The-Australian-Agronomist-magazine Autumn 2015 by The Australian Agronomist

MAGAZINE

WINTER 2015 ISSUE 1

AUSTRALIA’S MAPPING REACHES THE THIRD DIMENSION

AGRONOMY FROM THE SKIES

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THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

CONTENTS 4 SOIL SECURITY

13 AN IMPRESSIVE NEW WHEAT IS HERE

30 FUNDING APPROVED FOR 12 NEW PROJECTS

BREAK CROPS GIVE MALLEE GROWERS A LIFT

FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF AUSTRALIA’S AGRICULTURAL LAND

34 CHICKEN MANURE TO BOOST WHEATBELT CROPS

AGRONOMY FROM THE SKIES

CHEMICAL ROTATION BEATS RADISH CHALLENGE IN LOWER NORTH

NEW SOIL HEALTH CROPS DEVELOPED TO SOLVE CROP DISEASE ISSUES

20 TACKLING ESCALATING APHID RESISTANCE

GETTING CHEMISTRY IN THE SPRAY TANK RIGHT

37 YOUNG AGRONOMIST OF THE YEAR AWARD

MYPESTGUIDE APP

45 GENE FOR SALT TOLERANCE DISCOVERED IN SOYBEAN

PO BOX 812 Strathfieldsaye VIC Australia 3551 P: 03 5441 8166 E: info@theaustralianagronomist.com W: www.theaustralianagronomist.com Editorial Lucinda Barty Email: info@theaustralianagronomist.com Phone: 03 5441 8166

Design & Advertising Michael Cook Email: michael@theaustralianagronomist.com Phone: 03 5441 8166

Publisher Paul Banks Email: paul@theaustralianagronomist.com Phone: 03 5441 8166

SOIL SECURITY

RESPONDING TO THE THREAT OF DEGRADING SOIL BY LUCINDA BARTY

The key to the current and future profitability of Australian agriculture could be held in the security of its soils, according to new research conducted as part of the Australian National Soil Research, Development and Extension Strategy. A report detailing the state of Australia’s soils revealed a clear link between inappropriate agricultural practices and soil degradation from the beginning of European settlement to the current day with contemporary farming practices aiding in reducing erosion.

In order to better manage the condition of Australian soils, five dimensions of soil security must be understood and taken into consideration including:

Current advances in agricultural soil management, however could prove pivotal in stabilising and reducing further soil degradation whilst simultaneously improving productivity. According to Andrea Koch, Soil Policy Specialist for the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, there needs to be a clearer link made between soil and agriculture.

• Capital: the value of the soil as an economic resource including the goods and services that flow from it.

“There is a lack of recognition that soil must be treated as a core asset for production” says Koch, reiterating a need for more informed policies regarding soil management. “Most businesses carefully manage and maintain the primary assets that they operate their business on, yet maintaining and improving the soil resource asset is often overlooked on farm and grazing management.”

• Capability: the expected performance and production capability of any given soil. • Condition: the current state of a given soil relative to its capability (and an outcome of its management).

• Connectivity: the connection of the land manager with their soil within a social dimension as well as the resources and knowledge they possess regarding soil management. • Codification: the legal frameworks and public policy necessary to support soil security. Securing soil benefits not only the farmer or landowner but contributes to the current and prospective competitiveness of Australian agriculture. The need for more advanced soil knowledge is therefore critical in order to increase agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability within Australia.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

“There is a lack of recognition that soil must be treated as a core asset for production.” Andrea Koch

With the four key markers of soil health used being; soil acidification, soil carbon loss, water erosion and wind erosion, erosion in itself forms the greatest threat to Australia’s soil and greatest preventative factor in the achievement of soil security. On a paddock-to-paddock scale, unintended changes in soil conditions have ironically come about as a result of strategies to address soil erosion in cropping systems. Further soil management issues have resulted in the form of stratification of nutrients, compaction, herbicide accumulation, localised acidity and aluminium toxicity amongst others. Better awareness and understanding of the impacts of soil degradation has led to changes in cropping practices from the 1990’s onwards with many farmers now opting towards ‘conservation tillage’ and stubble management. The more recent uptake of retained stubble’ has led to great improvements in erosion with each of the techniques aiding by increasing soil roughness and reducing the effects of water impact and runoff. In line with the reduction in erosion as a result of such practices, however, comes a misplaced belief by farmers that erosion is no longer a pressing issue. Although conservation tillage or no-till methods have contributed greatly to soil conservation, erosion has by no means been eradicated and vigilant monitoring of soil condition remains crucial. Good soil management involves consistent evaluation, maintenance and improvement measures, the basis of which is a solid foundation of knowledge and proactive public policies. Whilst highlighting the issues to be addressed surrounding soil security, the study’s authors also offer recommendations to be put in place by Australian Farmers, agronomists and policy makers alike. At the farm-scale, management based agriculture centring on diagnostic and management tools including soil use efficiency (SUE) monitoring and vertical rate guidelines have the potential to take soil security to new levels. As SUE incorporates myriad factors to gain an interpretation of soil condition and land stability including chemical, physical and biological properties, a comprehensive evaluation of soil condition can be made. Further emphasis placed on soil security by State Governments is necessary for the reshaping of public policies which currently omit the serious need for soil conservation. On a broader scale, the five dimensions of soil security come into play, providing a framework for mitigating soil degradation. The familiar ‘plants down’ approach to soil must be replaced with a ‘soil up’ approach, respecting the role of healthy soil in creating healthy plants and sustainable agricultural practices. Adopting an anecdote of a ‘triage’ system, the most severely eroded and nutritionally deficient soils must be treated the most intensively, - with less dire soil situations treated preventatively. By treating and managing soil as a valuable production asset rather than an infinite resource that can be continually drawn down on, it is possible to reverse degradation and secure Australia’s soils one paddock at a time. For more information on the study, visit www.mdpi.com/journal/ sustainability or address queries to Andrea Koch, Soil Policy Specialist at the United States Studies Centre with the University of Sydney at: andrea.koch@sydney.edu.au

AUSTRALIA’S MAPPING REACHES THE THIRD DIMENSION Australia’s vast and complex land surface has been exposed in new ways thanks to the most comprehensive nation-wide digital maps of our soils and landscapes yet produced.

The Grid also includes estimates of reliability and is designed to integrate new data in the future – even data generated by technology that has not yet been invented.

The Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia, unveiled at the most recent National Soil Conference in Melbourne, has seen the entire country represented as a digital grid with two billion ‘pixels’ that are approximately 90 by 90 metres. The grid encompasses a depth of two metres below the soil surface, giving access to previously unavailable data that can now be used across a vast array of fields.

Soil and landscape attributes such as soil water, nutrients and clay, affect the sustainability of Australia’s natural resources and the profitability of sectors such as agriculture, mining and infrastructure.

The Grid draws information from the partner agency databases and is the result of a partnership between CSIRO, the University of Sydney, several federal, state and territory government agencies and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). By weaving together the databases of all agencies including both historical and current data generated from sampling, laboratory sensing, modelling and remote sensing, a comprehensive overview of Australia’s soils is gained.

CSIRO Research Director Mike Grundy said the Grid had already woven together hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of past soil and landscape science into a new ‘digital tapestry’.

Alexandra Gartmann, CEO at Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and former CEO of Birchip Cropping Group, has worked with rural industries for almost two decades. Ms Gartmann said she was excited by the new technology. “Knowledge is power, and our agricultural industries have a very narrow margin for error these days, so the more knowledge to reduce poor decisions, the better,” Ms Gartmann said.

“The research community has known we need better ways to make this diverse information available; new science and technology has let us make the most of the rich data we have,” Mr Grundy said.

“Agribusiness will benefit from this technology, both at the farm scale — with data to inform production models and risk management decisions — and industry scale, as it draws together many years of past research and knowledge for future investment decisions.

“From exploring new land use options, to making the most of water, to finding habitats for endangered native species, this technology has applications we are only just beginning to imagine.”

“The Soil and Landscape Grid is a huge leap forward. With its national datasets and consistent and comparable data, it has huge potential for regional development, informing planning and decision-making.”

“Knowledge is power, and our agricultural industries have a very narrow margin for error these days, so the more knowledge to reduce poor decisions, the better.” Ms Gartmann 6

The Grid will be beneficial to a wide range of applications and users including urban and regional planners, land managers, farming groups, scientists and engineers.

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AGRONOMY FROM THE SKIES

BY LUCINDA BARTY

Once the domain of sci-fi movies and combat missions, drones have become the latest high tech gadget to find their way into the toolkits of agronomists and farmers alike. Also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s), drones have hovered into the realms of agriculture, taking the hard work and human labour out of checking crops, irrigation and stock and traversing previously inaccessible territory. It is the potential held by drones in the area of crop monitoring and mapping, however, which makes them particularly useful to agronomists. With the addition of components such as infra-red cameras and GPS, the user can conduct crop health imaging and mapping remotely, allowing them to isolate areas of low yield and disease, then target treatments accordingly. Imagine being able to map your crop not just by outside appearance, but by what is happening inside each plant. Infra-red thermography (IRT) can make this a reality as it allows farmers and agronomists to take a glance at the phenotype of individual plants, creating a coded map as a remote-sensing drone sweeps across vast expanses of crop. Although not an entirely new technology, the application of IRT in farming practices has made it simple to rapidly capture data from multiple plots enabling a new perspective of crop health status which could potential eliminate the tedium and inaccuracies of small plot data collection; as well as enabling a more targeted approach. Agronomist Brad Donald of B&W Rural, Moree NSW, is a firm believer in the potential of drones to revolutionise the efficiency of

Brad Donald of B&W Rural

agriculture in Australia and reaffirms that piloting and interpreting the data collected by drones is a chore for contractors. “Ultimately, the drone itself is just the platform used to capture agri-data and an agronomist knows how to interpret this information,” says Donald. “In high value crops like cotton, small issues can potentially cost large amounts to fix without the aid of a drone. The drone allows you to isolate the issues causing the problem – perhaps resistant weeds or low plant density and target only those areas with expensive treatments or re-sowing.” Aside from identifying the physiological characteristics associated with better crop production and pest resistance, plant breeders can apply IRT to accelerate the generation of target traits in their plants. The ability to map and manipulate the genetics of crops without direct interference can be enabled using the technology by observing the percentages of particular phenotypes detected. The phenotype of the plant that is, its physical characteristics as a representation of genetic traits - effects how the plant reacts to stressors and environmental factors and other external impacts on the plant. Such knowledge may be instrumental in the approach taken to future crop breeding as well as allowing croppers to spot treat particular areas within a field, saving on the cost of unnecessarily treating some areas which may have an advantageous or at least alternate phenotype. Greater tolerance of plant stressors, IRT can be utilised as a tool to isolate and in

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

Imagine being able to map your crop not just by outside appearance, but by what is happening inside each plant. Infra-red thermography (IRT) can make this a reality as it allows farmers and agronomists to take a glance at the phenotype of individual plants, creating a coded map as a remote-sensing drone sweeps across vast expanses of crop.

turn maximise economically viable traits such as higher yield and raw product quality. Similarly, infra-red cameras can help determine where pests or diseases have infiltrated a crop well before the effects become wide spread, allowing for rapid and targeted treatment. Targeted treatment and a reduced need for the farmer to drive around and physically monitor the crop on-site also means reduced fuel and time needs in addition to the reduced chemical costs. Piloted sensor technologies, although relatively low cost and ubiquitous, require an operator with specific skills and knowledge to manoeuvre them, making the process vastly more expensive. A commercial drone in Australia can cost anywhere from $27,000 up to $85,000, making the choice of a contractor far more economically viable. For growers with little spare time to invest in educating themselves in mobile monitoring technologies, enlisting the expertise of an agronomist or contractor provides a more viable option. Within the U.S. and Canada, companies have emerged specifically to provide the technologies and personnel required to conduct aerial sensor mapping and the advent of such services would bring great benefit to Australian agriculturalists also. Agribotix, provides one such example and is based in Colorado, United States. Specialising in agricultural data analysis, Agribotix offers customers either a package including the use of one of their own drones coupled with cloud-based data reporting and analysis, or a ‘bring your own’ scheme in which the customer provides the drone and collected imagery and receives an actionable agricultural report back. In both instances, however, the farmer receives intelligence that can be used to reduce unnecessary inputs whilst maximising yield and increasing profits. With winged and multi-rotor drones available, adjustments to the direction, height, rotation and speed of the drone can further

increase the accuracy of infra-red readings. Although more expensive to obtain than satellite imagery due to the specific operator and knowledge needs involved, UAV’s are much more efficient at detecting certain problems such as poor machinery application settings in crops. Fixed wing as opposed to four-rotor drones can cover far greater expanses of land with each flight, making them a more suitable choice for broad acre cropping use and a more cost effective option than other drone platforms. With a higher image resolution than satellites, drones can also capture weeds and other crop issues in high detail and give a specific geo-reference to be physically located and addressed by the farmer. With the ability to identify the extent of hail damage and other crop stressors, employing the help of a drone can even aid in making insurance claims. When words can’t communicate the damage caused to a farmer’s income, pictures taken from above help make an undeniable case. With the huge amounts of data captured, just one flight over a farm can provide enough detail to unlock the secrets of each and every field. What that wealth of information is used for however…might just see more science fiction become reality. For more information about the use and regulations regarding UAVs in Australia, visit the Civil Aviation Safety Authority website at: www.casa.gov.au To learn more about how drone and remote sensor technologies are being applied in the U.S., visit: www.agribotix.com B&W Rural is one of only a handful of drone contractors licensed to provide commercial service in Australia and is located in Moree, NSW. Ph: (02) 6750 7000

AGRONOMISTS TO UNITE AT THE 17TH AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMY CONFERENCE BY LUCINDA BARTY

The Australian Society of Agronomy is to play host as the 2015 Australian Agronomy conference comes to Hobart, Tasmania for its 17th year. Taking place from September 20th to 24th at the Wrest Point Convention Centre, the conference will build upon the ideas explored in the last Agronomy conference which took place in Armidale, NSW. The theme for this year’s conference will be ‘building productive, diverse and sustainable landscapes’ in light of the important role played by agronomy in all aspects of production agriculture and the health and dynamics of the wider environment. As an area of substantial investment in agricultural irrigation, the Tasmanian landscape serves as an excellent backdrop for the conference and the new opportunities and challenges new irrigation developments pose.

