Miss Mikaela Tilse1, Prof. Thomas Bishop1, Dr Patrick Filippi1
1The University Of Sydney
Biography:
Mikaela Tilse is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney with the Precision Agriculture Laboratory. Her research focuses on modelling and mapping cotton fibre and grain quality within fields using data-science and precision agriculture principles to better understand how and why quality varieties within and between fields, and to transform the abundance of data now available into a useful format for growers.
Abstract:
Wheat grain protein content (GPC) is a key determinant of the prices that grain growers receive, yet there is often significant within- and between-field variation. There is an opportunity to make use of the plethora of publicly-available information and data being collected on-farm to capture, describe and quantitatively assess variability in grain production systems. This includes understanding the drivers of variability in GPC and yield, and their combined relationship within fields. Correlations between GPC and yield were mapped within 46 fields across four seasons (2020 – 2023) for nine farms in Western Australia and northern New South Wales, Australia, using a 150 m moving window. The relationship between these yield-protein correlations, total applied nitrogen and electromagnetic (EM) surveys (as a proxy for variation in soil moisture and clay content/texture) were then explored to understand potential drivers of variability. Overall, higher rates of total applied nitrogen corresponded to more negative yield-protein relationships, while relationships were less clear with soil moisture but in some fields may have reflected the “dilution effect” of higher yields resulting in decreased protein concentrations under non-water-limiting conditions in some fields. Future work will consider a greater number of spatial data layers, fields, farms, and seasons across Australia to better understand the nature and drivers of variability in GPC. Understanding the drivers of variation will enable growers to adjust management to optimise both yield and quality, resulting in positive outcomes for on-farm economics, productivity, and environmental sustainability.