2021 trials

This trial was designed as a scoping study to investigate various aspects of long coleoptile wheat relative to WA farming systems for eventual grower integration. However, this report outlines both observations as well as extensive data that was collected and analysed, despite the original aim of the trail to be more investigatory than data-driven in nature.
The main area of research was investigating the novel Rht18 gene in wheat, which allows for an elongated coleoptile: a protective sheath around the emerging shoot from a seed. Mace/Scepter typically have 40-60 mm coleoptiles (depending on environmental factors). New varieties developed by CSIRO with the Rht18 gene can extend to 12-140 mm by comparison.

This 2-year project has assessed long coleoptile wheat applications to farming systems in WA across emergence, establishment, weed competition, rhizoctonia impacts, herbicide interactions and yield. Extension across sites has aided in discussions with growers and areas requiring further study for integration to grower systems. While investigatory in nature, 2022 trials outlined in this report aimed to be more data driven in nature than trials conducted in 2021.

The two-year scoping study aimed to achieve the following objectives for investigate various aspects of long coleoptile wheat relative to WA farming systems for eventual grower integration:
• Extend long coleoptile findings and discussions to growers across agricultural regions of Western Australia
• Quantify differences in emergence from deep and shallow sown varieties with varying coleoptile lengths.
• Investigate emergence through furrow fill from wind and rain events.
• Investigate emergence from uneven soil platforms, such as from deep-ripping
• Investigate emergence through both low and high soil temperatures.
• Explore biomass and vigour differences between varieties with and without the Rht18 gene.
• Quantify differences in annual ryegrass competition and wheat vigour interactions with grass weeds.
• Explore herbicide interactions across depths of sowing to investigate crop safety and ways of adjusting/changing IBS and EPE herbicides.
• Explore rhizoctonia wheat root infection between depths of sowing.
• Analyse grain yield of various varieties and coleoptile lengths, including Rht18 wheat.

Barley grass is becoming an increasingly problematic weed in Western Australia. A GRDC funded project sought to increase adoption of integrated weed management tactics for barley grass, by working with grower groups to develop regionally appropriate rotations for optimal control.

A survey indicated that in growers in the northern wheatbelt felt that barley grass was most likely to be a major problem in pasture, and a common response is use of Group A herbicide to remove grass in pasture. However, given how easy it is to develop Group A resistance, the group wanted to investigate other chemical and non-chemical options in pasture, as well as the impact of late seeding and pre-emergent herbicide for barley grass control in crop.

This three year trial aimed to investigate slashing and spray topping in pasture in 2019, and then time of sowing and pre-emergent herbicides in wheat in 2020 and canola in 2021.

Native budworm actively feeding on cereals has not been an issue for growers or industry in the past, and considering the recent detections, growers and western region industry networks have voiced that they would like support on this issue, especially regarding sampling techniques and spray thresholds. To achieve this, we investigated this new behavioural trend and the population numbers required to cause economic yield losses to determine if and when management is required in non-traditional cereal hosts.

Through pheromone-based moth trapping, crop inspections, glasshouse trials and a field cage trial, we investigated the behaviour of H. punctigera moths and larvae on, and potential economic damage to, wheat in the northern grainbelt of Western Australia. 

Barley grass is becoming an increasingly problematic weed in Western Australia. A GRDC funded project sought to increase the adoption of integrated weed management tactics for barley grass, by working with grower groups to develop regionally appropriate rotations for optimal control. 

Barley grass at high density reduces crop yield. However, GRDC project UA00156 (Seed bank ecology of emerging weeds) has highlighted that barley grass ecotypes in Western Australia are often short, and are likely to be highly sensitive to crop competition. Initial control with pre-emergent herbicides combined with high seeding rates in cereal crops may be sufficient to control this species.

This trial aimed to investigate pre-emergent herbicides and high-density crop seeding in barley crops. The trial was run in two separate fields in 2020 and 2021, on a single farm.

• Conduct 197 in-paddock surveys in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 to identify the composition of summer weed species present across the GRDC Western region covering the 6 eco-agricultural zones.
• expand the understanding of WA’s current in-paddock summer weed flora
• better inform possible future initiatives on identification and management of summer weeds

The trial aims to explore management options for non-wetting soils in the Albany port zone.

