2023 trials

To investigate barley management options to close the yield gap and reduce pre-harvest losses

This investment will deliver a series of field trials and extension activities to reduce the yield gap between attainable yield and water limited yield potential in barley in the low – medium rainfall zones alongside virtual trial treatments derived by crop models to determine new attainable yield benchmarks for barley growers.

The aim of this project is to improve the capacity of growers to identify and manage subsurface acidity on the Northern Yorke Peninsula. Soil testing and pH mapping for acidity has become common practice in the district. However, this sampling and mapping has focused on the top 0-10 cm of soil. Recent reports and preliminary work have confirmed an acidic band of soil is often occurring at the 5-15 cm depth and beyond in certain soil types.

There are two main components to this project:

• Spatially identifying subsurface acidity by validating the relationship between soil pH and EC (electrical conductivity).
• Develop best management practices for lime amelioration to manage subsurface acidity.

To compare proactive v reactive AB management strategies for chickpeas in a low rainfall environment

To assess the effect of seed size on establishment, yield and yield components

NGN Comparing barley yield gap and pre-harvest losses under water limiting and non-water limiting conditions.

This investment will deliver a series of field trials and extension activities to reduce the yield gap between attainable yield and water limited yield potential in barley in the low – medium rainfall zones alongside virtual trial treatments derived by crop models to determine new attainable yield benchmarks for barley growers.

To assess strategies for reducing pre harvest losses in lentil

To assess fungicide strategies for BGM control

To develop sustainable management guidelines for Beans

To assess (1) yield loss from disease infection in faba bean, (2) economics of disease control strategies, (3) disease infection risk under different crop canopies

To assess (1) yield loss and grain quality from disease infection in lentil, (2) economics of disease control strategies, (3) disease infection risk under different crop canopies

1) to assess field pea variety production performance in the low rainfall zone
2) to assess field pea production, and weed suppression when field pea are sown at different sowing rates

To investigiate if variety phenology has an impact on frost damage in a high risk frost zone

To investigiate if variety phenology has an impact on frost damage in a medium risk frost zone 

To determine if mixing cereal varieites with differing maturing will help reduce risk of crop failure in a high risk zone. 

To determine if mixing cereal varieites with differing maturing will help reduce risk of crop failure in a moderate risk zone. 

To determine if the application of soil ameloration,  extra nutritional treatments or treatments that will disrupt ice nucleating bacteria will reduce frost damage in a high risk zone.

To determine if the application of soil ameloration,  extra nutritional treatments or treatments that will disrupt ice nucleating bacteria will reduce frost damage in a high risk zone.

(1)  Can we exclude IMI application and get same level of BLW control in lentil
(2) Validating improved herbicide strategies to achieve effective control of grass and broadleaf weeds in lentil

To assess the ground cover and legacies of pulses in rotation

To determine how productive and profitable high value pulse crops are on soils that have been ameliorated. Paddock scale demonstration. Possibly with small plot demonstrations of weed control options on ameliorated soils. 

1. Improve herbicide rotation strategy with a focus on reducing selection pressure and dependence on imidazolinone (IMI) herbicides.
2. Compare the level of weed control achieved with low and high inputs of non-IMI herbicides when used at their own or in combination with IMI herbicides.

To demonstrate crop saftey and weed control benefits of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) pulse crop systems (Variety x Herbicide)

Assess the impact of time of rolling on pre-em herbicide safety and weed control

To improve lentil establishment, biomass production and yield by soil amelioration and or lime application on Mallee sands

This project aims to establish field sites which demonstrate amelioration techniques that growers can use to address the specific sandy soil constraints for their local landscape type and where in the landscape different tactics are best deployed.  

The objective of this trial is to demonstrate that growing canola (with effective weed control options) followed by a high value legume (with higher economic value) can lead to an effective and profitable double break crop sequence. The contribution of an early sowing date versus a traditional sowing date to increase the profitability of these crops will also be evaluated.

This project will determine the economic value of growing canola followed by a high value legume, and the impact of this rotation on the grain yield and profitability of a cereal crop in the first year following the double break crop sequence.

The objective of the four small plot trials is to provide statistically sound data that will inform farmer and consultant decision making in years of early waterlogging, where they are considering late sown cereals as an option. The trials will be professionally implemented and managed by industry best practice standards to ensure the data is reliable. The implementation of four trial sites also ensures the data generated is locally relevant to farmers right along the South Coast of WA.  

GRDC Project Outcome:

By March 2024, All Western Region growers and advisers will have access to trial information on late winter to early spring sown cereals (wheat and barley) on the south coast of WA to assist in making educated decisions to sow at this time when waterlogging presents and cereal crops cannot be sown at the traditional time or for other reasons that may present for a later sowing opportunity such as weed issues or poor crop establishment.

