Maximising Crop Potential in A Drying Environment Western

MAXIMISING CROP
POTENTIAL IN A DRYING
ENVIRONMENT WESTERN
A REGIONAL CROPPING SOLUTIONS NETWORK INITIATIVE

Title: Maximising Crop Potential in a Drying Environment –
An Initiative of the Regional Cropping Solutions Network
GRDC Project Code: 9176147
Acknowledgements
Grateful acknowledgement is made for the information and time
committed by the following growers in this case study booklet:
Piet Diepeveen, Rohan Ford, Karl Suckling, Bill Crabtree, Michael
Morrison, Dylan Hirsch, Mark Wilson, Ross Fitzsimons, Ben
Strickland, Cathy Cooke, Tony Sachse, Nick Gillett, Jules Alvaro,
John Chapman, Robert Miolini, Austin Pascoe, Gary Lang and Paul
Hicks. Acknowledgement also extends to Jackie Bucat, Stephen
Davies, Bob French and Bindi Isbister from the Department of
Primary Industries and Regional Development.
ISBN: 978-1-921779-63-3 (print) 978-1-921779-64-0 (online)
FOR COPIES OF THIS BOOKLET, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julianne Hill, Western Region RCSN Coordinator,
regionalcroppingsolutions@gmail.com, 0447 261 607
or
GRDC Western Region Office
Published February 2019
western@grdc.com.au, 9230 4600
© Grains Research Development Corporation. This publication is
copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright
GRDC contact details: Act 1968, no part may be reproduced in any form without written
Ms Maureen Cribb permission from GRDC.
Integrated Publications Manager
Disclaimer:
PO Box 5367
KINGSTON ACT 2604 Any recommendations, suggestions or opinions contained in this
publication do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the
Email: Maureen.Cribb@grdc.com.au
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2 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Table of contents
Introduction5
How to successfully establish crops in a drying soil profile 6
How deep can you sow? 7
Canola7
Wheat8
Barley 9
Effect of seed treatments 10
Effect of herbicides 10
Key points 10
Fertiliser strategies for deep sowing 11

Canola11
Cereals11
Key points 11
Time of sowing 12
Canola and legumes 12
Wheat12
Barley12
Key points 12
Row spacing 13
Canola 13
Wheat13
Barley13
Lupins13
Key points 13
Long coleoptile research 14

Key points 14
Water-repellent soils 15
Mitigation15
Furrow sowing 15
Winged points 15
Wetting agents 16
Stubble retention 17
On-row sowing 18
Delayed sowing and increased sowing rates 18
Key points 19
Amelioration19
Soil inversion 19
Deep soil mixing 20
MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 3

Table of contents (cont)
Claying 20
Delving20
Key points21
Avoidance21
Establishment post amelioration 21
Erosion risk 21
Improving soil surface 21
Interactions with pre-emergent herbicides 22
Fertiliser strategy post amelioration 22
Key points22
Which seeding system? 23

Conclusion23
Featured case study growers 24
Spreading potash is safer than banding in dry times at Binnu 26
Ameliorating non-wetting soils is the focus in Northampton 28
Fixing the subsoil pH first before chasing moisture at Morawa 31
Deep ripping and one-way ploughing are cost-effective at Three Springs 34
Having the confidence to take calculated risks is the key at Latham 37
Setting the crop up to maximise potential is crucial at Latham 40
DBS is preferred over Morris C2 for hard soils at Buntine 43
Horsch Tiger offers one-pass renovation at East Pithara 45
Budget reviews, bank managers and Farm Management Deposits are handy tools at Mollerin 48
Multiple benefits from Grizzly disc machine at Bencubbin 50
Managing soil health a priority at Bencubbin 52
Capitalising on the ‘middle years’ is the key at Merredin 54
Doing the big things well at Bruce Rock 56
Pulling canola out rather than sowing it half-wet half-dry at Mount Walker 58
Setting paddocks up is the key at Mt Walker South 60
Farm-size on-row off-row experiment at Wickepin shows the benefits of on-row sowing 62
Seeding in the row works on non-wetting soils at Pingrup 65
Key case study findings 67

References68
Notes71

Introduction
GRDC invested in the Regional Cropping Solutions We would like to acknowledge the support of these growers in
Networks (RCSNs) in 2011 with the primary aim to sharing this knowledge, as farmer-to-farmer sharing is invaluable
identify local research, development and extension and is often the best way to adoption of new practices for other
growers. We hope that this booklet can provide growers in the
priorities. There are five RCSNs across the western
western region with the knowledge to assess the risks and
region, which are based on a port zones: rewards to using tactics such as deeper sowing and other options
■ Albany port zone RCSN to manage our more variable climate.
■ Esperance port zone RCSN

■ Kwinana West port zone RCSN THANK YOU!
■ Kwinana East port zone RCSN, and Thank you to each of the 18 growers who shared what they do
and why they do it, for the broader benefit of grain growers in the
■ Geraldton port zone RCSN. northern and eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia.
The RCSNs comprise a mix of 60 growers and industry

professionals who meet formally twice a year to discuss research,
development and extension priorities that will improve profitability
for grain growers in Western Australia. One of the issues
raised by Geraldton and Kwinana East port zone growers and
RCSN members in August 2017 centred around variable crop
establishment, especially after the start to the 2017 season where
good subsoil moisture was available but crop establishment was
poor.
Changing weather patterns in the Western Australian wheatbelt, Julianne Hill, Western Region RCSN Coordinator
and in particular in the Geraldton and Kwinana East port zones
where the seeding window often experiences warmer and drier
conditions than in the past, mean that growers are frequently
attempting to sow and establish crops in less-than-favourable
conditions. However, these changing weather conditions
have also seen more frequent summer rainfall events, often
providing a reasonable level of subsoil moisture. This subsoil
moisture provides more confidence in earlier seeding and many
growers seed deeper to reach this moisture. Deep sowing to
chase moisture can be critical in some seasons to getting crops
established early.
Geraldton and Kwinana East port zone growers and RCSN
members identified that they wanted to know more about
improving crop establishment in drying profiles on different soil
types, using deeper sowing to achieve this. Maximising Crop
Potential in a Drying Environment: An Initiative of the Regional
Cropping Solutions Network has been developed to provide
growers with access to consolidated information on research
and grower experiences. The growers featured in the booklet
have outlined what has and has not worked for them, and have
provided information on a range of tactics they have employed.
This will help to provide confidence to other growers in making
decisions to deal with a drying environment.

How to successfully establish
crops in a drying soil profile
As farms and cropping programs become larger, it is THESE TACTICS INCLUDE:
commonplace for Western Australian growers to sow early and
■ analysing how deep the seed can be placed;
dry to ensure the potential yield is maximised. Twenty per cent of
growers are now starting their seeding programs before ■ selecting cultivars with appropriate traits for example, varieties
25 April and the average start date of sowing programs is with long coleoptiles, larger seeds and longer seasons;
29 April (Fletcher et al., 2016). More than 50 per cent of growers
dry sow (Fletcher et al., 2016) and in the lower rainfall zones this ■ practices that allow for accumulation of soil moisture at seeding
percentage is higher (Minkey et al., 2017). Historically canola and for example, furrow sowing, application of soil wetter and
lupins have most commonly been sown dry, and areas of dry sown stubble retention on row sowing;
wheat and barley are increasing. ■ practices to improve establishment on water-repellent soils for
Unreliable early season rainfall and soils with marginal moisture example, mouldboard ploughing or spading; and
have motivated an increasing number of growers to sow deeper ■ assessing which equipment provides the best establishment.
to access subsoil moisture. Although deeper sowing has the
potential to reduce crop germination, the yield gains are thought
to offset any yield losses that come with later sowing. This
increasing trend among Western Australian growers highlights
the need to understand the risks and management of dry deep
sowing crops.
SOME OF THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH

DRY DEEP SOWING INCLUDE:
■ reduced/partial germination;
■ reduced seedling vigour;
■ increases in soil water repellency;
■ potential for phytotoxicity from herbicides;
■ increased weed burden from weeds emerging with the crop;
■ poor performance of soil-applied herbicides; and
■ reliance on in-crop herbicides.
Early dry sowing when coupled with sowing at depth can lead
to poor crop establishment, particularly in varieties with short
coleoptiles. Good crop establishment is critical to the success of
Western Australian broadacre cropping programs. It is essential
to consider a range of tactics that can be implemented to achieve
good crop establishment under these conditions, therefore
making the most of the benefits dry sowing can offer.

How deep
can you sow?
Canola
Traditionally canola is best sown into a moist seedbed at 12 to
25 millimetres deep, but recent dry years and good summer
rainfall events have prompted growers to sow deeper to access
subsoil moisture. Trials by Department of Primary Industries and
Regional Development (DPIRD) in Eradu, Mingenew, Dalwallinu
and Merredin compared sowing depths and seed size in open
pollinated (OP) and hybrid varieties to evaluate the value of
chasing moisture in a drying topsoil by sowing deeper.
Depths of 10, 30 and 70mm were used at Mingenew and Eradu,
while depths of 15, 30 and 60mm were used at Dalwallinu and
Merredin. Soil moisture measurements at Mingenew and Eradu for
the three seeding depths, in addition to deeper measurements,
showed a trend that moisture in the top 1cm was similar or greater
than at depth two weeks following sowing despite hot conditions
(Harries et al., 2017). There were reductions in field establishment
and yield with deeper sowing across all sites. As depth of sowing Marty Harries (DPIRD) pictured in the deeper sown plots
increased, plant establishment decreased at all sites (Table 1). showing reduced canola establishment. PHOTO: DPIRD
Field establishment (%) and plant density (plants/m2) reduced by

seeding depth at four locations in 2016. establishment. Using small seed (370,000 seeds per kilogram)
compared with large seed (230,000 seeds/kg) for the OP variety
Average yield losses of 18 per cent were incurred by sowing at a
resulted in reduced establishment, yield and gross margins in
depth of 30mm compared with the 10 to 15mm, while reductions
the Mingenew trial in 2016. Field establishment of the hybrid was
of 60 to 65 per cent were observed at depths of 60 to 70mm
better compared with the OP variety, which was largely attributed
compared to 10 to 15mm.
to larger seed size. Similar results have also been demonstrated in
Seed was graded into three sizes for the OP variety (ATR Bonito) NSW where large-seeded hybrids established better compared to
and the hybrid variety (Hyola 559TT). The hybrid seed was larger smaller seeded OP varieties (Brill et al., 2014). Further information
than the OP seed, with the largest OP seed being similar in size for canola establishment can be found in the latest DPIRD Canola
to the smallest hybrid seed. Seed size did have an impact on Agronomy Research bulletin.
TABLE 1: Decreasing field establishment (FE) and plant density (p/m2) as sowing depth increases across
four WA locations (Harries et al., 2018).
Depth 10 to 15mm 30mm 60 to 70mm
FE p/m2 FE p/m2 FE p/m2
Eradu 24 15 11 7 5 3
Mingenew 21 13 8 5 2 1
Merredin 62 33 42 22 15 8
Dalwallinu 58 31 28 15 6 3
Field establishment (%) and plant density (plants/m2) reduced by seeding depth at four locations in 2016
FIGURE 1: Decreasing canola yields as seeding depth increases across four WA locations (Harries et al., 2018).
Eradu 2016 Dalwallinu 2016 Mingenew 2016 Merredin 2016

Yield (t/ha) Yield (t/ha) Yield (t/ha) Yield (t/ha)
2.0 1.6 2.5 2.0
1.4 1.5 2.2
1.5 1.7 1.2 1.4 2.0 1.5 1.5
1.3 1.0 1.5 1.7 1.3
1.0 0.8 1.0
1.0 0.6 1.0
0.5 0.4 0.5 0.8
0.5 0.5 0.8
0.2
0 0 0 0
1 3 7 1.5 3 6 1 3 7 1.5 3 6
Seed depth (cm) Seed depth (cm) Seed depth (cm) Seed depth (cm)

Wheat TABLE 2: Seed size (thousand seed weight g) for small and
Wheat is conventionally sown at a depth of about 20 to 40mm large seed for several wheat varieties
into moist soil. However, it is sometimes necessary to sow wheat Thousand seed weight (g)
deeper at 80 to 120mm in order to place it in moist soil. This is Cultivar Small Large
most likely to occur early in the season when the soil surface dries
very quickly between rainfall events. Wheat will not generally Cobra 36.7 21.2
establish as well when sown this deep. There are several factors CorackA 43.0 34.6
that determine how well wheat will establish if planted deep; these
Emu RockA 44.4 23.6
include coleoptile length, seed size and grain quality.
EstocA 32.5 21.8
Research at Mullewa, Wubin and Merredin in Western Australia
MaceA 37.7 30.0
(French, 2014) found deep sowing reduced crop establishment
by 20 to 80 per cent with the extent of reduction varying MagentaA 40.1 22.4
between cultivars and sites. Varieties with a longer coleoptile WyalkatchemA 43.7 32.0
were generally less sensitive to deep sowing than those with Small and large seed sizes varied among varieties (French, 2014).
short coleoptiles, while wheat sown 120mm deep in sandy soils
emerged better than wheat sown 100mm deep in loamy or clay
soils. Reduced plant establishment due to deeper sowing did not FIGURE 3: Wheat plant emergence for several cultivars
always lead to lower yields, but it did at Wubin (Figure 2). This has
sown at 80mm with either large or small seed. (Note: the
also been noted in trials in NSW (Brill et al., 2012).
large and small size classes are not all the same size).
FIGURE 2: Relationship between reductions in crop Emergence (plants/m2)

establishment and grain yield due to deep sowing at Wubin. 40
35
Yield reduction (%) 30
25
10 20
15
10
5
5 0
Cobra
CorackA
Emu RockA
EstocA
MaceA
MagentaA
WyalkatchemA
0
Large seed Small seed

–5 Using large seed generally resulted in increased crop establishment compared
25 30 35 40 45 with small seed when sown at 80mm (French, 2014).
Establishment reduction (%)
Cobra CorackA Emu RockA EstocA
MaceA MagentaA WyalkatchemA
There is a strong correlation between reductions in establishment and yield,

where reductions in establishment from deep sowing resulted in
reductions in yields (French, 2014).
Further trials at Mullewa (French, 2014) showed that small seed

was much more sensitive to deep sowing compared with large
seed (Figure 3). Seed sizes for each cultivar are shown in Table 2.
Emerging wheat seedling sown at depth (left) compared with a wheat seedling
sown at depth (right) which is struggling to emerge. PHOTO: BOB FRENCH, DPIRD

Barley FIGURE 5: Plant emergence in response to seed size
Trial results with barley and depth of sowing in WA are limited, averaged over three sowing depths and nine barley
so results from eastern states have been used. Ideally barley is varieties.
best sown 20 to 30mm into moist soil, and trials (Fettell, 2009)
have shown deeper seed placement reduces emergence (Figure Plant emergence/m2
4). Deeper sowing slows emergence, which can be similar to 100
later sowing, and is more problematic for varieties with shorter 90
coleoptiles. Seedlings sown at depth often are weaker and tiller 80
poorly due to much of their energy being expended pushing 70
through from depth. 60
50
40
FIGURE 4: Plant emergence at three sowing depths – 30
shallow (44mm), medium (87mm) and deep (112mm) 20
averaged over 12 varieties in 2009. 10
0
Plant emergence (plants/m2) Deep Medium Shallow
Sowing depth
90
Large Medium Small
80
Barley emergence was higher when large seed was sown for all three sowing
70 depths (Fettell, 2009).
60
50
Similar results have been shown in South Australia (Porker et
40
al., 2013) where two sowing depths, shallow (20mm) and deep
30 (60mm), were used with several barley varieties. Varieties
20 possessing shorter coleoptiles had reduced plant establishment
than those with longer coleoptiles when sown deep. There were
10
no differences in yield at deeper sowing, indicating that barley
0 may be able to compensate for less than optimal sowing depths,
Shallow Medium Deep
although caution should still be exercised when varieties with
Sowing depths
shorter coleoptiles and deep sowing are being used.
Increasing seeding depth reduces plant emergence in barley, establishment was
highest when seed was sown shallow (Fettell, 2009).
Emergence of plants sown at 87mm was 50 to 80 per cent

of those sown at 44mm, whereas emergence of plants sown
at 112mm was 35 to 60 per cent of those sown at 44mm.
Compensation for lower plant densities due to deep sowing
through increased tiller numbers has been observed (Fettel et al.,
2010), although it is suggested that increased sowing rates should
be used when deep sowing to maintain plant densities.
Grain size also influenced emergence rates – grain was separated
into small (1.8 to 2.2mm), medium (2.2 to 2.5mm) and large
(>2.5mm) categories, with results indicating that plant emergence
was greater with large seed for all varieties used (Figure 5).

Key points FIGURE 6: Plant emergence from untreated and
triadimenol-treated seed at three depths, shallow (44mm),
■ Retain vigorous larger cereal seed – larger than 35 g/1000 medium (87mm), and deep (112mm) averaged over 12
(French, 2015) varieties in 2009.
■ Select varieties with longer coleoptiles – Crop Variety Plant emergence (plants/m2)
Sowing Guides will indicate the relative coleoptile lengths
90
of available varieties
■ Avoid deep sowing on loamy clay soil types 80
■ Increased sowing rates by 20 per cent may compensate 70

for reductions in emergence
60
■ Use seed with a high germination >90 per cent if deep
sowing 50
■ Chasing moisture by sowing deeper than 15 to 20mm will
reduce field establishment in canola 40
■ Growers retaining TT seed are encouraged to grade seed 30

to biggest size possible, to retain larger seed for sowing
programs 20
■ Some seed dressings can shorten coleoptile length, which 10

may lead to crop establishment issues when sown deep
(particularly triazole fungicides) 0
Shallow Medium Deep
■ Varieties possessing shorter coleoptiles are not well
Sowing depths
suited for deep sowing particularly when certain seed
Untreated Triadimenol
dressings are being used
Triadimenol-treated seed reduced barley emergence compared with untreated
■ Some pre-emergent herbicides can cause shortening of
seed, increasing seeding depth further reduced plant emergence (Fettell, 2009).
the coleoptile in cereals
■ Poor establishment can occur if crops emerge through
herbicide-treated soil; in combination with deep sowing, A trial in NSW (Brill et al., 2012) also found when triadimenol was
establishment may be further affected applied to wheat, overall establishment was reduced by 25 per
cent at 70mm sowing depths, compared with untreated seed
■ Deeper sowing can reduce emergence similar to later sown at the same depth.
sowing
The seed dressing Jockey® Stayer® (fluquinconazole) may shorten
■ Deeper sown plants may be weaker and tiller poorly the hypocotyl length of canola. For canola crop safety, Bayer
■ Barley may be able to compensate and recover yield from CropScience includes a warning on the label recommending
less than optimal sowing conditions by increasing tiller canola treated with Jockey® Stayer® should not be sown deeper
numbers than 20mm or into soils prone to crusting. It is recommended
canola should be for sowing in the year of treatment, and where
this is not possible treated seed sown in subsequent seasons
Effect of seed treatments should be tested for germination and vigour prior to planting to
determine if it is still viable.
In some cases, the use of certain seed dressings may reduce
Effect of herbicides
coleoptile length, resulting in ‘silly seedling’ syndrome, which can
be exacerbated by deep sowing and the use of short coleoptile
varieties. Research (Fettell, 2009) has shown use of seed The use of certain pre-emergent herbicides can cause reduced or
treatments can delay the emergence in barley by: poor seedling emergence. The Group D dinitroaniline herbicides
(trifluralin, pendimethalin and oryzalin) can cause coleoptile
■ shortening the length of the coleoptile, the first leaf and the sub-
shortening in cereals, while Group J thiocarbarmate herbicides
crown internode; and
(triallate, Avadex®, prosulfocarb and Boxer Gold®) can also affect
■ reducing the rate of germination. germination if seed comes into contact with herbicide-treated soil
(Peltzer, 2015). Care should be taken when varieties with short
Some seed treatments contain triazole fungicides, which can
coleoptile length in combination with deep sowing are used as
lead to shortening of the coleoptile. At the highest registered
this may affect crop germination and establishment.
use rate of triadimenol in barley, emergence was reduced
particularly in deep sowing situations with varieties exhibiting short When the soil is dry at depth, deep sowing offers no special
coleoptile length (Figure 6). Varieties exhibiting shorter coleoptiles advantage to offset any establishment losses. However, if sowing
should only be sown at shallow depths to ensure good plant deep to seek moisture, there are several issues growers should
establishment. be aware of, summarised below.

Fertiliser strategies
for deep sowing
Key points Cereals
Trials in South Australia (Kleeman et al., 2004) in 2000 and 2001
■ Canola seedlings are typically more sensitive to damage
showed high rates of nitrogen (N) (132kg per hectare) placed
from fertiliser than other crops
with the seed reduced establishment in wheat by 85 per cent
■ Where high amounts of P are required in canola, seed and and 67 per cent respectively. When banded below or to the side
fertiliser separation are recommended of the seed, high rates of N (66 to 132kg/ha) had no effect on
wheat establishment in 2001. In contrast, in 2000 high rates of N
■ Canola is highly sensitive to ammonia N, therefore all N
banded below or to the side of seed reduced establishment by
should be banded below seed
27 to 34 per cent. Significant yield reductions occurred where N
■ Separation of seed and fertiliser is also recommended in was placed with seed, caused by toxic levels of ammonia, while
cereals separation of seed and fertiliser by 50mm either below or to the
side reduced the risk of toxicity. Caution is still needed, despite
■ Banding below or to the side of seed by 50mm can
separation of seed and fertiliser, with high rates of N.
minimise the risk of toxicity, although some risk remains at
high application rates Barley has a higher tolerance than wheat, but caution should
still be exercised when applying large amounts of N at sowing.
■ Sandy soils and dry conditions at sowing may increase the
Toxicity will be exacerbated in sandy soils and drier conditions at
risk of toxicity
sowing, in addition to wide row spacings, particularly where the
■Assume that in combination with deep sowing, fertiliser same fertiliser rate is used with different row spacings, resulting in
toxicity effects may be worse a higher concentration of fertiliser in the row as spacings increase
(GRDC, 2011). In combination with deep sowing, it can be assumed
that the effects would be worse.
Canola
Canola seedlings are typically more sensitive to damage from
fertiliser than other crops. Research (Brill et al., 2014) has shown
that increasing rates of triple super fertiliser placed directly with
the seed reduced establishment at Nyngan and Coonamble,
translating to yield reductions at both sites. In this trial, increasing
phosphorus (P) rate (as triple super) reduced establishment, so it
could be safely assumed that in combination with deep sowing,
the effect on establishment would be greater. Further research by
CSIRO and University of South Australia (Desbiolles et al., 2014)
found crop establishment was optimised where seed and fertiliser
were separated.
In situations where high amounts of P fertiliser are required,
separation of seed and fertiliser is recommended. It is best
practice to band all nitrogen (N) when sown with canola due to its
high sensitivity to ammonia N (GRDC, 2011).

