GRDC Podcast

After identifying a need to lift cereal yields to take advantage of the extensive soil amelioration work that’s been happening in Western Australia and newfound opportunities to sow early crops, a group of innovative Esperance growers were keen to investigate options.

Quenten Knight a member of the Soil Constraints West steering committee and an agronomist with Agronomy Focus in Esperance put together a study tour plan for the group and with a GRDC Grower Development award, the Esperance growers had the means to travel.

Their destination was the Hyper Yielding Cereals trial site in New Zealand.

Further information:

GRDC - Grower and Adviser development: https://grdc.com.au/about/scholarships-sponsorships-awards/grower-and-adviser-development

FAR - Research and Extension projects: https://www.far.org.nz/far_australia/research_and_extension_projects

Quenten Knight Agronomist Agronomy Focus

9 Currong Street PO Box 2418 Esperance WA 6450

M - 0427 720004

P - (08) 9072 0542

F - (08) 9072 0726

E - [email protected]

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For many central western NSW grain growers in 2018, the decision to graze their cereal crops reaped big rewards. But it’s not as simple as letting a mob of sheep loose on your best farming paddock.

On this podcast, Peter Matthews, a Technical Specialist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries discusses the tactical and strategic decisions you need to take for a successful cereal grazing program.

Contact:

Peter Matthews

0427 007 395

[email protected]

Resources:

Dual purpose crops boost farm income: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/groundcover/groundcover-132-january-february-2018/dual-purpose-crops-boost-farm-income

Dual purpose cereal variety performance in NSW farming systems: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2018/02/dual-purpose-cereal-variety-performance-in-nsw-farming-systems

Dual purpose cereals varieties and management for the northern slopes and plains: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2013/02/dual-purpose-cereals-varieties-and-management-for-the-northern-slopes-and-plains

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The Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) seeder demonstration day was held in April 2019 to compare six commercially-available conventional seeders and precision planters in establishing canola at two sowing rates.

In this podcast, the GRDC’s Andrew Etherton talks through the event and the GRDC investment behind it - a four-year industry collaboration aiming to increase the profitability of growers in Australia’s southern and western grain producing areas.

The trial data will be analysed later in the growing season by BCG, and the outcomes shared with growers so they can make improvements to seeding machinery and quantify the value of precision planters in optimising plant establishment and yield.

Contact: Andrew Etherton [email protected]

Resources:

Birchip Cropping Group seeder demo day video: https://youtu.be/m7VM3BC4tnE More information: https://grdc.com.au/news-and-media/news-and-media-releases/south/2019/4/seeder-demonstration-day-at-birchip

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Monitoring a crop is an integral part of a growers integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. Not only does it reveal if any damage is occurring, it also helps in determining pest and beneficial presence and abundance.

In this podcast, agronomist Phil Bowden explores these insect monitoring methods in detail, to help growers and advisors make an informed risk assessment and to decide if chemical control is warranted.

It’s also detailed in the publication Insect Pests Of Establishing Canola In NSW guide developed by cesar (developer of Pestfacts) and the GRDC.

Contact:

Phil Bowden

[email protected]

Resources:

Insect Pests Of Establishing Canola In NSW guide https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/publications/2019/insect-pests-of-establishing-canola-in-nsw

GrowNotes Canola - North: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grownotes/crop-agronomy/canola-north GrowNotes Canola - South: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grownotes/crop-agronomy/canola-south

GrowNotes Canola - West: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grownotes/crop-agronomy/canola-west

Detecting and managing blackleg in canola crops video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arU7pr0ygqA

Keep an eye out for Monitoring for insects in early season canola video series on the GRDC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/theGRDC

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Grain yields in the high-rainfall zone (HRZ) have always posed a paradox, remaining far lower than modelling had predicted. However, that is now changing as a result of a comprehensive new research program covering farm-management practices, soil nutrition and plant biology and the development of tools that are helping to better predict the yield and economic benefits of applying inputs in the high-rainfall zone.