Conventional methods of managing non-wetting soils involve mechanical disturbance to mix non-wetting particles with wettable particles. This trial explores the best options for placement of wetters, and wetter types for managing non-wetting soils.

Eleven treatments of differing placements and rates, as well as three seed placements were explored and analysed in this trial.

Two market available wetting agents were tested in this trial, SECOA’s SE14 and BASF Devine.

This trial aims to assist growers in making informed decisions around the construction of sub-surface drainage to reduce the impacts of waterlogging on crop production and farm profitability. By 2024, 45% of growers whose properties are affected by waterlogging will have a good understanding of the yield benefits and time to return on investment of installation of on-farm sub-surface drainage and ability to implement on-farm.

This project sought to maximise the profitability of barley in the northern Geraldton Port Zone by providing information to growers to allow them to make informed decisions around barley variety choice, sowing time, in season management and management of their rotations in order to maximise barley productivity and improve the overall profitability of their farming business.

The project sort to answer specific questions of -

Do barley’s have specific adaptation which can be exploited.

Can varieties attain malt quality in the Geraldton Port zone.

Do variety maturity and planting times influence yield and grain quality, particularly with early sowing opportunities.

Does barley out yield wheat, sown early, or sown late.

Was barley profitable compared to wheat.

Can early sowing of short season varieties provide a maturity window and low risk option to avoid late season hot/dry finishes and produce a profitable yield.

To gather data on barley performance when late sowing on ameliorated soils. Can barley provide a more profitable option than wheat for late sowing on ameliorated soils?

Gain a better understanding of nitrogen management with different rotations or soil types (including soil amelioration) for barley yield with feed quality and for malt production.

Did barleys differ in their response to nitrogen.

Can early sowing and fertilising for high yield feed deliveries be more profitable than wheat.

Did project sample an adequate range of seasons.

Barley grass is becoming an increasingly problematic weed in Western Australia. A GRDC funded project sought to increase the adoption of integrated weed management tactics for barley grass, by working with grower groups to develop regionally appropriate rotations for optimal control.

A survey indicated that growers in the southern lakes region of Western Australia often had pasture as the main rotation choice after cereal. In contrast to other areas of the wheat belt, some growers in this region considered barley grass a valuable (early) feed in pasture as well as a weed in crops. However, growers found that barley grass could have a large impact on crop yield. Growers were interested in either controlling barley grass or suppressing barley grass in crops while allowing it to survive in pasture.

Most group members felt their barley grass was resistant to herbicides (especially low-level resistance to Group A, Targa^®). However, growers were unwilling to stop using Targa^®, even if efficiency was reduced against barley grass, as it effectively controlled other grass weeds. Growers wanted to pair Targa^® with other products in the pasture to kill barley grass, and then control surviving barley grass in crop with best practice pre-seeding herbicides.

The trial aimed to investigate pasture barley grass control in 2019, pre-emergent herbicides in barley in 2020 and oats in 2021.

Barley grass is becoming an increasingly problematic weed in Western Australia. A GRDC funded project sought to increase the adoption of integrated weed management tactics for barley grass, by working with grower groups to develop regionally appropriate rotations for optimal control.

A survey indicated that in the central-eastern wheatbelt, barley grass is mainly an issue in pasture. While barley grass also grows in crops, it is rarely the most prominent cropping weed. The KDG group aimed to investigate grass selective herbicides and late-season control in pasture, and pre-emergent herbicides in-crop, to find the best combination of practices that would control barley grass while also removing other grass weed species in a three-year rotation.

The trial aimed to investigate Group 1 herbicides and spray topping in 2019, pre-emergent herbicides and knockdowns in 2020 and Group 2 herbicides and spray topping in 2021.

Understanding return on investment of sub-surface water management options for waterlogged areas in the Western Region.

This investment aims to assist growers in making informed decisions around construction of drainage to reduce the impacts of waterlogging on crop production and farm profitability. This will be achieved through grower participation in the planning, development, monitoring and maintenance of the drainage installation trial sites. Data (cost of implementation/ maintenance, water movement, establishment, biomass, yield etc.) from within the zone of influence of the drainage and outside this zone at each site will be collected 
over time to give growers a better understanding of the improvements in yield and time to return on investment at each site. 

