GRDC
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DAFWA Research Officer Jeremy Curry, DAFWA Development Officer Georgia Trainor and Technical Officer Rachel Brunt with Charles Roberts (second from left) in a wheat crop at Dandaragan.
Understanding the season using data and technology
Science Team: Dr Fiona Evans (project leader), Tim Maling, Kefei Chen, Alain Baillard, Neil Steventon, Sam Hassell, Nader Mustafa, Roena Hooper, Paul Mattingley, Brett Dias, Katherine Davies, Tanya Kilminster, Hayley Smythe, Rebecca O’Leary, Alison Lacey, Brendan Nicholas, Janette Pratt, Chad Reynolds, Jeremy Lemon, Ian Foster
Technology is vital to ensuring our State’s agricultural sector remains internationally competitive. The eConnected Grainbelt project is working to connect information across the grains industry to enable growers to make more profitable decisions tailored to their farm business.
One component of the project is developing electronic decision tools to help grain growers and their consultants ‘play the season’ using up to date information on growing season conditions. .
The Rainfall to Date tool shows how much rainfall has fallen from the start of the grain growing season, and what can reasonably be expected for the remainder of the season.
The Soil Water tool shows the amount of soil water accumulated from the start of summer through the growing season. It uses a more sophisticated approach than the Rainfall to Date tool that models how rainfall moves through different layers in the soil and accounts for water loss from evaporation and crop use.
The Potential Yield tool uses seasonal rainfall and decile finishes calculated from historical data to calculate the maximum wheat yield possible in the absence of any constraints other than rainfall.
The Seasonal Climate Information tool shows maps of seasonal rainfall forecasts that are updated monthly during the growing season, as well as soil water, potential yield and frost risk maps.
The Weather Stations tool shows up to date weather information collected by DAFWA’s network of 160 automatic weather stations.
The Extreme Weather Event tool shows real-time information about the location and severity of frost and heat stress events as they occur.
A Yield Prediction tool that can be fine-tuned to a farm or paddock using historical yield data and a Fertiliser Rates tool that will show the effects on yield of N, phosphorus and potassium applications are due in 2017.
Highlights -
Decision tools developed by the project use near real-time weather data to provide information to help growers ‘play the season’ as it happens.
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The tools help address decisions about when to sow, how much fertiliser to apply at different times during the season, and how to best manage weeds, diseases and pests.
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User feedback on decision tools developed by the project will allow the tools to be updated to ensure they provide the most useful information in easy to use formats.
Funding and Collaborators
Royalties for Regions, GRDC
Web site links:
eConnected Grainbelt: agric.wa.gov.au/r4r/econnected-grainbelt
Decision tools: agric.wa.gov.au/climate-land-water/climate-weather
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DAFWA Development Officer Datherine Davies demonstrating the extreme weather tool.
Soil Productivity Portfolio
Portfolio Manager: Kerry Regan
Soil constraints are estimated to cost growers more than $1 billion annually in WA and the benefits that can be realised through amelioration or management are significant.
The soils are often sandy and prone to acidity, compaction, nutrient deficiencies or toxicities and water repellence. Sodicity and transient salinity are common on heavier soil types. Key soil constraints affect the ability of roots to access water and nutrients. Our research is aimed at addressing these constraints in order to maximise water and nutrient use efficiency by plants, which can be as low as 50%.
It is estimated that acidity affects 70% of topsoil (~11m ha) and 50% subsurface soils (~5m ha) across the WA grainbelt. Approximately 75% (~12 m ha) are affected by subsoil compaction, 62% (~10 m ha) by subsoil sodicity, 11 % (~2 m ha) by transient salinity, and 11% (~2 m ha) by water repellence.
In 2015/16, $7.6 million was invested in R&D through the Soil Productivity portfolio by engaging 28 staff on 15 projects across all cropping regions from Geraldton to Esperance. Much of the soil research work is conducted at the farm scale with the assistance of growers. More detailed investigations use the department’s trial support staff and small plot equipment, or are achieved through partnerships with universities, CSIRO and agribusiness.
Current research projects are focussed on amelioration and management of constraints through soil inversion techniques (mouldboard ploughs, rotary spaders, offset discs and disc ploughs); the addition of clay, lime, gypsum, wetting and other remedial agents; deep ripping and controlled traffic farming (CTF) systems, more effective use of nutrients and better fertiliser recommendations, and improved mapping and spatial detail of soil information to support farm business decisions.
The strength of the group comes from the collaborative approach and recognition that soil constraints rarely occur in isolation. Working together across our research projects we can achieve significant benefits by addressing multiple constraints at the same time. The Soil Constraints West group, which provides oversight and guidance in our R&D activities through an external steering committee provides strong support for the collaborative approach.
Further, the Soil Productivity Portfolio group has strong linkages and in many cases joint projects with the universities, CSIRO, industry and grower groups. Most recently a new agreement has been established between DAFWA and UWA – SoilsWest – which will help build scientific and research capabilities to develop the long-term future of soil science in WA.
The R&D activities carried out by the group are showcased in the following pages and concentrate on innovative methodologies to assist growers to understand and effectively manage their soils. The research aims to develop viable economic solutions to soil constraints that show good return on investment.
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DAFWA’s Soil Productivity Portfolio team
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