Further information:

Dr Penny Riffkin Dept. Economic Development, Jobs, Transport & Resource - Victoria

0418 514 815

03 5573 0926

[email protected]

Malcolm McCaskill

03 5573 0957

[email protected]

Useful resources: https://communities.grdc.com.au/crop-nutrition?s=HRZ+decision+support+tools

Visit https://extensionaus.com.au

More resources GRDC Podcast, Lifting HRZ cereal yields: https://grdc.com.au/news-and-media/audio/podcast/lifting-hrz-cereal-yields

GRDC project code: DAV00141

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It’s actually not about luck. Controlling Crown Rot is about good management. On this podcast, senior plant pathologist, Andrew Milgate, from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, explains that the control of Crown Rot in southeastern Australia needs a specific strategy to prevent inoculum levels climbing to the point that reducing the impact of the disease could take years.

Contact:

Dr Andrew Milgate

Senior Plant Pathologist

Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, NSW

02 6938 1900

[email protected]

Resources:

GRDC Crop variety guides: https://grdc.com.au/crop-variety-guides NSW DPI Winter crop sowing guide: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/broadacre-crops/guides/publications/winter-crop-variety-sowing-guide

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Hagley in northern Tasmania is the site of an extensive trial dedicated to helping the state’s grain growers to achieve higher yields of quality feed grain. It’s also the location of an annual field day that showcases its research into new cereal lines and agronomy strategies to lift feed grain productivity.

On this podcast Tasmanian grower and Southern Panel member Michael Chilvers discusses the major constraints to cereal production in high rainfall areas, and how he is using the latest germplasm research and fungicide management strategies to help achieve the potential yield for his region.

The trial and field day are part of the GRDC’s Hyper Yielding Cereals Project, that aims to increase average red feed wheat yields in Tasmania from 4.4 t/ha to 7t/ha by 2020 and have 10% of commercial Tasmanian feed wheat crops yielding 14t/ha by 2020.

Resources:

GRDC Update paper: Hyper yielding cereal project - What has performed well over two contrasting seasons? https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2018/07/hyper-yielding-cereal-project

YouTube video: Comparing long & short season feed-grain barley varieties sown on the same date: https://youtu.be/cM4cMIoyd9E

YouTube video: See the difference - comparing seeding rates at the Hyper Yielding Cereals trial: https://youtu.be/Oi78unbEZR0

YouTube video: Showing the level of disease resistance between fungicide treated and untreated cereals: https://youtu.be/l3g14Vot-d8

GRDC Southern panel: https://grdc.com.au/about/what-we-do/region-panels/southern

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Winter wheat varieties allow wheat growers in the Southern Region to sow much earlier than currently practised, meaning a greater proportion of farm can be sown on time.

The GRDC’s Management of Early Sown Wheat project focuses on which varieties have the best yield, adaptation in different environments and their optimal sowing window.

Associate Professor at La Trobe University, James Hunt, is involved in the project and talks us through the results of an experiment and their significance for growers.

Contact:

James Hunt [email protected]

More information:

Emerging Management Tips For Early Sown Winter Wheats update paper: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2019/02/emerging-management-tips-for-early-sown-winter-wheats

GRDC project code: 9175069

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The Regional Cropping Solutions Network encourages West Australian grain growers to voice local farming concerns and put forward research ideas to help increase grower profitability in their local port zone.

In this podcast, WA grain grower and western region RCSN co-ordinator, Julianne Hill outlines the network’s collaborative structure and how it makes the best use of the Grains Research and Development Corporation's investment of grower R&D dollars.

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Managing herbicide resistant weeds has become a major concern for grain growers, especially in the northern region which has the highest number of glyphosate resistant weed species.

These are mainly summer weed species. It was for this reason that GRDC invested in the tactical tillage project and called for a non-chemical means of weed control for use in an integrated weed management system.

Answering the call, the University of Western Australia proposed it would engineer a machine that could see weeds and chip them out of the soil.

Further information:

Dr Andrew Guzzomi, Senior Lecturer

Inaugural Agricultural Engineer, School of Engineering

The University of Western Australia

6488 3883

[email protected]

https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/story/5872966/mechanical-chipper-added-to-weeds-arsenal/

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