WMG team members Md Zahangir Hossain (left), Nathan Craig and Melanie Dixon with bags of long season wheat project cuttings.
A NEW approach to cropping projects from the West Midlands Group (WMG) - dubbed the 25/50/100 initiative - has already found its fit.
Cropping projects from WMG are focussed on increasing profitability for farmers by 25 per cent, reducing inputs by 50pc and finally decreasing carbon emissions from cropping enterprises by 100pc.
According to WMG cropping systems officer Md Zahangir Hossain, the group already has multiple projects which fit the program.
"The DPIRD Future Carbon Project is using novel soil technologies of biochar and frass as organic amendments to potentially increase carbon sequestration in soils," Mr Hossain said.
"The ripper gauge soil amelioration project is focussed on reducing compactness of subsoil by evaluating pre-seeding versus post-seeding ripping strategies, with early results indicating increased longevity of post-seeding ripping.
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"The long season wheat project has already shown increased nutrient uptake in soil depths of up to two metres and the methane from pastures project is evaluating the methane emissions from a range of our newer pasture mixes."
On top of these projects, WMG is also working on the introduction of break crops to fix atmospheric nitrogen, weed control by timely germination of canola, crop rotation for managing soil root diseases and more.
This work parallels other WA research institutions in taking up the considerable challenge of future farming systems.
"If we can achieve these three key targets, the crop produced from this region will not only be increasingly profitable but also highly competitive in the global market, helping us support the sustainable growth of agriculture in the region," Mr Hossain said.