To compare efficacy of new and old herbicides and herbicide mixtures for broadleaf weed control in chickpea.

We aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of using clean seed and seed applied fungicide to minimise the amount of Ascochyta in a chickpea crop, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of early season foliar fungicides to keep disease levels at bay.

Demonstrate the effectiveness of different fungicide timing options on chocolate spot management and evaluate a new spray decision support tool.

Determine the effect of fungicide management strategies on disease control (primarily blackleg and sclerotinia), grain yield and profitability in 45Y28 RR (moderately resistant, blackleg group BC) and HyTTec Trifecta (Resistant, blackleg group ABD).

To examine the suitability of elite commercial and unreleased spring cultivars for hyper yielding regions

To determine the response to increased crop inputs (fungicide and nitrogen) of a range of spring canola variety types.

To determine the response to increased crop inputs (fungicide and nitrogen) of a range of winter canola variety types.

To determine optimum nitrogen nutrient management for hyper yielding spring canola.

To determine optimum plant density for hyper yielding spring canola

There is growing interest from growers in southern Western Australia around the opportunities that long season wheats can provide them in a mixed or 100% cropping farming enterprise. The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate to growers the agronomic and enterprise fit and associated benefits of including a long season wheat into their rotation and to encourage the adoption through the farmer scale demonstrations and economic analysis

The project will demonstrate time of sowing, best available varieties suited to the areas of the demonstration sites and season permitting, the opportunity for grazing without yield penalty. It is worth noting the 2020 season did not allow the opportunity to graze any of the demonstrations.  The project will also provide practical guidelines or agronomic packages for production of long season wheat in the medium to high rainfall zones of South Western Australia. The key outcomes of this project are:

• Demonstrate the yield potential of different long season wheat varieties relative to spring wheat varieties with an early sowing window
• Develop economic analysis comparing long season and spring wheat varieties and time of sowing regarding yield to assist producers in making informed decisions
• Begin the development of an agronomic package on growing long season wheats, time of sowing, seeding rates and fertiliser application and timing will be examined within this project.
• Develop protocols around the importance of time of sowing for long season wheat varieties that are best suited to different areas within southern Western Australia
• Where seasonal conditions allow, demonstrate the ability of sowing long season wheats to manage the feed gap in Autumn and winter through crop grazing with having minimal yield penalty

The trials aim was to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of mid-row banding (MRB) nitrogen, to improve N use efficiency and yields.

The trial involved both a small plot trial at South Stirlings and a broadacre site at Kendenup. 

The broadscale trial contained two treatments where 125kg/ha of Urea was applied at seeding. Treatment one was via MRB, treatment two was via top-dressing.

The small plot trial contained 6 treatments, which had a N application seeding and at tillering. Treatment 1, MRB 125kg/ha Urea at seeding & MRB 100L/ha of flexi N at tillering. Treatment 2, MRB 125kg/ha Urea at seeding & Top-dressing 100L/ha of Flexi N at tillering. Treatment 3, Top-dressing 125kg/ha Urea at seeding & MRB 100L/ha of flexi N at tillering. Treatment 4, Top-dressing 125kg/ha Urea at seeding & Top-dressing 100L/ha of Flexi N at tillering. Treatment 5, nil Urea at seeding, & MRB 100L/ha of flexi N at tillering. Treatment 6, Nil Urea & Top-dressing 100L/ha of Flexi N at tillering. 

This investment aimed to locally validate previous R&D investment relating to spring sown crops (albeit include newer crop types and varieties where suitable), building local grower and adviser knowledge to inform decisions when managing excess soil moisture. It aimed to provide production and economic information from both farm-scale demonstrations and a small plot trial to inform good business decisions in regard to spring/summer sown crops.

The trials evaluated the crop performance on a range of metrics to provide a thorough assessment of summer crops, and the role they can play in agronomic systems, and the potential they have to reduce the waterlogging risk.

