• Group 1 (A) selective herbicide in 2019 gave good barley grass control, with an early application (2-4 leaf) better than a late application (Z31). Group 2 (B) herbicide in 2021 pasture gave similar results but control was not as effective.
• Paraquat spray topping in 2019 did not reduce seed set.
• Slashing in 2021 gave excellent seed set control.
• Effective Group A weed control in 2019 combined with Sakura® + Treflan® in 2020 successfully reduced this very dense barley grass population by 98% compared to a rotation of grazing (no herbicide) in 2019 and Treflan® alone in 2020, but barley grass was still dense in 2021.
• The seedbank lasts 3-4 years, particularly in dry years where not all seed has the opportunity to emerge.

• Barley grass can have late, staggered cohorts, and so full control requires pre- and post-emergent control.
• Clearfield® crops or pasture ‘break crops’ allow excellent in-crop control and reduction of barley grass seed production.
• Resistance remains very low at this site. A diverse crop rotation allows a rotation of herbicide groups to avoid resistance development.

• RR canola which was sown into plots to mimic wild radish produced 4.1 t/ha of biomass by maturity and reduced the seed yield of CBA Captain chickpea by 47% compared to weed free plots.
• Majority of the herbicides and herbicide mixtures registered 95-100% weed control efficiency against RR canola and produced similar seed yields to weed free plots. Application of flumetsulam 800 at 25g/ha at 4-5 node stage of chickpea reduced canola biomass by 99% and increased chickpea seed yield by 74%.
• Post-seeding pre-emergent application of a three-way mix of Simazine 900 835g + diuron 900 333g + isoxaflutole 750 100g/ha and post-emergent application of REDPI21 at 4-5 node stage caused significant seed yield loss of chickpea.
• Pre-emergent application of fomesafen, flumioxazin, terbuthylazine + isoxaflutole, and simazine + diuron + isoxaflutole had no significant negative effect on root nodules of CBA Captain.

• Chickpea varieties - CBA Captain and Neelam showed similar competitiveness against broadleaf weeds. Competition of RR canola (mimicked wild radish) and broad leaf weeds with these varieties to maturity accumulated 4.2t/ha dry biomass and reduced chickpea seed yield by 35% compared to weed free plots.
• Majority of the herbicides and herbicide mixtures registered 95-100% weed control efficiency against RR canola and broadleaf weeds and yielded on par with weed free plots. Application of flumetsulam 800 at 25g/ha at 4-5 node stage of chickpea reduced canola/weed biomass by 69% and increased chickpea seed yield by 25%.
• Incorporated by sowing application (IBS) of herbicides/mixtures appeared safer than their post-seeding pre-emergent application (PSPE). IBS application of fomesafen, flumioxazin, terbuthylazine + isoxaflutole, and simazine + diuron + isoxaflutole had no significant negative effect on root nodules of CBA Captain.

• Majority of the pre-emergent herbicides and herbicide mixtures registered 88-100% weed control efficiency against wild radish. Post-emergent application of flumetsulam 800 at 25g/ha alone at 4-5 node stage of chickpea reduced wild radish number by 86%.
• Interaction of post-emergent flumetsuam with pre-emergent herbicides/mixtures for wild radish control was positive, whereas for chickpea seed yield it was negative in majority of the cases.
• Pre-emergent application of flumioxzin alone and in mixture with other herbicides, BADPI21 and simazine + diuron + isoxaflutole caused 21 to 41% loss in chickpea seed yield.
• Pre-emergent application of fomesafen, flumioxazin, terbuthylazine + isoxaflutole, and simazine + diuron + isoxaflutole had no significant negative effect on root nodules of CBA Captain.

• PBA Amberley faba bean produced yields over 5 t/ha.
• Faba bean did not respond to Phosphorus or Nitrogen inputs.
• Additional fungicide and nutrition treatments increased yield by 400 kg/ha – however treatments tested were not economically viable.

• PBA Amberley faba bean produced yields over 3 t/ha.
• Faba bean did not respond to Phosphorus (> 10 kg P/ha) or Nitrogen inputs.
• Our ‘Extra: treatment in late August during a dry period scorched the leaves which resulted in a reduction in seed yield of 250 kg/ha.

