Australia
August 22, 2013
Dual purpose wheat variety Naparoo regularly is the most profitable enterprise on the historic and well known 20,000 ha northern NSW property “Windy Station” Quirindi, located in the rich Liverpool plains.
Long term “Windy Station” manager Keith Harris, also a member of the GRDC northern panel says Naparoo, annually grown on over 1000 ha on the property has the big advantage of being adaptable to both the grain and the grazing industry. When projected gross margins are high for beef more emphasis is given to extended grazing; when grain prices are predicted to be high more emphases is given to grain with a shorter grazing period.
“Windy Station” Quirindi manager Keith Harris, also a member of the GRDC northern panel, says Naparoo dual purpose winter wheat has been their most profitable crop in recent years, outstripping for profit wheat grain sorghum sunflowers and other suitable crops. However he stresses it is essential to grow the crop, like grain only crops, to a very high standard.
Dual purpose crops demand high standard management
Keith Harris stresses that for a dual purpose crop to be as or more profitable than grain only crops in this prime Australian grain growing area the standard of management needs to be just as high for it as it is for grain only crops. While this sounds logical detractors against the sense of high value dual purpose crops all too commonly compare less well prepared and managed ones with highly managed and planned for grain only crops.
For example Keith Harris emphasises that like grain only crops dual purpose ones need to be sown on a full soil moisture profile. Attention to soil fertility needs to be at least as good, especially with dual purpose crops being demanding of high soil nitrogen if high production is to be achieved. Weed control needs to be of a high standard and the dual purpose wheat crops place in the overall rotation also needs to abide by the same rules as apply to grain only crops to reduce risk of disease weed and nematode issues.
Generally dual purpose crops of Naparoo on Windy Station are sown with fertiliser rates guided by soil tests. Commonly an N.P.Zn starter based fertiliser is used at sowing supplying 10 – 15 kg/ha available phosphorus and nitrogen as well as the trace element zinc. Also depending on soil tests and paddock history 60 kg/ha nitrogen is added prior or post emergence, and sometimes up to 100 kg/ha nitrogen if considered necessary.
The deep (six to eight metres) self-mulching alkaline clay soils on Windy Station are capable of storing large amounts of sub soil moisture and farming systems on the property are based on mainly only sowing crops, including dual purpose ones, on a full moisture profile. Zero till is the standard practice and fallow length ranges from short to around 12 months depending on fallow rainfall. Rotations are based on summer and winter crops and include wheat, grain sorghum, sunflowers cotton as well as dual purpose cereals.
Naparoo is generally sown at around 60kg/ha seed and in 15cm rows.
Sound grazing management in Keith Harris’s view also includes ample shade and high quality water.
Profitability comparison
“Windy Station” carefully compares profitability of their different property grain and livestock industries year in year out. Cattle are regularly assessed via automated electronic recording of individual as well as group lots to accurately measure weight gain.
On a gross margin basis for example the cattle trading business operating on dual purpose winter wheat Naparoo returned in 2011 as well as 2012 and also likely for 2013 in excess of $1000/ha gross margin (gross return less variable costs).
Over 5 beasts/ha, gaining around 1.4 kg/head day, commonly are carried on Naparoo winter wheat for extened periods on Windy Station.
Stocking rates vary from paddock to paddock and season to season and can be as high as 5.2 trade steers/heifers/ha for periods around 60 days with weight gains per beast of on average 1.4 kg/day. Over a 150 day grazing period (crop grazed out) typical overall grazing stocking rate can exceed 3.0 beast/ha. In years where high grain recovery is being sought grazing period will only be 60 - 90 days, but with similar stocking rates and weight gains.
Triple rust resistance of Naparoo
Resistance to the current field strains of stem, leaf and stripe rust is a major reason Keith Harris is a strong supporter of Naparoo. Stem leaf as well as stripe rust have over the years periodically decimated crop yield if resistant varieties are not grown and Mr Harris believes having resistant varieties is the best way to protect crop performance against them.
While fungicide protection is possible if growing rust susceptible varieties often infections occur before adequate control has been taken. Not only is this a threat to one’s own crops but also to the industry as a whole as rust spores can travel vast distances. Keith Harris is particularly aware that early stripe rust infection in susceptible early sown varieties is especially a concern to the grain industry as it can contribute to the disease pressure on main season sown crops.
Winter habit of Naparoo ensures long periods of high quality grazing
Mr Harris is especially pleased with the winter habit characteristic of Naparoo. Crops sown early remain vegetative through autumn winter and even into early spring ensuring plants are at their highest quality for a maximum of time and continue to recover quickly from grazing.
In contrast cereal varieties sown early (as is required if one wants good levels of forage from dual purpose cereal crops during winter) but with no or only little winter habit quickly begin running to head and commonly become stemmy with poorer quality grazing as well as often poorer recovery after grazing.