Time of sowing
Recent research with co-investment from GRDC (Shackley et al.,
Key points 2018) investigated four sowing times (mid-April, late April, early
■ Canola and lupins are well suited to early sowing, May and late May) across several locations including Mullewa and
particularly in the NAR Merredin with a range of wheat varieties including long spring
and winter wheats. Trials had various watering regimes to ensure
■ Delaying sowing reduces yields for canola, lupins and wheat establishment at the four locations.
and barley
The results from this series of trials are consistent with results from
■ Barley appears to be well suited to early sowing giving 2016 (Shackley et al., 2017). At Mullewa the mid-long maturing
growers another early sowing option varieties (i.e. CutlassA and MagentaA) produced the highest
■ Sow early, sow long season wheat and consider heat and yields at the sowing time of early May. At Merredin, early sowing
frost risk (whether April or early May) did not have a large impact on the
yields of the mid-long maturing varieties. Note that frost was not
an issue at this site. In general, yields were the lowest across
most locations and varieties by delaying sowing until late May. It
Canola and legumes is important to match the maturity of a variety with sowing date
to maximise the yield potential – “If sowing early, sow long” (B.
Canola is commonly sown dry and early in Western Australia. Shackley, 2018, pers comm., September).
Research (Harries et al., 2014) has demonstrated that early sowing
is the key to maximising canola yields in the Northern Agricultural
Region (NAR). Yields were lower for all varieties when sowing Barley
was delayed from 14 April to 29 April, with average yield losses of A three-year trial (Malik et al., 2018) found barley to be higher
43kg/ha/day between these two times of sowing. Optimum sowing yielding and more profitable than wheat at all sowing times
time in high-rainfall zones is from April to mid-May, dependent on from mid-April to late May in the high to medium-rainfall areas.
the variety. Further research from a four-year study in NSW (Brill et al., 2013),
demonstrated increased yields from sowing barley from late
Lupins, like canola, benefit from early sowing. They require the April to early May compared with mid-May to mid-June sowing.
warm weather generally experienced in May to establish and are Averaged across four years, yield losses of 0.59 tonnes per
not recommended to be sown in June in the NAR. In some areas hectare were seen by delaying sowing until mid-May to mid-June.
of the Southern Agricultural Region it may be viable to sow lupins Reducing the risks from early sowing by choosing varieties that
in early June as yield losses from delayed sowing are not as great are agronomically suited to regions will assist with this.
as those in the NAR (Pritchard, 2018).
Wheat
Early sowing of wheat crops is becoming common practice,
however as farm sizes increase, getting crops established so that
they flower in the optimum window is difficult to achieve. Delayed
seeding increases the risk of moisture and heat stress and
therefore reduced yield, and for this reason trials focus more on
yields rather than establishment.
DPIRD trials with co-investment from GRDC have shown that
delaying sowing until June compared with sowing in May can
reduce average yield potential by 26kg/ha/day in the NAR, 28kg/
ha/day in the Central Agricultural Region, 23kg/ha/day in the Great
Southern and 13kg/ha/day on the South Coast (Zaicou-Kunesch et
al., 2018).

Row spacing
Key points Barley
Eighteen experiments in WA and the eastern states indicate wheat
■ Canola can be grown on wide row spacings without affecting
and barley are similar in their response to changes in row spacing
yield
(Scott et al., 2013). In situations where yields were lower (<1.1t/ha)
■ Wheat and barley establishment and yields are improved with and the row spacing was narrow (18cm), widening the row spacing
narrow row spacing increased barley yields. However, in higher yielding situations
(>2t/ha), widening row spacings to 36cm reduced grain yields.
■ Lupins grown on wide rows yield similarly to narrow row
These results are similar to the response of wheat row spacing,
spacings
indicating that narrow row spacing will improve yields in areas with
■ Wide row spacings for canola and lupins appear to be better higher yielding potential.
suited to areas where conditions are warm during grain fill
Lupins
Lupins have traditionally been grown on narrow row spacing in
Canola WA, but research (French et al., 2006) has shown lupins grown on
wide rows (50cm) yield similar to narrow row spacing. When grown
Canola is generally grown on narrow row spacings in WA; on wide rows, lupins intercept less sunlight and tend to grow
however, research (Harries et al., 2015) has demonstrated that slower, using less water, which leaves more water available in the
canola grown on wide rows (50 to 60cm) yields well enough inter-row at grain fill. Wide row spacing is better suited to areas
to consider this row spacing as an option. Plants were able to where it is warm and dry during grain fill such as the medium and
compensate for being sown on wide rows and the research low-rainfall northern wheatbelt. Narrow row spacing is mostly likely
indicates this method may be better suited to shallower soil types better suited to cooler longer season climates (Pritchard, 2018).
in the NAR where water deficits during grain fill can be severe.
Advantages include reduced fuel costs, better stubble handling
and improved safety from pre-emergent herbicides.
Wheat
As row spacing increases, establishment of wheat tends to
decrease as plants compete for water and light within the row.
Research has shown wheat crops sown with narrow row spacing
produce improved establishment and yield. A trial at Mingenew
(Newman, 2014) demonstrated that the percentage of wheat plants
that emerged was nearly 100 per cent at 15cm row spacing, but
this decreased to under 80 per cent at 30cm. Similar results have
been shown in 2006 (Amjad et al., 2006) where increasing row
spacings from 18cm to 24cm and 36cm established 9 per cent and
21 per cent fewer wheat plants respectively (Peltzer, 2018).

Long coleoptile research
Key points FIGURE 7: Crop establishment comparing two current
short coleoptile varieties with lines selected by CSIRO with
■ Breeding programs are underway to develop wheat varieties longer coleoptiles when sown deep (108mm) and shallow
with longer coleoptile length (47mm).
■ These new lines are 8 to 10 years away from National Variety Crop establishment (plants/m2)
Trial testing
180
■ Field testing of the lines with long coleoptiles are showing 160
promising establishment results when sown deep 140
120
100
80
Increased adoption of early and deep sowing has seen a push for 60
wheat breeders to investigate the wheat traits that enable greater 40
20
seedling vigour and ability to emerge from depth. Greg Rebeztke
0
and his team at CSIRO have been working on selecting genetic
Emu RockA
(short
coleoptile)
MaceA
(short
coleoptile)
Halberd
(long
coleoptile)
H_121
(short
coleoptile)
H_153
(long
coleoptile)
H_86
(long
coleoptile)
material that will help breeders develop varieties that possess
longer coleoptiles.
Coleoptile length varies between varieties. Under standard Shallow Deep
laboratory conditions the coleoptile length of commonly grown
varieties varies from about 50mm to 90mm. There are genetics Lines with longer coleoptiles show increased crop establishment compared
available with coleoptiles as long as 150mm. Semi-dwarf varieties with current short coleoptile varieties MaceA and Emu RockA when sown deep at
possess dwarfing genes that exhibit shorter coleoptiles and 108mm (French, DPIRD).
therefore are not suited to deep sowing. The CSIRO team has
been investigating alternative dwarfing genes that will allow
the development of semi dwarf, long coleoptile wheat varieties
allowing sowing depths exceeding 100mm. It is imperative in this
process that yield and grain quality traits are maintained.
These lines have been tested at Merredin and Mullewa in Western
Australia by Bob French (DPIRD) and Greg Rebetzke (CSIRO) and
show considerably better establishment when sown at 100mm
than current commercial varieties (Figure 7). Further results from
this research will become available in early 2019.
Lines with these selected traits from CSIRO have been distributed
to breeding companies, where breeding programs will begin
a lengthy process to select suitable varieties. It will take
approximately 8 to 10 years to get these varieties through to the
GRDC National Variety Testing (NVT) program.

Water-repellent soils
Water-repellent soils pose as a major constraint to crop
establishment in Western Australia, with up to 10.2 million hectare
Mitigation
of arable land at risk, with 3.3 million ha considered high risk and a Management of water-repellent soils is dependent on several
further 6.9 million ha at moderate risk (van Gool et al., 2008). As a factors, including the severity of the repellency, soil type affected
result, the cost of lost production in WA is approximately and how widespread it is across the farm. Management can be
$251 million per year (Herbert, 2009). Signs of soil water categorised into mitigation, amelioration or avoidance. Mitigation
repellence include patchy crop emergence, dry patches of soil strategies used to reduce the effects of water repellence are
even after significant rainfall and staggered crop and weed short-term and low-cost, but need to be repeated annually.
emergence. Mitigation tactics include:
Increases in water-repellent soils have been driven by several ■ furrow sowing;
factors including (Davies, 2018):
■ on or near-row sowing and stubble retention;
■ drier autumns with unreliable early season rainfall events;
■ use of surfactants/wetters;
■ higher concentrations of topsoil organic matter from reduced
soil cultivation methods; ■ delaying sowing on water-repellent soils; and
■ increases in adoption of knife point seeding systems, allowing ■ higher sowing rates.
repellent topsoil to flow into the furrow; and
■ increased adoption of dry seeding. Furrow sowing
Soil water repellence typically affects sandy-surfaced soils with
less than 5 per cent clay, but has also been noted as a problem Furrow sowing has typically been used to manage water
on gravels in the high-rainfall zone of the south-west. Soil water repellence on deep sands. This technique creates small ridges
repellence occurs when waxy hydrophobic organic matter and furrows by shifting repellent soils into the ridges, resulting in
accumulates on the soil surface. Derived mostly from plant water being harvested from the sides of the furrow towards the
material, these hydrophobic compounds accumulate in the topsoil, germinating seed placed at the bottom. Furrow sowing with knife
creating a water-repellent skin around soil particles and rendering points, particularly when dry sowing, has had varying levels of
them repellent. Water often pools on the soil surface until it finds success due to the repellent soil flowing back into the furrow.
a point of entry via an old root channel or soil crack, resulting in
Techniques for improving furrow sowing on repellent soils include:
patchy and delayed emergence.
■ use of winged points;
Consequences from water repellent soils include
(Davies et al., 2018): ■ banding wetting agents;
■ patchy crop or pasture establishment; ■ use of press wheels;
■ increases in water run-off on sloping land; ■ paired row or ribbon sowing; and
■ reduced weed control from patchy and delayed weed ■ sowing on the previous year’s crop row.
emergence;
■ increased reliance on in-crop post-emergent herbicides;
Winged points
■ nutrient unavailability from dry soil; and
■ susceptibility to wind and water erosion due to poor ground Using winged sowing systems helps grade repellent soil out of
cover. the furrow, resulting in improved seedling establishment in water-
repellent soils. DPIRD trials in Badgingarra (Roper et al., 2015)
show improvements in crop establishment when using winged
points compared with narrow points on a moderately repellent
deep sand (Figure 8).

FIGURE 8: Wheat establishment on a moderately repellent Wetting agents
pale deep sand and severely repellent sandy gravel in
Badgingarra (WA) using knife points or winged points. BLANKET APPLICATIONS
Wheat establishment (plants/m2) Blanket wetter applications are advantageous because they can
200 be easily applied through existing machinery, they increase weed
germination allowing improved weed control and can result in
180
better crop establishment.
160
140
Costs of $50 to $200/ha at use rates of 10 to 50 litres per hectare are
quite high, although some products may give two years of benefit on
120 responsive soils (GRDC, 2014). Research has shown results can be
100 variable on different soil types, with loamy (forest) gravels in the south-
80 west responding better than deep sands or sandy gravels, which
60 are typically unresponsive except at uneconomic rates (Davies et al.,
2012). Blanket application is best suited to selected areas of loamy
40
gravel paddocks that have high water repellence rather than whole
20 paddock applications, due to the high cost.
0
Deep sand Sandy gravel BANDING WETTER
Soil type
Knife points Winged points Banding soil wetting agents can help improve crop establishment,
early crop vigour, nutrient use and weed control. Applied to the
Wheat plant establishment is increased using winged points compared to knife
furrow at the base of the press wheel at relatively low use rates
points on two repellent soils (Roper et al., 2015).
of 1 to 2L/ha reduces the cost compared with a blanket spray
Seven field trials across a variety of crops and soils in the NAR have application costing approximately $6 to $12/ha (Davies et al.,
shown that winged points increased yields by an average of 140kg/ 2016). Creating a stable furrow is vital when banding wetters and
ha compared with knife points on repellent sands (Blackwell et al., using V-shaped or rounded press wheels helps achieve this. In
2014). The use of winged sowing boots with twin row seeding in comparison, rectangular press wheels can interfere with the side
five field trials across WA further improved yields by over 400kg/ha wall of the furrow, causing it to fall and bury the banded wetter.
(Blackwell et al., 2014). Grain yields at a DPIRD trial in Badgingarra Trials across soil types and crops throughout the state have shown
were increased by using winged points and paired rows across average yield increases of 227kg/ha (Blackwell et al., 2014).
three different soil types (Roper et al., 2015) (Figure 9). Research suggests banding wetting agents is more beneficial
with early or dry sowing. Recent trial work on deep sands and
FIGURE 9: Grain yield of wheat on a moderately sandy duplex soils show the yield response to banded wetters is
repellent pale deep sand, severely repellent sandy on average 11 per cent with dry sowing but there is no significant
gravel and a mildly repellent deep yellow sand at benefit if sowing, after rain on sands (GRDC, 2018). On forest
Badgingarra (WA) using knife points or a winged gravels the average increase in yield response to banded wetters
point-paired row seeder system. is 18 per cent for dry sown and 5 per cent for sowing after rain
(GRDC, 2018).
Wheat grain yield (t/ha)
5 Canola yield increases on loamy repellent gravels in Kojonup
+290kg/ha have ranged from 0.3 to 0.5t/ha and barley yield increases from
0.3 to 1t/ha (Davies et al., 2016). Yield improvements of 8 to 32
4 +90kg/ha per cent have also been measured on deep sands near Binnu
+570kg/ha
and Badgingarra in low to moderate rainfall seasons (Blackwell et
3 al., 2014). Responsiveness on loamy gravels tends to be higher
with the use of banded wetters (Davies et al., 2015) and therefore
provides a good short-term option for growers with those soil
2 types where more aggressive soil tillage methods are not feasible.
1 BANDING NEAR THE SEED

Wetters can also be banded below or near the seed and applied
0 with UAN or other liquids. Typically the wetter needs to be placed
Gravel ridge Sand and gravel Yellow sandplain within 20mm of the seed to be effective. Trials at Meckering
(Kennys) (Kennys) (second farm) demonstrated soil wetter applied with UAN or on its own below
Soil type the seed significantly improved wheat plant numbers by 37 to 88
Knife points Winged points and paired rows per cent. However, this did not translate through to yield gains,
Wheat yields are increased using winged points and paired rows compared with which may have been limited by seasonal conditions and subsoil
knife points on three water-repellent soils (Roper et al., 2015). constraints (Davies et al., 2016). At Kojonup a 1t/ha increase in
seed banded wetters was observed in barley (Davies et al., 2016).
Yield increases observed with twin row and paired sowing Banding wetting agents with the seed can help improve seedling
could be attributed to more seed being spread through the soil, establishment equivalent to banding on the furrow surface. It is
therefore increasing the likelihood of seed being positioned near important to note that variability between seasons has shown this
wet soil. This would also provide a competitive advantage over method is not always as effective as banding on top of the furrow
weeds – similar advantages would occur with ribbon sowing. and some products will work better than others.

APPLICATION ON THE SEED Extensive trial work by Margaret Roper and Phil Ward (CSIRO)
involved a four-year study at Munglinup. They are monitoring
Seed coating with wetters is a relatively new area of research
water infiltration, water repellence, soil carbon and crop
being investigated to improve crop establishment on water-
performance across treatments comparing zero tillage against
repellent soils. Similar techniques have been used to improve
annual cultivation and stubble retention versus stubble removal
native grass establishment in the Pilbara. Trials in 2017 (Anderson
by burning or grazing. Soil water repellence, as expected,
et al., 2018) compared varying rates of wetters either banded
was highest in the treatments with stubble retention and zero
on top of the furrow, banded 2cm below the seed or as a seed
tillage that had higher soil C levels. Soil water content, however,
coating at Badgingarra and Darkan. Use rates of wetter coated to
contradicted these findings with infiltration of water best
the seed ranged from 0.065L to 0.325L/ha while wetters banded
under zero tillage and stubble retention, resulting in improved
on top of the furrow or below seed ranged from 1 to 5L/ha.
crop emergence. Under no tillage, residual roots systems are
Cereal crop establishment was similar to those achieved with undisturbed and these provide a preferential pathway for water to
furrow-applied banded wetter, suggesting that the use efficiency infiltrate the soil, bypassing the repellent soil layer.
of wetters is increased when seeds are coated, given similar
Despite decreases in water repellence and soil carbon in the plots
crop establishment was achieved for seed coating or banding
that were cultivated and residue removed, this did not translate
techniques. This method may be advantageous from a product
through to improved crop establishment and yield. Plots with no-
handling point of view, with lower use rates and therefore costs.
till and residue retained often had better crop establishment and
However, further research is required to adapt seed coating
grain yield (Figures 10 and 11).
techniques to commercial seed companies and the potential for
on-farm application by growers.
FIGURE 10: Barley emergence comparing no-till and

Stubble retention cultivation under either stubble retained or stubble burned
treatments at Munglinup, 2009.
Some growers in WA have been managing water-repellent
soils using no-till and full stubble retention. Despite the fact Barley emergence (plants/m2)
that retention of stubbles increases soil organic matter and 80
consequently increases soil water repellence, growers are having
70
success using this method.
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
NT CT NT CT
Stubble retained Stubble burned
There was a direct benefit of no-till/stubble retention on plant emergence
compared with all other treatments (l.s.d = 9.57) (Roper et al., 2015).
FIGURE 11: Barley yield comparing no-till and cultivation

under either stubble retained or stubble burned treatments
at Munglinup, 2009.
Barley yield (t/ha)
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
NT CT NT CT
Stubble retained Stubble burned
Improved water infiltration shown with blue dye (top) on a soil with no-till
and residue retention, compared with minimal water infiltration (above) on a Grain yields were highest under the no-till stubble retained treatment (l.s.d=0.32)
cultivated and burned residue soil treatment. PHOTO: DPIRD (Roper et al., 2015).

On-row sowing
Growers have also observed better crop establishment when
they sow on or very close to the previous year’s crop row. A trial
in Balla in 2011 (Davies et al., 2012), using wetting agents with dry
sown lupins demonstrated improved crop establishment when
seed was sown between the previous year’s wheat rows with
banded wetters. However, improvements when sown on the same
row as the previous season’s wheat crop were much greater in
comparison (Figure 12).
FIGURE 12: Dry sown lupin establishment when sown either

between or on the previous year’s wheat rows and with or
without (nil) banded wetting agent at Balla on deep yellow
water-repellent sand in 2011.
Average lupin plants m2
50 Significant improvements in canola establishment sown on the row (left of
photo) compared with canola sown on the inter-row (right). PHOTO: DPIRD
45
40 It should be noted that it does take time to see results, particularly
35 if cultivation and stubble removal methods were previously used.
Further research also needs to be conducted to investigate the
30 potential for leaching of nutrients using this method and if fertiliser
25 strategies need to be amended.
20
15 Delayed sowing and
increased sowing rates
10
5 Dry sowing onto repellent soils greatly increases the expression
0
of repellence and should be avoided where possible. In one case
Between rows On rows where canola was dry sown into a paddock and the remainder
Nil Banded-applied wetting agent was sown following rainfall, the crop sown dry had very poor
Lupin establishment is increased significantly by sowing on the same row as the establishment while the wet-sown establishment was much better.
previous year’s crop compared with the inter-row in Balla 2011 (Davies et al., 2012).
Similar results from a trial in Calingiri measured up to 4 per cent

volume per volume (v/v) more water in the crop row compared
with the inter-row with significant differences in crop emergence
of 147 plants/m2 in the row compared with 79 plants/m2 in the
inter-row (Roper et al., 2015). Further trials in Pingrup (Roper
et al., 2015) also measured higher water contents of 7 per
cent in the furrow compared with 6.2 per cent in the inter-
row averaged across nine sampling times in 2015 and 2016.
It was hypothesised that wetter furrows promoted microbial
decomposition of waxes, resulting in a reduction in soil water
repellency. Results from this trial measured numbers of wax-
degrading bacteria were 10-fold higher in the furrow than in the
inter-row, and further work is being done with this.
To ensure accurate sowing either on or close to (within a few cm)

of the previous crop row and therefore into the moisture zone, Canola sown into wet soil had significantly better establishment (left of photo)
some growers use a device on their seeders that independently compared to canola sown into dry non-wetting soil (right of photo). PHOTO: DPIRD
steers the bar to ensure precise placement of the seed onto or as
close to the row as possible. Trials investigated seeding rates and two times of sowing –
early and dry, and later and wet – on wheat establishment on
Stubble retention and sowing on or next to the previous crop’s water-repellent soils across four different locations (Davies
row may be a viable tool for improving crop establishment in et al., 2015). Increasing sowing rates from 60 to 120kg/ha
water-repellent soils. As seen in the photo at the top of the next increased establishment by 73 per cent at Binnu, 56 per cent at
column, the canola crop sown onto the row (left of the photo) has Warradarge and 77 per cent at Yealering at the first time of sowing.
established, whereas when sown on the inter-row establishment Visual emergence ratings at Cranbrook also suggested better
was severely affected (right of the photo). establishment at higher seeding rates.

