The main summer grain crop in the northern grains region, sorghum is ordinarily planted between September and January.

But for the past two years, scientists from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at the University of Queensland have been trailing sowing the summer crop in winter.

And while the trials have taken place in cool conditions, the results have proved to be red hot.

Contact:

Professor Daniel Rodriguez

[email protected]

More information:

· Video: Beating the heat – maximizing productivity with late winter sown sorghum https://youtu.be/U-q9O5vHMl8

GRDC code: UOQ1808-001RTX

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For the first time ever, a national survey on herbicide resistance has been conducted as part of a GRDC investment. As Dr Peter Boutsalis from the University of Adelaide explains, there's good news on the resistance status of annual ryegrass to pre-emergent herbicides.

Contact

Dr Peter Boutsalis

The University of Adelaide

[email protected]

More information

Annual ryegrass weed management and paraquat resistance

GRDC project code

UCS2008-001RTX - Determining the incidence of herbicide resistance in Australian grain cropping

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2022 is likely to be a high-risk year for rust, based on the widespread distribution of rust in 2020 and 2021 and the wet summer.

Dr Grant Hollaway from Agriculture Victoria and Professor Robert Park from the University of Sydney share all the details on the latest variety disease ratings and recommendations to help growers make informed stripe rust management decisions this season.

Contact:

Dr Grant Hollaway

Agriculture Victoria

[email protected]

Professor Robert Park

The University of Sydney

[email protected]

More information:

· 2022 NVT disease ratings

· University of Sydney cereal rust interactive map

· Information on the stripe rust WM app

For more details about StripeRustWM and other disease management apps, search for ‘mobile app centre’ on AGRIC.

Project code:

UOS1801-004RTX Australian Cereal Rust Control Program (ACRCP) - University of Sydney: Delivering genetic tools and knowledge required to breed wheat and barley with resistance to leaf rust, stripe rust and stem rust

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Perth Update Event 2022 – Dr. Mike Ashworth

The cost of constantly evolving weed infestations in Australia is staggering. Growers spend around $2.5 billion every year on the problem, with annual ryegrass the number one ranking Australian cropping system weed.

In WA, a series of trials over several years has been studying the interaction between wheat seeding timing and pre emergent herbicides choice on annual ryegrass seed production, with some helpful results on offer. In this podcast, we talk to Dr Mike Ashworth, research agronomist, who’s heading the trials with the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of WA about the trials and his top tips for reducing annual ryegrass and wild radish seed production in wheat using crop competition.

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Grain storage is a long-term investment so it’s important to get it right from the start. Considerations need to include storage design and structural integrity, effective pressure testing and knowing how to seal silos correctly to achieve successful fumigation.

Manufactures are a good source of information, but make sure they’re not your onlysource. And that’s where GRDC’sGrain Storage Extension Projectcan help. In this podcastnational extension team member Ben White takes youthrough the latest evolution in Silo features and pressure testing methods.

Contact:

Ben White

e: [email protected]

Phone 1800 WEEVIL (1800 933 845)

Chris Warrick

e: [email protected]

Phone 1800 WEEVIL (1800 933 845)

Resources:

storedgrain.com.au

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The Seed of Gold is one of the grains industry’s most prestigious awards. First presented in 2007 only four people have received this honour. The latest recipient is globally recognised research scientist Emeritus professor Stephen Powles from Western Australia who was presented with his Seed of Gold in 2021.

The award is given in recognition of an individual’s outstanding contribution, dedication and commitment to communicating research outcomes to the Australian grains industry.

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It’s an unusual thing to see – a mob of cattle grazing contentedly in a patch of paddock, held there by an invisible border. But virtual fencing technology is really taking offand is showing promise as a tool to help mixed farmers control weeds.

On Heath Nickolls’ cattle and grain property near Pinnaroo in the South Australian mallee, the CSIRO’s Dr Rick Llewellyn is leading a GRDC and Australian Wool Innovation investment trialling virtual fencing to gain better crop integrated weed management. As Rick and Heath explain, a strip grazing trial of 40 Angus heifersis delivering promising results.

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Nick Poole from FAR Australia provides an excellent explanation of how to target fungicide applications for the best economic return. He describes the value of focusing on critical growth stages and their ‘money leaves’, the best way to manage disease risk in crops before tillering, and the importance of protecting fungicide effectiveness for the long term.

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It’s been common practise across the southern grain growing region to wait for opening rains, before applying a knockdown herbicide, then seeding the crop.

But new research is revealing weedsare better controlled by adopting a three-pronged approach of sowing early, at a high density crop seeding rate while also applying an efficient herbicide.

As the University of Adelaide’s Dr Gurjeet Gill and Ben Fleet explain, the mid-trial results come from a five-year GRDC investment looking into weed management across a range of rainfall zones in SA, Vic and WA.

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While farmers typically spray fungicide to manage one disease, applications should be considered in a broader context. Dr Steven Simpfendorfer describes how spraying one pathogen can inadvertently encourage resistance in other pathogens that may be present. He outlines some typical examples, including rusts and powdery mildew in wheat; blackleg and sclerotinia in canola; as well as net blotches and powdery mildew in barley.

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