Farmers' Newsletter No 172, Autumn 2006

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CROP OPTIONS & MANAGEMENT

Direct drilling into stubble (426 K)

The Happy Seeder technology offers a solution to the problem of direct drilling into heavy stubbles, enabling the stubble to be retained on the surface as a mulch
The rapid development of the technology, from concept to commercial reality in four years, has resulted from synergies between Australian and Indian engineers and scientists
The Happy Seeder technology needs to be evaluated for a wide range of cropping systems – after one season's testing in Australia, it is thought that the Turbo Happy Seeder may be more appropriate for heavy rice stubbles

Faba bean competition - champion crops (210 K)

The inaugural Irrigated Faba Bean Competition for southern New South Wales showcased some of the best managed irrigated faba bean crops in the Murrumbidgee Valley
Three key factors determined the difference between a good crop and a champion crop: sowing time, disease control and spring irrigation management
The winning crop was sown dry on 10 May, had minimal disease due regular preventative sprays, was watered twice in spring and yielded just over 5 t/ha

Chickpeas, faba beans & field peas tested (161 K)

A pulse demonstration trial at Coleambally showed chickpeas yielded 1.7–2.7 t/ha, and budgeting on desi chickpeas at $330/t on farm, they grossed $560–890/ha
The yield of the faba beans was limited by late watering-up, but the seed crop that was also watered up late, had two spring waterings and two fungicide sprays, yielded 4.34 t/ha, and proved very profitable
The field peas averaged 2.5 t/ha, grossing $500/ha – the impact of disease very evident but other pea crops in the Coleambally district yielded from 3.0–3.5 t/ha

Canola on irrigation (304 K)

Canola is a viable winter rotation crop option under irrigation but yield and profitability must improve for it to have a regular place in the rotation
Consistent high canola yields depend on a package approach to the agronomy of the crop – the key agronomy steps must be 'done right'
Paddock selection, nutrition management and water management are the most important management factors to get right

Wheat plant populations (194 K)

A trial in irrigated wheat at Hillston showed no significant effect on yield by varying plant populations from 125 to 345 plants/m2
Grain quality was not significantly affected by different plant populations either
Wheat plants in each treatment compensated towards a common yield potential given their available resources by adding/aborting tillers and varying the numbers of grains per head

Stripe rust management (570 K)

Selecting wheat varieties with stripe rust resistance (rating 7–8) is the most effective form of managing the disease, however the limited number of varieties with the combination of desirable agronomic traits and sufficient resistance will see the continued need for fungicide control strategies
Yields of H45 (very susceptible to stripe rust) were maximised by keeping the crop free from disease until flag emergence and, most critically in high yielding situations, following up with a foliar fungicide
Responses to fungicides (seed, fertiliser and foliar) in Chara (moderately susceptible to stripe rust) were less predictable than for H45 and more strongly linked to higher yield potential
No responses in Sunstate (resistant to stripe rust) were found to any fungicides
Seed and fertiliser dressings tested in the trial gave significantly different protection periods across higher yielding sites – the more resistant the variety, the longer the protection period

Wheat - the eight tonne club (290 K)

Crop monitoring is essential for achieving high wheat yields, as all facets for paddock and crop management must meet required targets
In 2005 crops with seemingly high yield potential did not meet expectations – analysis of crop management and seasonal factors suggest that any one of several factors could have been responsible

Double cropping (106 K)

A trial in northern Victoria will investigate double cropping systems to determine the sustainability and profitability of this practice. While best management for individual crops may be understood there is a need to investigate rotation systems as a whole.

Yield prediction with Yield Prophet (298 K)

Yield Prophet is an online crop simulation service with great potential for irrigation scheduling and nitrogen management
Murray Irrigation Limited paid for six growers to use the service in 2006. The amount of time required to set up and learn how to use the model prevented some of these growers from using the service extensively. Those that did said Yield Prophet could prove to be a valuable management tool to maximise crop returns.
Simulated vs. observed results for the six growers were quite good, but accuracy was lower in comparison to the Mallee and Wimmera due to lack of measured soil characterisation data in the Murray Irrigation region

WEEDS

Noxious weeds legislation (282 K)

Weeds cost the Australian public over $4 billion annually
Each year, 20 new foreign weed species are discovered growing in the wild in Australia, potentially further increasing the cost of weed control in agricultural production and the environment
Recent amendments to "noxious weeds legislation" reflect a strategic approach to dealing with weed problems – early intervention is the key to preventing increased costs in the future
Local government Noxious Weeds Officers work with the community to prevent unnecessary costs being incurred by noxious weeds