In this trial increased sowing rates resulted in better establishment
across all sites at early dry sowing; however, yields were not
Amelioration
improved in lower rainfall locations, whereas they could be Amelioration techniques are long term and have a high cost. They
beneficial for higher rainfall areas. Delayed sowing provided change the properties of the soil surface and therefore remove
an opportunity to control weeds, which is important on water- the water repellence.
repellent soils. Tactics include:
If dry sowing in repellent sands is unavoidable, it is recommended ■ soil inversion (mouldboard, square or modified one-way
to sow as close to the previous crop row as possible to assist ploughs);
crop establishment. Delaying sowing on water-repellent soils
until soils have wet up is recommended to ensure better crop ■ deep soil mixing (rotary spaders, large offset disc ploughs); and
establishment. ■ clay subsoil application by spreading or delving.
A one-off deep cultivation for soil renovation and weed control
has continued to increase in popularity across Western Australia.
Key points Researchers and growers, particularly in the NAR, have been
experimenting with this technique using either a full or partial
Mitigation options are relatively low cost, but they are short- inversion of the soil.
lived in their effect. Growers may begin by testing different
seeding points/boots and sowing closer to the row with wetters
to find out that method will be most beneficial to their farming Soil inversion
system. These methods provide good short-term options which
once implemented have few risks, allowing growers to apply
This technique involves a full inversion of the soil, burying the
them over all their water repellent soils at relatively low cost.
repellent topsoil and bringing up wettable subsurface soil. This
■ Winged points improved crop establishment and yields by can be achieved using mouldboard, square or modified one-way
140kg/ha compared with knife points on repellent deep ploughs. Initially employed by growers to bury resistant weed
sands seeds, this technique is now being used predominantly to address
non-wetting sands, subsoil acidity, subsoil compaction and water
■ Winged boots with twin row sowing increased yields by
and nutrient holding capacity.
400kg/ha on repellent deep sands
Yield improvements following the first year after mouldboard
■ Blanket applications of wetters are best suited to loamy
ploughing have shown an average increase of 544kg/ha across
gravel repellent soils compared with deep sands. It is more
16 comparisons and 338kg/ha three years after (Davies et al.,
cost effective to patch spray problem areas than whole
2012). Costing approximately $100 to $120/ha, this method is more
paddocks
expensive initially, but the benefits can last up to 10 years or more.
■ Banding wetters on the furrow improved yields by an This has been demonstrated at a trial in Mingenew (Davies et al.,
average of 227kg/ha. Responses seen were larger when 2015), which used mouldboard ploughing and lime treatments to
used with early dry sown crops show a long-term benefit on yields. This trial determined that a one-
off amelioration can provide long-term benefits (up to eight years)
■ Press wheels that are V-shaped or round help improve
provided multiple soil and agronomic constraints are corrected.
furrow stability, particularly when banding wetters on top of
the furrow There can be issues with soil inversion on forest gravels as
demonstrated by trials in Kojonup (Bakker et al., 2014), whereby
■ Wetters can be banded below the seed with UAN, improving
crop emergence was reduced. Although the non-wetting issue
crop establishment and yield. Responsiveness tends to be
was removed by soil inversion, poor establishment could reduce
better on loamy gravels than sands
grain yield. In contrast, other trials at Kojonup on forest gravels
■ Seed coating with wetters is a new method that uses lower (Davies et al., 2016) demonstrated mouldboard ploughing
rates and provides similar improvements to banded wetters increased early crop establishment by 24 per cent, leading to yield
improvements of 62 per cent. Further research is required to see if
■ Retention of stubble and no-till systems have proven to
this method is suitable for these soil types.
help growers overcome water repellence, increasing crop
establishment and yields on the south coast of WA
■ Stubble retention and sowing on or next to the previous
crop’s row may be a viable tool for improving crop
establishment in water-repellent soils
■ Dry sowing on repellent soils is not recommended and
where possible sowing should be left until soil has wet up
■ Increased sowing rates have shown improvements in crop
establishment when sown dry
Significant improvements in crop establishment by mouldboard ploughing

(right) versus untreated (left) on a repellent sand. PHOTO: STEPHEN DAVIES, DPIRD

Deep soil mixing Amending poorer soils with nutrient-rich clay can improve nutrient
availability. Results from seven field sites (Bell et al., 2017) found
adding clay rich in potassium (K) was beneficial to crops if the
Deep soil mixing using a rotary spader or large deep-working original topsoil was low in K. Similar results were also seen for
offset discs results in partial inversion and mixing of the topsoil phosphorus, but it is recommended that testing of the subsoil (if
while also lifting seams of the subsoil to the surface, which creates delving) and topsoil be carried out prior to undertaking claying to
more preferred pathways for water to infiltrate, increasing the soil maximise the returns on investment.
wettability. These techniques are useful for mixing lime or clay into
the soil, making it more accessible, unlike a soil inversion which
buries the layer of clay or lime at depth.
Yield increases of 603kg/ha have been shown in wheat across
12 comparisons in the first year after spading (Davies et al., 2012).
Costing approximately $150/ha, this method also has long-term
benefits of three to seven years.
Rotary spading a water-repellent deep yellow sand at Binnu.

PHOTO: STEPHEN DAVIES, DPIRD
Delving
Delving of clay subsoil is an option in duplex soils that have clay
at depth. Large angled delving tynes penetrate the subsoil clay
Significant improvements in crop establishment from spading (left) versus layer and lift it to the surface. However, as the depth to the clay
untreated (right) on repellent deep sand. PHOTO: STEPHEN DAVIES, DPIRD layer can vary across a paddock, the amount of clay lifted to the
surface also varies, so the results from delving are often less
consistent than spreading. Recent trials (Edwards et al., 2017)
Claying have shown that delving on shallow clay duplex soils of the south
coast of WA significantly improved yields by up to 770kg/ha in the
Water repellence can be overcome by spreading or delving first year, even though treatments did not significantly improve
clay-rich subsoil that is incorporated into the topsoil, aiming to crop emergence. The majority of yield benefits are thought to
lift the clay content of the repellent topsoil to 3 to 7 per cent. be attributed to a reduction in subsoil strength from delving and
Research has shown a topsoil clay content of 3 per cent or more greater root density at depth, giving plants access to the clay-rich
can overcome water repellence in a soil with an organic carbon subsoil, which has higher nutrient and water-holding capacity
of less than 1 per cent. Soils with higher organic carbon of 1.5 per (Edwards et al., 2017).
cent require a topsoil clay content of 5 to 7 per cent (Davies et al.,
Effective incorporation is essential for claying to be successful, as
2017). Yield improvements range from 20 to 100 per cent (Davies
poor incorporation can lead to:
et al., 2017) with application rates of 75 to 150t/ha costing between
$300 to $900/ha (Davies et al., 2012). ■ surface crusting;
Research (Hall et al., 2010) demonstrated yield increases of 0.3 ■ increased run-off; and
to 0.6t/ha on repellent sands on the south coast of WA with the
■ poor crop establishment.
addition of 200 to 300t/ha of clay, with significant increases in
yield production for eight years after clay was applied. Some issues from claying include (Davies et al., 2017):
Similar results have been shown in recent trial work (Betti et al., ■ crops can grow large amounts of biomass, making them prone
2018) on deep pale repellent sands in the West Midlands region of to haying off and poor yields;
WA. In this trial the addition of 100t/ha of clay in combination with
■ compaction from machinery used to spread the clay; and
either one-way ploughing or spading increased lupin yields by
0.5t/ha and 0.6t/ha at Badgingarra and Moora respectively. Similar ■ nutrient deficiencies or toxicities from applying high rates of
trials with barley on a deep pale sand at Moora achieved yield alkaline subsoil with high levels of salt or boron, which can also
improvements of 1t/ha by applying 100t/ha of clay in combination lead to poor yields although this is rare and is typically only a
with spading. On a water-repellent sandy gravel soil in Moora, short-term issue.
the greatest yield benefits came from low rates of clay (50t/ha)
in combination with deep tillage using a one-way plough. Clay Trials in Binnu and Balla (Davies et al., 2012) have shown
spreading improved yields in these trials and can be more cost decreases in yields from claying are likely due to the warmer
effective when combined with spading or one-way ploughing at and shorter growing seasons, whereby keeping moisture at the
low rates (50t/ha sandy gravels and 100t/ha deep sands). surface makes it prone to evaporation. Generally claying is better
suited to areas with higher rainfall and higher yield potential,
Sandplain topsoils generally have limited nutrient-holding capacity providing a good long-term option for amelioration of these soils
due to low organic carbon and clay content (Hall et al., 2010.) lasting 10 to 15 years or more.

Other benefits from claying include (Davies et al., 2017): ■ increased risk of crop damage from pre-emergent herbicides;
and
■ reduced wind erosion risk as topsoil is stabilised with higher clay
content; ■ lifting of higher clay content subsoils to the surface can result in
surface crusting, which can interfere with seedling emergence.
■ increased nutrient retention in the topsoil;
■ increased capacity to store soil carbon; and
■ addition of nutrients, especially potassium and sulfur, and
Erosion risk
alkalinity from some subsoils.
Complete soil inversion or deep soil mixing removes stubble,
Amelioration tactics are costly and slow to implement but are leaving topsoil exposed and at risk of erosion. Cereal cover
long-term, provide significant yield increases and do not need crops should be sown into wet soil as soon as possible after
to be repeated each year. Additional benefits include removal of amelioration to help minimise the crops’ exposure to sandblasting.
compaction, burial of resistant weed seeds with full soil inversion,
and an opportunity to ameliorate subsoil acidity issues through
incorporation of lime. Due to the high risk and costs involved it is Improving soil surface
important that they are implemented carefully, targeting paddocks
with good yield potential that mitigation tactics have not improved. The soil surface can be left uneven after deep tillage, which
makes seeding depth control difficult, often resulting in poor
establishment as crops are sown too deep. Towing a weighted
Key points roller or hydraulic cage roller over the paddock can help achieve a
firm, even seed bed.
■ Soil inversion is a good long-term option for managing water-
repellent sands. Results on forest gravels have been variable Cloddy soil surfaces are also common, so a prickle chain, disc
harrows or offset discs can be used to help break up the clods
■ Deep soil mixing (for example, spading) provides a good
and even out the surface. Choosing to sow larger-seeded crops
medium to long-term option, allowing for lime and clay to be
such as cereal grains or legumes is an option particularly where
incorporated into the soil
seed depth control is an issue.
■ Claying provides a very long-term option with benefits
Some growers have been using the following tactics to help
for 10 to 15 years or more; however, it is costly and good
improve establishment (Isbister et al., 2018):
incorporation is essential for it to be successful
■ using lighter seeding bars to sow crops on renovated soils to
help minimise the bar sinking, preventing deeper-sown crops;
Avoidance ■ broadcasting seed onto wet soil and packing down with coil
packers;
Avoidance techniques include alternative land use where it is not
economical to implement other strategies. ■ some have had success using shallow seeding points or even
worn knife points to help minimise deep sowing; and
Alternatives include planting perennial species such as (Roper et
al., 2015): ■ using cross sowing, whereby crops are sown on a 45-degree
angle, is thought to help with establishment issues. However, in
■ Kikuyu, which has been popular on the south coast; a controlled traffic system this nearly doubles the trafficked area,
■ Rhodes and panic grass, which are commonly grown in the so some consideration needs to be given to using this method.
NAR; and
■ Tagasaste, which is ideal for water-repellent sands.
These provide year-round soil cover, reducing erosion and
offering grazing for livestock.
Establishment post amelioration

Although amelioration is needed to improve crop establishment
on non-wetting soils, there can be some issues with crop
establishment in the first few seasons after inversion or deep soil
mixing.
These include:
■ seeding depth is difficult to control in soft uneven soils;
■ removal of topsoil and burial of stubble leaves the soils exposed
and at increased risk for erosion;
■ crops sown are at increased risk from sand blasting until well
established;
■ removal of topsoil organic matter reduces soil nutrient and water
holding capacity; A weighted roller is towed to achieve a firm, even seed bed.
PHOTO: BINDI ISBISTER, DPIRD
■ topsoil can be less fertile;

Interactions with pre-emergent
herbicides Key points
■ Cereal cover crops should be sown as soon as possible into
Reductions in soil organic matter after amelioration can change wet soil after inversion to minimise the risk of sandblasting
how pre-emergent herbicides work and, in some cases, can ■ Good crop establishment post soil amelioration can be
increase crop toxicity. Recent research (Edwards et al., 2018) difficult
has demonstrated that reductions in organic matter from soil
inversion resulted in increased phytotoxicity and leaching of ■ Controlling seeding depth on soft soils can be improved by
some herbicides. Changes in soil strength and structure can lead towing a weighted roller or hydraulic cage roller
to herbicides being more mobile and increases the likelihood of
■ Towing a prickle chain, discs harrows or offset discs can
herbicide-treated soil coming into contact with the emerging crop,
assist in breaking up soil clods and smoothing the soil
resulting in crop toxicity.
surface
The aforementioned research showed diuron caused the greatest
■ Lighter seeding bars can prevent sinking
yield losses in barley, it would be best to avoid using this as a pre-
emergent in the first season after soil inversion. ■ Seed can be broadcast and packed down with coil packers
Damage from Boxer Gold® (prosulfocarb and s-metolachlor) was ■ Cross-sowing at 45-degrees may improve establishment but
minimal where seed and herbicide separation was achieved, can increase compaction, which is not ideal in a controlled
but crop establishment and yield was reduced where this wasn’t traffic system
achieved.
■ Soil changes can lead to increased crop toxicity from pre-
Sakura® (pyroxasulfone) is more mobile in the soil. However, wheat emergent herbicides
has a high tolerance and minimal damage was seen, so this may
■ Nitrogen uptake was observed to be higher post
be a good option for wheat sown after soil inversion. Trifluralin
amelioration, but further work is required
was tolerated by barley and triasulfuron (Logran®) was tolerated by
wheat. ■ Tissue testing is strongly recommended to ensure accurate
fertiliser rates are applied
Reducing herbicide rates may be tempting after soil inversion to
reduce herbicide toxicity. However, research (Busi et al., 2012)
has demonstrated that using sub-lethal herbicide rates will lead to
herbicide resistance and is therefore not recommended.
Further research is required to understand herbicide interactions
in the soil in subsequent years after soil amelioration to develop a
safe and effective herbicide strategy for growers.
Fertiliser strategy post amelioration

It is thought that in the first year after soil inversion, there will be
an increase in mineralisation and availability of nutrients to plants.
Research trials (Scanlan et al., 2013) in Badgingarra have shown
that mouldboard ploughing and spading treatments produced
higher soil moisture contents compared with control and banded
wetter treatments. Higher nitrogen uptake was also noted for
soil inversion treatments, suggesting that higher rates of nitrogen
mineralisation had occurred. It is strongly suggested that tissue
testing be done on crops grown on soil that has been inverted so
growers can apply accurate rates of fertiliser.
Research into this topic is limited and so GRDC has recently
invested in a new research project to better understand nutrient
distribution and availability in ameliorated soils in WA.

Which seeding Conclusion
system?
Selecting a specific seeding system to suit a grower’s needs As farming enterprises continue to increase in size, early sowing
requires a lot of consideration, but can lead to significant benefits and moisture seeking by deeper sowing will continue to be used
in crop performance. Western Australian cropping regions have as a tool by many growers to establish crops in a timely manner.
a diverse range of soil and environmental conditions to consider
As revealed in this publication, there are suite of tools that can be
and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
used to help improve crop establishment in a drying soil profile. In
Unfortunately, in Western Australia a large-scale trial looking at summary:
different seeding systems has not been conducted. However,
■ Using varieties with long coleoptiles when moisture seeking and
Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association has just
retain large seed for cropping programs.
begun a four-year project looking at different seeding systems
and establishment in Western Australia, which is part of a larger ■ Select seed dressings and pre-emergent herbicide options that
national project is being led by Glenn McDonald (University of do not inhibit crop establishment.
Adelaide). In addition, in early 2019 GRDC will publish a case study
■ Separate seed and fertiliser to optimise establishment.
booklet featuring the seeding systems 25 WA growers use to
successfully achieve optimal crop establishment. ■ Match maturity of varieties with sowing date to maximise yield
potential.
In South Australia at the Hart Field Site (Hart Site Inc, 2016) a
trial over 16 years investigated three different seeding systems: ■ Trial narrow row spacing on wheat and wide row spacing on
strategic (worked up), no-till and disc systems. This trial established lupins and canola for improved crop establishment.
that no particular seeding system consistently outperformed the
■ On water-repellent soils, mitigation options offer low-cost, short-
others with yield. Rather the decision about which seeding system
term solutions.
to use lies with other factors including:
■ Amelioration of water-repellent soils costs more but provides
■ weed and pest management;
long-term solutions.
■ speed of sowing;
■ Establishment of crops post soil renovation can be affected,
■ stubble management; however the long-term benefits outweigh this.
■ non-wetting soil issues; and ■ Research different seeding systems and seek advice to see
what best suits needs – there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer.
■ soil compaction issues.
It is recommended that growers using early sowing and moisture
Machinery demo days organised by grower/farmer groups offer a
seeking as a tool to establish crops in a timely manner should
great opportunity for growers to do their own research, in addition
explore and trial the options available to them to help improve
to seeking advice from agronomists/consultants and/or speaking
crop establishment. Often a mix of management tools will be
directly with dealerships to make a well-informed decision on what
required to achieve this and the optimal mix will differ between
best suits their needs.
farms depending on which factors are limiting.

Locations of growers who feature in the case studies
MAP: WWW.NEILCLARK.COM.AU

Spreading potash is safer than
banding in dry times at Binnu
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Piet and Dale Diepeveen
LOCATION: Binnu
CROP AREA: 3100ha
ENTERPRISES: 100 per cent cropping
ANNUAL RAINFALL: 300mm
SOIL TYPES: Yellow sand
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 1550ha wheat, 775ha
canola and 775ha lupins
Piet Diepeveen believes the key to farming in marginal areas is to conserve

any summer rain by summer spraying as often as required.
PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Twenty years ago, it was not important to conserve summer “We’ve had some trials with GRDC and DPIRD which have been
rain, but for Piet Diepeveen it is now essential. The Diepeveens good with the soil inclusion plates, showing definite benefits
continuously crop with a set rotation of wheat–canola–wheat– there,” Piet says.
lupins and they grow Roundup Ready® canola as a tool to fight
“We’re still working towards that ourselves, but the deep ripping
herbicide-resistant radish. Piet says their rotation is also a tool to
and getting rid of that hard pan is definitely beneficial.”
manage blue lupins, which are becoming more problematic.
The Diepeveens can rip at six kilometres per hour because of
“Definitely the key to farming in a marginal area is to look after that
the horsepower available. They rip every four years in front of the
summer rain and to spray summer weeds no matter how many
wheat crop, with the aim of getting deeper in subsequent years.
times you’ve got to spray, which gets frustrating but is definitely
Piet estimates that in the first year after ripping, they can see a
worth doing,” Piet Diepeveen says.
yield improvement of about 0.5 tonnes per hectare.
The Diepeveens farm yellow sands and so managing soil
“You can get deeper if you stick on the same rows and the tynes
compaction is a priority. They run a DBS on 30 centimetre
are in the same place, you could get from 450 to 500mm in four
spacings with 23cm points, which Piet believes helps make the
years,” Piet says.
soil more friable and aids their deep-ripping program. He also
feels the 12-inch spacing is good for trash flow and the crops “We’ve played around a bit but generally we deep rip the lupin
“hang on a bit better” in the wider rows. stubbles pre-wheat, because that’s the greatest benefit we’ve
found, and we don't disturb canola stubble, which can be difficult
CONTROLLED TRAFFIC FARMING to get through at times – if you pull it all out of the ground and lay
it down, it’s harder to seed through.”
The Diepeveens began tramlining about 10 years ago, something
Piet believes is the way to go on their sandplain soils. In terms of lessons learnt from deep ripping, the biggest one
would be not to leave the soil surface loose.
“We didn’t start perfectly but as we’ve changed seeding gear and
headers, we’re sticking a lot to those tramlines on three-metre “We’ve learnt to pull a roller after the deep ripper, so we aren’t
wheel spacing and it seems to work for us,” Piet says. leaving the soil loose on top,” Piet says.
“We had to add a long auger on the header which looks crazy “The roller is just made of old truck tyres and we don’t fill it with
long to get to the next tramline and we use a track tractor to pull a
12-metre deep ripper and so the header, boom spray, spreader, all
line up on that three-metre wheel track.”
“We’ve had some trials with GRDC and
DEEP RIPPING
DPIRD which have been good with the
The Diepeveens own an Ausplow Easitill II on 600-millimetre soil inclusion plates, showing definite
spacings with longer 820mm shanks, which allows them to rip to
500mm. benefits there.” – PIET DIEPEVEEN

The Diepeveens are focused on removing their hardpan and use Pulling an empty tyre roller following the deep ripper firms the soil surface
an Ausplow Easitill II on 600mm spacings, with longer 820mm shanks, and Piet believes it holds moisture better as it prevents the top 50mm
which allows them to rip to 500mm. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA drying out. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
water as the tyres give enough compaction to firm the surface for
a good seed bed – otherwise the top 50mm dries out because “I'm not using MagentaA now but a
it's loose and fluffy, so if you roll it until it's flat and firm, it seems to new, shorter season variety with a long
hold that moisture better.”
coleoptile would be handy.”
Depending on summer rain, the Diepeveens will deep rip from – PIET DIEPEVEEN
February right through to seeding, assuming they have had a
minimum of 50mm of rainfall to hold the soil together so it does
not blow.
“It ended up being a positive; you could easily see a line in the
LIMING PROGRAM crop from the positive impact the alternate fertiliser had, and as I
didn’t like the other one anyway, because of the corrosiveness in
Spreading 1000t of lime per season for the last 20 years has bins and things, that prompted a change.”
improved in the Diepeveens’ soil pH. They apply 2t/ha in front of
the deep ripper, which does not fully incorporate the lime, but it While his agronomist did not agree with his decision, Piet now
does help a little bit. applies muriate of potash (MOP) with ammonium sulfate in the
summer months, and the lupins gets spread with a three-way mix
AVOIDING SOWING DEEPER of urea, ammonium sulfate and potash after sowing.
Without MagentaA or a longer coleoptile wheat in their variety

line-up, Piet is not comfortable sowing their ScepterA wheat more IN SUMMARY
than 50mm deep to chase moisture. He is cautious of furrow fill
and burying the seed too deep.
■ T
yre roller gives adequate compression for good
“I’m not using MagentaA now but a new, shorter season variety establishment
with a long coleoptile would be handy,” Piet says.
■ Sowing shallower is a safer strategy than sowing deep
SPREADING POTASSIUM (K) ■ Potash is spread rather than banded
The tough start in 2017 had an unexpected consequence for the
Diepeveens’ fertiliser strategy.
i
MORE INFORMATION
“That year we only had around 5mm of rain to start the season,
it was a half-wet and dry sort of seeding and we ran out of Piet Diepeveen, 0429 361 071, pddiep@bigpond.com
compound with K in it, so used some other fertiliser instead,” Piet
says.

Ameliorating non-wetting soils
is the focus in Northampton
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Karl, Gemma, Craig and Trin Suckling
LOCATION: Northampton
CROPPING AREA: 6800ha
SOIL TYPES: Red loams, light sand and good
yellow sand
GROWING SEASON RAINFALL: 300mm
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 4200ha wheat and
2600ha canola
Karl Suckling is finding that deep ripping in dry conditions

is exacerbating their non-wetting problems. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
The Sucklings have embarked on a significant deep-ripping DEEP RIPPING

program on their sands over the past five years. While it has
The Sucklings have been focusing on trying to get the pH right on
reduced compaction, it has also made their sands much more
their sandy soils, especially at depth, so for the past two years they
non-wetting. As a result, their focus is shifting from removing
have been deep ripping with inclusion plates. Their 12m machine
compaction to ameliorating soils to improve their productivity.
can rip to about 500mm, but with the inclusion plates, 450mm
“On our red loams and good yellow sand, where the clay content’s is the maximum and most of the time they are only at 400mm
high enough in the topsoil, non-wetting is not a problem, but because of horsepower limitations.
where we drift into sand hills and our lighter sands, we have a lot
“The inclusion plates are definitely better for getting lime through
of problems with non-wetting,” Karl Suckling says.
the profile, we see a tenfold better response from the inclusion
“The more deep ripping we do, the more non-wetting it’s plates than deep ripping alone,” Karl says.
becoming and when we till that paddock dry with the deep ripping
“However, you just don't get as deep, and there's definitely a
process, which often happens during summer, the non-wetting
response to deep ripping.
issues are quickly getting worse.”
“In 2018, we deep ripped 600ha without inclusions where we
Karl is unsure why ripping in dry conditions is having this effect, but
believe the pH is getting to where we want it, whereas for rest of
he knows it is definitely exacerbating the problem.
the program, we believe that lime is the limiting factor, so we’ve
“If you can deep rip or seed while the soil's really wet, non-wetting used the inclusion plates and not gone as deep, so there is still a
doesn’t seem to be an issue, but then timeliness is a problem, hard pan down at around 450mm.”
because you can’t seed 2500ha in one day, so that's our biggest
Despite owning the biggest tractor on tracks available,
issue,” Karl says.
horsepower is still a limitation for digging deeper, so another
About 60 per cent of the Sucklings’ soils are red loams, so they option is to go to a smaller machine, which would mean a six-
plan to dry seed them first in their program as they do not have metre-wide ripper to keep in-line with their controlled traffic
any crop establishment issues on that soil type. However, with system.
their sandplain soils, they plan to sow when it is wet, as that
“We’ve got a trial in this year looking at whether we should change
reduces non-wetting issues.
from a 12m machine, which doesn’t rip as deep, to a 6m machine
which could rip deeper but I think the economics will still stack up
with the 12m machine, doing it over time,” Karl says.

