Trials in Western Australia have found a silicon-based fertiliser has helped improve barley yields in harsh, heavily saline environments.
The formal, replicated trials on MaxSil, were conducted across the WA grain belt at Beverley, Kellerberrin, Corrigin and Cadoux, found that barley crops treated with a seed dressing of MaxSil had outperformed other treatments.
Particularly high yield gains of up to 25 per cent were found in saline areas.
MaxSil sales agronomist Andrew Kennett said the product, with its high amount of soluble plant available silicon, had enabled winter cereals to germinate in a timely manner on the saline-sodic soils in the trials.
This had allowed the plants to establish a good root system and tillers to support a harvestable barley crop and in some instances with sufficient protein and test weight to be classified as malting grade.
On non-limited soils, the MaxSill treated crops showed yield gains of up to 13 per cent, on acid soils they demonstrated a yield increase of 16.5pc and on salt affected soils they showed an increase of 25pc.
Application rates were low, averaging 3.75kg a hectare.
MaxSil managing director David Archer said the trials had shown that the use of the silicon fertiliser as a low cost seed treatment had enabled the production of a harvestable barley crop, on difficult saline-sodic soil in a dry year.
Mr Kennett said the results at Kellerberrin in particular were outstanding, with plots containing saline-sodic soils that could be classed as inadequate for growing dryland crops, particularly in a dry year such as last year, where there was only 146mm of growing season rainfall, compared to the long term average of 250mm.
At Kellerberrin, the Maximus variety of barley used for the trials was direct drilled in May 17 into dry, 1ha trial plots in two 100 hectare paddocks at a rate of 55kg/ha along with 55kg/ha of a compound fertiliser.
The seed was coated with MaxSil at five per cent or 3kg/ha of the seeding rate.
The paddocks received 21mm two weeks after sowing.
By July 6, the plants were at a four-leaf tillering stage. In late July urea was broadcast at 50kg/ha.
Mr Kennett said the visual difference was apparent early.
"The MaxSil treated plants were reported to have a greater density with more tillers, root mass and a healthier foliage as visually observed through to harvest," Mr Kennett said.
"Importantly a crop harvest was achieved in all MaxSil treated plots whereas in control areas plant density was sparse with noticeably more plant abiotic plant stress."
Claire Stevens, who oversaw the trials on her family farm at Kellerberrin, said they were happy to continue using MaxSil after trialling it for three years given the response, low application rate and low cost involved.
Even after three years when eight hectares was seed coated in 2020 at five per cent Ms Stevens said the difference following an annual rotation of crop and pasture compared to the paddock that received no MaxSil treatment was still obvious, with the untreated area showing signs of distress with salt scald.
"Without the use of MaxSil the salt scalded soil is useless for growing crops," she said.