Western Australia
August 5, 2014
Department of Agriculture and Food research officer Blakely Paynter uses a Greenseeker device to measure barley plant growth responses to variable nitrogen applications at a site near Merredin.
The Department of Agriculture and Food has commenced a series of trials, backed by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, to assist growers to make that decision.
Department senior research officer Blakely Paynter said with so many new barley and wheat varieties available, the research would provide some clarity for growers.
“While the National Variety Trials provide data on individual varieties, the information doesn’t compare crop management between the two cereals,” Mr Paynter said.
“This year we will compare, side-by-side, the agronomic response to different management strategies with respect to both grain yield and grain quality in a range of production areas.
“Then we will be able to devise management strategies to assist growers to optimise wheat and barley specifications for hectolitre weight, grain protein and screenings and boost crop potential and profitability.”
A total of 10 trials have been established from Binnu in the north to Merredin in the east to York in the west and Pingrup in the south to compare six wheat varieties against six barley varieties.
“The wheat varieties sown are a mix of APW and AH varieties and include Corack, Mace and the new APW variety Trojan,” Mr Paynter said.
“The barley varieties sown include the yet to be classified varieties La Trobe and Compass and the new feed variety IGB1337.”
Six of the trials have been sown into wheat stubble and four of the trials have been sown into canola stubble.
A key component of the research will examine the varieties’ response to nitrogen fertiliser.
At seeding three quarters of the plots were top dressed with urea at 20 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare, while the other quarter received no nitrogen fertiliser cheap rolex replica.
Then, four weeks after sowing extra nitrogen, as urea, was top dressed on half the plots at rates of 0, 20, 40 and 80 kg N/ha.
“In addition to measuring grain yield and grain quality we will be using hand held NDVI machines to evaluate the plant response to the nitrogen applied. We will also be measuring tiller numbers in spring,” Mr Paynter said.
The results from the trials will be discussed with landholders and agribusiness to assist growers to make decisions about which cereal to grow, which variety and the most appropriate management to maximise production and profitability .
“The trials also fill a key industry knowledge gap by contributing nitrogen response data for newer wheat and barley varieties to the Making Better Fertiliser Decisions for Cropping systems in Australia (BFDC) database,” Mr Paynter said.
“The BFDC is considered to provide the best available data to support the decision tools that fertiliser industry members use to formulate recommendations.”
For more information about cereals agronomy visit agric.wa.gov.au and sign up for the department’s growing season regional AgTactics newsletters.
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