Foliar fungicide application on West Australian faba bean crops can be safely delayed until flowering begins, even if chocolate spot is present at low levels earlier in the season.

• Management of Ascochyta remains critical to growing successful chickpea crops and application of an appropriate seed dressing followed by foliar fungicide 4-6 weeks later are essential first steps

• Ascochyta did not progress at this site in 2021 due to low rainfall during the warmer part of the season when temperature better suits disease development.
• Management of Ascochyta remains critical to growing successful chickpea crops and application of an appropriate seed dressing, followed by a foliar fungicide 4-6 weeks later is an essential first step.
• Overall, yields were very good with a site average of 1.70t/ha.

Management of Ascochyta remains critical to growing successful chickpea crops, and application of an appropriate seed dressing, followed by a foliar fungicide 4-6 weeks later is an essential first step.

• Peat-based inoculant methods (slurry or granules) had more root nodules than those that were not peat-based.
• Peat-based inoculant methods also had higher biomass until flowering.
• Nodulation and biomass differences did not lead to yield differences, likely due to low Spring temperatures.

• Peat-based inoculant methods (slurry or granules) had more root nodules than nil and ALOSCA® with fertiliser treatments.
• There were no biomass differences measured between any of the treatments at any stage in the season.
• Nodulation differences did not lead to yield differences, likely due to good growing conditions through most of the season.

Early application of selective herbicide (Group 1, A) gave excellent control of barley grass. While fewer barley grass plants meant less pasture biomass, it’s important to remember that the seeds on the mature barley grass would injure livestock. Further, these barley grass plants could host cereal crop disease.

Spray topping prevented viable seed set of barley grass while leaving the greatest pasture biomass.

Good barley grass control in the 2019 pasture was still evident in the 2020 and 2021 crops.

Late sowing of barley in 2020 (delayed 4 weeks) was relatively ineffective in controlling barley grass and crop yield was slightly reduced.

Late sowing of oats in 2021 (delayed 7 weeks) gave excellent weed control, but the crop yield was severely reduced.

Three years of control reduced barley grass density from over 1000 plants/m2 to 2-14 plants/m2 across the whole site.

The diverse rotation, including pasture and canola break crops, allowed a range of herbicides from different mode of actions and control of late emerging barley grass cohorts.

Two years of seed set prevention was not sufficient to remove the barley grass. Barley grass has a seedbank that lasts at least 3-4 years.

• PBA Amberley which is rated MR to chocolate spot did not respond to fungicides at Wittenoom Hills when crop humidity was low in 2021.
• Using in-crop sensors which send data wirelessly in real time may provide a useful guide to help spraying decisions – particularly when not to spray fungicides.

Triflur X® provided excellent control of barley grass over the entire site, although by August, weed density was lower following Triflur X® at 3L/ha rather than 2L/ha.

In 2020, Intervix® provided excellent control in-crop, preventing panicle production. In 2021 the field was too wet to spray in-crop herbicides.

Increased seeding rate increased crop density, and resulted in a non-significant reduction to barley grass panicles.

• The highest yielding treatment was Calibre (RAC2721) sown on 28 April, achieving just over 4.6t/ha.
• Yields of over 4t/ha were consistently achieved by mid-slow to slow maturing spring wheats sown on 14 April and quick to mid maturing spring wheats sown 28 April. This coincided with flowering occurring during August.
• Despite being sown onto field pea stubble with 75kg N/ha applied, high yielding (4+ t/ha) treatments rarely met APW1 protein specifications, indicating that at these high yields greater nitrogen applications are required to achieve premium milling grades.

• Dry sowing did not significantly compromise nodulation and nitrogen fixation in chickpea in 2019.
• Peat slurry and granular inoculants led to satisfactory nodulation and nitrogen fixation in dry and wet sowing conditions in 2019.
• Chickpeas inoculated with peat based or bentonite clay granule inoculant and sown either dry or into moisture provided similar growth and production in a subsequent wheat crop in 2020.
• No significant differences in final grain yield of wheat was observed between inoculant types of sowing times.
• Some differences were observed in plant growth where the previous chickpea crop had been inoculated compared to uninoculated however inoculant type had no effect on wheat growth.
• Wheat grain quality was better when grown after an inoculated chickpea crop compared to an uninoculated crop and would contribute to a higher quality grade.

