GRDC Project CSP00146

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

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.