In light of their own vast contributions to the progression of agronomy, invited speakers will include Professor Jim Pratley, Research Professor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University and secretary of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture alongside Professor Jerry Cherney, E.V. Baker Professor of Agriculture. A host of optional social events will also take place including a conference dinner at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) on the evening of Tuesday the 22nd of September. Sightseeing and educational field trips will also take place on Wednesday the 23rd of September with an emphasis on not only adding to the knowledge base of attendees, but their enjoyment of the conference as a whole.

As the professional body for agronomists in Australia, recognition by the society is of high value with the C.M. Donald Medal for Agronomy to be awarded to an eminent agriculturalist during the conference. In addition to the award of the medal at each conference, fellowships were introduced in 2012 with winners designated as fellows of the Australian Society of Agronomy as warranted by important contributions to the field of agronomy.

Australian Society of Agronomy

17th Australian Agronomy Conference 20 - 24 September 2015 Wrest Point Convention Centre, Hobart, Tasmania

The theme of the 2015 conference is Building Productive, Diverse and Sustainable Landscapes. This theme has been chosen as it reflects the role and importance of agronomy in all aspects of production agriculture and the wider environment.

Conference Manager Conference Design Pty Ltd mail@conferencedesign.com.au www.conferencedesign.com.au P: +61 3 6231 2999

The theme is particularly relevant to this year’s conference host, Tasmania, as new opportunities and challenges are presented by substantial investment in new irrigation developments. Please mark the dates in your diary and we look forward to seeing you in Hobart in September 2015.

www.agronomy2015.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF AUSTRALIA’S AGRICULTURAL LAND BY LUCINDA BARTY

The recent acquisition of Queensland’s ‘Cubby Station’ by Chinese investors has brought with it a reawakening of community anxieties, eliciting calls for tighter controls and monitoring by the relevant authorities. From the 1st of March 2015, privately owned foreign investors must get prior approval for a proposed acquisition of an interest in rural land from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) where the combined value already held exceeds – or will exceed once acquired - $15 million. Similarly, improved scrutiny of foreign purchases of agricultural land has seen the Commonwealth Government reduce the screening threshold from $252 million to $15 million, a clear indicator of current public concerns. Although the true threat to agricultural sector jobs, industry and economy remains subjective, Reports developed by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (ABARES) seemingly champion the concept. In a report titled ‘Foreign Investment and Australian Agriculture’, the department proposes inflow of foreign investment into the broader Australian economy “contributes to higher aggregate production and thus to higher incomes”. The report also categorised investors as typically agribusiness companies (such as publically owned Olam International of Singapore and state owned Hassad Foods of Quatar), investment or pension funds seeking profit or mining companies. Professor John Freebairn of Melbourne University’s Department of Economics believes such anxieties, by contrast, bring with them a level of opposition so intense it becomes detrimental to economic growth long-term. “To resist change at the extreme is to establish a museum which means falling incomes and opportunities as time marches on and circumstances change” he says. “Australia has depended on foreign investment equivalent to 2% and 8% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) since the arrival of the first fleet.”

even a source of untapped profit? More importantly, where do their loyalties lie? Quatar based, ‘Hassad Foods’, over the past year, has invested over $60 million in Australian sheep grazing land, including ‘Clover Downs’ in Queensland, ‘Kaledbro Estate’ in Western Victoria and 6800 hectares in Canouindra in NSW. ABARES reports justify such purchases as foreign companies seeking to expand their operations “by securing new or alternative sources of supply or gaining access to additional markets.” The release of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) latest Agricultural Land and Water Ownership survey (ALWOS), conducted in late 2013, revealed that an increase in the area of agricultural land owned by businesses with a level of foreign ownership within Australia. An increase from 44.9 million hectares to 49.6 million hectares was recorded with the majority of businesses with a foreign interest concentrated in the sheep, beef cattle and grain farming industry. Approximately 39% of businesses within this industry had a level of foreign ownership. Water ownership, often overlooked when evaluating foreign acquisitions, is another commodity facing vast increases in foreign investment. Whilst more than 11.3 million megalitres are entirely Australian owned, 1.8 million megalitres were foreign owned to some degree. This is reflective of a 55% increase when compared to 2010 ALWOS reports. Australian farmers are often skeptical of further claims high international food prices as well as Australia’s well developed infrastructure and agricultural input and output markets are the key motivators for foreign investors. Similarly, notions that skilled staff can generally be hired and exist as a further incentive are met with equal confusion as investors continue to import their own workers into the country. When “all investors have to comply with Australian laws regarding such things as conditions of employment, access to machinery and raw materials etc, why should foreign investment receive any different treatment?” concludes Freebairn.

Fears over foreign monopolization of Australian land abound, fuelled by concerns regarding control over the use of purchased properties – will community welfare or profit prevail? Reports into the purchase of such land do not reveal comparative land values or what areas of production are involved, with only transactions larger than $230 million and those of state owned foreign entities reflected in Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) data prior to march 1st 2015. Whilst generally championing the role of family run farms, Freebairn sees foreign investment as providing “a positive stimulus to productivity growth [and] higher production.” The extent of this does not necessarily coincide with Labor Government predictions of drastically lower food prices alongside increases in productivity and employment. Representing a differing viewpoint, Mac Barty, owner of the 7000 acre ‘Beverley’ Merino sheep enterprise sees foreign investment as a deceptively destructive force. “Once they have a freehold over the land they can do whatever they please with it, no one can really prevent them” he says. “The $230 million threshold meant they could buy huge amounts of land almost undetected, if the allowed amount was much smaller it would slow the process down making it easier to keep an eye on.” One must also question the motivations of the investors themselves; do they see Australian Agricultural land as a good investment opportunity, insurance against food shortages or 11

SENDING AUSTRALIAN LYCHEES AND MANGOES TO THE USA AUSTRALIAN LYCHEE AND MANGO GROWERS ARE NOW ABLE TO EXPORT TO THE US, OPENING THE DOOR TO THE LUCRATIVE MARKET FOR AUSTRALIA’S 800 GROWERS. Australian lychee and mango growers, exporters and the food treatment industry that have helped pave the way to open the valuable US market have won the praise of Australian Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce. A proud Joyce wished them every success in the future with Australian lychee and mango growers now able to export to the US, opening the door to the lucrative market for Australia’s 800 growers. “I look forward to an increase in the numbers of growers who take up the opportunity presented by this US deal into the future,” Minister Joyce said. Australian growers produced 45,000 tonnes of mangoes in 2012-13 with exports valued at $16 million. Each year approximately 3500-4000 tonnes of lychees are produced in Australia with exports estimated to be worth $18-20 million. Minister Joyce said current consumption reports show most Australian-grown lychees and mangoes are eaten in Australia. “New market access to the US is one way we can take our quality

produce to the rest of the world – building upon Australia’s reputation for high quality produce and bringing greater returns at the farmgate,” Minister Joyce said. “Access for Australia’s fresh lychees and mangoes were one of our agricultural priority market requests, negotiated under the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement.” Minister Joyce said extensive work had been undertaken behind the scenes by Department of Agriculture officials together with industry to give US authorities confidence that Australian exporters could meet the relevant standards. “As one of the world’s leading trading nations, Australia depends on open and transparent international markets for jobs and economic growth,” Minister Joyce said. “The Australian Government remains committed to increasing returns at the farmgate for our growers and producers by opening new markets and business opportunities. “This government has signed three new trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea – our largest, second largest and fifth largest agricultural export markets respectively – currently valued at about $15 billion a year. “And we are constantly looking to improve our technical market access through negotiating effective but affordable treatment options for our agricultural products.”

REVEAL THE SECRETS OF YOUR SOIL WITH SOILMAPP FOR IPAD BY LUCINDA BARTY

The health of Australia’s soils may now rest in the palm of your hand with the launch of the SoilMapp app for iPad and with soil health critical to sustainable food production, water quality and agriculture in general, it’s a resource that really matters. Digging into Australia’s best available national soil databases, SoilMapp is designed with farmers, agronomists, researchers and interested individuals in mind, aiding them in monitoring, maintaining and improving one of the country’s most valuable natural assets – its soil. SoilMapp can provide invaluable insight by: Revealing the physical and chemical characteristics of your soil, including acidity (pH), soil carbon, available water storage, salinity and erodibility. Allowing the user to view maps, photographs, satellite images, tables and graphed data about nearby and distant soil conditions. Providing wireless 12

access. Anywhere, anytime. As a joint project of the Australian Collaborative Land Evaluation Program and the Grains Research and Development Corporation, SoilMapp provides direct access to data and information from the Australian Soil Resource Information System (ASRIS) and ApSoil which forms the basis of the agricultural computer model APSIM lends SoilMapp the convenience of multiple databases in one place. The information that can be accessed, however, does not have to apply to the one place directly beneath your feet with users able to find out about the likely types of soil anywhere around the country. In revealing the soils secrets, farmers and agronomists can learn of soil attributes such as water retention, clay content and acidity allowing them to better related to maximise agricultural productivity and land management efforts. CSIRO’s SoilMapp is available from the App Store.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

AN IMPRESSIVE NEW WHEAT IS HERE Kevin Avery was impressed when WA Minister for Agriculture, Ken Baston, last Friday launched and named IGW3526, the InterGrain wheat variety he successfully trialled last season, Impress CL Plus. Cropping about 1800 hectares at Manmanning, approximately 230km north east of Perth, Mr Avery uses the Clearfield Plus system and its imidazolinone chemistry in his cropping program to optimise control of hard to kill problem weeds, such as brome, barley and spear grass. InterGrain’s new Impress CL Plus, APW wheat is a mid to short season maturing variety with strong yellow spot resistance (MR-MS rating). Its improved yield and disease resistance, particularly to yellow spot, is an advantage in wheaton-wheat rotations. This trait also provides increased grower flexibility when following other IT crops. A Wyalkatchem type, Impress CLPlus has a short coleoptile and a similar height, plant type and tillering capacity to Wyalkatchem. These variety characteristics, coupled with

its large grain size, mean that sowing rates must be kept up to achieve desired plant density and maximise yield. In order to attend a wedding overseas, Mr Avery planted his Impress CL Plus last year quite early (May 4), at seeding rates of 60 kg/ha and 80kg/ha, adjacent to Justica CL Plus. The paddock grew Clearfield STL in 2013, hence there was a reasonable level of inoculum of yellow spot to potentially infect his 2014 crop. He noted, however, that yellow spot infection was more severe on the Justica CL Plus than on the Impress CL Plus, so much so that the Flag-1 was gone on the Justica, while the Impress Flag-1 leaf was totally green and had a noticeably greener canopy. “Late in the growing season I was delighted to see bigger heads, probably a spikelet longer, in the Impress. Also, I was comforted to see its very large grain size, which I felt should help with yield and reduce the likelihood of high screenings in a harsh finish,” Mr Avery said.

However, it was at harvest, or the business end of the season as Mr Avery puts it, that he was really impressed with the performance of the new InterGrain wheat variety. Impress CL Plus yielded about 1.8 tonnes/ ha, or 15% more than the Justica and its protein percentage was higher, putting it into the APW2 grade. “Superior yellow spot resistance was obvious earlier in the year and I think this might be why Impress delivered more yield and protein,” Mr Avery said. “I was so impressed with how the new InterGrain wheat went in 2014, considering the season we had, that I anticipate moving totally over to Impress CL Plus from Justica,” Mr Avery said. Impress CL Plus was bred by Dr Dan Mullan and the InterGrain wheat breeding team. Seed is available from registered InterGrain Seedclub Members or local resellers.