• Spray topping remains the most effective control option for matricaria in pastures.
• Sheep did not graze matricaria at any growth stage and the use of MCPA in a spray-graze scenario did not increase grazing of matricaria. Grazing would not be a reliable control method for matricaria, even when paired with chemical manipulation, in an average year.
• Matricaria had good feed value but had less crude protein and metabolisable energy than the other green feed in the paddock.
• Mowing or weed wiping to control matricaria at the flowering stage was significantly less effective in reducing biomass and number of flowers and had significantly more regrowth compared to district practice of spray topping.

• Pre-emergent herbicides were equally as effective at controlling broadleaf weeds as post-emergent herbicides in this faba bean trial
• Reflex® is a new pre-emergent herbicide option for control of broadleaf weeds with good residual activity and is effective at reducing weed density and biomass
• If a post-emergent herbicide is required Ecopar® is best for broadleaf weed control in non-imi-tolerant varieties and Intercept® is good for imi-tolerant varieties

• Faba bean sown in 2019 significantly reduced Pratylenchus neglectus (root lesion nematode) numbers. Lentil and canola also reduced P. neglectus but to a lesser extent. This carried through to 2020 sown wheat where populations remained low.
• In 2019, faba bean was the lowest risk non-cereal option in the break crop phase to manage a late start or dry finish, although wheat outperformed all crop types in terms of yield and gross margin in 2019.
• Wheat sown in 2020 yielded more when sown after pulses (faba bean, lentil, chickpea) compared to when sown after canola or wheat,
• In a poor season or low rainfall situation the low nitrogen strategy (30N basal) offered the best returns, there was no yield response to higher rates of nitrogen applied in-season.
• Wheat after pulses had the greatest yield response to applied nitrogen.
• Protein response to nitrogen rate was higher in wheat-wheat compared to when sown after break crops.

• In 2000, growers in the northern wheatbelt were concerned about resistant weeds and began to manage them through a range of innovative approaches other than herbicides alone.
• With GRDC and DPIRD support weeds researcher Peter Newman worked with growers and annually monitored 27 focus paddocks for the surviving ryegrass populations in Spring. Monitoring from 2017 was continued by the Regional Research Agronomy project
•  In 2001, the average ryegrass count across the paddocks was 183 plants/m2 but growers reduced these numbers by an average of 98% over the first nine seasons.
• Once ryegrass numbers were reduced to low levels, growers using harvest weed seed control (HWSC) have consistently kept weed numbers close to zero, while those without HWSC have experienced some volatility in numbers annually.
• In 2020 IWM strategies have continued to maintain low ryegrass numbers and manage herbicide resistance; average ryegrass numbers have reduced by over 99% since 2001

• An integrated weed management (IWM) approach was used incorporating integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD), herbicide, hand picking, crop rotation and early grazing opportunities
• After seven years wild radish numbers were controlled on paddocks that previously had high densities 
• Between 2018 and 2020 the radish population was reduced by 71%

• In 2020 lentils produced similar biomass from all times of sowing.
• Seed yields were highest from June sowing.

 

• PBA Highland XT produced higher yields than the standard variety PBA Bolt
• PBA Highland XT appeared to have better herbicide tolerance than PBA Bolt
• Deeper sowing and rolling immediately after sowing increased crop safety and yields
• Applying soil active herbicides prior to sowing increased crop safety

• The impact of nitrogen rate and fungicide strategy on canola grain yield and seed quality was investigated at two field sites.Increasing nitrogen rate decreased oil % in seed.
• 280kg/ha nitrogen increased protein compared with the 100kg/ha treatment.
• There was no impact of fungicide applications although the season was not conducive to disease development. Observations failed to detect disease in either trial.
• Analysis of coarse and fine stubble fractions showed increasing N concentration and yield of each fraction with increasing N rate.
• Higher amounts of soil mineral N were present at end of autumn 2021 following high rates of fertiliser N in the previous season.
• High N fertiliser rates increase the N concentration of stubble residue and the total amount of stubble.
• The higher soil N in the following season is only a small proportion of the additional fertiliser N, a small compensation for over fertilising should the previous canola crop yield well below expectation.

