GRDC Podcast

The national Hyper Yielding Crops initiative is the GRDC’s new investment to push crop yield boundaries in high yield potential grain-growing environments across Australia. The initiative will involve five centres of excellence.

Attached to each centre of excellence will be five focus farms (25 farms in total) and a lead grower network aimed at taking research and development learnings from small plot to paddock scale. Grower and adviser involvement is now being sought to inform the research direction.

Through the new investment, high yield potential cultivars suited to local environments will be identified and the most appropriate agronomic management tactics – including paddock selection and preparation, canopy management, disease, weed and pest control, and crop nutrition strategies – will be explored to assist grower and adviser decision making.

Extension co-ordinator:

Nick Poole, Managing Director Foundation for Arable Research Australia

+61 499 888 066

Jon Midwood, TechCrop Services

0400 666 434

[email protected] @Crop_Watch

Regional contacts:

Ashley Amourgis SFS, VIC

[email protected]

Ian Herbert SFS, TAS

[email protected]

Kate Coffey Riverine Plains, NSW

[email protected]

Jen Lillecrapp MFMG, SA

[email protected]

Phillip Mackie Stirlings to Coast farmers, WA

[email protected]

Useful resources: o https://grdc.com.au/news-and-media/audio/podcast/hyper-yielding-cereals-project

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2PndQdkNRHHNrRus6zZ2v5QKw8hIwVvs o

https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2019/03/hyper-yielding-cereals-are-extra-inputs-needed-and-if-so,-do-they-pay o

https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/crops/cereals/new-hyper-yielding-investment-to-push-crop-production-boundaries

https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2020/07/tasmanians-are-on-the-frontline-of-fungicide-resistance-what-options-are-available-to-slow-the-train

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Between 2017 and 2019 strategically placed wheat trials, located as far north as Central Queensland down to the Riverina region of NSW delivered data that will provide grain growers with regional information about variety adaption and recommended sowing times.

The project is part of a bilateral agreement under the grains agronomy and pathology partnership between GRDC and NSW DPI, who brought Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries onboard to work on the project.

Contact:

Darren Aisthorpe, Senior Regional Research Agronomist

Department of Agricultural and Fisheries

07 4991 0808

0427 015 600

www.daf.qld.gov.au

Useful resources: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2020/02/yield-stability-across-sowing-dates-how-to-pick-a-winner-in-variable-seasons

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A GRDC investment could see growers in the southern region growing crops like wheat and canola and even peas in the same paddock at the same time. Inter-row cropping is not new, but scientifically evaluating it on a broadacre scale is new.

On Part 1 we heard Agriculture Victoria crop scientist, Garry O’Leary explain the aims of the multi-site trials. On Part 2, senior research agronomist, Penny Rifkin takes us into the paddock at Hamilton in Victoria to explain some of the challenges and opportunities that are already revealing themselves.

Contact:

Penny Rifkin

[email protected]

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Rhizoctonia is a fungal disease that’s causing some concern to growers in the Southern and Western regions. On this podcast we speak to SARDI scientists Alan McKay and Blake Gontar about some of the management options available to growers and, in particular, how they can lessen the presence of the disease in the soil moving in to 2021.

Contact:

Alan McKay

[email protected]

Blake Gontar

[email protected]

Useful resources:

https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/factsheets/2016/02/rhizoctonia

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It’s radical. It certainly looks different. But the potential benefits could be enormous. It’s called intercropping – growing two or more crops in the same paddock at the same time.

In Part 1 of this two part mini-series, we hear about the sheer scale of trials underway across Victoria and what is hoped to be achieved. Agriculture Victoria crop scientist, Garry O’Leary dreams of a future that might be, but with a big dose of realism tossed into the mix.

Contact:

Garry O’Leary

[email protected]

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New research into Nitrogen applications as part of the Tactical Wheat Agronomy for the West project could challenge the way the industry thinks about what determines the timing of N applications.

The research project, a WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and GRDC investment, involved trials across Western Australia’s wheatbelt and revealed a key influencer of wheat yield, quality and protein level, is environment.

Contact:

Dr Dion Nicol | Wheat agronomist and physiologist Research, Development & Innovation Industry & Economic Development Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Dryland Research Institute, 1 Mitchell Street, Merredin WA 6415 t

+61 (0)8 9081 3115 |

m +61 (0)429 686 316 |

w dpird.wa.gov.au

Useful resources: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/groundcover/groundcover-133-march-april-2018/research-prompts-nitrogen-rethink-for-barley https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/groundcover/ground-cover-supplements/gcs106/new-app-quantifies-nitrogen-needs

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Yield losses from Red Leather Leaf in Oats could be significantly higher than growers have previously believed. One reason might be that the stubble borne foliar diseases is difficult to identify.

On this podcast, Agriculture Victoria research scientist, Mark McLean talks about trials currently underway and why there is strong suspicion that this disease is costing farmers yield.

Contact:

Mark McClean

[email protected]

Useful resources: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2019/02/cereal-foliar-and-root-disease-update-2019

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The Dryland Legume Pasture Systems (DLPS) project is evaluating a diverse range of annual pasture legumes on mixed farms in the low to medium rainfall zone (<450mm). In this podcast, researcher Ross Ballard from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the research division of Primary Industries and Regions SA, shares information on the new and existing commercial lines tested so far, including the new stand medic (Medicago littoralis) cultivar scheduled for release in 2021.

This national project is supported by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program. In addition to GRDC, the five-year project is also supported by Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation, and involves the South Australian Research and Development Institute, Murdoch University, CSIRO, the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and NSW Department of Primary Industries, as well as 10 grower groups across WA, SA, Victoria and southern NSW.

Contact:

Ross Ballard, SARDI

[email protected]

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A five year GRDC investment aimed at boosting the yield of high value irrigated crops is entering its second year in southern NSW and Victoria. In this podcast, FAR Australia researcher Michael Straight says the gap between what is achieved and what is achievable when it comes to yield comes down to doing the little things right. We also hear from Charlie Aves from the Irrigate Cropping Council about how the pathways that will emerge from the research will be disseminated to growers.

Contact:

Michael Straight

[email protected]

Charlie Aves

[email protected]

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Think of it as a new breath of fresh air for your crops. Keeping the critical growing window open longer will deliver you bigger yields. Professor Victor Sadras from the South Australian Research and Development Institute has been researching this topic and on this podcasts he speaks about what he has found, in particular the relative importance of grain weight and grain number.

Contact

Victor Sadras

[email protected]

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