THE earlier lifting of COVID-19 restrictions provided a boost for the annual ADAMA Australia 2-wheel motorbike crop trials tour held recently, with interstate riders returning to the event to visit crop protection and variety trials through the South West, as well as some leading farming enterprises in the region.
Riders from Victorian and Southern New South Wales agribusiness IK Caldwell and NSW rural services group AGnVet joined the tour this year, hiring motorbikes after landing in Perth and traversing the Ferguson Valley before meeting the group.
They joined riders from throughout the Western Australian agricultural region and the group of about 40 participants enjoyed dry camping grounds this season, under cover at the Dinninup Showground, near Boyup Brook.
The tour opened to wet conditions on the first day, however riders were well equipped while visiting Rylington Park and inspecting a canola herbicide trial, as well as canola and pasture seed variety trials being co-ordinated by Boyup Brook Ag Supplies and DLF Seeds.
The herbicide trial featured ADAMA Australia's new Tenet grass and broadleaf weed control product, which contains 500 grams per litre of the active ingredient, metazachlor, and this year achieved registration for early post-emergent application in addition to its pre-sowing use.
Tenet is the only Group 15 (formerly Group K) herbicide that can be incorporated by sowing or applied post-emergent in canola, adding a valuable tool to growers' weed control and herbicide resistance management programs.
ADAMA Australia WA market development manager Bevan Addison said the early post-emergent application offered the opportunity for improved ryegrass control when mixing with products such as clethodim.
"Not only can it help with the immediate performance of clethodim, especially where resistance is starting to become problematic, but in situations such as at the Rylington Park site, it helps by providing a short-term residual as well,'' Mr Addison said.
"Often, in non-wetting soils in the high rainfall areas, growers will spray their grass herbicide, only to receive more rain a few days later that triggers another germination.
"Using Tenet at that early post-emergent herbicide timing helps provide some residual control of these later germinations and allows the canola to get away and out-compete the later germinations of grasses - and this was very obvious at this site.''
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Compared with other Group 15 herbicides used in canola, Tenet has the broadest weed control spectrum, with the pre-emergent application providing up to 12 weeks residual control or suppression of more than 20 annual grass and broadleaf weeds, also including barley grass, brome grass and capeweed.
Riders made their way through to Manjimup for the second day of the tour, which highlighted the Ryan family's integrated and highly productive livestock and vegetable growing enterprise and the Winfield's extensive avocado operation and also took in a visit to the local Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development research station.
Manjimup farmers Gary Ryan and his son Jake, discussed some of their strategies with the group.
Jake Ryan was recently recognised at the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards for the family's novel approach to high rainfall agricultural systems with a focus on sustainability and regenerative agricultural principles.
"It is not that often you see cattle, sheep and chickens all intensively grazing together, but it provides a highly productive systems approach,'' Mr Addison said.
He said at the Winfield family's avocado farm, some of the tour's WA Wheatbelt riders were a little excited when they viewed the property's water availability, however this soon dissipated when they heard about the complexities of avocado growing from Joel Winfield.
Some novel canola fungicide research assessing control of sclerotinia and blackleg diseases, which have become more concerning with intensive canola systems, kicked-off the final day of the tour.
Mr Addison said there were limited chemical groups targeting these diseases and ADAMA Australia was evaluating some unique products to enhance the rotational options available for disease control.
Grower management of non-wetting gravels and grazing wheat cropping also was demonstrated and the tour finished at a lupin trial investigating ADAMA Australia's new Ultro herbicide.
The only Group 23 herbicide available, Ultro provides pre-emergent grass control in pulse crops and Bevan said the trial explored some novel applications and a systems approach to weed control.
"Ultro has performed very well in its first year in the market and we will continue to strive for optimum use patterns with the herbicide to achieve the best results for growers,'' Mr Addison said.