The Sucklings use a seven board John Deere square plough to speed up lime incorporation by dropping it to a depth of about 350 to 400mm
and Karl says it almost acts like a mouldboard plough. PHOTO: KARL SUCKLING
SQUARE PLOUGH WETTERS

Aside from deep ripping, the Sucklings have a seven board John As a means of getting around non-wetting issues, the Sucklings
Deere square plough that achieves two things: it speeds up lime trialled the wetters Irrigator™ and SE14™ in 2018 over 1300ha of
incorporation by dropping it to a depth of about 350 to 400mm, canola that had been deep ripped. Irrigator™ was applied behind
and it acts almost like a mouldboard plough, although it does not the press wheel and the SE14™ with the seed boot.
quite give the full inversion as a seam of topsoil comes to the top.
“We got our seed placement awfully wrong because we seeded
“We’re not chasing weed control with it, for us it’s just a matter of at about 10 to 15mm and then after a little bit of wind and a heavy
trying to get that lime to the soil it needs to be in contact with, and rain, it went to about 70mm and so the canola didn't come up,” Karl
probably the major positive is we’re bringing up clay by doing says.
that,” Karl says.
“Then we reseeded the paddock and I actually dug a cross
The Sucklings have had good results with the square plough on section on the wetter, and I wish I’d taken a photo of it, because I
sand over gravel soils, not only because the machine is robust, but believe the wetter worked really, really well.
also because of the additional clay that comes up with their gravel.
“If we had used hockey boots, which we normally use when
They also use the square plough on light sands, but when they
seeding canola, instead of wheat boots, which was recommended
used it on good yellow sand over clays it brought up too much
because we were using the wetter, then I believe with the wind
clay to the surface. This had a negative effect on germination, but
and the heavy rain, the canola would’ve ended up about 15mm
Karl is not concerned.
with the wetter, and it would have been perfect.
“Our plan in 2019 will be to deep rip that country and then
“I believe the wetter would have worked really well as a one-off,
probably try and use the coil packers to mix a bit of sand in with
but the reason we’re not pursuing that in the future is because we
the clay behind the deep ripper and seed it dry,” Karl says.
believe the wetter is a cost we would have to incur every year.
“We will be treating it almost like our red country, where we get
“And if our non-wetting’s getting worse, then it’s a long-term cost
into it dry, because what we’re finding is when we’re doing it wet,
we’re going to have to deal with, whereas we’re getting a lot of
the press wheel’s making the soil set like concrete behind you, so
added benefits with square ploughing and spading by putting
that’s our plan – whether or not it works, we’ll see.”
nutrition that’s sitting in that non-wetting band under the ground
Karl also says while the plough only covers about 3.5ha an hour, it and making it wet and available again.
does not use a lot of fuel and so it is a very cheap machine to run.
“The machines mix up our lime too so there’s a lot of added
benefits, not just one benefit with the wetters, so we’ve made a bit
of a holistic decision to go that way instead.”

SPADER LESSONS LEARNT
Their experience with the plough has taught the Sucklings they The Sucklings will definitely reduce pre-emergent herbicide rates,
need to use a specific tool to fix a specific issue on a specific soil. particularly on their weaker soils, because the herbicide affected
So, after seeing trials on their farm, they have purchased a 4.5m crop emergence. Karl says they will only ameliorate their soils
spader at a cost of nearly five times the price of the square plough, when they are wet, not dry.
which they will use to manage their non-wetting yellow sands.
“We won’t do it – it’s simple as that – because there is too big a
“On our good yellow sands, we’ve been dealing with the hard pan risk of a blow,” Karl says.
first, but we haven’t started yet on our non-wetting soils, so that’s
“That’s a big opportunity cost of having that machinery sitting in
why we tried wetter,” Karl says.
the shed for a year, so, there are risks, there’s no doubt about that,
“But we’ve got to a stage where I think the investment in the but the rewards we’re seeing at the moment look like they well
spader is going to be a better return on our dollar straight up, by and truly outweigh those risks.”
fixing the non-wetting now.
“The spader will do all the good, yellow sand areas because we IN SUMMARY
found in trials this year, it mixes the sand and clay a lot better than
the square plough.
■ Sow non-wetting soils last when they are wet
“The square plough flips it, and leaves a big layer of clay on top,
■ Deep ripping is exacerbating non-wetting soils
which is great for the real weak patches where there's not too
much clay at depth, and great for the gravel but not really good on ■ Spading and square-ploughing are curbing non-wetting soils
our good yellow sand over clay, because that clay then sets like
concrete on the surface.”
The Sucklings plan to ameliorate their non-wetting soils first and
i
then come back with the deep ripper as both the square plough MORE INFORMATION
and spader do not rip deep enough to break the hard pan.
Karl Suckling, 0427 839 274,
mumbyfarm@bigpond.com
“The more deep ripping we do, the more
non-wetting it’s becoming and once
we till that paddock dry with the deep
ripping process, which often happens
during summer, the non-wetting issues
are quickly getting worse.”
– KARL SUCKLING, NORTHAMPTON
NUTRITION IN AMELIORATED SOILS

The Sucklings are slowly learning how to manage the nutrition
requirements of their newly ameliorated soils. They have noticed
the crops are very slow to get going on the square ploughed soils,
whereas that is not so much an issue for the spaded soils.
“I think the spader mixes up the nutrition that’s already in the soil,
and the crop can access it really quickly,” Karl says.
“We actually noticed a positive effect on the crop with spading as
it was quicker to establish than the crop alongside, whereas with
the square plough, the crop was definitely slower, but once the
roots reached the old topsoil, it went ballistic.”

Fixing the subsoil pH first before
chasing moisture at Morawa
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Bill and Monique Crabtree
LOCATION: Morawa
SOIL TYPES: Mostly York gum loams
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 5000ha wheat and
500ha canola
Bill Crabtree, pictured with his grandson Emmanuel, has focused on improving
his subsoil pH, which has now given him the confidence to sow early and deep
if there is moisture at depth. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Subsoil acidity has been the major constraint on productivity and “I’ve since learned that once you get the soil to pH 5.78 on the
profitability for Bill and Monique Crabtree since beginning farming surface, the bicarbonate ions are free to move through the soil
north-east of Morawa in 2008. However, with a strong liming profile, but if you only put 1t/ha on, you’ll never get it to move
program and some pulsating (heavy) rains, Bill is confident his because it will all get tied up in the surface and the pH won’t get to
subsoil pH is improving and he can now focus on other tactics to 5.78,” Bill explains.
improve crop establishment.
However, after first discovering he needed to lift his liming
“I thought all of my farm was pretty good for pH because I program in 2011, they had three droughts in 2012 to 2014. They did
surfaced tested it, and it was all about five and some of it was 5.8, not receive enough pulsating rain to flush the lime to depth, so Bill
so I thought it was great,” Bill Crabtree says. decided he needed to purchase a plough.
“At the end of 2014, I bought some ploughs and put a backpacker
SUBSOIL ACIDITY
on them and that was the worse combination you could ever
In 2011, the Crabtrees had 470mm of rain with about 180mm possibly have and that paddock actually hasn’t yielded well since,”
as summer rain. They stored most of that rain because Bill had Bill says.
sprayed all the weeds, so he believed he could have 3t/ha crops
“I could only afford cheap ploughs and we took every second disc
from one end of the farm to the other. However, about 30 per cent
off and put it down as deep as we could, so we probably got six
of the farm yielded from 200 to 400kg/ha.
inches deep.
During that season, Bill noticed some weaker yellowing patches,
“We tried to get the lime to move down, but really what we did is
so applied ammonium sulfate, but after 16mm of rain and three
we buried our minimal organic matter, caused wind erosion and
weeks later, there was no improvement in the crop. The following
made the paddock rough as guts.
year he decided to do some subsoil pH testing, which determined
he had a major subsoil acidity problem. “The yield there initially was 70 per cent of the rest of the
paddock and after ploughing, it was 20 per cent of the rest of the
“I found everywhere that didn’t yield, at 10 to 20cm and 20 to
paddock and it had weeds, it was rough and we couldn't spray it –
30cm the subsoil pH in calcium chloride was around four, plus or
everything just went wrong, so I am glad it was only 30ha.”
minus 0.1 to 0.2, and then I really knew what the problem was,” Bill
says. In 2015, in late February into March, Bill received three 60mm rain
events, each in about two hours. About that time, his water use
RAINFALL TO INCORPORATE LIME efficiency data was re-evaluated and Bill found that water use
efficiency had improved from 7.9 to 12.9kg/ha/mm for the 2015 and
Before going farming in 1999, Bill had researched lime
2016 harvests.
incorporation with rainfall and found when 4t/ha of lime was
applied and two pulsating rains followed, it lifted the pH at 20 to “I thought that’s the pulsating rain, as patches that didn’t yield
30cm by 0.2 of a unit. The same trend also occurred when 2t/ha anything were going well, not 1.8t/ha, but they went 1.2t/ha and
of lime was applied. So as a result, Bill “poured the lime on”. This they used to go 0.2t/ha,” Bill says.
was despite the conventional wisdom that it would not move down
in loamy soils.

MagentaA wheat sown at 33kg/ha, 9cm below the furrow on 13 April 2018, taken four weeks after seeding. PHOTO: BILL CRABTREE
Bill is also a firm believer that it is better to apply lime in December

when it is warm rather than April because, as he says, “you can “I’ve since learned that once you get
dissolve sugar in warm water very easily”.
to soil the pH 5.78 on the surface, the
CHASING MOISTURE bicarbonate ions are free to move
Now that Bill has improved his subsoil acidity, he is confident that
through the soil profile, but if you only
he can chase moisture at depth with MagentaA wheat. put 1t/ha on, you’ll never get it to move
“If you put a long coleoptile wheat five inches below the surface
because it will all get tied up and the pH
you’re going to put it into acidity, so you can’t can play this long won’t get to 5.78.” – BILL CRABTREE, MORAWA
coleoptile game if you haven't fixed your subsoil pH,” Bill says.
Bill first tried seeding deep into moisture in 2016 with his Seed
Hawk bar on 30cm spacings, with “pretty good” results. “I started sowing MagentaA at 33kg/ha about 9cm below the
furrow on 13 April and it came up beautifully, but I kept going and
“In 2017 I had about 200mm in February in a couple of events and
didn’t get the shovel out as much as I should have,” Bill says.
I knew there was moisture down there but I didn’t know exactly
where it was, so I scratched around and put it in where I thought “Sixty per cent of what I sowed deep is looking near 3t/ha plus this
the moisture was,” Bill says. year (2018), but I have also got 400ha of 10 plants per square metre.
“I shifted probably 7cm of soil out of the furrow and then I put my “I’ve had a real win where I did it right and I’ve also got a real loss,
wheat down probably 9cm below that, so it ended up about 16cm where the crop is not as good as my late germinating shallow
below the original surface. seeded wheat.
“Everywhere I did that where there was moisture at depth, which was “It’s taught me a lot and if you don’t get a bit bruised then you
probably 400ha out of 2800ha, it all went between one to 2t/ha. don’t sharpen your axe.”
“However, I had to spray 20 per cent of it out where no wheat
FERTILISER SEPARATION
germinated due to planting so deep, and there wasn’t quite
enough moisture there.” Bill believes when sowing deep, it is critical to make sure there is
good separation between fertiliser and wheat, something he is
His experience in 2017 gave Bill the confidence to sow deep again
confident of achieving with his Seed Hawk.
after receiving about 62mm from a tropical cyclone in January
2018. While he did some scratching around with a shovel to check “You’ve got two openers, one shallow and one deep, so I just put
the moisture initially, he concedes he should have continued to the DAP in the shallow tube and the wheat down deep when I’m
check moisture levels. It did not rain again until 24 May. going deep and then I switch them back when the soil is wet or I
am planting dry and deliberately waiting for the rain,” Bill says.

MagentaA wheat sown at 33kg/ha, 9cm below the furrow on 13 April 2018, taken five months later. PHOTOS: BILL CRABTREE
TIME OF SOWING “In 2014 when I chemically fallowed 140ha, the first 60mm rain in
February 2015 that came soaked in beautifully and it looked great,”
Ideally, Bill would prefer not to put his whole program in dry,
Bill says.
but has found that waiting for a germination is just too costly. In
addition to growing MagentaA, Bill also grows MaceA, ScepterA, “Then with the next rain three weeks later, probably half of it
CorackA and Longreach HavocA. soaked in and the other half ran off and the third rain, because
the first heavy rain had smashed the soil and it had little stubble,
“I just know that whenever I’ve gone dry, it yields 1t/ha more than
the ground turned into concrete and 80 per cent of it ran off, so it
where I’ve tried to wait because I’ve had a dirty paddock and so
didn't store any water over the rest of the farm.”
that's why I use Roundup Ready® canola, or TT canola if I believe
it is getting too late or the cost of the Roundup Ready® seed is too
expensive,” Bill says.
IN SUMMARY
Another positive of sowing dry is that Bill believes they cannot
apply too much pressure on their loamy soils, so there is no risk of
■ P
ulsating rain can incorporate lime, but is not a reliable
sealing over when dry sowing.
option
“One year I had no press wheels on one of my bars and I had
■ Fix subsoil acidity before attempting deep sowing
press wheels on my Seed Hawk and as I had 20mm of rain, I
thought that I needed to put some more pressure on it to make ■ When deep sowing, ensure fertiliser and seed separation
sure it germinates,” Bill says.
“My loams ended up sealing over due to the press wheels, and
where I didn’t use a press wheel I had a better germination with a
i
cheap old-fashion bar with an Agmor boot on it. MORE INFORMATION
“Every year’s a little bit different and you learn something every Bill Crabtree, 0417 223 395, bill.crabtree@wn.com.au
year, but what I’ve now learned is if it does rain, I have to watch the
pressure of my press wheels so it doesn’t seal over.”
FALLOW HAS NOT WORKED FOR BILL

Bill has also tried chemical fallows, but in his experience on
heavier loamy soils they did not result in him storing any additional
soil moisture.

Deep ripping and one-way ploughing
are cost-effective at Three Springs
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Michael and Kate Morrison
LOCATION: Three Springs
ENTERPRISES: Cropping and sheep
SOIL TYPES: Red loam, yellow loam, sand over
gravel and deep white sand
canola and 450ha lupins
Michael Morrison believes non-wetting soils are his biggest soil constraint and
so for a capital investment of $5000 for a one-way plough, he is impressed by
the initial results. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
When Michael and Kate Morrison first bought their farm in 2004, EMPTY ROCK ROLLER
they originally planned to predominantly run livestock because of
Michael has also discovered the addition of an empty tow-behind
their sandy soils. However, they ended up cropping half the farm
roller is critical for optimal establishment following deep ripping.
before deciding to pull back and crop the best 1200ha. Michael
He feels many of the newer rippers do not compress the soil
says he is confident growing wheat and canola but believes they
adequately, resulting in many people sowing too deep.
have not been able to grow lupins well. However, nearly 15 years
later, thanks to deep ripping and the use of a self-modified one- “We’ve had a go without a roller and we had the worst germination,
way plough, they are making considerable improvements to their whereas where we’ve had the roller go over it, we had better seed-
soils for both the cropping and pasture enterprise. soil contact and so better germination,” Michael says.
“After talking to locals who had been doing deep ripping, and
hearing the responses they were getting, we thought we’d give it COST-EFFECTIVE RIPPING
a go, so we found an Agrowplow deep ripper and paid $10,000 Due to their size, Michael cannot justify the cost of buying “flash or
for it,” Michael Morrison says. bigger gear”. He believes because he has been able to try deep
ripping without needing to purchase a bigger tractor, they are
AGROWPLOW DEEP RIPPER succeeding in improving their country without a significant capital
cost.
Originally the ripper was 10.4 metres wide, but the Morrisons took
the wings off so they could pull it with their existing tractor and see “It costs us around $25 per hectare, and that's including wages
whether it worked without another capital investment. and depreciation, so that is affordable,” Michael says.
“Our soil type is definitely not like a Mingenew yellow sand with While the home farm, with its sandy gravel loams, has been deep
2000 hectares of hardpan – it’s going from gravel into white sand ripped, Michael plans to deep rip more of his gravel-base country
into yellow in one paddock,” Michael says. in 2019. He is hoping he will be able to push out the ripping
interval, so he is ripping every four years.
“There was compaction there; using a penetrometer we borrowed
you could definitely find it at about 300mm, but now you can get “It’s probably as simple as going out and buying a penetrometer
the penetrometer to go down to about a metre quite easily.” and looking at the country, so we’ll see,” Michael says.
To better understand the effect of the deep ripping across varying While it is a widely held opinion that growers should be doing
soil types, they ripped about 20 AB lines across a paddock and controlled traffic farming (CTF) before embarking on a ripping
then they would leave one out, as a comparison. program, Michael believes the cost of setup, their farm size and
the fact that they run about 50 per cent stock makes it difficult to
“We did a weigh scale on every strip over the paddock and there
justify. Instead, they have done as much as they can by putting as
was an improvement in wheat yield of between 0.6 to 0.8t/ha – it
many machines as possible on to 3m centres.
was huge,” Michael says.

Soil profile that was deep ripped in 2016 and one-way ploughed in 2018. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
ONE-WAY PLOUGH
Michael says he had been mulling over the best way to deal with “The outlay on the plough has been
his non-wetting soils for the past five years and was getting to the cheap; it cost about $3000 and we have
point where he really needed something to work, so he decided put $2000 worth of discs on to it.”
to try a one-way plough.
– MICHAEL MORRISON, THREE SPRINGS
“The non-wetting issue was killing us and I’m hoping now with the
non-wetting soil buried, if there are weeds in it, we’ll get a good
germination and a good weed kill too,” Michael says.
“2017 was a poor season until spring time, and we took 52t
“The outlay on the plough has been cheap, it cost about $3000 of lupins off it, so if I can get a 1000ha of non-wetting country
and we have put $2000 worth of discs on to it. performing like that, I'll be pretty happy.”
“The only thing that’s probably cost us this year (2018) is wages In 2018, Michael allowed eight days for ripping at seeding time
and time because we were doing 14ha every 12 hours as we did and focused on ploughing lighter soil seams in paddocks with
straight AB lines because of backpackers and to make it simple. the idea to bring that soil up to the same level as the rest of the
paddock, therefore increasing his paddock yields.
“As a cost per hour for wages, it was probably a bit expensive, but
you’ve got to try it and see.”
LESSONS LEARNT
The Morrisons’ plough can go to a depth of 350 to 400mm and it
is operated at 5km an hour to allow for proper inversion. In terms Michael was advised not to apply pre-emergent chemicals on
of results, Michael has been really impressed by what they have his newly ploughed paddocks because of the risk of chemical
seen so far. damage. He also thought because the paddocks were green
when they were ploughed that they had a really good mechanical
“We have a paddock that’s 34ha and before we deep ripped and weed kill. However, in one of his weedier paddocks, he has had a
ploughed it, we harvested 12 tonnes of lupins off it because it was huge ryegrass germination and believes he should have applied
non-wetting, just atrocious,” Michael says. some pre-emergent herbicide.

The rooting depth of the lupins was visually about 10 to 15cm deeper in the ripped section of the paddock (left) compared with the unripped headland (right).
PHOTOS: CUSSONSMEDIA
AMELIORATING PASTURE PADDOCKS

IN SUMMARY
Over the years, the Morrisons have focused on planting perennial
pastures, which have performed well on their lesser soil types.
■ R
un an empty roller behind the ripper for optimum
However, now with deep ripping and one-way ploughing as tools,
establishment
they are considering planting more annual pastures and even
putting some of that pasture country back into crop. ■ M
odifying gear allowed amelioration to be tried without
significant cost
“Basically, the pasture country that is not in crop is not the best
quality country,” Michael says. ■ W
ith amelioration, some pasture country may now be
cropped
“I am now looking at that country and saying right, instead of
spending $70 per hectare on clover and serradella or something
and sowing it into non-wetting white sand, instead we could go
and plough it, and then sow it into pasture.
i
“Walking around with a shovel digging a few holes, there’s also MORE INFORMATION
probably quite a bit of other country that could be brought into
Michael Morrison, 0429 425 945,
cropping too.”
sandplain@bigpond.com
In addition, they plan to ameliorate any long-term perennial
pastures that have been overgrazed after seeing another local
grower have good results.
“James Dempster did a trial in 2017 where he deep ripped a
perennial paddock before it was sowed and the establishment out
of that was incredible,” Michael says.