Assess the response of lentil and lupin to nutrition across variable soil types within a paddock

To assess (1) yield loss from disease infection in lentil, (2) economics of disease control strategies

To assess management options for improving harvestability and/or reducing pod loss in lentil

assess lentil variety production performance in the low rainfall zone

assess lentil variety production performance in the low rainfall zone

To assess the effect of seed size on establishment, yield and yield components

To improve knowledge of Rosinweed and Star of Bethlehem biology in grain growing regions of western Victoria and collect preliminary evidence of effective control options for further validation and extension.

This research aims to trial and demonstrate different management practices which could be used by growers to ameliorate saline soil patches:

1) Amending soil with sand, straw or gypsum - application of amendments to the soil surface can improve crop emergence by reducing evaporation leading to more soil moisture, or by reducing the moisture required to germinate a seed by increasing the sand content of the soil surface. Gypsum was also included to increase the amount of calcium relative to the level of sodium (salt) and address sodicity in the longer-term.  

2) Selecting crop types/varieties – to investigate the differences in crop performance on saline soils between crop types and varieties with improved salt tolerance.

This investment is designed help build growers’ confidence and address gaps in knowledge relating to the agronomic management of recently ameliorated soils in the upper South East of South Australia. The project will include a three-year series of trials, soil characterisations, pit demonstrations and associated extension activities to:

• improve the agronomic management of ameliorated soils to the newlyestablished yield potential;
• reduce risks related to crop establishment and wind erosion in theamelioration transition phase; and
• improve understanding of soil physical and chemical properties andcharacterisation of PAW, and identification nutrition and soil constraintlimitations in ameliorated soil and how soil settles over the transitionphase.

Six distinct phases of amelioration have been identified through the planning and implementation of soil amelioration as follows:

1. Identification and ranking of constraints phase (byseverity and depth). Also includes selection of constraint specificamelioration strategies;
2. Pre-amelioration site preparation phase;
3. Amelioration implementation phase (large logistical andtime input);
4. Transition phase 1 to 2-year post amelioration , oftencharacterised by soft soil, a large flush of nutrition, acute short-term wind erosion risk, crop seeding difficulties and high cropresponsiveness;
5. New stabilised yield potential where the site has settledand immediate tillage effects on nutrient release havedissipated.
6. Mature phase where yields subside and constraints redevelop.Consideration given to re-amelioration of residual orredeveloped constraints.

This investment is designed to address gaps in grower confidence and knowledge around phases four and five (transition and new stabilised yield potential).

This project aims to demonstrate a range of management strategies for disease complexes as they arise, including plot trials at two locations assessing genetic plant resistance, fungicide and other management strategies in wheat, barley and lentils, and up to four responsive in paddock trials across the subregions, if and where need arises. Trials are aimed to support facilitated discussion and peer to peer learning around key disease management decisions.

To investigate non aggressive strategies to mitigate and manage non wetting sandy soils. These strategies include seed row placement, press-wheel design and the use of soil wetters / surfactants.

Assess novel traits herbicide options for improved weed control

Benchmark faba bean versus broad bean performance under different nutrition regimes

To evaluate fertiliser input strategies for pulse crops growing on unripped and ripped soils

Demonstrate the risk of pre-emergent herbciide use on lentil and faba bean across variable soil types within a paddock

Assess the impact of time of rolling on pre-em herbicide safety

Assess the impact of time of rolling on pre-em herbicide safety

Trial 1: Lime comparison trial 
The use of new pH mapping technologies has increased the awareness and identification of soil acidity in many districts. However, there are several aspects of soil acidity management which remain a problem for growers. This trial aimed to investigate a range of lime and acidity management factors outlined in the three key areas below. 

• Lime source 
• Lime rate and particle size 
• Decline of soil pH from sulphur applications 

Trial 2: Comparison of lime incorporation techniques 

Acidic layers of soil are increasingly being identified in the topsoil (0-10 cm) and subsurface soil (10-30 cm) of no-till farming systems. Stratified low pH soil layers need appropriate lime treatment to maintain and prevent the decline of soil pH further. Surface application of lime alone is unlikely to raise the pH in subsurface layers quickly. Recent work has reported lime movement as little as 1 cm – 2.5 cm per year (Fleming et al. 2020, Burns et al 2017). Given the slow movement of lime, incorporation and mixing of surface applied lime to depth is expected to accelerate the movement of lime.

There are a range of machinery options that can provide different levels of lime incorporation and to different depths, such as cultivation, deep ripping with or without inclusion plates, spading and combinations of these. This trial was designed to investigate which of these are most effective on a sandy soil with stratified soil acidity at Bute.

To understand the impact of differing wheat stubble loads on the establishment of canola under a range of locally relevant sowing practices.

Assess the response of faba bean and lentil to trace elements cross variable soil types within a paddock

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. 

1. Understanding wheat variety by disease management interactions in the Gippsland sub region. 

2. To demonstrate the time of sowing of current and new varieties.

3. To assess fungicide treatments on various wheat varieties at key growth stages to evaluate fungicide performance to plan genetic disease ratings.