The trial was sown on the 15th of May. Each variety was sown at the seeding rates specified in the table below. The trial was sown with a tyned seeder fitted with paired row Root Boot. Granulock Z was supplied as starter fertliser at 50 kg/ha. All varieties were inoculated with a group E/F Tagteam Granular. Simazine (200 g/ha), Diuron (200 g/ha) were applied as pre-emergent herbicides and were incorporated before sowing (IBS).
Pinnaroo Lentil Trial Results Lentils produced excellent grain yields in 2020 with PBA Jumbo2 topping the trial with 3.4 t/ha. PBA Highland, PBA Bolt, GIA Leader and PBA Hurricane all had similar grain yields. Grain yields of PBA Hallmark and PBA Kelpie were significantly less than PBA Jumbo2, PBA Highland and PBA Bolt.
Acknowledgement This virtual field day has been developed as part of the Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project: “Facilitating enhanced knowledge sharing of Mallee sustainable farming practices” This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
The research featured in this virtual field day was completed as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project: • Understanding the implications of new traits on the adaption, crop physiology and management of pulses in the southern region (DAV00150) This trial was managed by Frontier Farming Systems and Agricultural Victoria
Sub-optimal productivity is commonly reported for the deep sands that make up 20 to 30% of the cropping soils in the low rainfall Victorian Mallee region. Diagnosis of local constraints have pointed to low fertility and the physical restriction of rooting depth as the most likely constraints to production on sands in the Victorian Mallee. To explore this further, a trial was established at Ouyen in 2017 to investigate the potential the interactions between crop water use, physical disturbance by rotary spading, and the incorporation of organic amendments.
Methods
Treatments Six different types of organic matter were incorporated to a depth of 30 cm depth in 2017 using a one pass spade and sow operation (Table 1). Each organic amendment was applied at a rate which supplied 2.5 t/ha of carbon, but varied in carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio. Spaded organic matter treatments were also compared to spading only, spaded urea (supplying equivalent quantity of N as vetch hay) and a non-spaded control.
Management The trial was sown to barley in 2017 with subsequent years rotating between wheat and barley. Each season the trial received DAP S Z (16:17:0:8; 0.5%Zn) @ 62.5 kg/ha at seeding and 47 kg/ha of Ammonium Sulphate and a foliar application of copper, zinc and manganese was applied during tillering.
Treatment
Application Rate (t/ha)
C:N Ratio
Treatment N Input (kg/ha)
Spaded Vetch Hay
6
16:1
156
Spaded Oaten Hay
5.9
72:1
35
Spaded Vetch + Oat Hay
3.3 + 2.7
25:1
102
Spaded Chicken Litter
6.8
16:1
218
Spaded Compost
15.8
10:1
252
Urea
0.34
N/A
156
Spaded control
Nil
N/A
–
Non-spaded control
Nil
N/A
–
Table 1
Results
2020 Grain Yield
Here was a 0.75 t/ha increase in grain yield in 2020 between the non-spaded control and all other treatments which were spaded in 2017. There was no significant difference between spaded treatments, therefore there was no effect of organic matter in 2020.
Cumulative Yield Benefit (2017-2020)
Spading chicken litter compost in 2017 has provided increased grain yield by 3.4 t/ha relative to the on-spaded control. The effect of spading was 1.3 t/ha, therefore the long term yield benefit of the application of 6.8 t/ha chicken litter was 2.1 t/ha. The next most effective organic matter source was compost while on-farm organic matter sources such as vetch hay has provided not provided long term benefit over and above spading.
Acknowledgement This virtual field day has been developed as part of the Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project: “Facilitating enhanced knowledge sharing of Mallee sustainable farming practices” This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
The research featured in this virtual field day was completed as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project: • Increasing production on sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall areas of the southern region. The trials are a collaboration between Frontier Farming Systems and Mallee Sustainable Farming, CSIRO and UniSA.
There is considerable interest in strategic deep tillage (e.g. deep ripping, spading) with or without agronomic amendments (fertilisers, organic matter) to overcome physical constraints and increase water and nutrient supply within the profile of Mallee sandy soils. To investigate the potential benefits of deep ripping and the inclusion of organic matter (OM), a replicated trial was established near Tempy in 2019.
Methods
Treatments The trial comprised of five treatments to compare deep ripping only with inclusion plates and OM addition. All deep ripping treatments were implemented to a depth of 50cm with a tine spacing of 56cm. The OM used was a chicken litter compost blend, applied at 5t/ha (https://www.peatssoil.com.au), in the treatments listed in Table 1.
Management The trial was sown to barley in both 2019 and 2020. Each season the trial received DAP S Z (16:17:0:8; 0.5%Zn) @ 62.5 kg/ha at seeding and 47 kg/ha of Ammonium Sulphate and a foliar application of copper, zinc and manganese was applied during tillering.