“Impress CL Plus yielded about 1.8 tonnes/ha, or 15 per cent more than the Justica and its protein percentage was higher, putting it into the APW2 grade.” Kevin Avery

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CLEVER APPROACH NEEDED TO GET ON TOP OF BROME GRASS A leading researcher in weed management is recommending that agronomists take advantage of all the available tools to help farmers tackle brome grass in this season’s crops. Brome grass has become a serious problem in the southern wheat belt over the past decade, as crop rotations have tightened up and reduced tillage has been widely adopted. Dr Chris Preston, Associate Professor of Weed Management at the University of Adelaide, says the registration of Sentry® herbicide for pre-emergence control of brome grass gives agronomists and farmers a new opportunity to tackle the weed. “With this new registration, there’s a great opportunity to maximise brome grass control this season, with a presowing application of Sentry and a post-emergence spray of Intercept® a few weeks later,” he said. “In other words, hit brome grass hard with two consecutive sprays this season, and closer to harvest, employ other tactics like windrow burning and chaff carts to reduce the seed set of brome grass.” Crop Care Sentry and Intercept are both imidazolinone herbicides and classified as Group B herbicides for resistance management purposes. Sentry is registered in imidazolinone herbicide tolerant canola and single gene wheat, and for pre-emergent use in imidazolinone herbicide tolerant canola. Intercept is registered as a post-emergent herbicide in imidazolinone herbicide tolerant canola. Dr Preston said while using these two Group B herbicides in sequence in the same crop would seem controversial, he reassured agronomists that it would make best use of the available chemistry without greatly increasing the risk of herbicide resistance. “Using these two herbicides in sequence will control the staggered germinations of brome grass in one crop and reduce the seed bank,” he said. “This provides less selection pressure for herbicide resistance than when successive

“Hit it hard and hit it early”. That’s the message about brome grass control from Dr Chris Preston at the University of Adelaide.

generations of weeds are sprayed with the same chemistry two years or more in a row.” Dr Preston added that farmers could no longer rely on other Group B herbicides such as Atlantis (mesosulfuron-methyl) and Crusader (pyroxsulam) in cereal crops because they were showing evidence of resistance to brome grass. He cautioned that even though ‘imi’ herbicides like Sentry were still working on brome grass now, resistance would emerge if they were used too often. Instead, Dr Preston advocated an integrated approach to managing brome grass and other tough weeds such as barley grass. This required farmers to enlist all the available tools to reduce the brome grass population and stop seed set. Dr Preston said crop topping brome grass was often difficult because it flowered too early, while burning may not be suitable in lighter soils because there was too little ground cover. “By rotating the crops and the chemistry, we stand a better chance of controlling brome grass and maximising the life of the chemistry too,” he said.

Mr Sabeeney said the lengthy residual control offered by Sentry meant that it was essential to follow the advice on the product label about plantback periods for following crops.

Use Sentry and Intercept wisely to protect their efficacy.

“On the upside, the pre-emergent registration allows growers to apply Sentry early in the season so the plantback clock starts a lot earlier.”

Agronomists have been urged to take extra care with imidazolinone herbicides such as Sentry and Intercept to maintain their effectiveness against brome grass for as long as possible.

Mr Sabeeney recommended utilising the strengths of both products, recognising that the unique pre-emergent use pattern for Sentry widened the weed control window.

Andre Sabeeney, National Product Development Manager with Crop Care Australasia, said Sentry and Intercept were important tools which must not be over-applied in consecutive years.

“Sentry is the best option for early preemergent control in crops with moderate to high weed populations or for better time management when growers may be delayed in post emergent applications due to wet paddocks or time restraints,” he said.

“As Dr Chris Preston recommends, Sentry and Intercept should be used in conjunction with other non-chemical control options, like managing weed seeds at harvest by baling or burning stubbles, or collecting seed by using chaff carts or the Harrington seed destructor,” he said. “We agree with Dr Preston’s advice on brome grass control to hit it hard, to try and reduce seed set.”

“Intercept is better for post-emergent use when weeds emerge later in the season, because it is more active on grass weeds at this stage.” Mr Sabeeney recommended mixing Sentry with commonly used insecticides or pre-emergent herbicides from a different group of chemistry. 15

FORECASTING THE FUTURE OF FARMERS Leaning against weathered, well-used sheep yards, Mac Barty watches on as history is disassembled before him at ‘Beverly’, the superfine merino stud he runs with son John at the family’s central Victorian property. Amongst the whurr of electric drills and repetitive thunk of nail guns, young men pull down the inner railings of the wool shed. Taking apart the catching pens panel by panel just as Mac’s father had watched them put up so many years before. “Obviously its nostalgic – it was put up in 1926 and added to as the property has grown, but time moves on and its time to modernize”, says Barty. Nostalgia, perhaps, isn’t all he feels, uncertainty abounds within the farming industry as youth move away from the sector into other professions. With the creation of a new wool shed, modern, steel-clad and shining, one must inevitably question who is going to be around to oversee all the activities that will take place there. Who will sit and chat with the shearers on smoko? Who will operate the wool press and stencil numbers onto the bales with a frayed, tarry brush? Who will pin ribbons along the new timber beams or watch children climb about the piles of fleeces? The world population may be continuing to increase, bringing with it intensified demand for food, clothing and housing, yet unfortunately for the Australian farming sector, this boom does not equate to an increase in viable personnel to take on jobs and continue tradition. Australian farming families must either harness the potential of expanding Asian societies or be bought out. 16

As the average age of the Australian farmer rises to 52 according to the National Farmer’s Federation (NFF) 2012 ‘Farm Facts’ report, the future of agriculture in Australia remains uncertain. The over 65 years age group constitutes the largest percentage of farmers, yet unlike bygone generations, the children of modern farming families may diverge from the traditional path as the rural/ urban disconnect widens. “In this district not many are coming home”, concedes Barty, his own shire of Mount Alexander in central Victoria just a small component in a much larger pattern. Contemporary youth are ever more abundantly pursuing university education, travels and corporate employment. They grow up sweeping wool across the boards, bottle-feeding baby lambs and riding motorbikes then…move away. Go to university. Get a big city job. In a new age of foreign investment, subdivision and corporatisation, the lack of an enthusiastic successor can seal the fate of a once successful farm.

“They’ve got to really want to do it. Farming is a cyclical business, it goes up and down but the dedicated will be richly rewarded.” Mac Barty Professor John Freebairn of Melbourne University’s Department of Economics predicts “further changes in relative product prices, technology and likely climate change… will call for changes

in product mix and production methods if farmers are to earn profits in what is a very competitive industry.” The successful farmers, he says, will adopt “the more profitable new options and drop the less profitable old ones” yet adaptation to changing opportunities and threats will be dependent on “a combination of formal general education, the ability to access specialist skills, and practical experience.” Farming may not be all Border collie puppies and tractor rides, with drought, sick sheep and failed crops an everpresent reality yet its importance must never be underestimated. AFF report estimates place demand for tertiary qualified graduates in the agricultural sector at 6000 per year, in reality, supply of such graduates may be as few as 800 per year, leaving an aging population of farmers to carry on unaided. Growth within the farm sector, although steadily increasing in the 30 years up to 2003/4, has recently decreased to only 1% yearly, further indicating a need for increased spending on research, development and education. Despite diversification within agricultural markets, the main commodities have remained cattle/calves, wheat and whole milk, the level of trainees entering into these fields, however, is not reflective of this. A modernized demand-driven funding model has seen many agricultural courses within universities either decline in places or morph into combined degrees, further emphasizing the need for advertising and incentive to reignite youth interest in these

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

areas. All the while, excess jobs in the agricultural industry remain to be filled, making subsidisation for young farmers an appealing option with many unable to purchase an amount of farming land viable for making a living. Recently, a senate review of agricultural education saw the recommendation of embedded agriculture studies in school curriculums, cadetship programs and the introduction of new tertiary and associate agricultural degrees. The continuation of farming dynasties may guarantee the future preservation of viable farmland. Subdivision or development of once family owned land may impact on soil quality and agricultural potential beyond repair. The flow on effects of this involves not only the farmers and their families but also the local communities. Striving to preserve the productivity potential of their land and the surrounding environment, family farming operations see farmers appoint themselves stewards of the land. Growing against a fencepost in an isolated paddock, a single, vibrant purple Patterson’s Curse plant could be seen as simply a ‘pretty flower’ to a corporate appointed farm manager. To a farmer, pacing the bounds of his own property, however, it is a threat not only to his own livelihood but that of future generations –a looming violet hazard

waiting to strip the land of its agricultural potential. A hazard, which must be pulled out by hand and not dismissed as outside the job description.

“A cow won’t always calve between 8 in the morning and 5 at night, young farmers need to be willing to accommodate unpredictable events.” Mac Barty Professor Freebairn acknowledges family run farms “are self motivated and rewarded by their own expertise and efforts” with their knowledge of “climate and other local conditions…very important at farm level.” This vested interest in the welfare of the farm, its surrounds and in turn the local community, sees local farmers more likely to push for more sustainable farming techniques, for better use of natural resources and for the preservation of land with future generations in mind. Josh Lanyon, a broad acre crop farmer and hay contractor, understands this concept perhaps better than most with four children under the age of eight. Working to secure the future success of his 1620ha

business for his children, twenty years working in the small Victorian community of Boort has taught him the value of family input and local support. “Already we are moving towards having fewer people and more machines, it changes the social structure”, he admits. “The land might only have limited uses, like dry land cropping or grazing, the people who know how to get the best from it are the farmer’s who have been there for generations”. Reinvigoration of the farming sector is possible and the infusion of youth will aid the industry to adapting to inevitable change. “Change is hard and undesired” Freebairn concludes, “but farmers are the essence of Australia”, keeping youth in the sector will ensure shearing sheds continue to hum with electric shears and soil becomes barely visible under productive crops for generations to come. Private companies investing in established farming operations, rather than the continuation of family practice, inevitably changes the social dynamic of communities. The environmental and ethical procedures set in place over vast periods of time may also be lost in the wake of recent trends seeing young people vying away from traditional farming paths.

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DISTRIBUTION Mailed direct to agronomists, consultants, field consultants, resellers and agribusiness leaders. For all advertising inquiries, please contact: Michael Cook PO BOX 812 STRATHFIELDSAYE, VIC Australia 3551 Ph: 03 5441 8166 E: info@theaustralianagronomist.com

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BREAK CROPS GIVE MALLEE GROWERS A LIFT CROP SEQUENCING TRIALS AT MINNIPA AGRICULTURAL CENTRE “Two break crops in a row has seen cereal yields double and grassy weeds drop in problem paddocks in low rainfall zones across South Australia.” Dr Nigel Wilhelm

Intensive field trials of 40 different break sequences have been investigated by the SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the State Government’s research institute within PIRSA, in collaboration with farming systems groups across the state, including the SA-Victorian Mallee. Pastures and break crops - such as pulses, canola, brown manure vetch and oaten hay – have been grown for up to two seasons – and some of the results have “bordered on spectacular,” according to SARDI Farming Systems science program leader Dr Nigel Wilhelm. “In the first crop of wheat after the break, we’ve doubled yield in some circumstances – and that’s in some pretty tough circumstances,” Dr Wilhelm said. “Other trials have sometimes seen benefits into the third wheat crop so we’re hopeful we’ll see further benefits in quality and yield – as well as weed management. “The most successful breaks were the ones which not only controlled grassy weeds effectively but also dropped rhizoctonia inoculum and boosted soil reserves of nitrogen (in the case of the legume options).” The $2.1 million five-year GRDC-funded Crop Sequencing collaborative science program commenced in 2010 and involves farming groups from the upper Eyre Peninsula and Upper North to the Murray Mallee. Dr Wilhelm said back-to-back cereal cropping, particularly during the millennium

drought, led to an increase in disease and weed levels, as well as a decline in soil quality. This led to grassy weeds such as barley grass, brome grass and rye grass learning to adapt to the timing of the regular cereal productions systems, so break crops and even long-season wheat types are now needed to “outsmart” them. The trial also measured improvements in soil nitrogen, soil disease and plantavailable water. Mallee Sustainable Farming agronomist Michael Moodie said the GRDC LowRainfall Zone Crop Sequencing project, was bringing in some critical changes to local farming systems. “The whole landscape was dominated by long-term cereals as the mainstay,” he said. “Now we’re getting better returns from our crops, with yield increases up to 1.25 tonnes higher per hectare, after taking a two-year, non-cereal break phase.”

