Early seeding and weeds a highlight at the WANTFA Post Seeding Field Walk
More than 80 farmers and industry representatives attended the WANTFA Post Seeding Field Walk in Cunderdin yesterday.
Yesterday’s event was a fantastic prologue for what is to come at the Spring Field Day on September 2nd, where there will be more herbicide, crop and pasture varieties, and soil amendment trials on show.
WANTFA Chair Wes Baker said the site was looking great this year and mentioned the turnaround in seasonal conditions from post seeding last year.
“The trials are looking magnificent, we have had a great start to the season, let’s hope the rains keep coming,” he said.
A big focus of the day was about taking early seeding opportunities. With increasing farm sizes and cropping programs, farmers are looking for variety and management options for early seeding that can increase profitability.
A WANTFA time of sowing trial is beginning to show valuable differences in crop establishment and growth as a result of the time of sowing in relation to rainfall events. The time of sowing trial is expected to yield valuable data on the impact of sowing time on flowering windows, heat stress and frost damage.
WANTFA’s trial, which aims to mimic a whole seeding program with different seeding windows, is already showing significant differences in crop establishment, vigour and weed competition.
CSIRO Researcher Andrew Fletcher said farmers looking at taking advantage of early seeding opportunities needed to look at the risks and benefits of long-season wheat varieties.
“While many farmers sow around Anzac Day, if there is rainfall before then, there could be a huge benefit from taking advantage of that early rain with a longer season variety” he said.
“If we sow a long season variety early, before Anzac Day, and have it flowering at the right time, it could be a winning combination.”
The good opening rains also put the herbicides through their paces with some great looking weed trials including Bayer Crop Science’s Sakura trials and Pacific Seed’s canola trials.
Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) researcher Greg Shea shared some interesting preliminary results on the lime incorporation trial which had growers asking lots of questions.
DAFWA researcher Jackie Bucat looked at the timing of nitrogen application in canola and DAFWA’s Kelly Ryan demonstrated the MyCrop app for farmers in the field.
CSBP’s Justin Mercy spoke on a fertiliser trial and he expects they will have some interesting outcomes to share at the Spring Field Day in September.
WANTFA Executive Director Dr David Minkey thanked trial farm hosts Chris and Jeanette Syme, major research funders the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Department of Agriculture as well as industry sponsors for their ongoing support.
ENDS
Further comment: David Minkey – david.minkey@wantfa.com.au 0417 999 304
Photos: Lauren Celenza – lauren.celenza@wantfa.com.au 0419 908 793