GRDC Project CSP00146

Facilitating increased on-farm adoption of broadleaf species in crop sequences to improve grain production and profitability

Click here to read final report from this project as at 10th March 2016

Profitable Break Crop Management Guide - complete edition

Extract from above document (Page 70)

A three phased experiment was run in Naracoorte SA, with a series of break options and cereal

treatments sown in Year 1 of each phase. The first phase (Experiment 1), established in 2011 and the

second phase (Experiment 2), established in 2013 are shown here to illustrate the key learnings from

the trials.

In Year 2 for each of the trials, break crop and cereal treatments were all sown to wheat. The first

phase (Experiment 1) had two times of sowing and four different N rates and the second phase

(Experiment 2) had one time of sowing and eight different N rates. In the third and final year of each

of the phases barley was sown and managed the same across all Experiments and plots.

The reason for the repeatability of the trial over three years was to capture variations in seasonal

conditions and markets. It must be noted that 2014 and 2015 seasons experienced below average

rainfall from July to October. August and September 2014 and September 2015 were in the 10th

percentile for rainfall and October 2015 was the driest on record.

Duration - 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2015
Lead agency - CSIRO Sustainable Agriculture Flagship
Project Leader - Mark Peoples

The GRDC-funded project intends to examine the productivity and financial implications of growing legumes or brassicas in various genotype x environment x management (GxExM) combinations in cereal-based systems, to re-evaluate the full value of integrating broadleaf species in a cropping sequence.

Project Aims

• To quantify the rotational benefits of broadleaf crops or pastures for cereals through participatory research in partnership with key agribusiness consultants and 7 leading grower groups across southern and central NSW and Victoria, and south-eastern SA.
• To identify whether profitable broadleaf cropping sequence alternatives to continuous cereal cropping are available for low, medium and high rainfall zones, and irrigated systems.
• To provide grain-growers and their advisers with guidelines they can use to identify the circumstances when they can expect to derive the best outcome from the inclusion of different break crops.
•  To increase the diversity of species grown in cropping sequences.