“This is encouraging a growing number of farmers to introduce break crops, particularly in the Mallee where less than 5% of farmers were following this practice.” Dr Nigel Wilhelm Mr Moodie said other technologies, such as drought tolerant, short-season field peas and other break crop options, were also supporting the trend.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

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TACKLING ESCALATING APHID RESISTANCE

Green peach aphid resistance to insecticides has escalated across Australia, with many canola growers failing to gain effective control over this serious pest last season. This has major implications for both broadacre and horticulture crops. A Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) – funded survey in 2013 found that green peach aphid had developed resistance to more insecticides than any other insect pest – documenting widespread resistance to synthetic pyrethroids, carbamates and organophosphates. GRDC is urging growers in all Australian mainland cropping regions to rotate chemical groups and to take advantage of biological controls to extend the useful life of available products – and to avoid a future of inadequate and failing control over this serious sap-sucking and viruscarrying pest. Technical consultant to Crop Care Glen Tucker said it wasn’t only grain, 20

canola and pulse-crop growers’ use of insecticides that was contributing to the problem. “Earlier CSIRO research in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland grain crops found much higher green peach aphid resistance to insecticides in areas where vegetables were widely grown. “In the same study, CSIRO also reported low-level resistance to imidacloprid in New Zealand potato crops. The 2013 GRDC survey then found evidence of potential imidicaloprid resistance in some Australian cropping areas. This is of great concern.” He said any vegetable, fruit and nut growers around Australia having problems controlling aphids this season were likely to be facing similar resistance to a number of the currently-used insecticide groups. “It is imperative that all growers put in place a resistance-management strategy this season, including monitoring, chemicalgroup rotation and avoiding the use of cheap, broad-spectrum ‘insurance’ sprays.”

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

“It is imperative that all growers put in place a resistance-management strategy this season.” Glen Tucker

“Targeting only plant-sucking insects, it is also considered IPM-friendly, allowing beneficial predators and parasitoids to help suppress aphid numbers.” Glen Tucker Mr Tucker said a new, systemic horticultural insecticide Endgame 500WG – from a different chemical group (Group 9B) to those showing aphid resistance – had been registered by Crop Care late last year.

peach aphid resistance to commonlyused insecticides. Targeting only plantsucking insects, Endgame is also considered IPM- friendly, allowing beneficial predators and parasitoids to help suppress aphid numbers.

“Endgame provides vegetable and fruit growers with a timely alternative for effective control and resistance management of green peach and other aphid species in brassica, potato and stonefruit crops.”

“Endgame contains pymetrozine – an insecticide that has not been widely used, so is less likely to encounter resistant aphid populations, at least in the short term.

Current permits also allow its use against aphids and whitefly on a wide range of other crops including cucurbits, broccoli, sweet corn, eggplant, almonds, lettuce, chicory, endive, radicchio, snow peas, sugar snap peas and cut flowers; plus cucumbers, capsicum, eggplant, lettuce and tomatoes grown in protected situations. Tackling escalating aphid resistance. A timely, alternative aphicide Endgame will help Australian horticulture growers to strategically manage escalating green

“Targeting only plant-sucking insects, it is also considered IPM-friendly, allowing beneficial predators and parasitoids to help suppress aphid numbers.” He said growers would see a different response to treatment with Endgame. “It’s a systemic anti-feedant, stopping insects feeding within 15 minutes. Aphids may remain on treated plants for a few days, but are incapable of further feeding and will ultimately starve to death. “So it is very important to treat the crop at the first sign of aphid infestation and before there is significant feeding damage.

“In potatoes and brassicas it is also very important to achieve good coverage, and to use a suitable wetting agent to maximise Endgame entry into the leaves. It is recommended Endgame be applied as a spray in a minimum of 100 to 800 litres of water per hectare (depending on the size and stage of the crop) via hollow cone nozzles and droppers. The product is rainfast within two hours.” For aphid-resistance management and to extend the effective life of this novel control, Mr Tucker said growers should apply a maximum of two sprays of Endgame (or other Group 9B insecticides) per crop, and not as consecutive sprays. “It is imperative that growers and consultants adhere to the resistance management strategies recommended by CropLife Australia for green peach aphid and melon aphid control, to preserve the usefulness of aphicides.”

GETTING CHEMISTRY IN THE SPRAY TANK RIGHT A good spray tank mix can be likened to a good party, where everyone gets along and there are no messy clashes.

ACID HERBICIDES – RELUCTANT PARTY-GOERS

With many in the southern region getting their sprayers set to hit summer fallows following widespread rain, Dow AgroSciences formulation chemist Robert Buttimor is encouraging growers to take care when mixing chemicals, so their spray tank “party” is a success.

Common herbicides such as glyphosate, 2,4-D, picloram and clopyralid all start life as acids. However, acids are not natural party-goers. They don’t dissolve in water.

Fallow sprays are needed to keep weeds and pests at bay and to conserve nitrogen and water. In order to maximise the benefits of fallow sprays, Mr Buttimor says they need to be managed to the same degree as in-crop sprays so growers do not end up with a mess in the spray tank. He says for growers to fully understand the ‘party’ in the spray tank and how the chemicals get along, they need to understand how emulsifiable concentrates and soluble liquids are developed and where they come from.

“We wanted to make sure this formulation had the same compatibility and efficacy because we switched the salt, and it did.” Robert Buttimor 22

To dissolve fully with water there has to be partial positive charge and partial negative charge associated with the herbicide molecule. Mr Buttimor says amines are reacted with solid acid herbicide actives to create herbicide salts. This produces an ion that has a partial positive and an ion with a partial negative charge so it can dissolve in water, just like table salt. Different salts include potassium, DMA, IPA and TIPA, which are all standard salts used in glyphosate, 2,4-D and clopyralid formulations. Each of these salts have different properties that relate to active loading, as well as physical and chemical compatibility. “With clopyralid we notice when we use a DMA salt we can drastically increase the loading – i.e you can deliver more in a smaller drum, thus creating Lontrel Advanced,” Mr Buttimor says. “We wanted to make sure this formulation had the same compatibility and efficacy because we switched the salt, and it did.” When it comes to spray tank compatibility the reactions that create the water soluble salts can go the other way, forming insoluble herbicide acids, or they can combine with other ions and form insoluble salts. Things such as hard water (the party venue), complexity in the spray tank, spray volume (crowd control) and pH (alcohol at the party) can all contribute to the problem and block spray filters and nozzles.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

THE PARTY VENUE

MATCH-MAKING

In order to ensure the reaction does not go the other way, growers mixing chemicals need to look at their water – the party venue. Many do not have a choice with their water as it is either hard – 300 parts per million and above – or soft.

Mr Buttimor likens ammonium sulphate (AMS) to glyphosate’s wing-man. The sulphate ion distracts the other ions at the party, such as magnesium and calcium, so glyphosate can ‘hook-up’ with the ammonium ion.

“Hard water are attractive ions in the party,” Mr Buttimor says. “You can get calcium, magnesium, iron and sodium ions which interact with water. The water can absorb a few of those ions, but if you start packing more attractive ions in the water, they start interacting with 2,4-D. Calcium and 2,4-D can create a half-salt which can crystallise. Sodium can do the same thing with glyphosate. It’s very insoluble and you’ll end up cleaning it out of your filters.” Hard water typically comes from bores, soft water comes from rain water. Growers who suspect they are having problems with crystallisation should have their water tested.

“When glyphosate hooks up with ammonium, it actually enters the leaf surface more readily and you get better efficacy, especially in hard water scenarios,” he says. “It’s very important you use AMS in hard water, but even if you have soft water you get this effect. Knowing the hardness of your water allows you to adjust this and tailor AMS inputs.” As a general rule, if growers are using rain water (soft) they would have 1 percent AMS in the tank mix. If they are using bore water (hard) they would need to use 2 percent AMS. “Growers using 2 percent AMS in soft water are effectively wasting their money,” Mr Buttimor says.

“If the pH is in the 4.5-5.8 range, you’re fine and you don’t need to add any acidifiers to it as you can take the pH too low. You very rarely see water that needs any acidifying.” Robert Buttimor

CROWD CONTROL The trick to throwing a good party is to invite a group of people who will all get along, and not too many diverse groups which could clash. Mr Buttimor says growers need to be applying the same principle to their spray tank mixes. “If you use just one product in your spray tank you can go at extremely high loads,” he says. “Once you add diversity to your party, especially fertilisers which are notorious, they break up into ions and attract 2,4-D, clopyralid and glyphosate and crash out. “Control the crowd, keep it simple in the spray tank, don’t try to put too much in there and you should be alright.” There also needs to be lots of room to party – the more room there is to party, the less chance of trouble. Mr Buttimor says higher spray volumes give better efficacy and better coverage on plants, so it is important always err on a higher spray volume. “As soon as you reduce that spray volume, particularly with 2,4-D acids, glyphosate and AMS at higher concentrations, it has the propensity be less effective. We have developed charts which say if you’re going to use 2 percent AMS – the highest recommendation – in the softest type of water at the coldest temperature, these are the maximum rates you should be using (table 1).”

EMULSIFIABLE CONCENTRATES – THE OILY SIDE OF PARTYING Acids are esterified by taking the carboxylic acid group and adding a chain of carbons to it so it can be soluble with oil. But because oil and water do not mix, emulsifiers – the chaperones of oil – are added to it so it can enter the water. The emulsifiers have a negative charge around them so when the oil droplets go into the water they bounce off one another and do not come together to form a bigger droplet. If they did not have that negative charge, they would come together and form bigger droplets which would either float to the top or sink to the bottom of the spray tank. By adding lots of other ions to the spray tank in the form of hard water or soluble liquid herbicides, it neutralizes these charges and the oil droplets can come together to form large oil droplets, oily gels or general glug that will float to the top or sink to the bottom of the spray tank. This ties up the active and creates a big mess.

Table 1: Water rates required for mixing 2,4-D (Statesman 720) with glyphosate and 2 percent AMS

A SMOOTH PARTY Glyphosate 450 (L/ha)

Statesman 720 (L/ha) 0.8

1.2

1.5

1.7

100

120

1.2

100

120

1.4

100

120

1.6

100

120

1.8

110

120

100

110

120

During spraying, the emulsifiers, wetters and spreaders take the droplet and spread it across the surface of the leaf, disrupting the waxy layer on the surface and driving the chemicals into the plant where they will act. Eventually the droplet will evaporate, forming crystals. “The type of crystals that form on the leaf are important,” Mr Buttimor says. “The glyphosate-ammonium drives it into the leaf quicker. The oil spreads out onto the leaf surface and obviously oil and wax are more similar than water and wax so this penetrates the leaf surface and you get better efficacy.” Below are general guidelines for tank mixing. It is always important to read labels and follow mixing instruction, because the exceptions to the rule can catch you out and cause problems.

Table provided by Dow AgroSciences

1. Fill spray tank 2/3 with clean water, turn on agitation (make sure there is lots of room to party)

PH – THE ALCOHOL OF THE SPRAY TANK

2. Add water conditioners (cover up those attractive ions at the party)

Mr Buttimor says pH has a similar role to alcohol at a party – the right amount can make things run smoothly but too much can make things turn ugly. “It’s very important you don’t over-acidify your spray tank. The optimum pH range for glyphosate is 4.5 to 5.8 to get proper efficacy, but you don’t need acidifiers to hit that. When you add glyphosate to your spray tank it naturally drops the pH within this range, as glyphosate is acidic in itself.” Growers worried that their water is too alkaline can do a test by adding water to a jar, adding the glyphosate relative to that amount of water and use litmus paper or a pH meter to check the pH level. It is important to test the pH of the solution “after” the glyphosate goes in, as it will adjust the pH naturally.

3. Add granules/flowables/powders and mix well (these take time to mix in) 4. Add emulsifiable concentrates and crop oils (let the chaperones set up first, less distraction) 5. Add soluble liquids i.e glyphosate (the ions added at this stage will less likely interfere with emulsification chaperones. Also, the water conditioners have covered up the hard water) 6. Add wetters (these are surfactants, add after ECs have set up) 7. Top up with water

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

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YOU’RE INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE MOST EXCITING PUBLICATION IN AGRONOMY THE MORE CONTRIBUTIONS, THE BETTER The launch of The Australian Agronomist heralds the arrival of a new, high quality quarterly publication directed towards agronomists, agronomy as a profession, and all the issues relating to this important science. This independent magazine will engage a readership of agronomists, consultants and research scientists working in the agriculture sector, with broad ranging content that is interesting, relevant and up to date. It will be equally relevant to agronomists and consultants working or specialising in all primary industry sectors, including broadacre, horticulture, viticulture, pasture and meat, milk and fibre production.

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Content will be diverse and include articles and features covering R&D developments and updates, soil science, pest and disease management, technology and equipment, resistance management, product launches and updates, interviews with leading agronomists, opinion pieces from industry leaders, current affairs and both local and world issues relating to farming, agronomy and agribusiness.

