GRDC - Driving Agronomy Podcasts

GRDC has released a new fact sheet on the late season use of herbicides in winter crops. The responsibility to avoid herbicide residues in delivered cereal, pulse and oilseed grains sits squarely with grain growers and their advisers. Dr Chris Preston highlights some of the do’s and don’ts associated with late season herbicide use and answers some of the questions frequently asked by grain growers about their options. Contact: Dr Chris Preston 08 8303 7237 christopher.preston@adelaide.edu.au

Regularly rotating canola cultivars and ensuring there is at least 500 metres distance between this year’s canola planting and last year’s canola stubble are the keys to keeping at bay the fungal disease Blackleg. On this program, Steve Marcroft also talks about the dangers of using retained seed because of a collapse in blackleg resistance. Contact: Steve Marcroft (03) 5381 2294

GRDC funding has led to the development of two new field pea varieties – PBA Gunyah and PBA Twilight – that will see field pea production expand into low to medium rainfall areas in the southern and western cropping regions. The new varieties provide the same agronomic benefits of the popular Kaspa, but are much earlier flowering, have significantly higher grain yield and are more reliable in low rainfall areas.

Western Australia and South Australia up to now have largely escaped a stripe rust epidemic. However, both states have other cereal disease issues. Eastern Australia is a different story with early outbreaks of stripe rust over winter now becoming a problem for growers. On this program, Col Wellings gives us up to the minute information on cereal rust state of play. Contact: Col Wellings (02) 9351 8826

GRDC Program Manager, Stuart Kearns While the National Variety Trial (NVT) has gone a long way to helping farmers choose varieties, an extension to the program currently being developed will introduce a set of variables to the equation that will allow growers to more closely match trial results to their individual environmental conditions. Growers will not only look for varieties based on yield, but those that yield in similar climate, soil type and nutrient levels, soil water availability and disease...

Research Scientist, David Lester, Agri-Science Queensland Plant tissue testing is a relatively new opportunity for growers to assess the health and well-being of their crop during various growth stages. However, it’s thought that only a small percentage of cereal growers actually test their plants for nutrient levels. So what’s the added advantage of doing a tissue test if you’ve already done a soil test? Find out on GRDC Driving Agronomy. Contact: David Lester (07) 4639 8886. email

Dr Greg Rebetzke; CSIRO Plant Industry Getting more crop per drop is how scientists funded by GRDC describe efforts to develop cereals that perform better in a range of conditions from extra dry to extra wet. Research is underway across Australia at three managed environment facilities where for the first time scientists are able to come together and compare the results of their work, hopefully hastening the development of new germplasm and ultimately new varieties. Find out more about the...

Dr Evelyn Krull, CSIRO Land and Water It’s not the ‘silver bullet’ to climate change, but if carbon trading becomes a viable income stream for farmers, biochar could play a significant part in the lives of farmers. In this edition of Driving Agronomy, senior biochar researcher, Dr Evelyn Krull describes the work being undertaken in two major research projects analysing the carbon sequestering potential and nutrient delivery potential of a range of different source materials, when converted to biochar, and...

Steven Simpfendorfer, Industry and Investment NSW. Farmers are urged to gain a better understanding of the early development of stripe rust - before it can be seen in the paddock. By being able to recognise the ideal conditions for the development of the pathogen, farmers will have longer warning of its appearance. On this program Steven Simpfendorfer explains the temperature and humidity requirements for the development of stripe rust over a specific time period. Contact: (02) 6763 1261. email

Philip Burrill, DEEDI There are many ways farmers can control insect infestations in stored grain. Temperature controlled sealed silos are becoming more popular as growers understand that using the chemical phosphine in unsealed storages will hasten a build up of insect populations resistant to phosphine. Storage hygiene and regular monitoring for insects anywhere they can live is another way of keeping pests out of the picture. On this program Phil Burrill tells us about some simple tools that can be...

Lawrence Price, Northern Grower Alliance Timing foliar sprays to defeat aphids before too much damage is done to a crop is the key to the cost effectiveness of a post emergent chemical response to the pest. But getting the timing right is not easy. Often by the time aphids are noticed in a paddock damage has been done and predator insects are already building sufficient numbers to control the aphids making a foliar spray unnecessary and uneconomical. Early detection therefore...

Kirsty Owen, Agri-Science Queensland Root lesion nematodes can do significant damage to cereal and pulse crops. The key to controlling damage is to know which nematode you have in your paddocks (the 2 common nematodes in Australia are neglectus and thornei) and at what levels. If parasitic nematode populations are at levels that will cause major damage, growers should look at selecting a variety that is resistant to the particular nematode or is at least tolerant to its presence in...

Alan Bedggood, CEO National Variety Trials The National Variety Trials website – www.nvtonline.com.au – has been rebuilt and is now much easier to navigate and locate information relevant to specific crops in specific areas of the Australian grain belt. On this program, National Variety Trials Chief Executive Officer, Alan Bedggood talks about some of the new features of the NVT website and encourages growers and agronomists to become familiar with the website before making variety selections later this year for...

Mark Conyers, Industry and Investment NSW, Wagga Wagga Research conducted in southern NSW has revealed that canola plants growing in ideal conditions have the ability to punch through a sub-surface acid layer. Trials have also found that once established canola roots are not deterred by a sub-surface hardpan layer and will track sideways until they find a gap in the hardpan. Results of the research mean that farmers (at least in southern NSW) are able to avoid expensive sub-surface soil...

Dr Adrian Johnston, International Plant Nutrition Institute Dr Adrian Johnston, Vice President, Asia and Oceania of the International Plant Nutrition Institute discusses the latest developments in nitrogen products designed to enhance the performance of this critical nutrient. Dr Johnston also outlines similar work being undertaken with phosphate fertilisers. Dr Johnston also presents his view on the likelihood of phosphorous reserves being exhausted at some point in the future. Contact: Dr Adrian Johnston email