines with drought tolerant traits in low rainfall environments.

To compare the level of herbicide tolerance in PBA Bendoc (an imidazoline tolerant faba bean variety) against the newly released line PBA Amberley (tested as AF11023) to pre and post emergent applications of GpC at various rates.

To investigate the impact of seed size in faba beans on the growth, grain yield and seed quality.

To investigate the stability of the seed size trait in PBA HallmarkXT across generations.

To investigate the implications of novel herbicide toerance traits in field pea on the management of vetch.

To investigate the implications of novel herbicide toerance traits in lentil on the management of vetch.

To investigate the response of new faba bean varieties and genotypes to sowing dates.

To investigate the response of new lentil varieties and genotypes to sowing dates.

To assess the impact of small and large seed size sown to target plant density and kg/ha with different P rates on barley yield and quality.

To evaluate time of sowing and disease management programs on the establishment, biomass development and grain yield of different vetch in comparison with faba bean and field pea.

A series of trials were set up in 2013 at our Inverleigh and Westmere sites to evaluate a range of commercially available varieties of barley that are either grown for malt, grown for feed or varieties that have the potential to be grown for yield but could still be accepted as malt at receivals.

To determine whether maintaining stubble cover in low rainfall environments increases summer moisture conservation, and, to establish the minimum stubble quantity or threshold necessary to ensure maximum moisture conservation over the summer.

To determine the performance of commercial canola varieties in the Wimmera and Mallee.

To determine the best nitrogen and sulphur strategy for wheat grown on sandy soils in the Mallee with a full profile of moisture and a forecast El Nino.

• To compare the competitiveness of new and existing barley varieties in the presence and absence of weeds.
• To increase the competitiveness of a non-competitive variety through sowing time and nitrogen applications in the presence of weeds.

To evaluate a vigorous hybrid canola variety in a low rainfall Mallee environment for its grazing value at different growth stages, and its ability to recover from grazing.

To evaluate the performance of new and current barley varieties in the Mallee and Wimmera.

To compare crop safety of Sakura on two barley varieties (Hindmarsh and Scope) sown at different depths.

To compare the performance of new and current barley varieties at two different harvest times and to determine if delaying harvest compromises yield and grain quality.

To determine the performance of new and current barley varieties in the Wimmera and Mallee

To compare the sprouting susceptibility of new and existing wheat and barley varieties.

To demonstrate Sakura’s commercial fit for efficacy on barley grass and yield compared to the grower’s standard treatment in wheat.

• To measure the productivity and recovery of cereals under simulated grazing regimes.
• To determine the number of times cereals can be grazed without affecting yield.

To compare the performance of older TT canola varieties (Tanami, Cobbler, Crusher and Snapper) under normal growing conditions in the Ballidu region.

To conduct a barley variety trial.

To conduct a canola (Triazine) variety trial.

To investigate the efficiencies of CoRoN, a slow release liquid nitrogen source, on Emu Rock wheat at flag leaf emergence