Farmers take research below the surface
VICTORIA'S south-west provides the perfect conditions for growing crops. The long cool growing season combined with annual rainfall of up to 700mm has seen the area under crops rapidly increase to total more than 500,000 hectares for the 2007 season.
The region’s grain growers have also been quick to adopt innovative farming practices in their quest to increase yields to the district potential of eight tonnes/ha average. Raised beds combated waterlogging, while stubble retention systems have reaped environmental benefits and productivity increases.
But despite embracing new technology and best management practices, growers are yet to break through the district’s five tonne/ha average ‘yield ceiling’.
“We seem to be stuck on five tonnes per hectare. With our normal rainfall, why aren’t we getting better yields?” asks Hamilton district grain grower and Southern Farming Systems (SFS) member, David Robertson.
Local farmers were concerned that while subsoils were saturated early in the growing period, this moisture and nutrients was leaking through to levels well below the root zone. Plants were then unable to utilise this soil water during grain fill, therefore contributing to the less than potential yields in the region.
They also feared valuable nutrients from decomposing stubble were also being lost through the subsoils.
Determined to find answers, Hamilton Branch SFS members decided it was time to look beneath the surface.
In 2007, with funding support from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Programme (NLP), the farmers set up a trial to investigate how different retained stubble systems affected the movement of nutrients.
The project, entitled "Improving soil health and productivity in retained stubble systems through nutrient management", would investigate how different stubble systems impacted on nutrient leakage, promoted nutrient recycling and enhanced organic matter levels.
The project was designed to give farmers a better understanding of their soils, which would lead to better soil management practices, more effective use of inputs and ultimately higher yields.
Read More...
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
|
Nov 2008 |
|
|
Aug 2008 |
|
|
May 2008 |
|
|
May 2008 |
|
|
May 2008 |
Incorporating stubble could have big benefits (Courtesy Hamilton Spectator) |
|
Apr 2008 |
|
|
Mar 2008 |
|
|
Jan 2008 |
|
|
Oct 2007 |
|
|
Sept 2007 |
|
|
Sept 2007 |
|
|
July 2007 |
|
Enquiries, information and comments to: |
 |