IRRIGATION

Deficit irrigation for tomatoes (175 K)

A series of trials in California concluded that deficit irrigation of processing tomatoes applied from first colour can improve total soluble solids at harvest without significantly lowering yield
A trial in the Riverina was able to maintain yield, compared with a commercial block, with irrigation at 50% ETo replacement, and maximise total soluble solids

Quality of shallow groundwater (323 K)

A considerable volume of marginal quality shallow groundwater is used for irrigation in the Murray Irrigation Districts (MIDs) after its dilution or shandying with surface water
Available analytical data on shallow groundwater quality of MIDs indicate that most samples are either poor or marginal in quality as a result of salinity and/or sodicity
Before safe practices of use of poor quality shallow groundwater in combination with surface water can be developed, research is needed to evaluate the impact of poor water quality on the sustainable use of soil and water resources in the MIDs

Improving irrigation application (289 K)

The Irrigation Futures CRC is developing a wide range of products, management systems and decision support systems to improve the efficiency of surface irrigation
Irrimate™ is an in-field surface irrigation evaluation service now available throughout Australia, which measures and logs an irrigation event, and with integration with software, management decisions can be made to optimise irrigation application efficiency
A suite of other tools is under development, including adaptive control systems which help match plant water requirements to variations in field conditions, and solute monitoring and management tools to manage salts and nutrients in the root zone

National Water Initiative improves efficiency and productivity (446 K)

A long-term action plan called the National Water Initiative was drawn up in 2004 by the Council of Australian Governments
CSIRO Land & Water has developed an analytical process for determining the efficiency and productivity of water use, that will help future determinations of the sustainability of irrigation regions
The WUEP framework (see previous article) has been applied to paddock-scale measurements in rice and nonrice
cropping enterprises in the MIA
Analysis of rice water use by the framework shows marked increases in water use efficiency and productivity, since programs to move rice cropping to less permeable soils have been introduced
Water productivity in rice has increased from 4.2 kg/mm to 6.0 kg/mm, due to the combined effects of increases in Rainfall + Irrigation Efficiency and Crop Water Efficiency + Productivity
There were no distinct trends in the measuring period from 1997 to 2003 for non-rice crops, which possibly reflects a lack of water saving initiatives for these crops in the MIA during this period
The yields and associated water productivity parameters showed a tendency to decrease with increase in the growing season rainfall, possibly due to the potential for increased waterlogging on slowly permeable clay soils during high rainfall years
Water productivity parameters for non-rice crops are less than the maximum values observed for specific crops in other field studies, indicating a potential for increase through improved on-farm agronomic and irrigation management

PEOPLE

Oilseed Industry Development Officer (156 K)

A new oilseed industry development officer will facilitate the delivery of agronomic extension, to enhance farm and crop management best practice, and ultimately assist in expanding the area of oilseed crops in Victoria and southern NSW

Young Irrigators go walnuts (213 K)

The Murrumbidgee branch of the Young Irrigation Network kicked off 2006 looking at new crops in the Tabbita Lane area, near Goolgowi
A 250 ha walnut plantation is establishing very well, achieving in two years what it takes three in Tasmania, and looking towards full production by year eight
Cotton has proven the best option for land where rice water use was too high – the cotton has been so successful that winter crops have been eliminated from the cropping program and resources are entirely devoted to cotton and maize

Nuffield Scholar seeks nitrogen solutions (183 K)

The Australian Nuffield Scholars' Association offers scholarships for farmers to travel overseas and study a topic or topics of their choice
A recent returning scholar came across the GreenSeeker™, a hand-held instrument that provides NDVI readings of a growing crop
Using a nitrogen rich test strip in the field and software in the office, the technology can provide an instant
recommendation for nitrogen requirements

Environmental Champions (305 K)

The Environmental Champions Program streamlines the compliance to best practices and regulatory requirements for rice-based farming systems, while at the same time recognising environmental stewardship of the region's irrigators
The program comprises of five levels that small groups work through at their own pace, according to a program that best suits the group's needs and preferences
The implementation and management of the chemical storage sheds demonstrate the benefits of the program, by providing a means to comply with regulations, as well as improve management and agronomic efficiencies on farm

IREC on the web (210 K)

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