2017 trials

To provide growers and advisers with a better understanding of the benefits of deep ripping and in particular depth of deep ripping required to optimise crop yield and profit.

This project aimed to explore different management strategies to overcome copper deficiency in cereals. The project compared the effectiveness of copper sulfate and copper chelate applied either as liquids banded at seeding or as a foliar spray. The project also evaluated the effect of different timings of application of the foliar sprays and their efficiency.
This project aimed to benefit local and South Australian farmers by establishing an independent best practice management guide for copper applications for the future.

The ‘Good Clover Bad Clover’ project is a three-year project that commenced in April 2017 and aims to increase awareness of the potential issues and improve management strategies to deal with oestrogenic clover.

To determine how quickly our lime-sands work.

Research on the mainland has shown that sowing lentils in the inter-row in wheat stubble encourages the plant to grow taller in pursuit of sunlight, enabling easier harvest for what is normally a short crop. Although broad beans can be a tall crop, the bottom pods contain the largest beans as these set the earliest and thus have the longest time to fill. However, in many cases these large seeded pods are too close to the ground for the harvester to pick up and yet it’s these big beans that are worth the most.

Like the lentil story above, local farmers are curious as to whether the height of the previous year’s wheat stubble may influence the distance from the ground of the first pod. There was also contemplation as to whether the stubble height had an effect on disease incidence in the bean crop.

To report on the 2016/17 Agriculture Kangaroo Island (AgKI) funding supported through Natural Resources Kangaroo Island and PIRSA to assist landholders to undertake soil testing on their properties and provide interpretation of soil test results.

To determine whether ryegreass or clover are the best fit for Kangaroo Island in terms of heading date and seasonal growth patterns.

To determine whether clover or ryegrass is the best fit for Kangaroo Island in terms of heading date and seasonal growth patterns.

To report on Simon Veitch's liming program.

The mapping of soil pH and nutrients across a paddock enables landholders to accurately determine application rates of lime and fertiliser. This can reduce the need for blanket applications, which are both time-consuming and expensive.

To report on the Stanton's “current strategy to set up a rotation of liming approximately one fifth of the total land base or about 300ha per year to assist in budgeting".

To share Tim Buck's story about using technology to make better farming decisions.

To report on the Paxton's efforts to “to keep the soil pH above 5, we know if we don’t, we start losing production”. 

To report on Alan’s aim to lime 20% of the farm each year and reprot that now, five years later, that aim is just about achieved. 

This was the second year of a three-year trial, funded by the South Australian Grains Industry Trust (SAGIT), to evaluate the nitrogen fixation capabilities of various legume species commonly grown on Kangaroo Island.

In this second year, the trial was set up to answer the following questions:

• Which of the four legume species had fixed the most nitrogen (N) in the 2016 season?
• How much N did these legume crops fix?
• How much of the N fixed by the legume was utilised by the following crop? Concurrently, how much N was lost through leaching or denitrification?

The aim of this trial was to to compare commercial faba bean rhizobia inoculant with new acid tolerant strains from SARDI and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), WA.

This project will provide information on within-paddock variation in soil pH and related soil properties, in different regions of the High Rainfall Zone (HRZ).  To do this, we will map the horizontal and vertical variations in soil pH across 10 cropping paddocks in the Victorian HRZ. This will demonstrate to farmers how soil pH varies spatially and the economic benefits of targeting management of soil acidity to different zones within each paddock.

To assess the impact of deep ripping and spading on crop yield across three different soil types near Quairading, WA.

To assess the impact of deep ripping on crop yield in a gravelly loam soil type near Muradup, WA.

To assess the impact of deep ripping on crop yield across varying sites on a farm near Nyabing, WA.

To assess the impact of deep ripping on crop yield in different soil types and production zones near Beverley, WA.

To assess the impact of deep ripping on barley and canola yield on sand over gravel and deep sand soil types in the South Stirling area of WA.

To assess the impact of deep ripping on wheat yield in a sand over gravel soil type near Northam, WA.

To compare and showcase the broad range of strategic tillage options for amelioration of yellow sandplain soils and to assess their effectiveness at overcoming a range of soil constraints including non-wetting soil surface, compaction and subsoil acidity and increasing crop productivity.

To assess the yield response in barley, canola and lupins to deep ripping over a three year period (2015 – 2017) near Broomehill, WA.

To assess the yield response to deep ripping depth on a productive sand plain near Kojaneerup, WA.

To determine the ROI from using a stripper front compared to a draper front.

To determine the ROI from using a stripper front compared to a draper front.

To investigate the suitability of new and pre-release winter wheat varieties to the Wimmera and Mallee, and define their optimal time of sowing.

To determine the most effective application timing of PGRs to two barley varieties, and at what yield potential their application is economical.

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 determine how long statice persists in the seedbank and to investigate the effect of crop and fallow rotations on statice control.

To determine the nutrient loss from stubbles of various crop types following summer rainfall.

To compare the competitive ability of new and existing barley varieties in the presence and absence of weeds.

• Investigate the best practice foliar fungicide management for barley on barley rotations and STNB control in barley cv. Scope.
• Better understand the interactions of STNB, stubble and fungicides on the impact of disease, yield and profitability of barley on barley rotations.
• Investigate if higher levels of STNB are associated with head loss pre-harvest.

The aim of this project is for the Corrigin Farm Improvement Group (CFIG) to compare the profitability of a range of crop rotations, including chemical fallowing, on a medium textured, loamy soil type east of Corrigin. Gross returns are assessed both on an annual basis and on an accumulative multi-year basis.

This project was designed to test the relative benefit of chemical fallow with a range of different crop types. The trial compared different crop types on chemical fallow with the aim to identify which crop is likely to produce the highest return. The project also aims to investigate the profitability of different rotations over multiple years which include both chemical fallows and continuous crop.

To explore whether sowing canola into legume stubble can reduce N fertiliser requirement and provide a risk management strategy.

To investigate the dynamics of N in stubble-retained systems. 

• To determine if retaining canola seed leads to reduced yield, oil and financial return.

• To determine if early sown canola benefits from seed dressings in low rainfall environments.

1. To see if matching canola and lupin variety maturity to sowing time would increase yields
2. To compare the time of sowing response of canola and narrow leaf lupin

To demonstrate various long and short-term management options to mitigate water repellent soils in the Corrigin area in 2017

To investigate the economic return of spraying fungicide for spot type net blotch in barley in the eastern wheatbelt.

• How will the barley and wheat perform side by side after a serradella phase?
• How much N do we need to apply to each crop type after a serradella phase, and which is the most profitable?
• Will there be Imazethapyr residue from April 2017, and will it affect the non-CL® variety?

To determine environmental triggers that initiate movement, feeding and formation of the albumen gland in small conical snails.

To monitor the presence of soilborne disease levels in the farming system following the legume pasture, Sothis.

Evaluate the efficacy of chaff lining as a weed seed management tool within the Northen Agri Group in the Geraldton port zone 

This research aims to evaluate the yield and economic benefits of using the Reefinator on ironstone sheet soils in the Lake Grace area.

Assess the yield impact of different summer spray application timings at four trials in March 2017, following a widespread summer rainfall event.

To determine the effect of common district nutrition packages in Merredin on crown rot index (incidence x severity) of wheat and barley varieties.