RESEARCH in Western Australia’s central agricultural region is investigating ways of improving sustainability and reducing risks associated with growing cereals in the State’s low to medium rainfall areas.
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The research, funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and conducted by the Kellerberrin Demonstration Group and farm consulting firm ConsultAg, also aims to help growers manage dry seasons.
The one-year GRDC project follows previous annual trials at Kellerberrin supported by various agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) and CSIRO.
Major objectives of the GRDC funded project include:
Investigating canopy management as a means of improving grain yield and quality.
Determining if growers can reduce or eliminate phosphorus applications in certain paddocks to help cut input costs.
Looking at the use of fallow as a ‘break’ between crops.
Investigating mouldboard ploughing as a means of alleviating subsoil constraints.
ConsultAg agronomist Angie Roe said limited research had previously been conducted into canopy management – involving seeding rates, sowing dates and nitrogen timing - on WA’s sandy soils in low to medium rainfall zones.
“Recent trial results in wheat at Kellerberrin suggest that lower plant densities of 100 to 120 plants per square metre (40 to 70 kilograms per hectare) are adequate for wheat sown in this area in an average season, with 100 plants per square metre adequate for dry seasons and/or tough finishes like 2010,” she said.
“The GRDC funded project will look at canopy management as a ‘package’ to manage climate variability, water use efficiency, nutrition, weeds, disease, frost and, ultimately, grain yield and quality in cereals.”
Ms Roe said poor seasons and high fertiliser prices had prompted the Kellerberrin Demonstration Group and ConsultAg to also investigate reducing or eliminating phosphorus use in paddocks identified by computer modelling as being non-responsive to phosphorus.
“In 2010, rates of 0, 6 and 12kg/ha of phosphorus have been laid down in two wheat paddocks so that grain yield and quality can be measured at the end of the season,” she said.
Ms Roe said the economics of using a fallow in cropping systems would also be studied as an alternative way of achieving a ‘break’ between crops, while still managing weeds and stubble cover.
In addition, the group is looking at mouldboard ploughing to find out if subsoil constraints such as soil acidity and sodicity could be alleviated by bringing the problem to the soil surface, and using ameliorants such as lime and gypsum.
“We are also measuring the effect of ploughing on non-wetting sands and weed type and density,” Ms Roe said.
Grain yield and quality data will be collected during harvesting of the trials, with the results to be made public early in 2011.
Research will continue in 2011 so that data can be gathered over a number of seasons, making the results more robust.