Having the confidence to take
calculated risks is the key at Latham
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Dylan Hirsch and Kirraly Thompson,
Bradley and Joanne Hirsch
LOCATION: Latham
SOIL TYPES: Majority sandplain, minority
red loams and gravels
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 3000ha wheat,
1500ha barley and 1500ha canola
Nuffield scholar Dylan Hirsch is focused on capitalising on subsoil moisture by
early sowing into warm soils. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
With the majority of their country being sandplain soils, the Hirschs With confidence from 2017, in 2018 the Hirschs decided to sow
embarked on a deep ripping program in 2016 that has now given deep again into a paddock with sandplain soils that had been
them the confidence to try seeding wheat about 100mm deep into deep ripped. The paddock had 100mm of summer rain in January
warm soils to capitalise on summer rains. While they are in the low and February and it also had an 8mm rainfall event at the end of
rainfall zone, with a growing season rainfall of around 180mm, they March. While initially they thought they might be able to establish
commonly receive between 70 to 100mm of rain from the end of canola, they found the moisture was too deep, so they decided to
harvest into early February. plant wheat between 6 and 8 April.
“Our adventure into deep ripping and keeping that subsoil loose “We looked up some trial data on early sown wheat and
opened up the idea of being able to plant earlier, knowing that the unfortunately we only had our mid to short-season wheats in
plants are less likely to stress and are able to tolerate a lot longer the silo, so we bought some MagentaA, because the trial data
periods without rainfall,” Dylan Hirsch says. indicated it had the most potential for early sowing and a longer
coleoptile making it more suitable for sowing down into moisture,”
“That was definitely proven in 2017, where at one farm we had a
Dylan says.
10mm rainfall event in April and we sowed that farm with canola,
lupins and wheat, and without the deep ripping I’d say a lot of “We were trying to target about a 100mm depth again but because
those crops would’ve fallen over because we didn’t get another it was deep ripped, it left the soil surface a little bit wavy so each
follow-up rainfall until July. tyne was probably getting anywhere between 75 to 125mm deep
and the moisture varied between about 50 to 100mm deep.
“Some of those areas did die because we couldn’t deep rip
everything, but some of those crops actually really did surprise us “So, it was quite variable – a few rows came up straight away and
with how long they were able to hang on with subsoil moisture.” looked a million dollars, a few rows took a month actually to come
out of the ground but a few rows just didn’t come up, so we had to
DEEP SOWING INTO WARM SOILS reseed in the end for weed competition and to make sure we hit
some potential yield.”
While the Hirschs sowed canola and lupins shallow in 2017, they
chased moisture with MaceA and ZenA wheat, knowing they had
WIDE PRESS WHEELS
moisture at about 75mm below the surface on their heavier soils.
While furrow fill has been a widespread problem in 2018, particularly
“We decided to try and sow the seed 25mm under the moisture
for growers who chased moisture and sowed deep, the Hirschs
layer because we know even with our narrow tynes, it will still dry
sow their program with a John Deere Air Hoe drill with 14cm press
out so we decided to try and seed it about 90 to 100mm deep to
wheels, so furrow fill is not commonly an issue for them.
get into that moisture layer,” Dylan says.
“I guess if we had a different bar with narrower press wheels or a
“While we had some patchy areas, we largely had success as
parallelogram type bar, we’d still be trying deep sowing but we’d
90 per cent of the paddock came up and where we were able to
have to be more careful on our softer sand plain because very
get that crop up and going it went 1.3t/ha, so that led us to have
quickly a 75 to 80mm seed depth can become 120mm, and that
another go in 2018 in similar conditions.”
could be the difference between germination and not,” Dylan says.

LESSONS LEARNT
According to Dylan, mistakes are critical to learning and they have
learnt from both their 2017 and 2018 experiences.
“The successes in 2017 was when we sowed in April and the
failure was when we tried a little bit again in May,” Dylan says.
“It was very similar conditions in terms of the amount of moisture
but I think the soil temperature was five degrees cooler and if the
soil is warm, the grain certainly seems to be able to come up from
depth.
“Basically, my lesson is, if the soil is warm, plant deeper rather than
shallower because certainly the rows that didn’t come up were
probably the ones that were on the shallower side of the four
inches, not the deeper side.”
Dylan says 2018 taught him about the importance of having
retained stubble to help keep soil moisture closer to the surface.
He also thinks it will give them another week in their seeding
window, rather than having to sow earlier because they are
worried that the soil surface may dry out.
“Because the canola was sprayed out and the paddock was deep
ripped, there was very minimal residue there and so I think when
we try it again, we need to make sure we have some residue,
either one or two years of big barley or wheat stubble to hopefully
keep that subsoil moisture layer a bit higher,” Dylan says.
“So that will be sitting on the top of my mind because I think
having that moisture layer one inch higher could be probably the
difference between success and failure.
“I think having these mistakes and sharing and talking about them
will get us closer to the successes that we’re after.”
FROST Dylan Hirsch is investigating multi-peril type insurance products as part of

While frost is a concern for the Hirschs, Dylan believes heat stress his GRDC sponsored Nuffield Scholarship because he believes having the
confidence to sow early is the biggest opportunity cost of the Hirsch family’s
and heat shock in late August or September is a bigger issue for
business. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
them, so it is important to get wheat out of the ground early.
“If we were farming further south in the central wheatbelt, I probably
wouldn’t sow early and deep, but for us frost will certainly be a risk
but the trials say that earlier sowing is still better,” Dylan says.
likely to be two out of three plants in a row rather than being two
out of every three rows.
“The guys that are using insurance “For weed competition, having rows that don’t come up is a big
products well are using them to take problem for us and if we can try something simple like that in a
marginal start, I think that will pay big dividends.”
calculated risks and ensure that they
are being the most profitable farmer they Dylan will also consider near or on-row sowing to capitalise on
summer moisture if they have “a nice furrow”, particularly at the
can rather than trying to protect their start of the seeding program where they are happier to slow down
losses.” – DYLAN HIRSCH, LATHAM and get that accuracy.
MULTIPERIL PRODUCTS
Aside from implementing tactics in the paddock to improve
FUTURE PLANS
crop establishment, Dylan Hirsch is also a 2018 Nuffield Scholar,
In terms of improving crop establishment on ripped paddocks, supported by GRDC. He is investigating financial risk management
the Hirschs plan to change the engineering of their crumble roller systems in variable climates, including multiperil crop insurance.
behind the ripper and to try seeding at an angle to the ripping
“The reason I am investigating multiperil type products or any sort
lines.
of risk management product is because I think opportunity cost
“Even though it looked like the surface was nice and even behind and having the confidence to seed early is probably our biggest
our ripping job, it wasn’t really truly even, because some rows cost as a business and I dare say is probably for most farmers in
were a lot firmer or looser than others and that changed the WA,” Dylan says.
summer moisture profile level in the soil,” Dylan says.
“The guys that are using insurance products well are using it to
“I think seeding on an angle to your ripping lines, while you might take calculated risks and ensure that they are being the most
only still get the same percentage of plants established, it’s more profitable farmer they can, rather than trying to protect their losses.

This paddock had a failed canola crop in 2017, so was sprayed out and deep ripped, which meant there was very little residue on the soil surface to hold the 100mm of
rain that fell in January and February. Dylan Hirsch believes this contributed to the patchy germination of the wheat that was sown between 75 to 125mm deep.
PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
“I’d say a typical Australian farmer is very resilient and we can

survive droughts because we can protect our losses, but I think IN SUMMARY
taking more calculated risks and being more profitable is just as, if
not more, important than protecting our costs.” ■ Sow deep into warm soils for best results
For the Hirschs, taking more calculated risks with the goal of ■ Soil cover is important to keep moisture close to the surface
improving their gross margin could mean trying earlier sowing with
longer coleoptile wheats or trying a few more pulses, but Dylan is ■ M
ultiperil crop insurance gives confidence to take
certainly not afraid of making mistakes. calculated risks
“I would like to have the confidence to make mistakes because

I think some of the best farmers I ran into on my Nuffield trips
i
were still making probably more mistakes than the guys farming MORE INFORMATION
more conservatively, and they felt like they are going forward by
making mistakes.” Dylan Hirsch, 0408 790 816, dylanhirsch@gmail.com

Setting the crop up to maximise
potential is crucial at Latham
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Mark and Suzanne Wilson
LOCATION: Latham and Dalwallinu
(Dalwallinu)
SOIL TYPES: Medium soils (Dalwallinu) and
wodjil soils (Latham)
230ha lupins, 165ha canola and
230ha chickpeas Mark Wilson is focused on setting his crops up to maximise their potential
rather than reducing costs to protect against dry seasons. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
The past 20 years has taught Mark Wilson the value of setting DEEP RIPPING
crops up to capitalise on good years, rather than restricting
After digging into the soil profile in the paddocks of some of
their potential to protect against dry seasons. He believes the
his failed crops at Latham in 2017, Mark was convinced that he
financial cost of lost opportunities is greater when the crop hasn’t
needed to provide better access for the plant roots to find water
got adequate nutrients, compared with savings made by cutting
at depth. While they only had half of their average growing season
back on those nutrients in a dry year. The Wilsons run two farms
rainfall (92mm) at their Latham farm, they averaged 0.4t/ha. Mark
at Latham and Dalwallinu, both of which have had some very
believes that if the soil had been deep ripped, their yields could
difficult years.
have been at least 200 to 300kg/ha better.
“I think from a nutrition perspective, we have to basically make
“Last year when we dug down on our failed crops, when we got
sure the plant’s got everything it needs when it starts growing,”
to 300mm the ground was dry, and then from 300 to 600mm
Mark says.
the ground was soaking wet, and those crops had died on top,”
“If you’ve cut back on base P fertiliser, trace elements and nitrogen Mark says.
because it was a late season, when the plant finally germinates it’s
“Basically, their roots couldn’t access that water, and we thought
struggling from the start because you haven’t put any fertiliser on,
we’ve got to make it accessible for them so, with inclusion plates
or half the fertiliser, or whatever it might be.
and deep ripping, we can now provide channels down to 500mm,
“We need to remove the thought that it’s going to be a bad year, which would enable the plants to get that water.
because I actually don’t believe that when we go into seeding we
“This year we had early rains again, so we now know that at least
can determine if it’s going to be a bad year or a good year.”
half that farm is deep ripped and the roots do have access to that
This approach was again proven to Mark in 2017, when they only deep moisture.”
had 125mm of growing season rainfall at their Dalwallinu farm.
While the need to deep rip was obvious to Mark, he believed
They applied a nitrogen top-up of 20 to 30L/ha urea ammonium
deep ripping 1300ha in 2018 was risky. However, he knew the
nitrate (UAN) with the belief that if it was not used by the crop that
benefits to the soil would far exceed the negatives. His wodjil soils
year, it would be in the following year.
were deep ripped to nearly 500mm while some were to nearly
“Last year, we had a 1.8t/ha average on our farm here (Dalwallinu), 600mm, with a hired Nufab Tilco deep ripper.
yet we only had 125mm growing season rainfall,” Mark says.
“Because we had drought conditions in 2017, it made it a high-risk
“Only 60 per cent of our growing season rainfall, and we proposition, but after seeing what we saw, we thought about the risk
achieved 1.8t/ha, so when the seasons are better, we can of the wind blowing versus what we were going to gain out of it, and
achieve more than 1.8t/ha, because 125mm of rain is barely we thought that the gain was way better than the risk was,” Mark says.
enough to grow a crop on.
“At the end of the day, I would say that yes, we got our worst-
“I think last year was a classic because we achieved a lot of hard case scenario in terms of winds, and with a less than 5 per cent
wheat and our Calingiri went into noodles at very good prices, blow over some of the dirt, that was a good result because we’ve
whereas there was a lot of low protein wheat around because got plants now that can access water down to 600mm, whereas
many people didn’t put the nitrogen on because it was a dry year.” before they were only accessing water up to 300mm.”

Rather than sowing deeper, the Wilsons will rip as deep as possible beneath the seed with their DBS bar to improve capillary rise and crop rooting depth.
PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
KEEP SOWING DEPTH AT 15 TO 20MM LONGER COLEOPTILE WHEATS

Rather than sowing their seed deeper to access moisture at depth, The availability of longer coleoptile wheats would be beneficial,
the Wilsons focus on trying to rip the soil deeper with the point Mark believes, to give growers more confidence to seed deeper
below the seed to get improved capillary rise and rooting depth. without worrying about furrow fill. He also believes there will
In addition, they find the loose soil provides a pathway for the rain be benefits in terms of reducing the impact of pre-emergent
to move into the soil profile and away from the soil surface where herbicides on wheat germination and establishment.
it can evaporate.
“When you start putting trifluralin and triallate with the seed, that’s
“Generally, we will go as deep as we can with the point, not with when you shorten the coleoptile and some years it can be worse
the seed depth, and I will just keep pushing my tractor until it hits than others,” Mark says.
10 per cent wheel slip, and then I’m not prepared to go any more
than that,” Mark says. “We have found our DBS does a good job keeping that chemical
away from the seed, so we’re effectively getting a better coleoptile
While some choose to sow their canola as close to the surface length just by making sure that there’s no chemical with the seed.”
as possible, Mark believes it is a better strategy to sow it at 10 to
15mm to reduce the chance of a false start.
TIME OF SOWING
“We’ve seen it happen some years when you get one or two
For the Wilsons, to maximise their yield potential the majority of
millimetres of rain, and then if you’ve seeded the canola shallow,
their crop will often be sown dry, with the aim of finishing their
you can actually get a start, and then if you don’t get any rain for
seeding program by the end of May.
three or four weeks, it dies, and then you get a failure of the crop,”
Mark says. “I do know farmers that don’t start until it rains, but the window of
opportunity for us is way before that time,” Mark says.
“Basically, we’ve found that if we sow 10 to 15mm deep, generally
you have to get a rain of three or four millimetres to actually kick If Mark is concerned about having all of the crop in dry and having
the canola into gear and then after that it should stay alive.” it germinate at the same time, he will slow the pace of seeding
down rather than stop.
In 2018, Mark decided with his lupins to chase the moisture
and seeded them deeper than usual; however, being planted “Generally, what we do is we slow the pace down, so this year
in sandier soil, strong winds produced some furrow fill, causing (2018), we were only seeding for around 16 hours a day but if we
a delay in lupin establishment. As a result, Mark will not be so end up getting a situation where we’ve had the early rain, then
inclined to sow his lupins deeper in the future. we'll make sure we’re seeding for 24 hours a day,” Mark says.

“We need to remove the thought that it’s
going to be a bad year, because I actually
don’t believe that when we go into
seeding, we can determine if it’s going to
be a bad year or a good year.”
– MARK WILSON, LATHAM
Also, as the break of the season is getting later, the Wilsons will
increase their sowing rate from 40 to 50kg/ha.
“We’ve found that if you’ve got less numbers, your plant has to
tiller more to get the same amount of grain per metre, whereas
if we put more seed there, then effectively each particular seed
doesn’t need to put up as many tillers to get the same amount of
grain to maturity,” Mark says.
IN SUMMARY
■ Do not limit the crop potential by skimping on nutrition
■ Deep ripping increases access to stored moisture
■ Use knife points to rip deeper rather than sowing deeper
i
MORE INFORMATION
Mark Wilson, 0427 611 111, mark@petworth.com.au

DBS is preferred over Morris C2
for hard soils at Buntine
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Ross, Lyn and Shaun Fitzsimons
LOCATION: Buntine
FARM SIZE: 6000ha (arable)
SOIL TYPES: Mixed, including deep yellow
sands, heavy red and shallow sand-over-gravel
and sand-over-granite
barley, 125ha canola and 105ha lupins
After attempting to chase moisture with their lupins, a patchy germination
means in future Ross Fitzsimons will stick to sowing at their normal depth
rather than sowing deeper .
PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Over the past few years, the Fitzsimons have been very happy “I’d still like to go back to the DBS system because after coming
with the crop establishment from their 18.3-metre Morris C2 bar. out of it and doing something else, I think it’s probably a lot more
However, in 2018 their establishment was not as good as they bulletproof system than what we’re using now and it gives us the
had expected as they experienced trouble getting into hard soils. option of digging a little bit deeper at West Buntine where our
Canola and lupins were sown too deep and their establishment current system is only an inch at best below the seed,” Ross says.
was patchy.
“I think our biggest point we’ve had was seven-inch points and I
“There was no seed in those gaps in the rows, so I don’t know know people that go nine-inch, but they can adjust their depths –
whether it’s a seed flow issue through the tynes or using too much they’ve really improved them now.”
air and bouncing some seed out. We just haven’t worked it out, so
we’ll try a few things next year and we'll keep a better eye on it,” SEEDING SHALLOW IS BETTER
Ross Fitzsimons says.
Normally the Fitzsimons start their seeding program sowing lupins
dry, aiming to place them about 25mm deep. In 2018, they sowed
HARD SOILS
the lupins just under 50mm to try and place them into moist soil.
In 2018, the Fitzsimons had to stop seeding twice because they
“The first time we checked the depth of the lupins, the soil was
were trying to seed into paddocks that had been in pasture for
quite wet and it was sticking together so I thought I might as well
two years, and the ground was too hard. Ross says that sheep
go for it, but I probably should have checked more of the paddock
did not add to the compaction in those paddocks because in
because it was very patchy,” Ross says.
2017 they were agisted. He also believes the wet year of 2016
contributed more to those soils packing down. Ross says they also had problems with canola being too deep as
well, so the plan in 2019 is to sow at their normal depth and not be
“That’s the only fault with the Morris bar is that if the tynes kick
tempted to chase moisture.
back at all, you lose your depth of seeding and it’s like shooting
the seed into the air rather than into the ground, so that's “At this stage I think we’ll go back to shallower again, although
something we’ve just got to be aware of,” Ross says. from last year to this year, I think we were consistently deeper this
year, on the same setting,” Ross says.
“Unfortunately, you can’t see it from the tractor, and I’ve been
wracking my brain, trying to work out how to solve that – if I could “The press wheels were going in, because they were at higher
work out which tyne was the first to let go, I could put a camera or pressures and especially on the deep-ripped paddocks, I think the
a sensor on it.” trenches are deeper, so that could be part of the problem, but we
did try on the deep-ripped soil to back off the pressure.”
The Fitzsimons have run their 60-foot Morris for the past five
seasons after changing over from a smaller 44-foot (13.4m) second
hand DBS. They believe they would not have been able to pull
SHEEP
a 60-foot DBS with their existing tractor, so an additional capital While Ross says he doesn’t love sheep, he does believe they do
investment would have been required, which became cost offer some benefits to their farm. They tend to use more Gramoxone
prohibitive. However, after struggling to get into hard soils this and less glyphosate than others because they spray-top with
year, Ross believes the DBS would be a better way to go.

Sheep still have a fit for several reasons for the Fitzsimons including allowing them to better use paddocks that do not lend themselves to cropping because they have
shallow soils that do notstore moisture if fallowed. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
and have seen their pH increase into the fives on those soils.
“I’d still like to go back to the DBS system As the ripper follows the lime application, they have had some
because after coming out of it and doing mechanical incorporation.
something else, I think it’s probably a lot “Unfortunately, the shear pins on our deep ripper do limit us to
more bulletproof system than what we’re where we go because if we hit rock, we break the shear pins and
that's a real pain and I don't think we’ve got one paddock where
using now…” – ROSS FITZSIMONS, BUNTINE we can confidently do the whole area,” Ross says.
To get around this, in 2018 they used a set of Tiny offset discs to
incorporate lime between 200 to 250mm on three paddocks.
Gramoxone. Also, the Fitzsimons have paddocks that don’t lend
“While we don’t have the results yet, I think that by correcting the
themselves to 100 per cent cropping because they have shallow
pH in the top 200mm of those shallow soils, it will improve the size
soils, which also don’t store moisture if they were fallowed. Stock
of our bucket,” Ross says.
also allows the Fitzsimons to have a permanent employee, who
they otherwise couldn’t maintain. In 2017, stock allowed them to
more easily decide to make the call to stop sowing.
IN SUMMARY
“We stopped seeding because we’d run out of stubbles to sow
into and so we made the decision to pull up then, and then when it ■ DBS is more bulletproof than Morris C2
didn't rain by a certain date, which was quite late, we said no way,
and packed up,” Ross says. ■ Sow shallow rather than chasing moisture
“It was easier to stop because we had stock, so if it did start ■ Sheep have a fit in the system
to grow it wouldn’t have mattered, we could’ve used up the
paddocks with sheep.
“Our last paddocks yielded 0.3t/ha, so if we had kept going like
i
the 100 per cent croppers, then we would have lost more money.”
MORE INFORMATION
Ross Fitzsimons, 0427 642 086,
AMELIORATION randlfitz1@bigpond.com
The Fitzsimons have been deep ripping mainly their lighter soil
types with a Yeoman deep ripper with shear pins. They have also
had an extensive liming program over the past 15 or so years

Horsch Tiger offers one-pass
renovation at East Pithara
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Ben, Kirsten and Robert Strickland
LOCATION: East Pithara
SOIL TYPES: Mixed – including wodjil sands,
heavy reds, red loams and gravels
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 2500ha wheat, 3000ha Acidity and toxic aluminium soils have been a big focus for Ben Strickland,
barley and 1500ha fallow pictured with his family. He is now looking to ameliorate the farm’s
compacted soils. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Correcting aluminium levels and low pH soil have been significant the establishment is always down, it wasn’t to the point that we
focuses for the Strickland family. Now they are turning their were really damaging our yield,” Ben says.
attention to dealing with compaction layers to make sure their
crops can access soil moisture, particularly at the end of the TRIAL AND ERROR
season.
Once the lime was incorporated with the offset discs, the
“Up until about two years ago the biggest constraint was, by far, Stricklands began trialling various machines to tackle subsoil
acidity and aluminium toxic soils, so we’ve had a big push to try compaction. They struggled to find a machine that did what they
and fix that and are getting quite good results, with our yields and needed it to do as well as leaving a soil surface that did not cause
soil tests improving,” Ben Strickland says. establishment issues.
“Now we’ve found the next issue is trying to break through hard “Everything we looked at was doing a really nice job, but there
pans as my father stopped deep ripping in the mid-’90s.” was something physically or agronomically missing out of the
system,” Ben says.
ACIDITY AND ALUMINIUM TOXIC SOILS
“If we deep-ripped, often it was leaving big lumps in the paddock
The Stricklands soil sampled and mapped all of their soil types and that we couldn't seed through or caused establishment issues,
then applied the base rate of lime required to fix them. They have and if we one-way ploughed, then we left a very fluffy soil that we
made subsequent applications as required, often in multiple passes. were struggling to prevent our airseeder bar collapsing into and
we'd have the furrows collapse afterwards.
“Over the past seven or eight years, the lighter better soils would
have had 2t/ha of lime and the worst would be more like 8t/ha,” “We were also having a lot of trouble with the light soils blowing
Ben says. away or making the soils incredibly rough, if they had clay.
“We’ve done a couple of trials that were just over 10t/ha, just to “We promised ourselves it would only take couple of seasons of
see if we can get a response to those levels. seeding through it, and it would even itself out.
“But ultimately we really didn’t make a difference to our soils until “But, even after three years on some areas, it was still at a point
we started ploughing the lime in.” where you virtually couldn’t spray it at the speed you wanted to, so
you had to slow right down.”
INCORPORATING LIME
HORSCH TIGER MAXIMUM TILLAGE
Ben first tried a set of one-way ploughs to skim “quite shallow”
but found them frustrating as they had to be used “around and The Stricklands had finally decided to purchase a deep ripper
around”. He then borrowed some offset discs from neighbours when they saw a machine the Liebe Group were trialling that
and was pleased with the results. made them rethink their plans.
“Offsets are quite good because we can get big areas done very “When we came across the maximum tillage machine about
quickly, turning it in 10 to 15cm and leaving a nice finish, so while 12 months ago initially we considered it to be completely
inappropriate,” explains Ben.

