Farmers' Newsletter No 175, Autumn 2007
For other issues see here
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| WINTER CROP AGRONOMY |
Irrigated wheat evaluation - final report
- Wheat growers in the irrigation areas of southern NSW and northern Victoria have access to a new report bringing together all aspects of past and recent research results and knowledge in the management of irrigated wheat
- Now you can read at your leisure what you have been hearing from Maarten Stapper in workshops and field
days over recent years
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Wheat production potential in irrigation areas
- A recently published scoping study clearly demonstrates the potential for a 363% increase in grain production from winter crops in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, using the volume of water currently used
- The study makes 35 recommendations, based on a rationale that investment in research, extension and education is critical to closing the gap between current and potential crop yields
- The study underwrites the value of a new winter cereal breeding program for irrigation, that will commence this autumn
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Plant growth regulators in wheat
- Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are a useful tool for reducing plant height and in turn, lodging – especially when combined with management strategies that promote heavy canopies
- In this trial PGRs were not economically viable, as they reduced or only maintained yield potential – PGRs may have a role in other seasons and need to be tested across a range of seasons and situations
- PGRs will have a place in irrigated agriculture once appropriate registrations are developed; and they will be most useful used as part of a management package, adding another ‘tool’ to address yield limiting factors such as lodging
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Wheat variety selection for 2007
- Many decisions need to be made in deciding what wheat variety to grow, and in this season a dry start and uncertain irrigation allocations add to the complexity of the decision
- Results from the Benerembah site of the National Variety Trials provide some good information on the performance of a wide range of varieties in this region
- The NVT information should complement decisions about the likely challenges that are going to arise this season, as well as the results of ‘sums’ on likely costs and returns
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Faba bean champions for 2006
- In the 2006 season there was not a lot of difference between crops in the irrigated faba bean crop competition
- Most of the entrants’ crops were sown at the optimum time (1–21 May), had adequate nutrition, little if any disease, and appropriate weed control
- The distinguishing feature of the finalists’ crops appeared to be podding (depth and number) and this is likely to have been influenced by moisture stress at the start of flowering and heat stress during flowering in September
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Canola management for 2007
- Canola is a key ingredient in a sound winter crop rotation
- The price outlook is positive in the short, medium and longer term
- The keys to lower risk and more profitable irrigated canola in 2007 will be timely sowing and correct variety choice to match sowing time, irrigation at critical times if allocations permit, close crop monitoring and managing production costs while maximising yields
- Cutting the crop for hay in spring can be very profitable if there is high market demand
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| IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT |
| Irrigation layouts field day |
GBugs for scheduling irrigation in canola
- Stem elongation and flowering are the two most critical stages for moisture stress in canola
- With the aid of moisture monitoring devices the amount of moisture in the soil can be measured to assist in irrigation scheduling to ensure maximum crop yields
- In 2006, in a canola variety trial, the use of GBugs at estimated rooting depths was essential to accurately match up crop water requirements with critical growth stages
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Subsurface drip potential in Murray Valley
- There are opportunities for adopting subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) technology in the Murray Irrigation region given the soil types and agriculture systems present
- In simple terms SDI is highly likely to be viable when it is used for a high value crop, on the best soils, with a high level of management
- It is essential that growers fully investigate the market demand for produce and the associated prices before investing in the irrigation technology
- It is also essential that growers be adequately trained in the management requirements of SDI, including understanding of the suitability of their soils and chosen enterprise(s) for SDI
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Saline groundwater for irrigating sub clover
- Two experiments undertaken at Deniliquin examined the effect of irrigating with saline groundwater on the production of sub clover
- All plots were clover dominant – the production was not influenced by ryegrass or other weeds
- Irrigating with saline groundwater substantially reduced autumn production of sub clover
- Spring production was relatively unaffected especially if there was sufficient winter rainfall to leach applied salt below the root zone
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Saline shallow watertables under lucerne
- An experiment was conducted at Deniliquin to determine levels of lucerne production above a shallow saline watertable
- Lucerne production was substantially reduced when irrigation intervals were extended to encourage water use from a saline watertable
- Production of 19–20 t/ha was achieved when the irrigation interval was reduced to an appropriate 60 mm of ETo – R
- This level of production from its fifth and sixth season was excellent, especially given the presence of the shallow saline watertable
- Active depletion of soil water only occurred to a depth of 60 cm; any applied water used from below this depth was replenished from the watertable
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| WEED MANAGEMENT |
New weed information bulletin
- NSW DPI has initiated a service called the Weed Resource Update Bulletin to better promote its information resources
- Subscribers to the Weed Resource Update Bulletin will be able to access a full range of information on agricultural, aquatic, noxious and environmental weeds in a time efficient way and be confident the information is accurate and credible
- As new information resources become available subscribers to the service will receive a bulletin, by email or post, alerting them to its availability. The bulletin will also include a current catalogue of all available NSW DPI weed resources
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Herbicide residues after drought
- When selecting crops to sow in 2007, the risk of herbicide residues must be considered in paddocks that have not been irrigated in the last 12 months, and have not had sufficient rainfall as a result of the drought
- This article describes some of the likely situations where herbicide residues may arise, and lists several sources for more detailed and specific information
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| NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT |
Biodiversity survey of Murray Valley
- An extensive biodiversity survey undertaken in the Murray Land and Water Management Plan (LWMP) area has identified a total of 273 native species – 203 birds, 33 reptiles, 28 mammals and 9 frogs – in the region
- The survey involved 150 sites on 106 farms across 960,000 ha of the irrigation areas in southern NSW between Mulwala and Swan Hill
- There has been strong community support, motivation and involvement in the project which has been jointly funded by landholders and government
- The longer term impacts include elevating the profile of biodiversity in the region and an increased involvement in vegetation management by landholders to improve habitat for native wildlife
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Direct seeding trial for native species
- Through MIA EnviroWise a trial has been implemented to determine the actual costs and effectiveness of direct seeding for revegetation of open and understorey areas, within existing remnant vegetation areas on farms in the MIA
- The trial has been established at four sites, two on sandy loam soils at Widgelli and two on grey clays at Gogeldrie
- Germination and establishment will be monitored for three years and results published at the end of the trial
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Native grass management opportunities
- Australian native grasses provide practical and aesthetic benefits for landholders
- MIA EnviroWise provides incentives for education on native grass identification and management; as well as biodiversity incentives for remnant vegetation enhancement and management
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Subsoil sodicity limiting production
- The Moulamein Cropping Group has formed to attract scientific expertise and extension effort to the area, in an effort to address the slow decline in publicly-funded research and extension
- Last year the group investigated potential limitations in a range of paddocks that ‘refused’ to yield more than 5 t/ha of wheat
- Subsoil sodicity was identified as a problem in several paddocks
- By understanding the spatial distribution of subsoil sodicity, the landholders now have a better understanding of yield potential across the paddock and can manage accordingly
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| HAY BEST PRACTICE |
| New guidelines for safe hay transport |
| Best practice guidelines for safe hay storage |
| REGULARS |
| Chairman’s foreword |
| IREC Executive Committee |
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