WINTER

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THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

MYPESTGUIDE APP BY LUCINDA BARTY

Smartphones and tablet devices can now be used to identify grain crop pests while out in the field following the introduction of the MyPestGuide App developed by the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA). Using the MyPestGuide App gives individuals the opportunity to contribute to the defence of Australia’s agricultural industry and protect the natural environment from unusual or suspected exotic pests. Similarly, the information generated and disseminated by users of MyPestGuide will be used to help maintain Australia’s pest-free status and support farm biosecurity. By downloading the App, users in-turn become participants in a new monitoring and surveillance community with access to a database of 195 known grain pests each accompanied by a corresponding high resolution image. Each pest is also searchable by scientific or common name, pest type and size, crop type and observed damage, making identification simple and thorough. Pests can be identified quickly and observations reported to DAFWA directly using the GPS enabled photo reporting tool. Responses, in line with the user friendly construction of the App, are sent directly to the user’s device and users can also

personalise the App by utilising the ‘My favourite pests’ function to save pests of particular interest for easy future recall and reference. By tapping on the image of an individual pest, the user can also view more detailed information about it and zoom in or out with just the flick of a finger across the screen, making use simple whether on site or far away.

Helping the community team up with growers, agronomists and DAFWA, MyPestGuide holds the potential to be implemented Australia wide in the near future. Download is free and registration optional for the opportunity to view and archive reports online via the DAFWA website making MyPestGuide a highly accessible tool for the protection of grain crops and Australian biodiversity alike. For more information on the MyPestGuideApp, please email: mypestguide@agric.wa.gov.au. Alternatively, contact the Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS): Freecall 1800 084 881.

THE TOP

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It’s time to supercharge your spray tanks.

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Supercharge Elite spray tank adjuvant now has a new and improved formulation with more compatibilities. Supercharge is the only spray oil registered for the use with Factor.

Unity 240EW is a broad spectrum post emergent herbicide developed in Australia for the control of wild radish, Indian hedge mustard, volunteer pulses, double gee, nettles, marshmallow, bifora, bedstraw when mixed with Thistle-Killem 750 or 2,4-D.

• • • •

For use in broadacre Active ingredient: Paraffinic oil 471g/L Available in 20L, 110L packs Compatible with Achieve, Factor, Nail and many other herbicides

• For use in broadacre and pyrethrum • Active ingredient: 240EW Carfentrazone 240g/L • Available in 4L pack

The only spray oil registered for use with Factor.

To order your Unity technical manual log onto www.cropcare.com.au

VERY COMPATIBLE

NEW LIQUID FORMULATION

Guard your crop early. Intercept is registered for the early post-emergent control of certain annual grass and broadleaf weeds in Imidazolinone herbicide tolerant canola. • • • • •

For use in broadacre Active ingredient: Imazamox 33g/L + Imazapyr 15g/L Similar to Intervix Part of the imiCrops® herbicide range Available in 10L packs

Specifically developed for Imidazolinone herbicide tolerant canola.

NEW TO THE RANGE

Factor in great results. Factor is a WG herbicide used to control certain grasses in broadleaf crops. Registering Factor on its own allows higher rates of butroxydim to be applied for better annual ryegrass control. It gives growers the flexibility to mix Factor with a fop herbicide to control the full range of annual grass weeds that occur in winter pulse, legume pasture and oilseed crops. • For use in broadleaf crops • Active ingredient: Butroxydim 250g/kg • Available in a 5kg pack

To order your Factor technical manual log onto www.cropcare.com.au

A NEW TOOL FOR RYEGRASS CONTROL

Insects and mites don’t stand a chance. Astral 250EC is a contact and residual insecticide/miticide for use in apricots, bananas, barley, canola, citrus, clover, cotton, cucurbits, faba beans, field peas, grapes, lucerne, lucerne seed crops, lupins, navy beans, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, poppies, subterranean clover, sugarcane, tomatoes and wheat. Astral 250EC also contains registrations for use in sweet potato, in addition to extended protection in sugarcane for symphylan control. • • • •

For use in broadacre Active ingredient: Bifenthrin 250g/L Similar to Talstar 250EC Available in 1L, 5L, 20L packs

Broad spectrum insect control in a wide range of crops.

UNBEATABLE VALUE!

FUNDING APPROVED FOR 12 NEW PROJECTS BY LUCINDA BARTY

The Australian agricultural industry is set to receive a massive boost after the Hon. Barnaby Joyce, Minister for Agriculture approved funding of up to $26.7 million for twelve applications. The project grants are part of the Australian Government’s $100 million Rural R&D for Profit Program to drive increased profits for rural industries.

Aside from developing new technologies to recapture the nutrients in waste, evaluate nutritive, agronomic and economic benefits of the new products, the ‘Waste to Revenue: novel fertilisers and feed project’ will also investigate potential barriers to adoption in order to generate the most benefit for producers and end users.

Whilst some funding is still subject to negotiation, the approved projects of particular interest to the agronomic sector are those of Australian Pork Limited, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation and Meat and Livestock Australia. The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation as well as Dairy Australia have also had funding applications approved with many projects simultaneously benefitting multiple industries.

“Generating these new products will improve the sustainability, productivity and profitability of primary industries through the generation of new revenue streams and reduced input costs. The production of digestible feed will supplement existing feeds while fertilisers will improve crop productivity, carbon availability and soil resilience to erosion, frost, drought and heat stress,” Dr D’Souza said.

The Australian Pork Industry plays host to one such novel project which is the prospect of creating new sources of fertilisers and feed by using by using algae, bacteria and chemotrophs to recapture nutrients from waste products.

This research will be carried out collaboratively by the University of Queensland and University of Western Australia and is supported by a range of Rural Research and Development Corporations. Although the project is the result of an application made by Australian Pork Limited, it will confer benefits to Dairy Australia, Sugar Research Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia and Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) which encompass industries that also produce and utilise waste products.

In a concept and approach that is completely new to agriculture, the project is setting out to achieve the development of safe animal feed and high nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser for agricultural use. Teas and pellets generated from low cost cleaner composting technologies will also be investigated as alternative soil improvers. Australian Pork Limited General Manager Research & Innovation Program Dr Darryl D’Souza said, “Livestock produce large volumes of underutilised waste which contain significant amounts of macronutrients but these are typically in a diluted form and nutritionally unbalanced for agricultural crops, as well as being hard to transport off farm.”

In a project of their own, RIRDC has been given approval for a seasonal forecasting R&D project to aid in increasing farmer profitability with more accurate long-term meteorological information and reports. The three year project, officially titled ‘Improved Use of Seasonal Forecasting to Increase Farmer Profitability’, will receive $1.8 million in funding with an aim of reducing the gap between seasonal climate forecasts and onfarm business decisions to improve the productivity and profitability of Australian farmers. By identifying the critical information requirements relating to seasonal climate risks for primary industries by sector, type of decision and region farmers can then be given the tools, information and training needed to better understand and use seasonal forecasts during farm business decision making. Analysing and reducing the main errors that negatively impact the quality of seasonal predictions available to farmers makes it is possible to improve the seasonal forecasting capabilities of Australia’s primary forecasting model: POAMA/ACCESS. RIRDC’s Managing Director, Craig Burns said that the outcomes of the project will provide real and practical tools to assist Australia’s farmers to better utilise seasonal climate forecasts.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

“Climate is arguably the biggest driver of agricultural production in Australia, particularly as Australia has the most variable climate of any inhabited country.” Craig Burns “While there have been significant improvements in one to ten day weather forecasts, this project addresses seasonal climate forecasts and how farmers should use them. We know that this broader time frame is most important to farmers. “It’s been shown that an effective way of addressing drought is to equip farmers to understand climate variability and how to use forecasts in business decision making and that’s the main goal of this project.” The development of seasonal climate information tailored to individual needs stands as the gateway to getting as many farmers as possible to understand the great potential of seasonal climate forecasting. By factoring such forecasts into business decision making, primary producers can better prepare for and manage climate-related risks in the future. Just as RIRDC’s climate prediction project will benefit myriad producers a project aimed at improving the profit of 3,000 cotton, dairy, rice and sugar irrigators will also have widespread benefits. The ‘Smarter Irrigation for Profit’ project led by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), is to be conducted in partnership with Dairy Australia, the RIRDC and Sugar Research Australia amongst others. The project, with an allocation of up to $4 million from the Rural R&D For Profit program, aims to improve the profit of each individual irrigator enterprise across the four industries by $20,000-40,000 per annum. CRDC Executive Director Bruce Finney welcomed the announcement of the much needed funding, which will see irrigation in Australian Agricultural industries revolutionised.

“Irrigated agriculture is responsible for 30 percent of all agricultural production in Australia, and half the profit. This is a large-scale, ambitious project designed to achieve a 10-20 percent improvement in water productivity, efficiency and farmer profitability, while also improving cross-sector industry research collaboration,” Mr Finney said. Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), another collaborating industry, has been awarded almost $5 million in funding to lead two new research and development projects entitled ‘Weed Biological Control’ and ‘Global Supply Chain Innovation’. The three year projects will focus on the long-lasting benefits of weed biological control and identifying market and consumer insights to drive value chain innovation and growth in export markets respectively. MLA Managing Director Richard Norton welcomed the grants, acknowledging that these two areas of research would offer significant long term benefits to producers and the wider agricultural industry. “MLA is always looking to identify new and innovative areas for research that will deliver value back to levy payers. We are glad to work with our research partners on these important issues that benefit industries across agriculture,” Mr Norton said. “Weeds can be detrimental to business sustainability. By researching how best to fast-track weed biological control can improve agricultural production and benefit the Australian economy by reducing weed competition and herbicide use across more than 25 million hectares of pasture in Australia.” Cross-industry collaboration is extremely important for all of agriculture in Australia in regard to expanding the nation’s rural R&D efforts, improving industry efficiency and encouraging the uptake of research results to keep Australian agriculture sustainable and competitive on an international level.

GREEN PEACH APHID AND BEET WESTERN YELLOWS VIRUS IN CANOLA

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

WHAT IS BWYV?

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

BWYV infects the phloem (the living tissue that carries organic nutrients to all parts of the plant where needed) of plants and is persistently transmitted by aphid vectors. BWYV infection can result in significant losses in seed yield and oil content. Symptoms may initially resemble nutrient deficiencies, herbicide damage, physiological stress or other disorders. Leaves may turn yellow and purple, starting from the lower leaves. Other symptoms may include leaf mottling, leaves becoming thickened and cupping inwards, and premature bolting.

Severe crop damage has already occurred. However, the onset of cold and wet weather conditions has now caused aphid populations to decline and GPA are expected to be largely inactive within crops. Minimum flight thresholds for aphids are typically around 16-17C. There are likely to be very few winged adults in the aphid population until numbers begin to build again with rising temperatures from late winter onwards. Consequently, experts expect that the risk of further virus spread is currently (as of July 2014) low and will remain so while these conditions persist.

Canola is most susceptible to BWYV at the rosette stage, when infection can lead to high yield losses. Generally, the yield consequences of BWYV decrease with infection at later stages of crop development. However, canola can remain susceptible to yield losses from BWYV infection until approximately the midpodding stage. Infection after this stage usually results in minimal yield loss but oil quality can still be affected.

The extent of spring infestations will be influenced by climatic and crop conditions in late winter-early spring. However, due to the higher than normal aphid numbers this year, there may be an increased risk, particularly in warmer areas where aphid populations may build-up early. Pulse crops may also be at risk in spring as annual surveys have often found BWYV at low levels in pulse crops.

Green peach aphid is the most important vector of BWYV (96% transmission efficiency) but cabbage aphid can also transmit it (14% transmission efficiency) as can cowpea aphid. Certain strains of BWYV commonly infect pulse crops in south-western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia, while other strains are limited to canola only.

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? Heavy rainfall in cropping districts during February and March is likely to have created a green bridge (reservoir) of weed hosts of both BWYV and its most important vector, GPA. Host plants of BWYV include weeds, such as wild radish, wild melon, fleabane, stinkweed, blackberry nightshade, marshmallow, bedstraw, thistles and volunteer canola, and pastures including lucerne, medic and sub-clover. Green peach aphid itself is highly polyphagous and its host plants include wild radish, volunteer canola and a wide range of other broadleaf plants. Warm temperatures continuing through autumn and early winter appear to have created ideal conditions for aphid population development. Higher population densities combined with warm temperatures are likely to have increased aphid flight activity, resulting in early and widespread colonisation of canola crops. Winged aphids carrying the virus from infected weed hosts will have transmitted the virus to young canola plants before spreading it to other healthy plants. Compounding these issues is the presence of insecticide resistance in many GPA populations. High levels of resistance to carbamates (e.g. pirimicarb) and pyrethroids are now widespread across Australia. Moderate levels of resistance to organophosphates have been observed in many populations. GPA populations can now be screened for resistance by cesar using DNA diagnostic tools.

