Mrs Amanda Cook1,2, Dr Nigel Wilhelm2,3
1South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Minnipa Agricultural Centre, MINNIPA, Australia, 2University of Adelaide Affiliate, Urrbrae, 5064, 3South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Plant Research Centre, Urrbrae, Australia
Biography:
Amanda Cook is a Senior Research Scientist with SARDI based at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre, and a University of Adelaide Affiliate. Amanda has undertaken the research and delivery of many GRDC, SAGIT, FDF and other industry projects in the low to medium rainfall regions of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Amanda has delivered farming systems research including early sowing and fertilisers impacts, herbicides, barley grass and brome grass management, Rhizoctonia management and other cereal diseases, stubble management and harvest weed seed collection. With 25 years’ experience in the agricultural research industry, Amanda has vast experience in field research and grower extension.
Abstract:
With larger seeding programs and increased summer weed control to conserve soil moisture, more growers Australia-wide are considering dry sowing. This article summarises the outcomes of replicated field and pot trials undertaken in 2019-2021 on upper Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The trials assessed the impact of fertiliser type (P and N), fertiliser placement and other management factors including herbicides and seed dressings on wheat seed germination and establishment on three different soil types.
Placing urea with the seed lowered plant establishment on all soil types. If fertiliser separation cannot be achieved due to seeding system limitations, then using MAP (10:22:0:0) fertiliser is a safer option than DAP (18:20:0:0), especially in drier conditions on highly calcareous soils. Better plant establishment was achieved by placing fertiliser 3 cm below seeds which achieved similar establishment to nil fertiliser.
Soil type was important with red loam soil having better seed establishment and lower impact of fertiliser placement than the grey calcareous soils. Sandy soils are more vulnerable to wind erosion and thus more prone to pre-emergence herbicides impacting on establishment.
Dry sowing increased early plant dry matter but did not necessarily result in better yields than seeding on the break. However, sowing seed to utilise deeper moisture was important and long coleoptile wheat varieties are a valuable option for early crop establishment. Barley is a good early dry sowing option as it had better establishment and early dry matter production compared to wheat.