Depth cm
Treatment
Control (undisturbed)
–
–
Deep ripping
50
with rigid shank (Tilco)
Deep ripping
50
with inclusion plate (Tilco) operating 150mm below soil surface
Deep ripping
50
with inclusion plate (Tilco) plus OM surface applied
Deep ripping
50
with OM deep placed behind the ripping shank
Table 1
Results
2020 Grain Yield
Deep ripping with inclusion plates and/or OM applied produced a significantly higher grain yield than the undisturbed control in 2020. The grain yield of the deep ripping only treatment was not significantly higher than the control in 2020.
Figure 1: Grain yield from the Tempy site in 2020
Cumulative Yield Benefit (2017-2020)
All treatments increased the quantity of grain grown in 2019 and 2020 by at least 1.5 t/ha, relative to the undisturbed control. However, there is no significant difference in cumulative grain yield between the ripping treatments.
Acknowledgement This virtual field day has been developed as part of the Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project: “Facilitating enhanced knowledge sharing of Mallee sustainable farming practices” This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
The research featured in this virtual field day was completed as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project: • Increasing production on sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall areas of the southern region. The trials are a collaboration between Frontier Farming Systems and Mallee Sustainable Farming, CSIRO and UniSA.
The trial was sown on the 15th of May. Each variety was sown at the seeding rates specified in the table below. The trial was sown with a tyned seeder fitted with paired row Root Boot. Granulock Z was supplied as starter fertliser at 50 kg/ha. All varieties were inoculated with a group N Tagteam Granular. Simazine (200 g/ha), Diuron (200 g/ha) and Balance (80 g/ha) were applied as pre-emergent herbicides and were incorporated before sowing (IBS).
Pinnaroo Chickpea Trial Results Desi Chickpea types PBA Striker and PBA Slasher were the highest yielding varieties with grain yields of 2.8 t/ha Both varieties were higher yielding than the large Kabuli chickpea varieties Kalkee and PBA Monarch The striker also had a significantly higher grain yield than PBA Magnus but did not differ significantly from the other varieties
Acknowledgement This virtual field day has been developed as part of the Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project: “Facilitating enhanced knowledge sharing of Mallee sustainable farming practices” This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
The research featured in this virtual field day was completed as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project: • Understanding the implications of new traits on the adaption, crop physiology and management of pulses in the southern region (DAV00150) This trial was managed by Frontier Farming Systems and Agricultural Victoria
The trial was sown on the 4th of May. Each variety was sown at the seeding rates specified in the table below. The trial was sown with a tyned seeder fitted with paired row roots boots. Granulock Z was supplied as starter fertliser at 50 kg/ha. All varieties were inoculated with a group N Tagteam Granular. Simazine (200 g/ha), Diuron (200 g/ha) and Balance (80 g/ha) were applied as pre-emergent herbicides and were incorporated before sowing (IBS).
The trial has shown differences between varieties for grain yield, however there was no effect of fungicide application.
Early flowering and maturing PBA Monarch (2.61 t/ha) and PBA Striker (2.58 t/ha) were the varieties with the highest grain yields.
Genesis Kalkee, a mid-late flowering and late maturing variety had a grain yield of 2.33 t/ha, closely followed by the mid flowering and mid maturing varieties CBA Captain and PBA Royal with mean grain yields of 2.33 t/ha and 2.34 t/ha respectively.
Acknowledgement This virtual field day has been developed as part of the Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project: “Facilitating enhanced knowledge sharing of Mallee sustainable farming practices” This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
The research featured in this virtual field day was completed as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project: • Understanding the implications of new traits on the adaption, crop physiology and management of pulses in the southern region (DAV00150) This trial was managed by Frontier Farming Systems and Agricultural Victoria
Four separate trials were established to quantify the response of Lentil, Chickpea, Lupin and Faba bean varieties to deep ripping on a deep sandy soil. The trial site was located near Kooloonong in the Victorian Mallee. Deep ripped treatments were ripped to a depth of 500 mm with using a Tilco A66 tynes spaced 56 cm apart. All trials were sown on the 26th of April 2020.
Lentil
Lentil Variety
• PBA Bolt • PBA Jumbo2 • PBA Hallmark XT • PBA Highland XT • PBA Kelpie XT (1721) • GIA Leader (GIA1701) • GIA 2005 • GIA 2001
Acknowledgement This virtual field day has been developed as part of the Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project: “Facilitating enhanced knowledge sharing of Mallee sustainable farming practices” This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
The research featured in this virtual field day was completed as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project: • Understanding the implications of new traits on the adaption, crop physiology and management of pulses in the southern region (DAV00150) This trial was managed by Frontier Farming Systems and Agricultural Victoria