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS Experts agree that spraying to control GPA while winter conditions persist may not be warranted. This assumes aphid activity (and flights) has largely ceased, which may not necessarily be true in all districts. Growers should remain vigilant, monitor for colonising (winged) aphids, and be prepared to apply insecticides in late winter or early spring to limit virus spread into canola and pulse crops. It is important to only use insecticides registered for the crop and situation, and to comply with the label directions. The use of unregistered products may result in residue detections in a cell or shipment of canola. This would cost much more than just the value of the product; it could result in the loss of an important market, the loss of our premium food reputation, prosecution(s) and more stringent chemical use requirements for the future. In cases where sprays are needed, the use of ‘softer’ insecticides such as pirimicarb should be considered. Fortunately, many GPA populations in NSW and Victoria (unlike in many other states where resistance is widespread) can still be successfully controlled with pirimicarb. Please note, pirimicarb is more effective if applied when temperatures are above 20˚. Transform® is also registered in canola and field reports suggest very good control of GPA. Paraffinic spray oils can also be used for suppression of GPA. Unlike direct feeding damage, virus can be transmitted by relatively few aphids feeding or probing plants. Monitor aphid populations (and their flights) over the coming weeks using a combination of yellow sticky traps and directly searching for aphids on plants. Sticky traps should ideally be placed at several points 5-25 metres in from the crop edge. Check once per week now, but more frequently when warmer weather occurs. GPA are typically (but not always) found on the undersides of leaves. On rare occasions in canola, GPA can be found on the flowering spikes in spring; often in mixed populations with cabbage aphids and/or turnip aphids.

CHICKEN MANURE TO BOOST WHEATBELT CROPS POULTRY FARMERS HAVE SPENT YEARS TRYING TO FIND A MARKET FOR THEIR CHICKEN MANURE, AND A SOLUTION MAY NOW BE IN SIGHT WITH HELP FROM THE FORESTRY AND BROADACRE CROPPING INDUSTRIES A trial near York is using a combination of left over thinnings or prunings from pine plantations, mixed with chicken manure and spread on wheat crops. The product contains high levels of organic nitrogen, and useful levels of phosphorous and potassium and has already recorded a healthy visual response. The three-year trial is being funded by natural resource management group Wheatbelt NRM, and coordinated by York consultants Living Farm. Adding another element to the project is the involvement of WA Biofuels, which has found a use for the forestry thinnings that would otherwise be left on the plantation floor to decompose. The manager of biofuels and forestry Darryl Outhwaite said his company had developed a process to turn these thinnings into bedding material for chicken farms. “Traditionally poultry operations relied on sawdust from mills and more recently macerated waste timber from the city’s recycling depots,” Darryl Outhwaite said. “When mixed with the chicken manure the bedding can contain foreign matter and some toxins, but by using the forestry thinnings it makes the bedding free of contaminants.” 34

Darryl Outhwaite said the entire poultry industry in WA used roughly 100,000 cubic metres of bedding each year, with poultry sheds needing to be cleaned out eight times a year. He said since their introduction two years ago, about 10 percent of poultry farms were now using the forestry thinnings as bedding. WA Biofuels was also investigating converting the thinnings into Biochar, carbonized in a purpose built furnace and then crushed and screened and mixed with the poultry manure in pellet form. “We’re hoping the Biochar mixed with chicken bedding and manure will improve the soil’s carbon stocks and thus increase nutrient and water retention,” Darryl Outhwaite said. “It would also make the manure more cost effective by boosting its capacity to catch volatile nitrates, increasing its value to farmers.” Contract research provider Living Farm and its agronomist Richard Devlin were carrying out the trial. “Many of our clients are farmers who see a large proportion of their annual budget spent on inorganic fertilisers including urea and sulphate of ammonia,” Richard Devlin said. “Analysis has shown the chicken manure has high levels of nitrogen and useful but

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

low levels of phosphorous and potassium. “It is therefore more suitable as a substitute for nitrogenous fertilisers and in this trial we decided to test it up against sulphate of ammonia.” “The fertilisers being tested were spread on the plots either prior to sowing or six weeks after sowing.” “York is within a reasonable distance from Perth where a lot of the poultry farms are having trouble finding a home for their bedding and manure. “What we’re hoping this trial will do is prove the chicken manure is of a high enough quality where it will compensate for the cost of freight and act as a substitute for traditional inorganic fertilisers.” In order to test the quality of the chicken manure, a trial site was established using 11 treatments replicated four times. The treatments included varying applications of sulphate of ammonia, chicken manure and bedding, and Biochar. Apart from the untreated treatment, all plots received adequate levels of phosphorous and potassium at sowing, so a more realistic impact from nitrogen could be assessed. The trial was sown using Corack wheat at a rate of 75kg/ha. Soil testing was done for

micro and macro nutrients through CSBP and tissue testing undertaken. “We’ve already seen a visual response to the manure treatment, so we’d be expecting that to be reflected in the yield data” Richard Devlin said. Watching the results closely will be natural resource management group Wheatbelt NRM and its project delivery officer Tracey Hobbs. “This is one of three compost trials we’ve funded in the Wheatbelt this year,” Tracey Hobbs said. The other two projects focus on using compost from city recycling and composted cattle feedlot waste. “It’s the first time we’ve funded these types of projects in response to more farmers wanting an alternative to the traditional and often costly inorganic fertilisers.” “With the changing climate and tighter profit margins, soil quality is becoming an important factor in reducing input costs and maximizing water use efficiencies.” “Farmers are becoming increasingly concerned that traditional fertilisers are not improving their soil health. “We’re keen to see if this pelletised chicken manure could be a possible low cost alternative supply of nitrogen, while also providing longer term benefits by conditioning the soil.”

“Many of our clients are farmers who see a large proportion of their annual budget spent on inorganic fertilisers including urea and sulphate of ammonia.” Richard Devlin

PASTURE GENEBANK SECURES FARMING FUTURE

South Australia is set to secure Australia’s rich pastoral heritage and ensure future farming success as the host of the Australian Pastures Genebank.

a central location at the Waite Campus at Urrbrae in Adelaide – the largest agricultural research precinct in the Southern Hemisphere.

Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, said the genebank would be located at the Plant Research Centre at Waite Campus, and would preserve more than 70,000 varieties of pastures and forage species providing valuable seed for future breeding programs.

“This integrated, national approach to the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources will enable plant breeders to better access varieties with the traits they want.”

This latest initiative follows the opening of the Australian Grains Genebank at Horsham, Victoria earlier this year. “Every cattle, sheep, wool and dairy producer in the country relies on pasture species which grow well, or are bred for, various climatic and soil conditions around Australia,” said Minister Joyce. “From subterranean clover to grazing tolerant lucernes bred in South Australia, these pastures have supported our livestock and other industries for generations. Further improving yield and productivity will be essential in meeting our food and fibre demands, and helps producers bring a greater return to the farmgate. Now, samples from thousands of pastures species will be preserved in

South Australian Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister Leon Bignell said robust and nutritious pastures bred for Australian conditions supported the premium meat, dairy, wool and mixed farming sectors, which contribute around $48 billion to the national economy. “It’s fitting the genebank is located at South Australia’s Plant Research Centre where South Australia’s scientists have bred some of Australia’s leading lucernes, medics and clover varieties,” he said. “With the bulk of Australia’s $100 million-ayear lucerne seed industry now centred in the South East region of South Australia, it’s also fitting that this centre is here in this State.” The Australian Pastures Genebank will be managed by the South Australian Research and Development Institute

(SARDI), a division of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), with support from the Australian Government and all State and Federal government primary industries departments. The centre will be funded by industry bodies Meat and Livestock Australia, Australian Wool Innovation, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Dairy Australia, and Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. SARDI scientist and genebank curator Dr Steve Hughes said that plant diversity is critical for national and global food security. “Such diversity helps grazing and mixed farming enterprises to adapt and remain competitive with the challenge of a changing climate or whatever other challenges the future may bring,” he said. “The operations of the Australian Pastures Genebank will be critical to help agriculture adapt to the future and would benefit not only primary producers, but also seed companies, breeders, processers, research, education, the environment and regional farming communities.”

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY

YOUNG AGRONOMIST OF THE YEAR AWARD

Australian Society of Agronomy

For those just beginning to forge their careers in the field of agronomy, gathering the accolades needed to gain an audience for your work can be difficult. The Australian Society of Agronomy (ASA) Young Agronomist of the Year award, however, offers those under the age of 35 a chance to increase the reach and standing of their work, research and achievements in the field. Started in 2006 as a means of recognising excellence in research or the application of science related to agronomy, the award also consists of a certificate and $1000 in prize money for the winning nominee.

Awarded on a competitive basis, applicants contributions to either research or teaching and education, publication record and other relevant communications to the scientific and non-scientific community will be taken into account. Prior recognition or awards within the field such as invited papers at industry conferences will be noted also, yet the aim of the award is ultimately to increase opportunities and awareness for younger members of the agronomy profession. In light of the vast talent pool, up to two awards may be presented at

the Australian Society of Agronomy conference in Hobart, Tasmania in September. Winners are expected to present a short response report of approximately 500 words with included photographs upon their attendance at the conference and their report will also be published on the society website and within ASA communications. Application forms are available at: http://www.agronomy2015.com.au/ and applications must be lodged by June 30th 2015.

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· Blackleg spores survive on previous canola stubble therefore its prevalence is higher in districts where canola is regularly grown.

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· Canola grown within 500 m from a previous canola stubble and canola crops that are grown on a 2 year rotation are at greatest risk.

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SOIL, BIG DATA CONFERENCE BY LUCINDA BARTY

Farm enterprise management and production is set to shift into the 21st century with the advent of the Soil, Big Data Conference to take place in Canberra on June 25th, 2015. Rapid advances in big data analytics, that is; the collection and measurement of vast amounts of data regarding every aspect of farm production, has escaped the realms of science fiction to find everyday applications in the agricultural field. With a wide range of appeal, the conference will cover topics relevant not only to farmers and agriculture/ agribusiness leaders, but consultants, researchers, peak industry bodies and policy makers involved in the agricultural sector. Farmers and agronomists proactive in applying new technologies will make up a vast component of speakers at the conference with topics such as ‘Digital Soil Productivity – how Soil Data can Transform Farm Productivity’ and ‘Big Data in

Agriculture and the Internet of Agricultural Things’ offering areas of particular interest to farmers and agronomists themselves. Amongst the many local experts attending, are international guest speakers Dr Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Director of Congressional Affairs of the American Farm Bureau. Australian experts include Government officials, and professors from the agricultural and science faculties of renowned Australian universities. The concept of soil security will feature highly with an emphasis not only on the impact of proper soil management by farmers for the benefit of food and fibre production, but the broader management of soil as a natural resource. Soil security has flow on effects on water security, climate, energy security and the wider ecosystem, making it a natural asset with far reaching benefits.

Agriculturally, however, there are appealing outcomes to be gained from proper soil management of great practical use to Australian farmers and agronomists alike. Big data is no longer just about climate change and wildlife tracking but crop growth too as healthy soil could mean the difference between a seedling withering at ground level or flourishing into a healthy, mature plant...and dollars in the farmers pocket. The conference is sponsored by the NSW Government Department of Primary Industries and Dow Agro Sciences in partnership with the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney. For more information on the conference, or to book a place, visit: www.soilbigdata. org Email: us-studies@sydney.edu.au or call +61 2 9351 7249 Follow conference updates on twitter: @SoilBigData

AUSTRALIANS GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN BY LUCINDA BARTY

A recently released study commissioned by the Australian Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council has found that Australians are at risk of nutritional deficiencies as they decrease their carbohydrate consumption in light of new dietary trends such as paleo and gluten-free. Economically, the promotion of low-carbohydrate diets without in-depth study, poses risks to the Australian grain and legume industries also in conjunction with the inherent health implications. Within the study, entitled the Australian Grains and Legumes Consumption and Attitudinal Study, lower consumption of grains was linked to widespread misconceptions regarding the health and weight effects of grain consumption and a lack of understanding about the health requirements fulfilled by wholegrain foods.

In order to boost Australian’s understanding of the importance of all core grain foods in a balanced diet, wider dissemination of nutritional information is needed including ongoing dialogue about the Australian Dietary Guidelines across a range of forums.

Consumption data from 3,031 Australians aged 2-70 years was collected in 2014 with attitude and awareness responses also gained from the 2,247 Australians aged between 15 and 70 years. Widespread misconceptions and a lack of understanding about the health benefits of core grain foods appears to be driving Australian’s lower consumption of grains with young women aged 19 to 30 years a key group actively limiting their grain and carbohydrate consumption.

Health care professionals, public health organisations and all levels of government must continue to educate Australians on the benefits of grains and legumes in a healthy diet. By providing scientifically backed evidence and guidelines, they can help them to fight through the influx of fad diets saturating modern health and lifestyle culture. Healthy Australians who meet their nutritional needs on a regular basis benefits not only the individual, but the Australian grain and legume industries overall.

With little guidance available to help Australian’s understand the how to incorporate core grain foods and legumes into their diet, these foods have become a largely overlooked component of the national staple diet. With only 35% of Australians reporting to eat legumes at least 2-3 times per week, a quantified recommendation of daily servings within the Australian Dietary Guidelines may provide the necessary prompt for people to incorporate more of these core foods into their meals.