Originally designed to mix in heavy stubbles in Europe, Ben Strickland purchased a Horsch Tiger to mix their lime and corrected pH soils, which are now just in that
topsoil, as well as breaking the hard pan and mixing the organic matter. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
“We thought it was a European machine that wouldn’t fit here at

all, but then we saw it in a live demo and in trials. We realised it “Everything we looked at was doing a
actually had a massive fit for what we’re trying to do.”
really nice job, but there was something
The Horsch Tiger is manufactured in Germany and was designed physically or agronomically missing out
to turn in big stubbles, so the soil is easy to sow into the following
year. Although big stubbles are not the reason why the Stricklands
of the system.” – BEN STRICKLAND, EAST PITHARA
bought the 6m machine, they felt its capacity to mix the soils
offered real potential.
“We knew we had a pH problem below 15cm that we couldn’t They have also found that slower is not better, with the Horsch
address with the offset discs or one-way ploughs, so rather than Tiger needing to be operated at about 8 to 9km an hour to work
using it as a stubble-mixer tool, we are actually using it to do the as it was designed.
same mixing, but with the lime and corrected pH soils, which are
In their first season with the machine, Ben notes establishment has
now just in that topsoil, as well as breaking the hard pan, mixing
been variable, adding the delving function of the machine seems
the organic matter,” Ben says.
to have had the biggest impact. While they were not initially fussed
While 2018 is the first year the Stricklands have used the Horsch by its delving capacity, they were impressed by how well the
Tiger, they are really pleased with what they have seen so far. machine bought up some of the heavier clays from depth, which
reduced wind erosion.
“It has physically done exactly what we wanted it to do – it took
us quite a few hundred hectares of figuring out how to make it “It also made a channel for a lot of that topsoil to fall down into, so
work for our scenario but, once we got there, we love what we're we got a little bit of an inclusion plate type effect,” Ben says. “Not
seeing,” Ben says. quite as well as an inclusion plate, but it’s something, so we left the
delving tynes on.
LESSONS LEARNT “Where we were getting the full depth of the machine, and where
Initially concerned by the narrow width of the machine, they have it was working very well, we were able to get a lot of what would
since found their 550-horsepower track tractor is at capacity, as be quite sour, yellow clay soil to land on the surface and that
the discs on the front of the machine drop about 200mm into seems to be our worst result for establishment, which makes
the ground and the tynes that follow rip to about 400mm, if the sense because we’ve added a bunch of clay without much
conditions are wet enough. organic matter to the surface.”

Sowing shallower will be a strategy in these areas, as Ben
believes the crop will need to maximise its vigour to grow through
a potentially acidic, low organic carbon, crusting soil. While Ben
acknowledges they have reduced their establishment in some
areas, he believes the rewards far outweigh the risks.
“It is more important to be dropping topsoil down in a slot, to give
the root matter somewhere to chase the moisture that so often we
never reach,” Ben says.
“We get to the end of the year with a dry finish and wish we would
have had another 10mm, but then we dig into the subsoil and find
it’s wet still at 25cm.
“We never got the roots there to access it, so it’s more about
finding a way to get the roots to depth. Just as a bonus, bringing
that clay from down deeper to the surface holds the soil, stopping
it from blowing away after you’ve basically removed all the stubble
from the topsoil, which is scary for us.”
ESTABLISHMENT FOLLOWING RENOVATION

When first sowing the very light fluffy soils, the Stricklands
discovered while they were getting the seed placed at the right
depth, the press wheels were dropping too deep where the
tractor had not driven over and not deep enough where it had.
So they opted for wider closer tools and press wheels on their
modified DBS.
They also have further refined the system by making the spring
that holds the press wheel also hold some of the tension, which
they found worked well on their renovated soils but had the
opposite effect on their standard soils, which needed more
pressure to get good seed–soil contact.
“Wherever we’d been through with the maximum tillage, we
moved the press wheel pressures back up to the light as possible
setting but given the Horsch actually has a roller as part of it, it
was nowhere near as much of a problem as what we’d seen with
one-way ploughing but it still seemed to give us a better result,”
Ben says.
“It didn’t make big, deep trenches where the press wheels had
been through, which we were worried about collapsing.”
MORE LIME?
Given the ability of their new machine to mix the soil profile
effectively, Ben thinks he may need to let the soils settle for a few
years before they can take meaningful soil samples. He would not
be surprised if he needs to apply more than maintenance levels of
lime, because the soil has been changed so much.
IN SUMMARY
■ Horsch Tiger is a one-pass renovation tool
■ Optimum speed with the Tiger is 8 to 9km an hour
■ U
se wider press wheels and closer plates, with light
pressure on treated soils
In the first year of using the Horsch, the Stricklands have found optimal soil
mixing occurs at 9km an hour rather than at slower speeds.

i
MORE INFORMATION PHOTOS: BEN STRICKLAND
Ben Strickland, 0412 211 252, stricklands@wn.com.au

Budget reviews, bank managers
and Farm Management Deposits
are handy tools at Mollerin
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Peter and Cathy Cooke
LOCATION: Mollerin
SOIL TYPES: Red sandy lake country and wodjil
soils
barley, 500ha canola, 200ha oats, 150ha lupins
and 700ha triticale Cathy and Peter Cooke have successfully used Farm Management Deposits to
provide security in tough years. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Using business tools to deal with dry seasons is just as important handling fees and creating other opportunities including back
to first-generation Mollerin farmers Cathy and Peter Cooke as loading. In addition, they grow lupins and oats generally for their
tactics used in the paddocks. For example, while for some people sheep enterprise.
budgets can be set-and-forget, Cathy is constantly reviewing their
“We are growing Berkshire triticale on our poorest wodjil soils
numbers and knows when to shut the cheque book.
where we could grow maybe a 1t/ha wheat crop and instead on a
“I put pluses and minuses against things on our budget, so for normal year, you might get 1.4 to 1.5t/ha of triticale,” Cathy says.
example, how we’ve had a bit of a win on some sheep sales, so
“It harvests just like wheat, weighs just like wheat, handles just like
great, we've got a bit extra in the kitty and we can afford to do
wheat and is priced in line with wheat.”
something else,” Cathy says.
As triticale does not tiller like wheat, the Cookes increase their
Farm Management Deposits (FMD) have also been a very handy
standard cereal sowing rate from 50kg/ha to 80kg/ha and
tool for the Cookes, allowing them to put money away in the good
generally sow it with 40kg/ha of compound fertiliser and 30kg/ha
times for the tougher seasons, like 2017.
of urea and will do a nitrogen top-up, if they believe the potential
“Farm Management Deposits in a marginal area are incredibly is there.
valuable for security rather than the tax planning side of it for us,”
“Generally, we don’t feed it up as much as wheat, as being on
Cathy says.
poorer country we expect poorer yields, but in 2018, we’re going
“Financially we’re not knocking on doors looking for extra money, to have a crack at putting a bit more nitrogen on, and see what
because we had FMDs, so they’re hugely important for our happens with a couple of test strips,” Cathy says.
business.”
The Cookes now grow 1000ha of barley, consisting of Scope CLA
Like many farmers the Cookes use a range of paid professionals and feed varieties. They believe it is fast to establish and it is well
for guidance and they also have forged a good relationship with suited to their conditions.
their bank manager, which Cathy says is really valuable.
“Barley takes off and it’s tough, really tough, and it often seems to
“There’s no surprises for our bank manager when something goes yield better than wheat,” Cathy says.
wrong, she's the first person to know,” Cathy says.
FIT FOR CANOLA?
“I think it is a huge asset to have someone that you can work
closely with who can reassure you if times are tough and when While the Cookes are confident with their cereal production, they
times aren’t so tough, they’re the first person there to help you are less comfortable with their ability to grow canola, as their
expand your business.” average is 0.6t/ha despite growing it on reasonable country. They
are growing canola as a weed management tool and to break up
FEED MARKETS their heavier soils. With the right prices and in the right season, it
can be a good earner.
While 80 per cent of their cropping program is wheat, growing
some feed barley and triticale is good agronomically and allows The canola is all sown dry, but Cathy is wondering if they should
the Cookes to provide grain into the domestic market, reducing be taking climate forecasts into better account. In 2017, their

canola crop failed but it was not disastrous, as they were able to
graze it off with ewes and lambs. In 2018, the canola germination
was patchy.
“We don’t know if it was sown deeper or shallower, because I'm
assuming what’s happened is the guys have stopped mid run to
check something, so I don’t know whether they’ve left the bar out,
or if they’ve gone back in deeper,” Cathy says.
“Or perhaps they were going too fast and should have slowed
down – I've got all these questions and I can’t get answers
because they're backpackers, so that’s the problem with having
seasonal staff on your machines.”
LESSONS LEARNT
While 2017 was a very tough year, the Cookes have learnt seed
can sit in the ground for up to six weeks and still germinate. This
gave them confidence in 2018 with the late break that their crops
would germinate once the rain came.
Sheep, in particular prime lambs, are an important part of the
Cookes’ business, which was highlighted again in 2017.
“We were fortunate we had the grain and hay on hand from 2016
and the income from the prime lambs is definitely what kept us
going,” Cathy says.
The Cookes have a very close relationship with their bank manager, who is
“Having said that, I spent a huge amount of time on sheep, and it
the first person they let know when things go wrong and is there to help them
was an opportunity cost, because I could have actually gone and
expand their business when opportunities arise. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
worked off farm and generated income that way.
“I don’t think it would have made as much as the sheep, but there
are costs associated with them and I don’t put a cost on my time
as such.”
“I think it is a huge asset to have someone
The Cookes lamb at the beginning of March and while this often that you can work closely with who can
coincides with hot temperatures and no green feed, they are
generally one of the first lamb producers in their area to send
reassure you if times are tough and when
lambs to market and so receive a good premium. times aren't so tough, they're the first
“I reckon maybe seven in 10 years we lamb on green feed; after
person there to help you expand your
a good cyclone up north they get going on the green feed and business.” – CATHY COOKE, MOLLERIN
when that dries up, they have got stubbles,” Cathy says.
Generally, the lambs are supplementary fed and put onto the best
stubbles in small mobs of about 400. Cathy does acknowledge “I jokingly said to them, ‘you could put any fool on the machine
she spends a significant amount of time shifting and managing and still know you’re going to get something’ and then you
their sheep. really could chase moisture, but at the moment, we’re really only
“We count sheep as another string in our bow, so we might as well confident going to four or five centimetres,” Cathy says.
run sheep and we’ve got our own stock crate, so that makes it
easier, too,” Cathy says.
IN SUMMARY
FUTURE PLANS
■ Use business tools as well in challenging conditions
While the Cookes have embarked on a significant liming and
gypsum program to bring their poorer paddocks up to a base ■ Triticale performs better than wheat in wodjil soils
level, they are just beginning to explore deep ripping after initially ■ Prime lambs receive a premium for March lambing
thinking that given the cost, it might not be worthwhile.
“We tried two paddocks in 2017 about 20km apart and both
paddocks yielded 1.2t/ha, which was double the yield of the
neighbouring paddocks, and ripping was the only difference,”
i
MORE INFORMATION
Cathy says.
Cathy Cooke, 0429 684 401, pccooke@bigpond.com
The Cookes are not yet confident of choosing the right paddocks
with the right soils to deep rip and so are planning on using a
penetrometer and soil consultant to formulate a plan.
Through her involvement with GRDC, Cathy was pleased to learn
of the long coleoptile variety development in wheat and believes
it has a huge fit.

Multiple benefits from Grizzly disc
machine at Bencubbin
SNAPSHOT
GROWER: Tony Sachse
LOCATION: Bencubbin
ENTERPRISES: Cropping and livestock
2018 CROP PROGRAM: Cereals, pulses
and canola
Tony Sachse purchased a Grizzly XL Tiny in 2015 after on-property trials in

2014 to aid lime incorporation to at least 30cm deep. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Aside from his focus on the importance of managing soil GRIZZLY XL TINY
compaction, Tony Sachse says a major constraint to good crop
To help rectify their low subsoil pH, the Sachses purchased a
yields on some areas of his farm is soil acidity at depth. Having
Grizzly XL Tiny with 107cm discs in 2015, after on-property trials
historically conducted soil sampling to 10cm, and then 30cm,
in 2014. A variable rate liming program was completed based
soil sampling is now done down to 50cm in 10cm increments.
on soil test data, with applications up to 6t/ha of lime applied
Soil testing at depth is for pH (in calcium chloride) and aluminium
before incorporation with the Grizzly. The XL model was chosen
levels, and by testing to 50cm Tony finds he can get excellent
because the larger discs allow deeper tillage to at least 300mm.
information on what lime needs to be applied and in what
Tony believes if this can be done properly, then a major tillage
timeframe.
event may not need to occur for up to 15 years in a no-till system.
“Although we didn't lime enough early enough, generally the He also finds it can help to apply lime to pasture paddocks in late
surface pH has been kept from 5.3 to 6, with some areas over six,” winter and early spring to benefit from some rainfall incorporation
Tony says. prior to any mechanical incorporation.
“However, a decline in the subsurface levels has taken place, “We like to apply lime and then allow some time to pass and/
and with no-till planting and surface pH levels at six or below, no or some rainfall for it to actually be moved into the soil – it’s nice
movement of lime into the subsoil has occurred. if it was a few months with a few significant rain events before
mechanical incorporation.”
“It’s not all over the paddocks, and it’s certainly not all over the
farm, but it is in some of the higher-production paddocks. The working width of the Grizzly can be varied slightly, depending
on how much aggression is required, and while the initial setup
“The decline in pH over time has seen subsoil pH levels of 4.8 to 5
was on the third strongest setting, they have now settled on the
fall to 4.3 or even lower and I am concerned if subsoil pH is below
second strongest, which is about 5.8m and a travel speed of 4.5 to
4.8 and very concerned if it is below 4.5.
5km/h. Tony says they try to operate the machine when the soil is
“If the pH levels have associated high aluminium toxicity, which moist at depth to minimise the wear on the discs.
they probably will, then root growth of different crops are affected
“If you inadvertently go over rocks it will ride over them, but it
because high aluminium levels can have a very severe impact on
can chip the discs, which is disappointing, but it’s not like the
sensitive crops and pastures.
machine’s going to be inherently damaged in any way – if you've
“Unless the surface is above 6.2 then it’s unlikely that any
significant downward movement in pH will occur, so you need
significant lime applications and a very long period of time for the “In the first year the establishment was
lime to move down naturally.
perfect, however year two saw a poor
“Significant rainfall events can help in this regard but it can still establishment due to a very heavy rain
take a long time, depending on soil type and location.”
event post sowing in combination with
deeper sown grain due to dry soil at
sowing.” – TONY SACHSE, BENCUBBIN

got mixed country and some rocks, that’s an advantage over the surface with moisture at depth, then obviously we'd go deeper
perhaps a spader,” Tony says. than that, as long as the coleoptile length of that variety can
handle it,” Tony says.
“If it’s very dry, there’s higher wear on the discs and as well it’s
more prone to erosion, so it’s important to get the timing right. Tony has not tried sowing smaller seeds such as canola on
We did have a reasonable weight package on our 530 horsepower country which has been recently covered by the Grizzly, saying he
Caterpillar tractor, but we've added a bit extra just to help with the would be cautious with that approach after seeing even cereals
Grizzly and keeping the wheel slip at less than 5 per cent. struggle. However, he knows of growers who have successfully
established canola in year one.
“Under good conditions the wheel slip should be around 2 per cent.”
CAGE ROLLERS
INCREASED NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY
The Grizzly already has cage rollers on the back of it, that leave
Another benefit of mechanical incorporation following liming
an imprint after the treatment, which Tony thinks helps reduce the
is increased availability of nutrients, including nitrogen and
erosion risk.
phosphorus. However, Tony cautions that the majority of the
nitrogen effect is in the season of incorporation, meaning “They were an option available, engineered and integrated into
additional nutrients may be required in subsequent years to cover the machine and they work and fold well, which I believe is a good
for the already released organic nitrogen. addition,” Tony says.
Tony says those planting crops following a Grizzly might need to However, the Sachses are working together with the
adjust inputs, suggesting with better soil conditions they should manufacturer to better level the tilled soil. Tony is also planning
be able to achieve increased yields. He believes with increased to use a smudge bar in a separate operation with a tyre roller to
available nitrogen, better soil structure and improved root growth, aid levelling and establishment. He believes this extra operation,
if good establishment is achieved then a yield response of up to which would be done while the soil is still loose and easily
20 per cent in year one with perhaps 10 per cent yield responses moved, will be worthwhile.
in future years is possible. He attributes the yield increases to the
lime itself, the incorporation of the lime to depth and a reduction in
compaction to at least 300mm. IN SUMMARY
“I think that in average seasons, it shouldn’t take too long for the
■ Soil acidity at depth is the key challenge
extra variable and capital costs to be returned,” Tony says.
■ G
rizzly is aiding incorporation of up to 6t/ha of lime using
“In more challenging rainfall years with extended dry spells, the
variable rate spreading
ability of crops to have deeper and greater root growth should
enable yields to be maximised with rainfall.” ■ Establishment following Grizzly treatment can be variable
ESTABLISHMENT FOLLOWING THE GRIZZLY
i
Tony says there have been some issues with levelling paddocks MORE INFORMATION
following the Grizzly, which is not uncommon with any ploughing
Tony Sachse, 0429 851257, amsachse@bigpond.com
treatment. Despite focusing on setting the machine up correctly,
he has found the paddock finish can still be compromised.
“Depending on the soil moisture levels and subsequent rainfall
events, the establishment can vary significantly,” Tony says.
“In the first year the establishment was perfect, however year
two saw a poor establishment due to a very heavy rain event
post-sowing in combination with deeper grain placement due to
dry soil at sowing.
“In 2018 the germination was a little lower than the non-Grizzly,
but with good weed control the crop is looking very good and it’s
expected that a yield increase will occur.”
Tony believes the keys to successful emergence following lime
incorporation are shallow seed placement and a high sowing rate,
light compaction rolling if needed, and good chemical choices that
will not overly compromise coleoptile length of the seedlings.
“Using an Ausplow DBS planter, we sow with a zero-depth setting
with the lightest press wheel pressure available,” Tony says.
“We reduce speed as well, sometimes going as slow as 6 to
7km/h to create good furrow definition while minimising soil throw,
which is made easier when the soil profile is wet.”
In addition, they increase sowing rates in those treated areas, from
The width of the Grizzly varies slightly, depending on how much aggression
a traditional rate of around 60kg/ha for cereals up to 80 to 90kg/
is required, and while the initial setup was on the third strongest setting, the
ha after the Grizzly treatment. Sachses have now settled on the second strongest, which is about 5.8m and a
“Ideally a depth of 10mm for wheat is preferred but if it is drier on travel speed of 4.5 to 5km/h. PHOTO: TONY SACHSE

Managing soil health a priority
at Bencubbin
SNAPSHOT
GROWER: Nick and Tryphena Gillett
LOCATION: Bencubbin
FARM SIZE: 11,000ha (arable)
SOIL TYPES: Mallee, salmon gum and lighter
sands and gravel soils
barley and 1500ha canola Nick Gillett is focusing on the factors he can improve such as the friability,
moisture-holding capacity and rooting depth of his soils to improve the bucket
of water available to his crops. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
While annual rainfall of around 300mm has not changed too HEDGING BETS WITH DEEP SEEDING
much over the years on the Gillett property at Bencubbin, what
Nick has also been focused on setting up a solid seeding system
has changed is the distribution. The challenge of a lower growing
that uses available moisture effectively. Using an RTK system,
season rainfall, according to Nick Gillett, is to manage available
they have been on 2cm accuracy from 2005, which meant in dry
moisture well while ensuring a friable soil structure. It is for this
years such as 2006 they could seed back into the slot and chase
reason that even though he likes sheep, he has removed livestock
moisture at depth.
from the property as they compromise the soil structure and other
management decisions. However, the addition of another tractor in the system without the
same autosteer unit means they cannot continue with that system
“We really need to have soil cover and stubble retention to
until the guidance equipment is standardised. An additional tactic
maintain moisture, and sheep have always got this uncanny knack
in seasons with a dry outlook has been using deep-seeding to
of camping on the barest part of the paddock, making it worse,”
access moisture by sowing wheat to 75 to 100mm.
Nick says.
“Obviously if you deep-seed and then get 50mm of rain on top,
“It meant we could actually never fix up some of the problematic
that would seal things over, but we have had good results,” Nick
soils that we had, so that's been the premise behind it.”
says.
ANALYSING THE NUMBERS “We hedge our bets, so we might put 50 per cent deep banded
and 50 per cent on top, or we might increase the sowing rates
Before making the decision to shift out of sheep, the Gilletts
and combined with the ability to seed in-between the rows if you
analysed their numbers. Despite the fact they could make quite
had high stubble loads, that was working extremely well.”
good returns on sheep there were several issues that ultimately
led to their removal. The deep-seeding tactics also meant a change in fertiliser and
seeding rate tactics as well. Initially they deep-banded Flexi-N,
“To get the best return out of our sheep enterprise, we needed
before turning more recently to deep-banded urea.
more food on offer, and that meant that we would spray-top late,
which would mean more carry over weeds, which also caused “Basically, if we’re chasing germination and we're seeding deep,
issues with dry seeding, because obviously the weed burden is a we'll pull nitrogen out of the system and just go compound split
problem,” Nick says. 50/50, so there's no risk of toxicity or anything like that,” Nick says.
“We tried higher stocking rates, but that meant supplementary “In terms of seeding rates, we generally aim for 55 to 65kg/ha,
feeding, feed lotting and at the start of the season, because the which we increase when seeding deeper, depending on the soil
feed just wasn’t established, we were grazing crops as well. types – if it was a really heavy clay soil, we probably wouldn't push
things too high.
“We tried everything we could to really make it work and, in the
end, I just thought it was just too much of a compromise.” “But obviously on the lighter medium soils I certainly wouldn’t have
an issue going to 80kg/ha or similar to compensate for the depth,
increasing the rate by 10 to 20 per cent.”