• Rip to below your compacted layer
• Ripping to 60cm reduced soil strength, and this effect continued into the second year after ripping
• Wheat yield response to the 60cm rip treatment paid for deep ripping in the first year
• It is important to understand potential yield benefits of ripping before you rip

• In 2018 and 2019 Sothis increased soil levels of the root lesion nematode P.neglectus when compared to chemical fallow trial strips.
• During the 2020 season Rhizoctonia levels increased from zero to high risk levels in oats with Sothis germinating underneath.
• Monitoring of soilborne diseases through different rotations and seasons helps increase understanding of the impact on our farming systems

• Crop establishment, biomass, yield and harvest index of wheat was largely unaffected by break crop rotation from the previous two seasons.
• Wheat yield was above district average for both the light and heavy soil site which was not expected on the average decile 4 rainfall.
• Grain produced from wheat following a pulse-canola rotation had higher protein content compared to the canola-chickpea rotation.

• No crop type on any soil achieved optimum plant density at this site, with canola treatments having extremely poor establishment.
• Overall, wheat had a significantly higher biomass than canola, lupins or chickpeas.
• Wheat yields were average to above average for the area depending on the soil type, which is a favourable result given the average decile 4 growing season rainfall.
• Canola yielded extremely poorly and proved to be a risky crop choice for the given season and soil types

• Seasonal conditions during 2020 were not conducive to chocolate spot development and no significant yield difference was measured between fungicide spray regimes.
• Unnecessary application of fungicides reduces gross margins.
• Real-time IoT sensors (data loggers) used for crop microclimate monitoring can support timely fungicide use and reduce unnecessary prophylactic sprays.
• Further trials are required in disease-conducive seasons to increase confidence in the use of this technology for spray decision support.

Canola yield increased significantly up to, but not above, 200 kg N/ha.

There was little benefit to applying above 15P or any K, S or trace elements.

Fertilisers (both banded and top-dressed) significantly decreased plant establishment and early growth.

•  Legume break crops reduced populations of RLN (Pratylenchus neglectus) in the soil while canola increased the population.
• RLN levels increased across the site after one season of Scepter wheat (a susceptible host) to medium risk levels on legume plots and high risk levels where canola had been a break crop.
• A single break crop in the rotation may be insufficient to effectively reduce disease inoculum beyond the season following a break crop year.

• Benefit cost analysis using the small yield benefit (up to 100kg/ha) found on shallow ironstone areas in this paddock (0-3cm topsoil over ironstone sheet) showed a nil to negative return on investment.
• In 2019, the season was too dry to measure a yield response.
• In 2020, in-season data was collected but the season was dry with a hard finish (0.7t/ha paddock average) and no yield difference was measured. While the Reefinator may increase plant available water capacity, recent seasons have provided very little moisture.
• Yield maps are critical for ongoing monitoring of paddock machinery-scale treatments where soil variability can confound treatment effects.

• Chickpea seed yield responded to 25-50 kg N/ha applied 18 weeks after sowing at Ridely in 2020
• Yield responses were not large enough to pay for the cost on applied nitrogen.
• Kabuli variety Gen090 produced similar yields to desi variety CBA Captain

• Chickpea seed yield responded to 50 kg N/ha applied 8 weeks after sowing at Grass Patch in 2020
• Higher rates did not increase yields when applied at 8 weeks after sowing or in a split application at 8 and 12 weeks after sowing.
• Within plot variation resulted in no significant difference in the gross margin.

• Applying 100 kg N/ha 8 weeks after sowing increased yield, but did not lead to increased gross margins
• Trial site was flooded in August – treat results with caution

• Applying nitrogen to lentil had no positive effect in 2020

• The resistance rating of cereal cultivars to RLN species affects RLN multiplication. Yenda wheat is more resistant than Calingiri wheat and these cultivars affected P. quasitereoides population size for two seasons following.
• In 2019, applying urea increased P. quasitereoides numbers more than applying none, with higher rates upfront at seeding associated with the highest RLN numbers at harvest. Applying urea also significantly increased yield.
• P. quasitereoides population size reduced over the 2019/20 summer by about half and reduced further over the 2020 growing season when Scepter wheat was grown.