GRDC Outcome:

By February 2023, 20% of Western Region Growers who farm in areas with a medium to high-risk of regular waterlogging will have built the knowledge and confidence to profitably sow a crop in spring or summer on paddocks were winter crops/pastures have failed due to excessive waterlogging or where soil moisture levels permit in future years.

To achieve this outcome, Stirlings to Coast Farmers (SCF) worked with a number of other Grower Groups to ensure the key learnings of the trial were broadly and successfully extended to growers in the Great Southern Region of WA.

• To better define the sowing and flowering window of lentil and chickpea in WA.
• To evaluate the response of released and near-release lentil lines to a wide range of sowing times.
• To determine if chickpea lines being developed have improved cold tolerance.

To determine the optimum sowing date and variety combinations to maximise yield and quality of wheat in WA.

To determine whether macronutrient supply (phosphorus, potassium, sulfur) becomes limiting as canola growers target high yields with high nitrogen rates in the high rainfall zone of WA.

To investigate whether residual soil nutrition from canola grown with high fertiliser inputs should influence nutrition strategies in the following wheat crop.

To examine the phenology, disease resistance and standing power of new barley germplasm established in the traditional late April sowing window relative to current practice.

To develop profitable and sustainable approaches to disease management in HRZ barley.

To examine the yield potential of new winter and spring germplasm grown under HYC Management packages against spring and winter controls in the traditional late April/early May sowing window.

To increase yield of barley in the high rainfall zone with improvements in barley crop management that considers all aspects of canopy management (genotype, PGR, Fungicide, Nitrogen, and Defoliaton).

To assess the value of PGRs with delayed harvest in HRZ regions for its effect on grain yield losses due to harvest timing, lodging, head loss and brackling.

To assess the value of higher nutrition input for barley

Barley grass is one of the major weeds in the southern region. Many southern growers think their barley grass is resistant to grass selective herbicides and may have developed late germination to avoid pre-seeding herbicides. In this area, barley grass is a major problem in pastures, and often in break crops as well.

The trial aims to investigate pre-emergent herbicides in wheat in 2019, crop density and post-emergent herbicides in barley in 2020, and pre-emergent herbicides and grass selective herbicides in vetch in 2021.

The goal of the project was for grain growers in the Western Region to understand the current level of grain losses (tonnes and cost) from harvesters, for all of the major grain crops in Western Australia and understand where these losses occur. Growers will be able to calculate acceptable losses irrespective of varying yield levels.

To compare two chickpea varieties for their competitiveness against broadleaf weeds and evaluate efficacy of new and old herbicides and herbicide mixtures for broadleaf weed control in chickpea.

We aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of using clean seed and seed applied fungicide to minimise the amount of Ascochyta in a chickpea crop, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of early season foliar fungicides to keep disease levels at bay.

We plan to demonstrate a range both peat and granular inoculant options for chickpeas, placement of these products with seed vs. with fertiliser, and the interactions of these products with seed applied fungicide.

By 2023, growers will have increased the value of the cropping phase in the HRZ farming system by 10% by addressing both crop yield potential and the gap between potential and realised yields.

To compare efficacy of new and old herbicides and herbicide mixtures for broadleaf weed control in chickpea.

We aim to determine if faba beans in the high rainfall zone respond to high rates of phosphorus, in-crop nitrogen and/or a complete/intensive nutritional and disease management package.

We aim to compare the current recommended WA fungicide spray strategy with the more regular fungicide applications common in other states, and with a spray timing based on canopy humidity and temperature to determine if this could be a useful decision support tool by West Australian growers.

To investigate the effect of variety and sowing rate on grain yield in spring-sown chickpeas

To investigate the effect of variety and sowing rate on grain yield in spring-sown faba beans

To assess the impact of waterlogging damage on faba bean growth and grain yield.

To explore the economic response to fungicide inputs in faba beans with contrasting genetic resistance and differing canopy sizes.

To investigate the effect of sowing date on current commercial varieties of faba beans, and to identify alternative phenological traits to improve yield and seasonal risk management.

To investigate the relative contributions of biomass and phenology to faba bean grain yield

To investigate the effect of light penetration and canopy structure on pod-set and grain yield.