One-off soil inversion and deep soil mixing can ameliorate repellent soils, incorporate nutrients and remove some compaction. Trials to date have shown benefits in crop productivity and yield but a more detailed understanding of the changes in soil properties and crop performance over time is required to better understand the drivers of changes in productivity and implications of buried topsoil. This trial was located in Badgingarra on pale, yellow and deep water repellent sand.
Many people perceive that putting fertilizer with the same nutrient analysis on crops will result in similar yields. This trial was designed to demonstrate the yield differences in using a blended NPK fertiliser as compared to a compound NPK fertiliser. Conducted on red brown sandplain, the trial was located in East Arrino, north of Three Springs.
Omission trials are a good visual way of highlighting the importance of each nutrient. In this trial we looked at each macronutrient and its importance to canola. Soil tests run through NUlogic suggested the potential for deficiencies in nitrogen (N), sulphur (S) and possibly potassium (K). This trial was conducted in Dandaragan on sandy loam soil. The site was very responsive to nitrogen (N) fertiliser.
Potassium (K) is often supplied as topdressed MOP before seeding. However, this may not be the most effective method of application since the K may be pushed into slower-wetting inter-rows by seeding bars. In this trial, K was supplied in differing rates by topdressing MOP immediately after seeding PSPE, after emergence, or in a full NPK compound granule, Vigour, drilled at seeding with or without supplemental MOP to examine effects on germination and emergence and later grain production.
This trial looked at Serenade Prime as product to increase marketable potatoes and uniformity in tuber size through two applications during the growing season. Serenade Prime did not result in an increase of total yield but recorded an improved number of ‘marketable’ potatoes from the treatment through the reduction of smaller tubers and a higher percentage of medium sized, premium tubers. The trial was conducted near Dandaragan on sandy duplex soil.
The purpose of the canola NVT trials at Dandaragan is to provide growers and their advisors with independent information on the performance of newly released varieties of canola relative to the current commercial varieties grown in the area. The intention is to have two years of data available on the NVT website at the time each new variety is made available for commercial production. The 2016 trial was located in Dandaragan on brown grey sand to yellow brown sand at depth.
The use of two break crops in a row as a double break crop sequence has been successfully used to increase the grain yield of successive wheat crops in South Eastern Australia, and this study has tested this approach in the WA wheatbelt region.
Four demonstration sites were established in 2017 near Bencubbin, Corrigin, Miling, and Calingiri. These sites were established in paddocks with a history of root diseases or weed populations that a single break crop could not address, and which were sown to a break crop, pasture, or fallow in 2016. In 2017, plots of up to 2 hectares in size were established using grower equipment for a range of break crop options that the grower identified as options to integrate into their farming system. The remaining area of the paddock was sown to either wheat or canola depending on grower’s paddock plan. All sites were sown to wheat in 2018.
The aim of the National Variety Trial (NVT) program is to generate independent information for growers and industry about newly released varieties of winter field crops relative to the current commercial varieties grown in the area. The data generated can be compared by year/s, location and variety, providing an important decision support tool for growers when assessing if they are growing the right varieties for their farm business. This trial was sown onto a high yielding, burnt barley stubble on the 24th May.
The soil type was a high quality dark Dandaragan sand/loam. Unlike many areas of the state in 2019 this site had reasonable subsoil moisture from some earlier localised rain so germinated and grew exceptionally well. The late start to the season and dry spring tended to suit the quicker varieties, however good yields were returned by all varieties in the trial.
The aim of the National Variety Trial (NVT) program is to generate independent information for growers and industry about newly released varieties of winter field crops relative to the current commercial varieties grown in the area. The data generated can be compared by year/s, location and variety, providing an important decision support tool for growers when assessing if they are growing the right varieties for their farm business. This trial was sown onto a high yielding, burnt barley stubble on the 24th May.
The soil type was a high quality dark Dandaragan sand/loam. Unlike many areas of the state in 2019 this site had reasonable subsoil moisture from some earlier localised rain so germinated and grew exceptionally well. The late start to the season and dry spring tended to suit the quicker varieties with a difference of 0.9 t/ha between the highest and lowest yielding varieties.
The limitation of centre pivot irrigation systems currently is that water can only be irrigated as a blanket application across the whole site, or be limited into ‘pizza slice’ sub-sections of the paddock. This creates severe restrictions in being able to apply water to meet the specific needs of each soil type, and often results in some soil types being over-watered or under-watered depending on the location on the site. The over-watering of soil types can result in the leaching of unused water and nutrients down the soil profile and can potentially cause off-site impacts of nutrient enrichment. The aim of this project was to better understand the movement of water in the soil profile for three distinct soil types in the West Midlands region and assess the potential for the leaching of nutrients and water below the rooting depth of potatoes. This could then guide the implementation of variable rate irrigation in the region, where irrigation can be varied across the landscape to match water applied to soil water holding capacity.
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