THE AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMIST WINTER ISSUE 1

NEW FORAGE SORGHUM The first forage sorghum hybrid to possess the unique dwarf brachytic trait has hit the Australian market, offering growers the yield and quality of taller Brown Mid Rib varieties without the lodging risk.

“Ninja has very short internodes with a high leaf-to-stem ratio, resulting in a shorter, stout plant that stands well and produces multiple tillers,” she said.

The product, marketed as Ninja by Pacific Seeds, is an ultra-late flowering BMR bred primarily for beef and dairy grazing applications, while providing an alternative to corn silage in some environments.

Ms Crawford said people should not be deceived by the variety’s appearance in terms of productivity. “In our cutting trials, we found the dry matter production is right up there with other highly valued products in the marketplace such as Sugargraze and Sweet Jumbo LPA.”

Dwarf brachytic BMR forages have been in paddocks in the United States and Argentina since 2008, when Pacific Seeds’ parent company, Advanta, first commercialised them. Pacific Seeds forage sorghum manager, Maree Crawford, said the dwarf brachytic trait condensed the spacing between internodes on a sorghum plant, resulting in a high leaf-to-stem ratio.

“This allows it to provide equivalent yields to conventional forage sorghum hybrids.”

She said tests also returned high energy and protein levels. In grazing situations, Ninja also promises to provide more utilisation of the forage. “Certainly in a grazing situation, you’re going to get a lot more utilisation from Ninja at an ideal stage where you’ve got higher energy, higher protein available to the animal.”

In terms of its regional suitability, Ninja is highly suited to dryland systems where standability can be affected. “I had the opportunity to see this product in a harsh environment in Central Queensland recently, where the plant had undergone a severe period of stress, receiving around 40mm of rain prior to when I looked at it. “It had come away to produce a lot of feed, so the recovery rate is high.” Ms Crawford said one uncommon feature for a plant with these genetics is its strong regrowth potential. “It is a multi-cut variety, which in turn increases overall dry matter production and return per hectare.” Ninja is commercially available to growers this season. Advanta has more than 20 breeding locations and labs around the world producing the hybrids carefully selected for the Pacific Seeds product portfolio.

BREAKTHROUGH IN GRAPEVINE DISEASE BATTLE Better management of the grapevine disease eutypa dieback is being developed by SARDI Plant Health and Biosecurity. New and improved tools – including guidelines for spraying fungicides – are now available in the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC) eutypa defence kit as a result of the three-year research project, Optimising management of eutypa dieback. Australia’s grapegrowers are increasingly facing the threat of two major fungal trunk diseases, eutypa and botryosphaeria canker dieback. To date, the most effective and common industry control method is painting pruning wounds by hand, using the two pruning wound treatments registered in Australia for the control of eutypa dieback: Greenseal, a paint containing tebuconazole fungicide, and Vinevax, a trichoderma-based biological control. As a direct result of the project, two more fungicides, Folicur (tebuconazole) and Emblem (fluazinam), are in the process of label registration for control of eutypa dieback in grapevines.

The research found that Folicur and Emblem, along with Cabrio (pyraclostrobin), are effective for controlling eutypa dieback at the current label rates recommended for other grapevine diseases. SARDI project leader Dr Mark Sosnowski said the research identified the benefits of using commercial sprayers, rather than manually applying fungicides to pruning wounds. “We were able to demonstrate that fungicides could be applied effectively to pruning wounds using commercial sprayers, with recycle and purpose-built sprayers being the most efficient,” he said. “Also, coverage by conventional sprayers designed for foliar spraying can be improved by increasing water spray volume and adjusting nozzles to focus on the pruning wound zone. “This makes it significantly cheaper and faster than applying pruning wound treatments by hand and, in many cases, can assist growers to better manage the disease,” Dr Sosnowski said. The project, conducted by SARDI research officer

Matthew Ayres, also used a new method to assess pruning wound protectants using live single-node cuttings under controlled conditions. This method provides a rapid screening method for new wound treatments, although field trials are still required to assess the ability of treatments to control eutypa dieback. The project’s recommendations will now be addressed in a follow-up project, also funded by the GWRDC, called Practical management of grapevine trunk diseases. “We are looking at the susceptibility of pruning wounds to both eutypa and botryosphaeria dieback at different times of the pruning season and the preventative and curative properties of fungicides,” Dr Sosnowski said. “As a result, we hope the project will help the industry to be able to make informed decisions on the optimal time to protect pruning wounds.”

CHEMICAL ROTATION BEATS RADISH CHALLENGE IN LOWER NORTH 40

ACQUIRING ADDITIONAL LAND CAN OFTEN THROW UP THE ODD NEW CHALLENGE FOR FARMERS AND SO IT HAS PROVED FOR LOWER NORTH GRAIN GROWER MARK BRANSON Mark and his wife, Nola, and parents, Deane and Jennifer, operate the 1200-hectare ‘Branson Farms’ property near Stockport and purchased another property at Giles Corner, near Riverton, in 2005. Weed management is an ongoing challenge for many farmers, but controlling resistant weeds requires further strategy and is something the Bransons have had to contend with in a paddock at Giles Corner. “A long history of Group B (herbicides) used by the previous owners has brought on herbicide resistant wild radish in 30 ha of a 400 ha paddock,’’ Mark said. “When a neighbour starts to spray out areas in a wheat crop with Roundup®, you know it’s starting to become difficult to kill.’’

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“We need to rotate chemicals to protect the Group I chemistry.” Mark Branson

Bifora, which he said was a harsh, spreading weed similar to fumitory, was another concern in the paddock. While his previous broadleaf weed control approach comprised a winter kill with Tigrex® or Paragon® followed by 2,4-D amine herbicides, Mark said a decision to apply Velocity® as a different herbicide group (Groups H and C) with improved crop safety was the key to more effective control. “We need to rotate chemicals to protect the Group I chemistry,’’ he said. Velocity post-emergent herbicide from Bayer is based on the novel active ingredient, pyrasulfotole, and also includes bromoxynil and the company’s crop safener, mefenpyr-diethyl. The pyrasulfotole interrupts several biological processes crucial to weed growth, while the bromoxynil, which acts primarily as a contact foliar herbicide with virtually no soil residual activity, further disrupts the photosynthetic process, resulting in a unique action against weeds. The Bransons applied Velocity at 670 mL/ ha in the paddock, which was sown to Flinders barley. Mark said wet conditions delayed their spraying and unfortunately meant they had to tackle larger radish plants, but he

said the Velocity “did a very good job’’. “It got it, which was very good. We had a good outcome.’’ Due to the excellent compatibility of Velocity with other chemicals, the family also applied it in a mix with 450 mL/ha of MCPA LVE, 250 mL/ha of propiconazole fungicide and with 1 per cent Hasten® spray adjuvant. To achieve a medium spray droplet for good coverage in the Flinders barley, they increased the water rate through their mini drift nozzles to 120 L/ha. “The compatibility was excellent and the broadspectrum mix picked up the radish, bifora, bedstraw and variegated thistle,’’ Mark said. Peter Wendt, Agronomy Adviser with the local Farmer Johns store at Nuriootpa, said bifora was just as concerning as radish for growers throughout the region and the opportunity to safely target it with Velocity from the two-leaf crop growth stage was extremely important.

going with Velocity for its flexibility with fungicides and insecticides.’’ Mark said they were aiming to achieve nil weed seedset. He said Velocity was a significant cost, but its application was important to help them rotate to another herbicide group, achieve 100% control and spray earlier with good crop safety. “You also get a yield benefit that far outweighs the cost of the treatment.’’ Mark said they have had to target resistant radish patches in some of their faba bean crops as well. Located in a 425-550 mm average annual rainfall zone, the family’s full cropping program includes bread and durum wheat, malting and feed barley, canola, faba beans and field peas. They also run a self-replacing, fine wool Merino flock and cross older ewes to Poll Dorset terminal sires for prime lamb production.

“There is nil tolerance for bifora seed in harvested grain,’’ Peter said. “In the past, Affinity® plus MCPA has been widely used from the three-leaf stage, but due to the lack of tank mix options with fungicides and insecticides, we are now 41

NEW SOIL HEALTH CROPS DEVELOPED TO SOLVE CROP DISEASE ISSUES AUSTRALIAN GROWERS CAN NOW RELY ON ROTATION CROPS TO IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF HORTICULTURAL AND BROADACRE CROP SITUATIONS

Tim Parnell of Kirra Pines (left) and Peter-Jan Jongenelen (right)

Over the past five years, some of Seed Force’s R&D has been focused on rotation crops to improve soil health across a wide range of horticultural and broadacre crop situations.

The best of these genetics are then made available for use in the field to provide solutions to fit in with the crop rotations of horticultural and broadacre farmers around the globe.

This work has been done in conjunction with Joordens Zaden, a Dutch company leading the world in the development of cover crops and crops for biofumigation.

Dutch soil health expert Peter-Jan Jongenelen has recently visited Australia, meeting with researchers, farmers and advisors in four states to discuss farming practices. Peter has been involved in soil health and crop rotations over the past 15 years, visiting researchers and farmers in Europe, UK, South Africa and USA. He last visited Australia in 2008, where he spoke at a biofumigation conference in Canberra and visited vegetable production areas in Victoria and Tasmania.

Varieties are bred by their own research department and undergo both extensive field testing at locations covering major climate zones, as well as disease resistance testing under laboratory conditions. Their modern, fully equipped 1,500 square metre quarantine laboratory is entirely focused on in-vitro testing of diseases. Information on the latest disease outbreaks is quickly transferred to resistance breeding. The research department synthesises the benefits of modern molecular techniques and decades of field experience to create new genetics.

“Farming practices are changing rapidly in Europe and many of those changes will occur here in Australia” said PeterJan, who divides his time between his International role with cover crops for Dutch company Joordens Zaden, and his own farming operation where he grows onions, potatoes, sugar beet and wheat.

Peter-Jan explained that the supermarkets will in the end decide what they are willing to present to their customers, and if they feel that certain agricultural practices such as use of fumigants or nematicides are not desirable, then they will quickly mount media campaigns to justify their actions. He said, “This is already happening in Australia with livestock production practices for sheep, beef, chicken, pork, milk and eggs and finding its way into fruit and vegetables”. “We have very strict regulations in Europe around nutrient audits and can no longer use chemical soil fumigants. For that reason there has been extensive research into crop rotations, the use of cover or green manure crops and biofumigation,” he went on to add. Peter-Jan said he has seen much interest in this in Australia, but its adoption lags well behind adoption in other parts of the world. He thinks that one of the problems is the lack of sound information around host or non-host status of cover crops

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“Much of the practice being adopted on farm in Australia involves the use of crops that can provide green manure benefits, but in most cases host and multiply nematodes, with no information about their impacts on other soil borne funghi.” Peter-Jan and how to achieve successful levels of biofumigation. “Much of the practice being adopted on farm in Australia involves the use of crops that can provide green manure benefits, but in most cases host and multiply nematodes, with no information about their impacts on other soil borne funghi,” Peter-Jan explained. “We have some of that information now readily available from both private and public research, so we can certainly improve existing practices whilst we continue to research further into specific crop and pathogen interactions,” he added. Peter-Jan said that from his visit in 2014, it is clear that many vegetable growers are using a break crop in their rotation or using green manure crops, which is positive for improving soil organic matter and structure through creating more air space within the soil. “But we know that the main crops being used, such as oats, ryecorn, brown mustard (B.juncea) and forage rape all host nematodes, and many of them also enable rapid multiplication of nematodes, so the use of these options may improve soil physical characteristics but negatively impact the level of pathogens in the soil,” Peter-Jan emphasised. “Joordens have been researching various crucifer crop options and varieties within the various species. We know that varieties of oilseed radish have non-host status to several nematodes, and that certain varieties have active resistance to some of the most noxious nematodes. For that reason we have a range of varieties to cover specific, but not all, nematode situations,” he explained.

Terranova has Class 2 resistance BCN and a wider resistance on Root Knot Nematode,” Peter-Jan said. “Where specific known nematode problems exist these should be the preferred cover crop options.” “But where these exist with soil-borne funghi, we usually include a rocket variety that is also resistant to nematodes. The main variety here is Trio. If only noxious soil borne fungi are a problem we work with blends of various crucifer species including Ethiopian mustard, radish and rocket. This is to widen the range of different glucosinolates that can help reduce levels in the soil,” he added. The concept of biofumigation is often confused with the use of cover crops. Biofumigation involves the incorporation of brassica cover crops into the soil to release chemical substances called isothiocyanates (ITC). These substances can suppress soil-borne pests and diseases, pathogens and weeds. The main aim in biofumigation has been to use crops with proven benefits to growers. This has focused on Isothiocyanates from cruciferous crops such as white mustard, oilseed radish, Ethiopian mustard, rocket lettuce and brown mustard.

