GRDC Podcast

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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The start of 2021 has seen widespread waterlogging in the Great Southern and Esperance regions.

Sub-surface drainage, one of many water management options, is not widely adopted, for reasons that will be better understood during this project, with surveys used to understand current grower practice and opinions.

Sub-surface drainage, one of many water management options, is not widely adopted, for reasons that will be better understood during this project, with surveys used to understand current grower practice and opinions.

In total, the GRDC invests about $2 million nationally in projects addressing waterlogging, with work ranging from the new sub-surface drainage projects through to genetic research.

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The seedbank is the link between the current weed populations and future infestations. While the seedbank life is well understood for major weed species such as annual ryegrass, new research has filled the knowledge gap on the seedbank life of emerging weed species.

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In Western Australia’s South West agricultural zone there are 3 million hectares of lateritic gravels or ironstone gravel soils. These are sandy soils that have a cemented laterite surface or caprock. Many growers are using contractors with specialised machinery that rips and pulverises this top-layer, making sowing easier and improving the likelihood of good crop establishment. What is also needed for developing crops is good nutrition and Lateritic soils bind-up phosphorus, an essential nutrient for young plants.With GRDC investment,on-farm trial are underway to test for nutrient levels in these soils and development nutrient packages for crop management.

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When Western Australian Ag Research Company TrialCo signed on with GRDC to run a trial on non-wetting sandy soils in low rainfall country the last thing anyone expected was a wet start to the growing season. In this podcast TrialCo field operations manager and TrialCo’s executive officer outline the reasons for the trial and the methodology applied to evaluate the use of surfactants in sandy non-wetting soils.

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