home news forum careers events suppliers solutions markets expos directories catalogs resources advertise contacts
 
Solution Page

Solutions
Solutions sources
Topics A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
  Species
 

Canola trial examines benefits of wide rows


Western Australia
June 5, 2014


The Department of Agriculture and Food is trialing wide row spacing for canola in the Northern Agriculture Region, like this crop sown at 25 cm (right) and 50 cm (left) on a Nookanderri property, near Binnu.

A series of trials have commenced in the Mid West to challenge the convention of sowing canola in narrow rows.

The trials, by the Department of Agriculture and Food, are part of the new Tactical Break Crop Agronomy project, backed by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Previous canola trials have shown that yields drop off as the sowing width increases.
But trials by the Northern Agriculture Group (NAG) in the Mid West last year showed there were gains to be made from sowing in wide rows.

Department senior research officer Mark Seymour said the NAG approached the department to re-examine the possible benefits from sowing canola wider than in conventional 22 centimetre rows.

“In high rainfall areas, the more vigorous Roundup Ready® hybrid varieties might be better suited to being sown in wide rows than the open pollinated cultivars we have used in the past,” he said.

“Wide rows could also prove to be a useful to reduce the risk of sclerotinia, providing more airflow around the plants to discourage disease, as well as improve the efficacy of fungicide treatments.”

Mr Seymour said there could be other benefits from sowing canola in wide rows across all rainfall regions.

“There is an obvious cost saving to be made from reduced seed inputs and possibly fertiliser inputs,” he said.

“It could also prove useful strategy to improve moisture conservation to assist growers to ‘drought proof’ their canola crop in low rainfall areas.

“This strategy could be particularly appealing to growers who choose yield stability over all years, rather than maximising yields in good years and risking failures in others.”

Small scale demonstration trials have been sown on NAG members’ properties at Yuna, East Yuna and Northampton on yellow loam soils comparing 22 and 44 centimetre row spacings.
The trials include both triazine tolerant canola and Roundup Ready® hybrid varieties.

“The trials will examine whether a combination of reduced seeding rate, reduced fertiliser, the potential for reduced disease and change in crop variety can offset the expected reduced yield of canola at wide row spacing,” Mr Seymour said.

“More broadly the trials will help to assess if wide row spacing of canola can ‘drought proof’ canola in the Northern Agriculture Region.”

The trial results and recommendations will be available next year.
 



More solutions from: Western Australia, Department of Primary Industries


Website: http://www.agric.wa.gov.au

Published: June 5, 2014


Copyright @ 1992-2024 SeedQuest - All rights reserved