To achieve successful levels of biofumigation requires: • Use of varieties bred for high ITCs, preferably with nematode resistance. • Growing high biomass over the required growing period. • Effectively mulching, incorporating and sealing the crop in the soil. • Sufficient nitrogen and sulphur application. • Moisture in the soil to activate the natural fumigation process. From Joordens extensive research and trials in Australia, a more prescriptive approach can be taken to selecting the most appropriate cover crop option to reduce soil pathogens and prevent multiplication of nematodes.

“Farming practices are changing rapidly in Europe and many of those changes will occur here in Australia.”

“In Europe we have developed a resistance classification in crucifers where the most effective can reduce BCN with 80-90% (class 2) and over 90% (class 1). Two of our radish varieties Doublet and Terranova have multi resistances; Doublet Class 1 resistance to Beet Cyst Nematode (BCN) and Root Knot Nematode (RKN) where 43

RESEARCH REVEALS THE TRUTH ABOUT SPRAY DRIFT

“Our research shows a significant variation in particle size and distribution among the adjuvants commonly used to enhance crop protection.” Peter Jones

Collaborative research into the problem of spray drift has begun delivering practical insights into how spray nozzle and adjuvant choices can affect droplet size. Initiated in 2006 by Vicchem, Australian pioneer of adjuvant technology, the project is a collaboration involving Dr Andrew Hewitt of Queensland University and a leading agribusiness distributor in the US. According to Vicchem technical manager, Peter Jones, the research is helping reveal the truth about spray drift which can lead to expensive litigation and even calls to restrict or ban the use of certain chemicals. “Our research shows a significant variation in particle size and distribution among the adjuvants commonly used to enhance crop protection,” said Peter from Coolaroo, Victoria. “We’ve observed that wetting agents such as BS1000* and Deluge 1000 generally produce smaller droplets while LI-700* and VC-700 increases droplet size. “Encouragingly, our oil-based adjuvant 44

Hasten increases droplet size and produces one of the lowest proportions of small driftable particles (less than 150 micron).” While the data on product performance is informative, Peter urged farmers and crop advisors not to rely solely on adjuvant choice to manage drift problems as its role in the whole drift equation was relatively small. “Our research shows that selection of nozzle type and size has a far greater impact on droplet size which can range from very fine to very coarse depending on the combination chosen. It’s a much bigger determinant of droplet size than adjuvant type. “Of course, climatic conditions including wind speed and direction obviously have the largest bearing on spray drift and the potential for negative off-target effects.” Peter said the trial was initiated in response to industry demand for greater understanding of droplet size and its role

in spray drift, particularly from Vicchem’s reseller partners and their farmer customers. “This project is a credible way of testing the veracity of the many claims made by manufacturers – as well as our own claims – which has become more important with the rising influx of generic imports. “As a market leader, we feel it’s our responsibility to be at the forefront of technical knowledge with all claims backed by sound science. “Future research will focus on the effect different adjuvants may have on beneficial insects. Aquatic toxicity is another interesting area, because while adjuvants generally appear to present few environmental concerns, that’s not to say there aren’t stewardship issues that could be addressed.” Peter said that while Vicchem’s research aimed to be economically beneficial, it was often a lengthy process of exploring and refining in order to develop the right chemistry for a breakthrough that benefits the industry.

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GENE FOR SALT TOLERANCE DISCOVERED IN SOYBEAN As an important cash crop, the productivity and entire lifecycle of soybean can be greatly hampered by salt stress. However, a collaborative research project between Australian and Chinese scientists has shown how soybean can be bred to better tolerate soil salinity.

“We initially identified the gene by comparing two commercial cultivars,” says Professor Qiu. “We were surprised and pleased to see that this gene also conferred salt tolerance in some other commercial cultivars, old domesticated soybean varieties and even wild soybean.

Although soybean germplasms naturally display a spectrum of salt tolerance capability and it is classified as a moderately salt-tolerant crop, salt stress has the potential to significantly reduce yield. Within this spectrum, the researchers, at the University of Adelaide in Australia and the Institute of Crop Sciences in the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, have identified a specific gene in soybean that has great potential for soybean crop improvement.

“It appears that this gene was lost when breeding new cultivars of soybean in areas without salinity. This has left many new cultivars susceptible to the rapid increases we are currently seeing in soil salinity around the world.”

“Soybean is the fifth largest crop in the world in terms of both crop area planted and amount harvested,” says the project’s lead, University of Adelaide researcher Associate Professor Matthew Gilliham. “But many commercial crops are sensitive to soil salinity and this can cause major losses to crop yields.

By identifying the gene, genetic markers can now be used in breeding programs to ensure that salt tolerance can be maintained in future cultivars of soybean. This variety will be grown in areas prone to soil salinity as part of a targeted, efficient and comprehensive strategy to elevate the salt tolerance of soybean.

High salinity affects many of the agronomic traits of soybean including a reduction in leaf size, height, biomass, number of internodes, number of branches, pods and overall weight per plant. Similar effects can also be seen in other crops, hence the results of the study may have broader uses in the future. “This gene functions in a completely new way from other salt tolerance genes we know about,” says Associate Professor Gilliham. “We can now use this information to find similar genes in different crops such as wheat and grapevine, to selectively breed for their enhanced salt tolerance.”

“This gene functions in a completely new way from other salt tolerance genes we know about.” Associate Professor Gilliham.

“On top of that, the area of salt-affected agricultural land is rapidly increasing and is predicted to double in the next 35 years. The identification of genes that improve crop salt tolerance will be essential to our efforts to improve global food security.” Professor Lijuan Qiu and Dr Rongxia Guan at the Institute of Crop Sciences pinpointed a candidate salt tolerance gene after examining the genetic sequence of several hundred soybean varieties. Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus then investigated the function of this gene.

SNAIL PESTS They might be slow moving, but snails can fast destroy a grain crop, leaving a silvery trail of destruction in their wake. Within Australia, there are four introduced snail species afflicting pastures and crops throughout the southern region.

VINEYARD OR COMMON WHITE SNAIL (CERNUELLA VIRGATA) Commonly found throughout South Australia’s agricultural districts, the Victorian Mallee and Wimmera, the vineyard snail may also be found in WA, NSW and Eastern Tasmania. Although it typically feeds on dead organic matter it has the potential to decimate young cereals, canola and pulse crops. The vineyard snail is distinguished by its coiled white shell which may also have a brown band around the spiral and an open, circular umbilicus and mature shell diameter of 10-20mm.

WHITE ITALIAN SNAIL (THEBA PISANA) The White Italian Snail survives along the coastal areas of SA, NSW, Victoria, WA and Eastern Tasmania sustaining itself on green plant material and dead organic matter. It can also cause vast damage to emerging crops and pastures, however, and is a contaminate of grain which spends Summer off ground on plants, posts and crop stubble etc. as well as on green weeds. Upon maturity, snails have a shell diameter of between 10 and 30mm and a coiled white shell with or without broken brown bands along the spiral and a partly closed or semicircular umbilicus.

CONICAL OR POINTED SNAIL (COCHLICELLA ACUTA) The conical or pointed snail is found in greatest numbers on the Yorke Peninsula, SA yet isolated populations are also known to exist in other areas of SA, Victoria, NSW and WA. Despite never being recorded as feeding on crops or pastures instead opting for dead organic matter, it is a contaminant of grain and can be found under stones and stumps as well as on fence posts and vegetation over the summer. Easily distinguishable from the white shell varieties of snail, it is always fawn, grey or brown in colour with a shell length of up to 18mm at maturity and a ratio of shell length to width that is always greater than two.

SMALL CONICAL OR POINTED SNAIL (COCHLICELLA BARBARA) With greatest abundance in high rainfall areas (>500mm), the small conical or pointed snail occurs in SA, NSW, Victoria and WA. Although similar in appearance to the Cochlicella acuta with its fawn, brown or grey colouring, it differs in shell ratio with a shell length compared to diameter of two times or less and a mature shell size of 8-10mm. The small conical or pointed snail typically feeds on green plant material and dead organic matter yet has been recorded as a pest of Lucerne crops and has caused grain contamination in lower south east SA. Aside from remaining in leaf litter at the surface or slightly below it, they also reside over summer under 46

stones and stumps and on posts, vegetation etc. In order to keep snails under control, it is important to understand their lifecycle and distribution patterns. A thorough understanding of the best calibration to use with specific spreading machinery taking note of the following points and monitoring snails regularly to track numbers, activity and the effectiveness of control methods can aid in eliminating snail damage and contamination in your crop: In seasons with wet springs, summers and autumns, snail numbers can rapidly multiply • Canola, field peas and beans appear to be worst effected by snails, yet snails can feed and multiply in all crops and pastures • A combination of treatments should be applied throughout the year • Baiting must be done before egg laying for maximum effectiveness as there are currently no means of controlling juvenile snails (>7mm) after sowing as they are unlikely to find baits • Grain contamination at harvest can occur if snail density is above 20 per square meter in cereals and 5 per square meter in pulses and oilseeds • To lower the chance of grain contamination, header modifications and grain cleaning are crucial • Bait can also be a grain contaminant so should be stopped at least eight weeks prior to harvest Snail Management • Distance spread is determined by the size and density of bait pellets • Fragmentation of pellets during spreading decreases number of effective bait doses • Ute spreaders are not ideal for snail and slug pellets as they provide uneven distribution • Spreaders must be correctly calibrated for optimal snail bait coverage • Recent trials conducted by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) demonstrated that slug/ snail baits are no dispersed as widely as farmers expect as spreaders are designed for use with fertiliser

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NEW PESTS, NEW TACTICS IN THE WAR AGAINST CROP DESTRUCTION Germinating crops of the Southern and Western regions are being challenged by the emergence of new pests as readily as growers knock down their predecessors. Whilst increased insecticide use across Australia has decreased the numbers of many pests, others have emerged in their place with some even beginning to flourish. Dr Paul Umina, from the University of Melbourne and director of Cesar, a science-based company working on sustainable pest control, cites multiple factors aside from widespread pesticide use including the increased adoption of stubble retention and minimal tillage. Increased plantings of vulnerable crops such as canola and drier conditions only worsened by climate change have also provided ideal conditions for the emergence of new agrarian pests. “Increased insecticide use has wiped out some pests, but others, like Balaustium mite, have filled the gap and pests like Lucerne flea have increased in some regions due to increased use of synthetic pyrethroids (SPs).” “Green peach aphids, which are a vector for beet Western yellow virus (BWYV), also have widespread resistance across a number of chemical classes in Australia, including SP’s, organophosphates and pirimicarb”

In light of growing tolerance of pests to insecticides, Adama Australia set itself the task of finding a new, highly effective insecticide to treat pests such as Balaustium mite, which is naturally more tolerant of insecticides than other broadacre mite pests. Balaustium has also increased in pest status in recent times yet with the registration of Adama’s Pyrinex® Super insecticide.

“We have really been grappling with effective control options for Balaustium for a number of years. We can now have an effective product that should control Balaustium mites when they reach damaging levels and require treatment.” Dr Paul Umina Established pests across Southern Australia including weevils, wireworms slugs and snails alongside more sporadic varieties like cutworm, can be equally devastating for crop growers and necessitate a superior insecticide. With Cesar, a company well established

in the field of sustainable pest control, conducting much of the preliminary work and trials for Pyrinex® Super, the insecticide is geared to control myriad pests that attack grain crops and pastures. The two ingredients bifenthrin and chlorpyrifos providing excellent knockdown and residual control (up to 58 days on some species), Pyrinex® Super is a unique, broad-spectrum insecticide ideal for use in Winter crops and pastures, as well as in cotton, tomatoes and sugarcane. When applied to bare soil prior to seedling emergence, or onto pasture after direct drilling, says Adama Australia Senior Product Manager Jock Leys, Pyrinex® Super controls pests such as Bryobia mite and Lucerne flea amongst others with similar range when used early postemergence on canola. As with all chemical products, it is important that growers first monitor crops carefully and assess any potential risks prior to spraying. With the advent of a new ‘super’ insecticide in the crop growers arsenal, however, wiping out pests is no longer an endless game of catch up but a match effectively won.

“Increased insecticide use has wiped out some pests, but others, like Balaustium mite, have filled the gap and pests like Lucerne flea have increased in some regions due to increased use of synthetic pyrethroids (SPs).” Dr Paul Umina 47

Changing to Velocity is a genuine change of chemistry.

BCB0879

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Bayer Technical Adviser Craig White recommends applying Velocity at the 2-leaf crop stage for better broadleaf weed control. “For growers who haven’t used it before, Velocity introduces a new herbicide mode of action in wheat and barley: Group H. Using it early will reduce weed pressure, protect the crop’s yield potential and help keep other chemistry in the rotation for longer.”

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Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd, ABN 87 000 226 022. 391– 393 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria 3123. Technical Enquiries: 1800 804 479. Velocity® is a Registered Trademark of the Bayer Group.