•  Grower practice N rates at both sites were the most economical
•  Applying higher rates of N to maintain or increase protein was not profitable if yield did not also increase
•  Grain markets should be watched in case higher quality grades fetch significantly higher prices
•  Increased nitrogen can lead to increased incidence of powdery mildew if not controlled early in the season.

Both invertebrate pests and beneficials are found in association with chaff in paddocks. However, the species composition depends on the location of the paddock. Paddocks located in the Albany port zone are more likely to have higher densities of pests associated with chaff, whereas paddocks located in the Kwinana East port zone had the least pest densities and highest numbers of seed-harvesting ants associated with chaff.

The most abundant beneficials were weed seed harvesting ants which were found in close association with chaff. As these ants predate on weed seeds and live in holes in the ground, it is unlikely they are using chaff as a refuge, it is more probable that they are foraging in the chaff. This trend presents an opportunity to investigate in greater detail whether seed-harvesting ants provide an economic benefit to growers by consuming weed seeds from HWSC systems left to rot-in-situ.

Pitfall trapping was able to capture a higher diversity of invertebrate species than direct sampling of chaff. As pitfall trapping did not rely on samplers locating an invertebrate, it is more likely to be a more accurate representation of species presence and diversity in a paddock. However, this technique does rely on invertebrates moving and falling into a pitfall trap.

Leaving chaff to rot-in-situ does not affect abundances of pests such as desiantha weevil. However, other pests do use chaff as refuges. For instance, pest beetles, Rutherglen bugs, European earwigs were found in association with chaff. It is unlikely these species are feeding on chaff, but rather are using chaff as a refuge. This survey was not able to determine if long term retention of chaff will increase abundances of these pests.

There was no correlation between the presence of chaff and the presence of a mouse holes, nor was there a correlation with HWSC system and the presence of mice.

Of the twenty paddocks sampled for mice, only 5 paddocks had active mouse holes.  Four paddocks  were located near Minginew and had at most two active holes along 4 transects. These are considered to have low levels of mice. One paddock in Esperance had mouse numbers that were considered high, at this site there were an estimated 488 mouse holes per hectare. 

 

• Quality of on-farm lime and distance from coastal limesand sources are important factors in determining economic advantage over coastal limesand
• Cultivation of sources resulted in higher net present values after the 20 year iLime simulation, and improved return on investments at 5 and 10 years compared to when uncultivated
• In 2019 cultivation consistently improved yield and the high rates of local dolerite and limesand improved yield by 0.55t/ha and 0.57t/ha respectively.
• Due to the 2020 season and in season challenges there were no significant differences in yield between sources and cultivation

• Vegetable beetle and slater activity is correlated to high relative humidity, mild temperatures and time of day, and that these conditions overlap with other crop emergence pests such as conical snails.
• Vegetable beetles and slater movement was not correlated with soil moisture content, unlike conical snails.
• There may be a wider window of opportunity to apply chemical controls to target these pests pre-sowing especially in dry sowing situations. Whereas when baiting for snails, efficacy is improved when baits are applied immediately following rain when the soil surface is moist and there is high relative humidity overnight.

• Deep ripping did not affect depth to free water in 2018 or 2019; however these were decile 2 and decile 1 growing seasons at Kendenup West.
• Yield data was limited; however deep ripping may have produced a cultivation effect that slightly increased yield.
• Deep ripping is unlikely to be a reliable management option for waterlogging in forest gravel soil.

• Rip to below your compacted layer
• Ripping to 60cm reduced soil strength, and this effect continued into the second year after ripping
• Wheat yield response to the 60cm rip treatment paid for deep ripping in the first year
• Important to understand potential yield benefits of ripping before you rip

• The monitoring undertaken showed no evidence for significant reduction of soil borne disease by ripping and cultivation.
• The spatial variability of soil borne diseases dictates that careful site selection, small plots, multiple replications and intensive sampling is required to obtain meaningful results.