GRDC Podcast

Pre-emergent herbicide applications at seeding. What to apply? How? And what chemicals really don’t get along well together in the spray tank? There is a lot to know as growers approach the 2023 season. 

Across the southern region, the mild and wet season last year means there’s a mighty bank of weed seeds just waiting to rear their ugly heads. There’s a range of options for pre-emergent herbicide applications, and we spoke to Southern Extension Officer with WeedSmart Chris Davey likes to get some tips on using pre-emergent herbicides.

Contact:

Chris Davey 

Agriservices Agronomist 

chris@ypag.com.au

More Information:

Pre-emergent herbicides fact sheet

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Welcome to the first podcast in our new limited series focusing on Nutrition in the West. Each Friday for the next four weeks, we’ll release an additional GRDC podcast covering nutrition topics specifically for Western Australia, as growers gear up for seeding 2023.

The knowledge used to guide phosphorus management in WA agriculture has its origins in field research from 20 to 60 years ago. This long term private-public partnership study, part of a large crop nutrition project, helps provide up-to-date guidelines by revealing the key influences of wheat response to P fertiliser in current cropping systems. 

We caught up with Senior Research Scientist Craig Scanlon from WA’s Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development about what’s driving and influencing yield response to phosphorous fertiliser in current cropping systems – which importantly – now includes climate - in the equation. 

Contact:

Craig Scanlan, Senior Research Scientist – DPIRD

[email protected]

More Information:

Optimising fertiliser application – what level of precision can we achieve?

Project Code: UMU1801-006RTX

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Forecasting how optimal flowering windows and crop yields will be impacted by the warming climate, and what growers can do about it, has been unexplored – until now. A new economics project under the Optimising Irrigated Grains Initiative, led by Associate Professor Matt Harrison from University of Tasmania, has brought together researchers, farming groups, and industry organisations to compare and predict optimal flowering windows to increase yields.  

It’s the first time contemporary genotypes have been compared across rainfed vs irrigated crops to predict current and future crop flowering windows across several growing regions using real weather and field trial data. 

The project’s focus on real world testing and grower engagement has resulted in a free online tool, Water Can Profit, that calculates farm inputs and helps growers make more profitable decisions. 

Contact: 

Matthew Harrison 

Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania 

Email: [email protected] 

More Information: 

WaterCanProfit main website

Details on the WaterCanProfit App 

Here is the hint for installation: 

The WaterCanProfit app version 1.2.3(8) is now available for both Android and iOS. Users can download and install the app on their mobile devices to begin using it immediately. We highly recommend downloading the app using the link provided, so that users can receive email notifications about future updates. 

We provide a 'User manual' WaterCan_User_Manual1.1.0.pdf to help with your installation and testing of the app (As we still update the software based on user feedback, the instruction may not be fully consistent and updated to date). You can also check GRDC YouTube channel where we present the 5 functions of the app. 

Project Code: UOT1906-002RTX

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If you’re a grain grower, an agribusiness practitioner, scientist, or industry expert – GRDC wants you. 

That’s right, GRDC is looking for Regional Panel Members who are willing to share their knowledge, expertise and networks to help facilitate cutting edge research; and in turn bolster on farm profitability. 

GRDC is a world leading grains research organisation, responsible for planning, investing in and overseeing research, development, and extension. 

Regional panels provide a vital link between the broader grains sector and GRDC; and help to identify, prioritise, and support RD&E investments that address regional constraints and opportunities. 

We spoke to Regional Panel Members from across Australia to talk about what the role entails.

More Information:

Applications are now open for all the GRDC Regional Panels and for more information head to the GRDC Website.

Applications close Thursday 13 April. 

Becoming a GRDC Regional Panel Member – YouTube

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Determining the economic impact of native budworm in wheat crops was not something Dustin Severtson from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) ever expected to be doing. 

But when WA agronomists and growers started reporting the insects feeding off wheat in spring, DPIRD, backed by GRDC investment, launched glasshouse and in-field research to examine why native budworm was moving into this non-traditional cereal crop host. 

Contact 

Dustin Severtson 

DPIRD 

More information 

YouTube Video - Native budworm in wheat

GRDC project code: DAW2106-001RTX 

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For many South Australian grain growers, 2022 was a cracker season, but the weather and other factors did lead to some cereal disease.   

So, what does 2023 have in store, and what to do to keep disease at bay? 

This is the second part of a two-part podcast where we do a deep dive to bring you the latest advice. 

In Part two we speak to Sam Trengove, who is an independent consultant on Yorke Peninsula and his business also does research and extension; and we also hear from Associate Professor, Fran Lopez-Ruiz, from Curtin University in Western Australia who is a specialist on fungicides. 

Contact

Sam Trengove, Trengove Consulting 

Fran Lopez, Curtin University - WA 

More Information

Farm Trials data explorer

Project Code: TRE2204-001RTX 

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For many South Australian growers, 2022 was a cracker season, but the weather and other factors did lead to some cereal disease.

So what does 2023 have in store, and what to do to keep disease at bay?

Dr Tara Garrard is a cereal pathologist at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the research division of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions in South Australia.

She has a project looking at Septoria Tritici Blotch, working out how it behaves in low and medium rainfall zones… but Tara says there are other diseases to be aware of as you go into the sowing.

Contact

Tara Garrard, PIRSA-SARDI

[email protected] 

Robert Park, University of Sydney

[email protected]

GRDC code: UOA2104-012RTX, UOS2207-002RTX

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Hot finishes in Australia’s northern region are resulting in lower chickpea quality and yield. 

In a bid to improve heat tolerance in chickpea, GRDC has funded research that builds on advances already made under the Australian Research Council: Legumes for Sustainable Agriculture Hub.  

Professor Richard Trethowan is Director of the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute in Narrabri, New South Wales… where he and his team, are pursuing both genetic and agronomic solutions to improve the heat tolerance of chickpeas. To find out more we spoke with Professor Trethowan and his colleague Dr Angela Pattison.

Contact:

[email protected] 

More Information:

International resources tapped for heat-tolerant chickpea germplasm for Australian breeding programs

Project Code: UOS2112-002RTX

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The economics of farming are a crucial component for all growers, and it’s not always a skill set that comes naturally. 

That’s why a group of Victorian growers has come together to pool their knowledge and resources around the topic of financial benchmarking. 

One of the tools used by the Victorian grower group is business management software (P2P Agri) made by leading farm management consultant, Michael Krause, who also previously developed the ‘Farming the Business’ manual for GRDC. 

Victorian growers Peter Aikman and Alistair Murdoch discuss the importance and the practicalities of financial benchmarking.  

Contact

P2P Agri

More Information

Farming the Business Manual

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Last year along the east coast of Australia, stripe rust was a huge issue and experts are warning that in 2023, growers will continue to experience stripe rust pressure with wet summer conditions and significant green bridge carryover from last year, creating the perfect storm for the disease.

The good news is there's a free online tool that growers can use to avoid highly susceptible varieties in their regions and develop management plans to minimise impacts. Called the NVT disease ratings tool. It looks at more than just stripe rust. With national trial data broken down by crop, location and pathotype resistances.

We caught up with Dr. Steven Simpfendorfer, Senior plant pathologist at New South Wales, DPI based in Tamworth, to discuss the stripe rust situation and what growers can do about it this season. 

Contact

Dr Steven Simfendorfer

More information

NVT Disease Ratings Tool

Project Code: DAQ1905-004SAX, DPI1907-003SAX, WAA1905-001SAX, DJP1905-002SAX 

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