IS SEEDING SHALLOW BETTER?
Despite the success of deep sowing tactics previously, the 2018 “We can’t change the rainfall, we can’t
season is the first time Nick Gillett has seen a significant amount change the rainfall patterns, so we’ve just
of moulted wheat when deep sowing. Fifty per cent of their wheat got to improve friability and the moisture
was sown at 75 to 100mm and 50 per cent was around 50mm.
holding content of the soil and also, the
“It’s not worth the issues – this year on anything that was deep- rooting depth of the soil to improve the
seeded, or even was just sown at 40 to 50mm, we had moulting
issues, while where we sowed it at 10 to 20mm there were very bucket of water available to the crop.”
little problems,” Nick reports. – NICK GILLETT, BENCUBBIN
“It was really bad and so I’m sort of second guessing our operation
now and I'm wondering whether we’d just seed shallow – if we
have the same start in 2019 as in 2018, I'll think I’ll seed everything
shallow. “However, there's still some trials coming out of DPIRD showing
“You will get capillary rise in the slots as well, but generally if you our Morrell lime is a lot finer than limesand; they’re actually getting
just get a small amount of rain you harvest the moisture with the good responses.”
press wheel slot anyway, so maybe I'm morphing away from the
deep-seeding.” PLOZZA PLOUGH
Incorporating the lime effectively has been a work in progress for
LONG COLEOPTILE WHEATS the Gilletts, who have used a Plozza Plough on deep sands to mix
Although in 2018 the Gilletts are exclusively growing ScepterA it in.
wheat, Nick says being able to grow particularly short season “We used the Plozza Plough on extremely deep sand on a new
wheat varieties with a long coleoptile would be beneficial when farm which was highly acidic, so we hit it with four tonne of
deep-seeding. limesand and a tonne of gypsum the year before and then we put
“Because we do get a lot of out-of-season rainfall, a lot of times up to 12t/ha of Morrell lime on it in 2018, but that was always just
we'll have moisture at depth going into April but generally we'd going to fizz around on top,” Nick says.
just sow shallow and ignore it because we just don't have the “So, the best thing to do was to get in the root zone and the
ability to get the seed in and get it up. Plozza Plough definitely did that – it was working down to 250mm
“Having said that, when we first deep seeded, we actually had depth and folding it in, so I think it would have done a great job.
WyalkatchemA coming up from 100mm because there was no “On certain soil types the lime is probably doing enough to buffer
rain following, it was warm conditions in late May and it still came the change and the issues, but certainly some of those wodjil
through quite well – but obviously we won’t rely on WyalkatchemA deep sand soil types that have bad aluminium toxicity and also
coming through on that sort of depth normally.” really poor pH, I think the Plozza Plough is just the only way you
can get a quick result.”
MAXIMISING SOIL HEALTH
While the performance of the Plozza Plough is good, Nick admits
Another big focus for Nick Gillett has been soil health, particularly it is quite fiddly to use and operates at very low hectares per hour.
through management of soil pH through liming. The decision to He is considering something simpler such as offset discs in the
pursue an intensive liming program came after he realised the future, if he can get the depth to at least 200mm.
importance of targeting the factors he could control.
The Gilletts also have a deep ripper, which Nick says is good in
“We can’t change the rainfall, we can’t change the rainfall patterns, theory for incorporating lime, but says in heavier soils with rocks,
so we’ve just got to improve friability and the moisture-holding the machine can make a huge mess in their paddocks.
content of the soil and also, the rooting depth of the soil to
improve the bucket of water available to the crop,” Nick says.
“Our heavier country contains strong fertile soils and they're IN SUMMARY
traditionally early cleared wheatbelt soils but they don't handle
dry conditions too well, so we're purchasing more lighter sands ■ Sheep are no longer worth the compromise
and mallee soils and inherently they have a lot of pH issues which,
■ Shallow seeding might be less risky than deeper sowing
certainly at depth, can cause yield limitations.”
■ Local lime source showing great potential
LOCAL LIME
This means the Gilletts have always had quite a big liming
program, carting limesand from the coast. Nick says that was a
i
costly exercise, particularly due to the freight costs. However, MORE INFORMATION
they have since found sources of high-neutralising Morrell Nick Gillett, 0427 862 007, nickandtryph@bbnet.com.au
lime on their farm, with Nick describing the ability to convert a
hectare’s worth of lime from a paddock into improving 3000 to
4000ha as a “game changer”.
“The neutralising value of our lime is around 30 per cent, so it’s
probably, give-or-take, a third of lime sand from the coast,” Nick
says.

Capitalising on the ‘middle years’
is the key at Merredin
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Jules and Pep Alvaro
LOCATION: Merredin
SOIL TYPES: Heavy clay to sandy wodjil
barley, 220ha lupins and 800ha chemical fallow
Jules and Pep Alvaro first tried using a weather derivative product in 2017 to
protect against a dry start to the season on their higher risk, heavy clays.
PHOTO: JULES ALVARO
After a run of average to below-average years, Jules and Pep summer months. Before the analysis the Alvaros believed that
Alvaro were keen to try a weather derivative product that would September was their ‘money month’; but they now understand that
allow them to farm with more confidence, knowing they were July is, because if they have good July rainfall then a reasonable
protected against big losses in drought years on their higher-risk season follows.
heavy clays. In 2017 they used a weather put, after having both
their own rainfall data and some Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) INSURING AN APPLICATION
gridded data professionally analysed. The Alvaros successfully
Since learning July is their money month, in 2018 the Alvaros
applied for a grant that covered 50 per cent of this cost.
insured their nitrogen application across the farm for the month of
“The weather put works on rainfall received in between specific August.
dates, so our dates in 2017 ran from 11 April until 16 June, and
“We insured basically the cost of our nitrogen that we were going
we insured against receiving less than 39mm in that period,”
to apply and if we ended up with decile one rainfall for August, we
Jules says.
would have been able to make a claim,” Jules says.
The Alvaros have a BOM weather station site close to them that
“We’re so cautious because our rainfall can just cut off so quickly
is used as the official rainfall measurement station and Jules is
and so the insurance gave us the confidence to spread that N out
confident it accurately reflects their rainfall received.
and we think in the season of 2018 it’s going to pay off.”
With the dry start to 2017, the Alvaros lodged a claim and received
The real benefit of the weather insurance products for the Alvaros
a payout of $23/ha after a spend of $7.26/ha. In 2018, they insured
is the confidence it gives them to maximise the potential of their
against receiving less than 39mm between 3 April and 20 June.
‘middle years’ by better understanding the weather in those years.
However, pleasingly, they received more rain in this period.
“We’re not farming for that bottom season, but a drought is
ANALYSING DATA a drought and then you get probably one to two really good
seasons in a decade but then there's probably another six that we
With the aim of minimising premium costs, the Alvaros use their
can squeeze more profit out of.
rainfall data with the help of their consultant to determine the time
period and rainfall amount they would like to insure for. “I think the main effect the insurance has had is on our attitude to
spending that little bit more on our crop during the season instead
“We’re obviously trying to pay the cheapest premium we can, so
of having so much of a defensive role because we've had some
sometimes if you widen the dates out with less rain, you’re looking
fairly harsh seasons.
at a cheaper premium, so we are using the data to try and work
out where the best bang for our dollar is premium-wise,” Jules “We’re farming more like we were in our younger days, not being
says. silly, but just putting that little bit of extra N where we think that it’s
going to have value.”
The Alvaros also learnt from analysing their data that there really
was not an overall pattern with their rainfall and that while their
annual rainfall was not declining, more of it was falling in the

“You learn to understand that it’s not all
about farming for those high highs and
low lows; there’s a lot of average seasons
that we can squeeze more profit out of.”
– JULES ALVARO, MERREDIN
FUTURE PLANS
With weather derivative products being so new, they are always
changing and as more growers use them, Jules believes they are
getting better. As a result, the Alvaros will continue to evaluate the
products available to determine the fit for their business. For those
considering trying a weather derivative product, Jules believes it is
an opportunity for growers to learn a lot about their weather.
“You learn to understand that it’s not all about farming for those
high highs and low lows; there’s a lot of average seasons that we
can squeeze more profit out of,” Jules says.
IN SUMMARY
■ A
nalysed 100 years of weather data, determining July is
their ‘money month’
■ 2
018 insured against a decile 1 rainfall event from 3 April to
20 June
■ 2
018 insured against a decile 1 rainfall event in August to
cover nitrogen application
i
MORE INFORMATION
Jules Alvaro, 0429 141 668, jules@windsorhart.com.au

Doing the big things well
at Bruce Rock
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: John, Steph, Chris and Maureen
Chapman
LOCATION: Bruce Rock, Ardath and Shackleton
SOIL TYPES: Mostly medium, with some light
and some heavy
1400ha canola, 900ha barley, 300ha lupins
and 130ha chickpeas John Chapman runs a 50-foot (15.3m) DBS after switching from a Morris to
give the operation the capacity to chase moisture. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
It is all about focusing on doing the big things right for John While they tried a new system to change the depth, John found
Chapman rather than worrying about the little things. So, at his it was not easier or as durable so they reverted back to the old
Bruce Rock and Shackleton farms, that means focusing on doing system. In the future, John is looking at putting a ProTrakker
the right job at the right time, such as summer weed control, system on his bar so seed can be placed in last year’s row if that is
timely sowing, providing adequate nutrition, applying lime or deep where the moisture is.
ripping. If the family gets these things right, then John believes
“We have been talking about ProTrakkers to increase the level
their crops stand the best chance to maximise their potential,
of accuracy for seeding tynes – it’s the same chasing moisture
whether it is in ideal conditions or otherwise.
situation, where the moisture is sometimes in a row, so you want to
hit that row,” John says.
DBS CHASES MOISTURE
The Chapmans have run a 15.3-metre DBS on 30cm spacings for CONTROLLED TRAFFIC FARMING THE GOAL
nine seasons after switching across from a Morris because they
The Chapmans are looking at moving to a 12m controlled traffic
wanted more tyne break-out pressure to allow them to chase
farming system and as part of that John is looking to upgrade his
moisture at depth.
15m DBS to an 18m model. John believes there is enough data
“There are a lot of systems, and it’d be nice to have one of available now that proves the benefits of adopting the system. He
everything, but for us having a bar that doesn’t break, covers also believes that for deep ripping to be worthwhile, people must
the ground, and can dig a hole in a fairly consistent and reliable be operating on a controlled traffic farming system.
manner – we’re happy with the DBS,” John says.
“You recompact the soil 80 per cent in the first pass, so there’s not
Generally, the Chapmans try and rip as deep as possible with their much point in doing that sort of work if you’re not going to have
points, as determined by the tractor’s capacity. However, John has some sort of controlled traffic system in place,” John says.
found changing the sowing depth on the DBS can be hard.
DEEP RIPPING
“Digging depth control is pretty easy, it’s just donuts on hydraulic
rams, whereas the seed depth is more difficult to change,” John The Chapmans first trialled deep ripping in 2018 and John is really
says. happy with the result.
“Historically it was a closer that you had to unbolt and move it and “We only did a paddock as a trial and it costs us $125 per hectare,
then bolt it back on, which was a good system, but it just took time and I think I’ll get that money back pretty easy, because that
to change. paddock is a sand over gravel,” John says.
“Sometimes you didn’t want to change it because you didn't want “The jury’s still out a little bit and I don’t think you want to be first in
to undo all the bolts, and you didn’t want to stop, but we learnt anything, you want to be second, but I think ripping the right soil
from experience that you just need to stop and change it, because types for the right reasons will become more and more popular.”
the wrong depth can matter.”

“Everything in farming takes five years –
what we’re planting today, harvesting
at the end of the year has taken us five
years to grow it.”
– JOHN CHAPMAN, BRUCE ROCK
The Chapmans grow ScepterA, NinjaA and ZenA, primarily because they yield well. In addition, they also grow barley as an alternative to a long-season wheat.
PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
THREE WHEAT VARIETIES PLUS BARLEY “We run 0 to 100kg/ha Agstar and then we also run a box with
MOP in it, which would turn on and off depending on K rates,
While coleoptile length is a factor, the Chapmans grow ScepterA,
which range from 10 to 40kg/ha.
NinjaA and ZenA, primarily because they yield well and the
different length of season acts as a frost mitigation tool. They
LIMING
are comfortable planting NinjaA and ZenA at 50 to 60mm deep,
particularly in warm soils. The Chapmans have also invested significantly in applying lime
across their farms over the past 10 years. John believes it is
“This year we planted two noodle wheats, a long one (ZenA)
and
important to focus on one of their biggest constraints before
a short one (NinjaA) because we had some moisture at depth and
launching into deep ripping.
a lot of the time we're planting early and don’t know if it’s going to
rain anyway, so we will split varieties for frost risk management,” “WA uses half the amount of lime it’s supposed to and I probably
John says. use double because it’s pretty clear that has been one of our
biggest constraints,” says John.
In addition, John says they also grow barley as their alternative to
a long season wheat. As they have a significant canola and barley “Your return on investment for lime was, I think, three to five years
program to get through before they start wheat, they do not need to get your money back, and you're ahead forever.
more varieties to cover their risk.
“Everything in farming takes five years – what we’re planting today,
harvesting at the end of the year has taken us five years to grow it.”
TARGETED NUTRITION
John sums up their approach to fertiliser as, “put on the amount
of fertiliser that the plant needs, and no more”. The Chapmans’ IN SUMMARY
Multistream bin runs two granular fertilisers, Agstar and MOP as
well as Flexi-N, so they are able to tailor phosphorus, potassium ■ DBS chases moisture
and nitrogen rates accordingly. They do not run variable rate
technology, as John does not believe it is worth adding the ■ Barley is the equivalent of a long-season wheat
complication. They also do not tend to adjust their starter fertiliser ■ Only deep rip if other constraints have been addressed
depending on seasonal conditions, but are instead more likely to
adjust nitrogen later in the season.
“I think the last five years, our P rates have dropped a fair bit
i
because we have got some pretty good phosphate banks but MORE INFORMATION
other things have gone up, so we’re cutting out P for K,” John says.
John Chapman, 0428 651 066,
“It’s just good to have separate N, P and K, so you can adjust them johnsteph11@bigpond.com
in each paddock so it’s not one rate across the farm.

Pulling canola out rather than sowing
it half-wet half-dry at Mount Walker
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Robert and Maxine, Mitchell and
Adam Miolini
LOCATION: Mount Walker
SOIL TYPES: Mostly good loams with some
heavy loams and lighter soils
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 1700ha barley,
1530ha wheat and 370ha lupins
Robert, Adam and Mitch Miolini will choose not to sow canola rather than
sowing it in half-wet, half-dry conditions. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
Experience has taught the Miolini family that it is just not worth “We have been advised to apply 4t/ha of lime and 1t/ha of gypsum
sowing canola in half-wet half-dry conditions. It needs to be either on those saline areas so we’ll probably try some of that and see if
dry or wet, rather than a mix of both. it gets it back quicker, now that it’s all been opened up.”
“When it came to sowing canola in 2018, it was still at that patchy
BARLEY IN SALTIER SOILS
half-wet half-dry stage, and we'd been burnt in 2017 with poor crop
establishment, so we decided to leave canola out of our program Barley has become an important part of the Miolini family’s grain
this year,” Robert Miolini says. enterprise as in addition to performing well in their better country,
it also performs on their saltier soils. They begin dry sowing with
As the rest of the program progresses, Robert makes case-by-
ScopeA and then shift to Spartacus CLA, which they find is better
case decisions on whether to seed in half-wet half-dry conditions.
suited to shorter seasons.
“I guess it’s on the day when you're looking at an individual
“In 2017, Spartacus CLA went 3.2t/ha and that was put in three or
paddock whether you think, ‘okay, this one might work,’ so you have
four weeks after the ScopeA and the best ScopeA went was
a go at it – there's not really much else you can do,” Robert says.
3t/ha,” Robert says.
“If you’ve got to stop and wait for it completely to dry out and
In terms of which performs better in the saltier country, Robert
then start again, that could take too long, and then you get a 2mm
believes the Spartacus CLA has probably produced the best
rainfall event in between that makes it worse than what it was if
results.
you had gone earlier.”
“We thought in 2017 that Spartacus CLA had grown quite well on
Irrespective of the conditions, the Miolinis use their DBS to dig to
some of our salty country compared to ScopeA, as the ScopeA
approximately 100mm so they will have at least 50mm of loose soil
tends to go really yellow and Spartacus CLA didn’t seem to do
beneath the seed to maximise root growth.
that,” Robert says.
DEEP DRAINS “I don’t know whether it was because it was so wet that it was
keeping the salt level down so the Spartacus CLA could grow
Salinity rather than soil acidity is the major soil constraint on the
through it – it is hard to know because we haven’t had the ScopeA
Miolini home farm. When they bought the property 10 years ago,
on that country before when it was so wet.”
they deep ripped and dug some deep drains on affected country
to reduce salt levels. They were growing some pretty good crops
CONSERVING MOISTURE
on that country when they had a flood in 2016, which seemed to
undo all of their good work. After experiencing a delay in the boom spray resuming spraying
after automatically shutting off at the end of runs, the importance
“When the flood came, water laid in those salty areas for a couple
of summer spraying to conserve moisture was confirmed for the
of months and set it all again, so we’ve opened it all up again, and
Miolinis.
had the drains cleaned, so hopefully we can get a bit of that back
to what it was like before,” Robert says.

“Some of the best trials you can ever do
are mistakes that you can see and learn
from.” – ROBERT MIOLINI, MOUNT WALKER
FUTURE PLANS
On their original farm the Miolinis are going to trial a deep ripper
and a Plozza Plough with and without lime on a paddock of yellow
sandplain. While not sure quite what the results will be, they have
been persuaded to trial the amelioration tool after growers at
Muntagin had success with it.
Robert says their sheep flock has provided another valuable
source of income, which was particularly important in the tough
years of the early 2000s. However, as one son, Adam, believes
sheep fit their system, while the other son, Mitchell, does not, time
will tell if sheep remain part of their enterprise mix.
IN SUMMARY
■ Do not sow canola if there are half-dry, half-wet conditions
■ Deep drains and deep ripping reduces saline conditions
■ Offset disc pasture paddocks prior to sowing with canola
i
MORE INFORMATION
Robert Miolini, 0428 616 030,
maxine.miolini@bigpond.com
On their home farm saline soils are the Miolinis’ main soil constraint and they
have had good results with deep drains. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
“When we turned around the boom didn’t come back on for about
70m and we didn’t go back and spray that out, so the wheat crop
in that was absolutely shocking compared to where it had been
sprayed – it’s just so important to conserve moisture by eliminating
weeds,” Robert says.
“Some of the best trials you can ever do are mistakes that you can
see and learn from.”
CANOLA ESTABLISHMENT
Like lupins, canola is a handy weed management tool for the
Miolinis, but it does not deliver the same nutritional benefits and
establishment can be tricky. Generally, the Miolinis have been
sowing canola into their pasture paddocks, as they yield better
than if the canola is planted onto cereal stubbles.
“If we get the opportunity we tend to try and offset disc those
paddocks to a depth of probably two inches just to give a better
seed bed for the canola, rather than try to chop into a pasture
paddock and the soil ending up too lumpy around the seed,”
Robert says.

Setting paddocks up is
the key at Mt Walker South
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Austin, Darien and Steven Pascoe
LOCATION: Mt Walker South
ENTERPRISES: Cropping and livestock
SOIL TYPES: Mainly sand over gravel and some
yellow sandplain
440ha lupins, 177ha export hay, 177ha oats When oaten hay was a bigger part of Austin and Steven Pascoe’s cropping
and 718ha canola program, they would sow oats onto their lupin stubbles. Now, after returning
to growing canola, the Pascoes sow canola onto their lupin stubbles to
maximise the potential of their most profitable crop. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
While many would sow wheat on lupin stubbles, for Austin Pascoe While all their canola is generally sown dry, Austin is confident
it makes much more sense to sow canola on lupin stubbles to that with his older DBS the crop will germinate on 5mm. However,
maximise the potential of their most profitable crop. Originally he would prefer to have more reliable weather forecasts to know
when oaten hay was a bigger part of their program, before their more rain is coming.
return to canola, Austin used the same approach and grew oaten
“I would like a better forecast so you know you can go seven days
hay following lupins.
out from a rain event and you will get that rain event because you
“In 2017, we had one canola paddock that was on oat stubble and don’t want to sow all these hectares of canola and then find you
one on lupin stubble, and it was 0.6t/ha better on the lupin stubble, get a 2mm rain event, because that causes problems,” Austin says.
which blew us away,” Austin says.
DEEP RIPPING
“They were seeded basically the same day, had all the same
fertiliser, same chemicals, but the lupin stubble was just so much Twenty-five years ago, Austin started deep ripping after using a
better. rod to gauge how compacted his soils were. He found their yellow
sandplain soils were the most compacted, which subsequently
“The hay used to go onto lupin stubble because that was our best
resulted in their best response.
return, it’s the best set up paddock, so you pick your best return
crops to go on your best paddocks. “We actually did tissue tests the first year after we started playing
around with deep ripping, and the trace elements and phosphorus
“It certainly proved it in 2017 because we thought lupins weren't
levels were off the scale compared to the soil right next door that
giving us the benefit that they used to years ago and it certainly
hadn't been deep ripped,” Austin says.
proved me wrong that yes, we were still getting a very good
benefit from that free nitrogen.” “So, it really did open up a fertiliser bank that was hidden
underneath that hardpan.”
CANOLA FOLLOWS LUPINS
While they had good results on their sandplain soils, it did not
After having the benefit of soil nitrogen on canola confirmed in work in the gravel or conglomerate soils and as all of their
2017, the Pascoes sow all of their ATR BonitoA canola at about paddocks are made up of different soil types, they started to
2kg/ha into lupin stubbles. Austin believes by taking advantage of question their deep-ripping plans.
the soil nitrogen they are maximising establishment by not relying
“That’s where it opened a can of worms because all the paddocks
on artificial nitrogen, which can cause toxicity issues, particularly in
had different soil types in them, so we couldn’t just go across the
marginal conditions.
whole paddock, and then during seeding the following year, it was
“Establishment is way better than if you use bought nitrogen, just just too difficult, so we decided to buy a DBS,” Austin says.
the strike rate is so much better – sometimes you think, ‘what’s
happened to the seeding rate?’ but the seeding rate’s been the
same, it’s just been the strike rate,” Austin says.

DBS
The Pascoes primarily bought the DBS on 25cm spacings for
improved seed placement and establishment, including being
able to partially rip the soil with the points. In addition, they found it
helped to reduce wind erosion, a common problem.
“Originally, we went out to 9-inch points, but then we went back to
8-inch because we just found the pressures that we had to run for
the 9-inch points were too harsh on the machine,” Austin says.
In 2018, the Pascoes used 6-inch points because there was
no moisture at depth, so they saw little point in ripping further
beneath the seed.
“I don’t believe you have to place seed deeper to get the moisture
because with the press wheel, the capillary action will bring the
moisture to the seed,” Austin says.
Therefore, the Pascoes do not sow deeper to chase moisture at In 2018, the Pascoes used six-inch points rather than their traditional eight-
inch points on their DBS bar as they saw no point digging deeper when there
depth, sowing their NinjaA, MaceA and ScepterA at about 16mm.
was no moisture at depth. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
SUMMER SPRAYING
Experience has taught the Pascoes that summer spraying is
critical, particularly on their dry starts. “Another tool we'd like to have is a
“I’ve seen in the past where I ran out of chemical and there's a little
WeedSeeker® or a WEEDit, which I think
triangle piece in the middle of a paddock and I’d say, ‘It doesn’t every farmer will have eventually because
matter, we won’t go back and do that,’ well, come cropping time, saving money on chemicals during
that bit where the summer weeds got away, the germination was summer spraying means the equipment
half,” Austin says.
will pay for itself down the track.”
“Another tool we'd like to have is a WeedSeeker® or a WEEDit, – AUSTIN PASCOE, MOUNT WALKER SOUTH
which I think every farmer will have eventually, because saving
money on chemicals during summer spraying means the
equipment will pay for itself down the track.”
KEEPING WEED NUMBERS LOW

Austin Pascoe knows with his DBS he is reliant on chemicals for
IN SUMMARY
weed control and so is focused on keeping weed numbers low
to maximise the crop’s potential. They are prepared to spray out ■ Canola on lupin stubble for best profitability
weed escapees, desiccate, crop-top and use hay as a tool to ■ D
eep ripping is difficult in paddocks with inconsistent soil
manage grasses. types
“With a DBS bar, it’s a numbers game with chemicals and you rely ■ Summer spraying and keeping weed numbers low is critical
more on your chemicals if you’re not using knockdowns or you
get these late starts or dry starts, if you’ve kept your numbers low
you're halfway there already,” Austin says.
i
MORE INFORMATION
“In the past we’ve had a wet year and didn’t spray all the grass out
in the lupins, and we paid a penalty for about five or six years after Austin Pascoe, 08 9061 7035, amdkpascoe@gmail.com
that particular lupin crop, trying to control the grasses that we let
get away.
“In the future, if that happened again, we’d just go out and
desiccate or crop-top where those weeds were.”
FUTURE PLANS
Austin believes soil health has a big influence on yields and is
looking to trial applying microbes through the boom spray, having
coated seeds with microbes previously.
“I do believe microbes play a big part in yields, and soil health is
everything really – that’s what we’ve been chasing here from way
back when we first started deep ripping,” Austin says.
“We are always looking, always learning because every year’s
different and nothing is ever set in concrete.”