Varieties without winter habit have the growing point quickly moving up the tiller as the crop develops when crops are sown early. Growing points well up the tiller are vulnerable to grazing damage. Once a tiller is grazed below the growing point the tiller dies and new tillers need to reform from the base of the plant. If conditions are dry re-tillering can be very slow or non existent.
Naparoo has similar winter habit and maturity to its predecessor variety Marombi which is now susceptible to stripe and leaf rust. It has less winter habit than varieties like Mackellar and Tennant and matures quicker than them. Naparoo’s winter habit level and maturity makes it close to an ideal type for dual purpose production in environments like Windy Station Keith Harris believes.
Naparoo has more winter habit and is slower in maturity than winter wheat varieties like Whistler and EGA Wedgetail. While these are excellent winter habit types (although now stripe rust susceptible) they tend to have insufficient winter habit in environments like Quirindi if longer grazing periods as well as good grain recovery is required.
Naparoo is medium in height with good straw strength.
Naparoo grazing production
Keith Harris stresses that it is possible to sow Naparoo reliably around mid March on Windy Station provided excellent levels of soil water have been stored and stubble retained to keep good soil moisture as close as possible to the surface. Sowing equipment that only minimally disturbs and presses soil back around the seed (narrow points and press wheels) is also critical for achieving good establishment on commonly minimal rainfall events.
Naparoo grazing generally commences on Windy Station around mid May and depending on when closed for grain recovery generally provides 80 to 150 days of grazing. If returns are predicted to be higher from grazing (higher beef margins) the crop may be grazed right through to the end of October early November and then fallowed through to the next crop.
If markets indicate better returns from grain maximum grain recovery generally occurs if stock are removed by early August (60 - 80 days grazing). Research indicates early removal of livestock can result in similar grain yields from early sown grazed dual purpose crops to grain only main season sown ones.
Keith Harris is also impressed with the awnless characteristic of Naparoo, important should the crop be grazed right through the season.
Magnesium (as Causmag) and sodium (as salt)
CRIRO research, funded by GRDC, has noted often, but not always, large weight gains of 20 – 40 percent in lamb and beef from providing mineral supplementation of a mix of magnesium (as Causmag) and sodium (as salt) when gazing winter wheats. Their research, including large scale trials on properties like Windy Station has shown these improved growth rates for little outlay; 20 g/head/day for sheep and 140 g/head for weaner cattle. These supplement costs are approximately one cent/sheep/day and six cent/cattle/day and equates to a 10 to 15 fold return on investment.
High weight gain responses have often occurred when extremely high growth rates were measured in both supplemented and un-supplemented stock. For example on Windy Station in 2011 in a 60 day trial animals gained 1.152 kg/day when not supplemented but a comparable group gained 1.403 kg/day over the trial period where supplemented.
Grazing and soil compaction issues
GRDC supported research carried out as part of the Grain and Graze II project - Northern Region, under the leadership of Dr Chris Guppy, University of New England, has shown that winter fodder crop grazing, including on the self-mulching vertosol soils typical of Windy Station, results in no long term permanent damage. Dr Guppy notes the self-mulching properties of these soils allow repair of soil structure prior to planting of following crops.
Keith Harris supports these findings. On Windy Station paddocks subject to periodic temporary flooding as a result of run off from the adjoining Liverpool ranges are favoured for dual purpose cropping for their tolerance to waterlogging and the knowledge and experience that these soils self-correct following grazing.
Breeding
Naparoo originated from a cross made at PBI Cobbitty, Sydney University as part of a GRDC funded Australian Cereal Rust Control Program initiative. Agronomic assessment, rust selection and final release was undertaken by AGT’s PBI Narrabri based wheat breeding team led by wheat breeder Dr Meiqin Lu.
Naparoo is named after Peter and Debbie Redden’s property “Naparoo” Coonabarabran in honour of their family’s contribution to plant breeding research.
Naparoo grain quality
Despite Naparoo’s official quality classification as feed quality, growers in many areas like Quirindi find it readily saleable, and in many seasons prices are similar to bread wheats. It is an attractive grain with good seed size and grain weight.
Seed availability, Plant Breeders Right and End Point Royalty.
Naparoo is protected by PBR and all production (except seed saved for planting) is liable to an End Point Royalty (EPR) which funds future wheat breeding. Naparoo growers will be subject to a Growers License Agreement that acknowledges that an EPR of $2.50/t plus GST has to be paid on all production other than seed saved for planting. Commercial quantities of Naparoo seed are available through AGT Affiliates and local retailers (see AGT web site http://www.ausgraintech.com for affiliate contact details).
Further Information
For further information: Kerrie Gleeson NSW/Qld Territory Manager, 0427 958 259,
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