Chaff Dump 1- Albany Port Zone WA trials

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Trial	Contributor Funding sources	Year	Trial site

Survey of invertebrate pests and beneficials harbouring in harvest weed seed control system There are three non-burning and non-mechanical techniques most commonly employed in harvest weed seed control (HWSC) systems: chaff dumping, chaff lining and chaff tram-lining. The highest adoption of HWSC is in the GRDC western region with an estimated 67% of all farmers undertaking at least one HWSC strategy in 2014. Chaff dumping is the collection of the chaff fraction using a cart towed behind the harvester. The chaff in the cart is then dumped, usually in piles in the paddock. The chaff is then either burnt, grazed or left to decompose. For chaff lining, the chaff and weed seeds are confined to a row directly behind the harvester using a narrow chute. The chaff and weed seeds are then left to decompose over time. To promote decomposition, the chaff lines need to be placed in the same location year after year by running the harvester on a controlled traffic system (CTF). Chaff tramlining is a similar concept to chaff lining, but the chaff fraction is diverted from the chaff deck onto permanent wheel tracks in a CTF system. Wheel traffic creates a hostile environment that inhibits weed seed germination. There has been a recent system change with more growers opting for leaving chaff in-situ to rot, whether in dumps or in lines, rather than burning. This investigation aimed to better understand invertebrate species and mice associated with these HWSC systems, which to date are poorly understood, in each of the five port zones: Albany, Esperance, Geraldton, Kwinana’s East and West.	Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA GRDC	2019	Chaff Dump 1- Albany Port Zone WA
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