Farm-size on-row off-row experiment
at Wickepin shows the benefits
of on-row sowing
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Gary and Sue Lang
LOCATION: Wickepin
FARM SIZE: 4630ha
SOIL TYPES: Predominantly duplex with some
heavy clays
2018 CROP PROGRAM: 1100ha barley, 1400ha
wheat, 900ha canola, 340ha lupins, and 180ha
oats Gary Lang replaced his Conserva Pak with a DBS in 2018 and the slight
difference in tyne spacing (DBS 300mm and Conserva Pak 304mm) resulted in
a large demonstration of on-row and off-row sowing. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
A recent change in seeding equipment has resulted in a whole- “I said all summer the one thing we don’t want is a dry seeding
of-farm demonstration of the benefits of on-row versus off-row because we've seen it in the past, and we’ve been targeting
sowing for Gary Lang and he is rpleased with what he has seen. sowing on the row or close to the row for some time, because
we’ve seen that work before.
The Langs have run a 12m controlled traffic farming system for 10
years, and up until 2018 had a John Deere Conserva Pak on 30cm “However, we got what we didn't want in terms of the seeding start
spacings and a Simplicity Cart out the back. They pulled that rig this year and we got 3920ha of on and off-row experiment, which
with a four-wheel drive tractor, then a front-wheel assist tractor, doesn’t matter when it's wet or when it’s clay, but when it’s sandy
and most recently a track CAT Challenger tractor. The current DBS we got some pretty interesting results.”
seeding bar was purchased for the 2018 season.
The biggest impact of the seeding tyne moving on and off-row
“We upgraded because we were finding we had to do a lot of was seen in the Langs’ sandy soils and the sand over clays.
maintenance on the Conserva Pak, plus we also had problems
“It’s really easy to see because last year’s rows are still sitting
actually pulling it in straight lines, it tended to crab-walk a bit, but
there as stubble,” Gary says.
really maintenance was the biggest issue,” Gary says.
“We got a fantastic germination where we could get the seed
“We chose a DBS because, rather than go to Dowerin and look at
in the previous year’s row, and the difference in crop where it
new shiny things, we spent a day driving within 100km of home,
germinated on 25 May rain verses not, is just amazing.
probably did 400km for the day, looking at five different brands
from three to 10 years old. “The rows were very straight in 2018, so we’ll be fine next year,
but in 2017 they did move a little bit more than I would like – so
“The DBS was in far better nick than all the rest, plus we also
wherever we were on-row, we had fantastic germinations and
had a friend buy a block next door, and he was getting good
wherever we were off-row, very patchy germinations.”
establishment with the DBS, so we thought it was worth trying.”
The improved germination on-row was consistent across all crop
ON-ROW SOWING types, Gary reports, saying in fact that some of the canola seeded
in early April germinated on-row straight away, which resulted
2018 produced some interesting experiences with the DBS
in a wide range of crop growth stages. However, management
for the Langs in terms of establishment. They continued using
of staggered germination is not something that worries Gary,
ProTrakker with their new DBS, but there was a difference in
other than missing out on some ryegrass control through canopy
spacings between the Conserva Pak (304mm) spacings and the
closure.
DBS (300mm). Gary describes the result as being like a ‘really
interesting, very large experiment’. “It means we just have to spray when we’re not going to affect too
many early buds – to some extent the Select® went on when it
“There’s 4mm difference, so every pass of the seeder has all the
normally would go on, even though in places there wasn’t a lot of
different row placements you would like, so we went from on-row
canola there,” Gary says.
to off-row across the whole 12m every pass on the farm,” Gary
says.

The benefits of on-row sowing were most obvious on the Langs’ sandier soils. PHOTO: GARY LANG
“Despite the fact that it was sown before the rain, the new
“We got a fantastic germination where we moisture was all still going into the old canola rows, not the new
could get the seed in the previous year’s cereal rows,” Gary says.
row, and the difference in crop where it “It’s a question that we can’t quite work out – whether there’s non-
wetting soil around the new rows, which pushes it out, it’s a really
germinated on 25 May rain verses not is interesting thing.”
just amazing.” – GARY LANG, WICKEPIN
BURNING FOR FROST
The Langs burn cereal stubbles to lower their frost risk, meaning
trash flow is not an issue and they can seed easily into last year’s
Rather than be concerned by the variation in seed placement in row. However, they do not burn stubbles on all areas of the farm,
2018, Gary says the process has actually made him excited for the such as sandhills, and in these areas they seed into the cereal
next season, because the success of the in-row seed germination stubble on the outside of the row.
validates what they have been trying to do. Gary says they burn stubbles for frost only, saying that if frost was
“In 2019 it will be really easy to get in the row because the bar not a problem, they probably would not burn any country. When
wants to pull into the row anyway, that’s the path with the least they do burn stubbles, their approach is to blanket burn as close
resistance, that’s really easy,” Gary says. to seeding as possible, believing there is enough trial data to
indicate a half to one-degree difference.
“In the crops where you can go in the row it’s fine, so all the lupin
stubbles, all the canola stubbles and where we burn cereals to “We were losing barley as fast as we were losing wheat at
plant canola you’ll go in the row, and all the rest will be within five one stage, because we were doing the full conserving stubble
centimetres, 95 per cent of the time I would think.” approach, but now our results have improved,” Gary says.
Gary is uncertain why there was a better germination in the row With variation in terms of crop growth stages lowering frost risk,
than off the row because conditions were dry at the time of Gary is not as concerned about late sowing as others and says he
seeding and the opening rains came after the crop was planted. never has been.

IN SUMMARY
■ B
enefits of on-row sowing were very obvious on sandier
soils
■ B
urning cereal stubbles for frost management facilitates
on-row sowing
■ Frost is the biggest management issue
i
MORE INFORMATION
Gary Lang, 0427 881 034, garyjlang@bigpond.com
The inter-row germination was poorer than where the crop was sown
into the previous year’s row. PHOTO: GARY LANG
“However, I do hang my hat a little on 2016. We actually made a

small profit and that was the worst frost you would have ever seen.
Frost is our number one problem.
“What changed our frost risk in 2016 is because I’d been able to
sign oat contracts at $300/t for our worst frost area of 600ha.
“Also, because we had an early start, you can grow a lot of oats.
“We’ve got some oats in for the 2018 season, but the start didn’t
give me the confidence to plant a lot of oats. However, when
it comes to mitigating the risk of frost, we use all the strategies
including crop selection, delayed sowing, burning and livestock.”
SHOULD CANOLA FOLLOW PASTURE?

The other area the Langs are investigating is an observation of
300kg/ha of extra canola yield after pasture than cereals, with the
debate being whether it is due to nitrogen or frost.
“I’ve had these debates with a couple of agronomists, and at the
end of the day I’ll let them work it out – as a farmer, I’ll take the
300kg/ha, $180/ha and not be particularly worried what's causing
it,” Gary says.
“As a farmer, you don’t really need to know, but it is interesting –
it’s happened for two years in a row, and the crops look like it’ll
happen again in 2018.”

Seeding in the row works on
non-wetting soils at Pingrup
SNAPSHOT
GROWERS: Paul and Siobhan Hicks
LOCATION: Pingrup
SOIL TYPES: Sand over clay through to lake
bank heavy country with some gravelly soils
barley, 800ha export hay and 400ha lupins
After initially trialling soil wetters to improve crop establishment, Paul
Hicks has discovered seeding in the row has a much greater influence on
germination than applying wetters. PHOTO: CUSSONSMEDIA
The two biggest issues Paul Hicks faces in his farming operation DEVELOPING THE SYSTEM
are frost and non-wetting soils. Paul has reduced his frost risk by
Paul began to develop a side banding sowing boot that offsets
mapping EM38 gamma radiometrics across his farm and using a
seed placement by 25mm, so the knifepoint runs along the left
digital elevation model to determine his most at-risk paddocks,
edge of the furrow, without bulldozing the stubble in the row, and
which are now sown to export hay.
the wing places the seed under last year’s stubble. The Hicks
The path to better managing his non-wetting soils, however, is a found that while the tractor may be driving in a perfectly straight
long one. In 2008, they began trialling different soil wetters and line, the bar can drift sufficiently that the seed is no longer placed
had pretty good results in the first year. in the old furrow. As a result, Paul worked with Nick Ross from
Precision Agronomics to develop a control module to allow the
“However, when we applied it in the second year the results
bar to steer independently from the tractor so the tynes would
weren’t as conclusive and we weren't sure why it didn’t perform,
track in close to the previous year’s furrow to better access soil
so it was a bit disappointing,” Paul says.
moisture. This is now known as iTILL®, which was released in 2013
and while 10cm GPS tractor guidance is sufficient to operate the
ON-ROW SOWING
system, Paul says that RTK is better.
In 2009, the Hicks changed their bar from a 13.7-metre Flexi-
Coil on 23cm spacing to a 18.3m John Deere Air Hoe Drill on ITILL®
25cm spacing and set up the wetter behind the press wheel
“The tractor guidance is doing its thing, but the seeder bar has a
gang. However, they were disappointed with the result as the
sensor that feels where the previous year’s crop rows were, so it
germination was inconsistent.
actually has its own fine tuning if you like, and so it can fine tune
“The second year of owning the 60-foot bar, we didn’t have our where the seed placement has got to be,” Paul says.
auto steer settings quite right and so the runs one way were in the
Paul describes the iTILL® as looking a bit like an articulated joint
furrow, the runs the other way were between the furrows,” Paul
on a tractor drawbar with one ram either side with brackets that
says.
mount onto the drawbar. It also has a sensor so it knows where
“We came back about four weeks after seeding and only every centre is.
second lap had come up and we thought that the seed actually
hadn’t been planted one way. SETUP ADVICE
“We dug around and sure enough the seed was there, but we Paul advises those setting up an iTILL® that, while helpful, it is not
discovered where we’d seeded in the same row as the previous essential to be on RTK. However it must be on 10cm steering so
year, it all came up and where we'd seeded in the inter-rows, it the drawbar can swing enough and the tynes need to be evenly
was very patchy. spaced across the bar. In addition, he says it is essential to seed in
the same direction each year, so does not advise skipping rows.
“We found if you dig across your non-wetting soils after a rain,
beneath the stubbles there is a band of moisture about 50mm “If they’re 10-inch row spaces, and sometimes there are wheels in
wide and 100mm deep. It showed us very clearly that we need to the way that you can’t move, but the idea is when you seed the
seed in the row, so then we set about developing a system.” second year, each tyne needs to be following where the same

ITILL® PRO
“We find that probably 70 to 80 per cent of Paul has recently released iTILL® Pro for 2018. He says that one of
the improved germination is actually from the key improvements is the incorporation of wifi, which allows the
seeding in the row, however if you want system to connect to any mobile device platform.
the icing on the cake, you use the wetter “Because it is wireless, it allows you to hop out of the tractor cab
but it comes at a cost.” – PAUL HICKS, PINGRUP with your phone, walk around the iTiLL® Pro hitch, check all your
sensors are right and if you're driving in a ute, you can actually join
the network while the tractor is working and see what it's doing,
which works really well,” Paul says.
tyne went the year before and if you can do that, you'll get really NEED FOR WETTER?
good results,” Paul says. After initially placing the wetter behind the press wheel gang, the
“In practice, it is virtually impossible to get identical row spacings Hicks have found it is much better to place the wetter with the
right across the bar, so for this reason we always start a paddock seed. However, despite originally doing a lot of work with soil
in the same place and drive in the same run direction every year. wetters, they have actually cut back on their use now.
“The first year you use it, you’re trying to get your rows straight “We find that probably 70 to 80 per cent of the improved
and you need to sow them identically the same each year, so we germination is actually from seeding in the row, however if you
don't skip rows, which can mean travel direction gets out of sync. really want the icing on the cake, you use the wetter but it comes
at a cost,” Paul says.
“We give the boys a map which shows where we start in the
paddock and so, we seed up and back up and move along.” CSIRO’s Phil Ward and recently retired Dr Margaret Roper have
managed a trial at the Hicks’ property investigating seeding in
While Paul says growers will see the benefit of the system in the row, between the row, with and without soil wetter, which is
year one, he believes it is year two when the benefits are really referred to in the ‘Mitigation’ section of this booklet. Paul believes
obvious. the evidence is quite conclusive that there is no disadvantage in
“In year two we unfold the bar, the boys drive forward about 100m seeding in the row and quite often there is quite a benefit from
with the machine in the ground, get everything straight, hop out, doing so.
go and see that the outside tyne is actually on the outside row of
the previous year, on the correct side of it, and then you fine-tune
your auto-steer, nudge it and away you go,” Paul says. IN SUMMARY
SENSOR ■ iTiLL® Pro significantly improves seed germination in
marginal conditions by sowing in the row
Paul says the iTILL® system has a timer delay, about 15 seconds for
a tow between and 10 seconds for a tow behind, which gives time ■ Make sure tyne spacings are even before using iTILL®
for the bar when it comes out of a corner to straighten up and then
■ A
lways start a paddock in the same place and drive in the
engage.
same run direction every year
“The system is designed so that it's not zigzagging all the time –
it’s actually trying to make the row straight, but it only moves when
it needs to and it is quite accurate so we are within 5 to 10mm,
i
90 per cent of the time,” Paul says. MORE INFORMATION
“When you get to the end of the run, you lift the machine out of the Paul Hicks, 08 9362 6811, paul@agriparts.com.au
ground, the system knows when the bar is lifted up, and then it will
recentre the drawbar ready for the next run to start.
“The algorithm is written in such a way that if it’s in a canola
stubble and the sensor is getting whacked around 10 times a
second, it does a lot of averaging before it tries to steer, but if
you're in a paddock where you've had sheep in there and there's
not a lot of stubble left, and it gets hit once every two seconds, it
will actually respond really quickly.”
CAMERA
Paul says that the iTill® kit comes with a camera aimed at an
individual row, usually in the centre of the machine so the driver
can monitor row placement. In addition, it is also a handy tool to
monitor soil throw to ensure the furrow is not being filled with soil
from the inter-row.

Key case study findings
Maximising Potential AMELIORATION TECHNIQUES
As all growers featured in this booklet sow at least some, if not a The best amelioration technique for the situation was still being
fair proportion, of their program dry every year, growers often do determined, with many growers trying different techniques
not know at the time of seeding whether it is going to be a ‘good’ such as wetters, mouldboard ploughing, deep ripping and
break or not. Therefore, growers are focusing on setting the Plozza ploughing. Some had more confidence determining the
paddocks up by addressing constraints so that the crop’s potential right technique for the right constraint, more particularly in the
can be maximised. These constraints include non-wetting soils, Geraldton port zone.
soil compaction, salinity and soil acidity.
CHASING MOISTURE
Most growers had tried sowing deeper to chase moisture at depth
with varying results. With many wind events in 2018, furrow fill was
common among growers and so if they had chased moisture and
sown deeper and then experienced furrow fill, crops were trying
to emerge from significantly deeper than originally planned. As a
result, many have resolved not to sow deeper, with the belief that
if the seed is on the surface, it will eventually get enough moisture
to germinate. In particular, canola is sown shallow as growers
either experienced germination problems or believed it was too
risky.
For those growers prepared to chase moisture, it was with
wheat. Some growers are using MagentaA because of its longer
coleoptile, while others just used what was in their silo, often
ScepterA, which is not known for having a long coleoptile. Many
growers are keen to see the development of long coleoptile
wheats, particularly for seeding into marginal moisture or when
there is moisture at depth.
ON-ROW SOWING
Many growers believed on-row sowing was the way to go,
particularly in dry conditions, but sowing into cereal stubbles in
particular can be challenging.
WET–DRY SOILS
In wet–dry soils, all growers agreed it was difficult to ensure good
crop establishment and most made the decision on whether to
sow or not in those conditions on a case-by-case basis.
CONSERVING MOISTURE
Many growers commented they were seeing a reduction in
growing season rainfall, with more rain falling in the summer
months. All acknowledged the importance of conserving this
moisture and were prepared to spray as required, which could
mean three or four applications.

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Minkey, D, McNee, M, Celenza, L, Fletcher, A, Abretch, D, Sharma,
GRDC (2014) Combatting non-wetting soils – A tour of on farm
D, and Weeks, C (2017) WANTFA, CSIRO, DPIRD, Planfarm, GRDC
research in Western Australia.
Dry Seeding Report (GRDC Project Code: WAN00021).
GRDC (2018) ‘New generation soil wetters perform in
Newman, P (2014) ‘Aim for the narrowest possible row spacing’,
forest gravels’, GRDC GroundCover 136, September-
GRDC Crop Update Papers, www.giwa.org.au/2014-crop-updates
October 2018 – West, 41, http://groundcover.realviewdigital.
(GRDC Project Code: UCS00017 and PLN00008).
com/?xml=GCW&iid=161092 - folio=40 (GRDC Project Code:
DAW00244). Noak, S, Mayfiled, A, and Hooper, P (2016) ‘Hart long-term
seeding systems trial’, www.hartfieldsite.org.au/media/Seeding_
Hall, D, Jones, H, Crabtree, W, and Daniels, T (2010) ‘Claying
systems_a_long_term_trial_at_Hart_2016_web.pdf.
and deep ripping can increase crop yields and profits on water
repellent sands with marginal fertility in southern Western Pelzter, S (2018) ‘Factors affecting grain crop field establishment’,
Australia’, Australian Journal of Soil Research, 48, 178-187 (GRDC DPIRD, www.agric.wa.gov.au/barley/factors-affecting-grain-crop-
Project Code: DAW0093 and WAN3). field-establishment.
Harries, M, and Seymour, M (2017) ‘Canola establishment: seed Peltzer, S (2015) ‘Diagnosing groups D & J Herbicide Damage in
depth, seed size and hybrid vs OP’, GRDC Crop Update papers Cereals’, www.agric.wa.gov.au/mycrop/diagnosing-groups-d-j-
www.giwa.org.au/2017researchupdates (GRDC Project Code: herbicide-damage-cereals.
DAW0227).
Porker, K, and Wheeler, R (2013) ‘Barley time of sowing and depth’,
Harries, M, and Seymour, M (2016) ‘Canola variety by time of Hart Trial Results 2013, www.hartfieldsite.org.au/media/2013%20
sowing in the Northern Region’, GRDC Crop Update Papers, www. TRIAL%20RESULTS/06_Barley_time_of_sowing__
giwa.org.au/2016researchupdates (GRDC Project Code: 88801194). depth_2013HartTrialResultsBook.pdf.
Harries, M, Seymour, M, Pinkney, C, Suckling, K, Cripps, B, and Pritchard, I (2018) ‘Lupin essentials – growing a successful lupin
Ford, R (2015) ‘Wide row canola why bother; a summary of a series crop’, DPIRD, www.agric.wa.gov.au/lupins/lupin-essentials---
of small plot and farmer trials and farmer experiences’, GRDC growing-successful-lupin-crop
Crop Update Papers, www.giwa.org.au/2015-crop-updates (GRDC
Roper, M (2015) ‘Novel solutions for managing non-wetting
Project Code: DAW 00277).
soils’, GRDC Final Report, https://grdc.com.au/research/reports/
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and Ward, P (2015) ‘Management options for water repellent soils
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DAW00249).
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Update Papers, www.giwa.org.au/2018researchpapers (GRDC
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in the South-West Agricultural Region. A shire-based summary
of land degradation and land capability. Resource management
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Notes

P Level 4 | 4 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 5367, Kingston ACT 2604
T +61 2 6166 4500 F +61 2 6166 4599 E grdc@grdc.com.au
P Level 4, 4 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 5367, Kingston ACT 2604
T 02 6166 4500 F 02 6166 4599 E grdc@grdc.com.au

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MAXIMISING CROP

A REGIONAL CROPPING SOLUTIONS NETWORK INITIATIVE

ISBN: 978-1-921779-63-3 (print) 978-1-921779-64-0 (online)

FOR COPIES OF THIS BOOKLET, PLEASE CONTACT:

2 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Fertiliser strategies for deep sowing 11

Long coleoptile research  14

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 3

Which seeding system? 23

Key case study findings 67

4 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

■ Esperance port zone RCSN

The RCSNs comprise a mix of 60 growers and industry

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 5

SOME OF THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH

6 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Field establishment (%) and plant density (plants/m2) reduced by

Eradu 2016 Dalwallinu 2016 Mingenew 2016 Merredin 2016

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 7

FIGURE 2: Relationship between reductions in crop Emergence (plants/m2)

Large seed Small seed

There is a strong correlation between reductions in establishment and yield,

Further trials at Mullewa (French, 2014) showed that small seed

8 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Emergence of plants sown at 87mm was 50 to 80 per cent

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 9

■ Increased sowing rates by 20 per cent may compensate 70

■ Growers retaining TT seed are encouraged to grade seed 30

■ Some seed dressings can shorten coleoptile length, which 10

10 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 11

12 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 13

14 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 15

1 BANDING NEAR THE SEED

16 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

FIGURE 10: Barley emergence comparing no-till and

FIGURE 11: Barley yield comparing no-till and cultivation

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 17

FIGURE 12: Dry sown lupin establishment when sown either

Similar results from a trial in Calingiri measured up to 4 per cent

To ensure accurate sowing either on or close to (within a few cm)

18 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Significant improvements in crop establishment by mouldboard ploughing

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 19

Rotary spading a water-repellent deep yellow sand at Binnu.

20 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Establishment post amelioration

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 21

Fertiliser strategy post amelioration

22 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 23

24 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Piet Diepeveen believes the key to farming in marginal areas is to conserve

26 MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT

Without MagentaA or a longer coleoptile wheat in their variety

MAXIMISING CROP POTENTIAL IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT 27

Karl Suckling is finding that deep ripping in dry conditions

Fertiliser strategies for deep sowing 11

Long coleoptile research 14

Which seeding system? 23

Key case study findings 67

■ Esperance port zone RCSN

■ Increased sowing rates by 20 per cent may compensate 70

■ Growers retaining TT seed are encouraged to grade seed 30

■ Some seed dressings can shorten coleoptile length, which 10