NGN - Canola establishment in the low and medium rainfall zones

⁠⁠⁠At recent National Grower Network (NGN) forums and at in-field discussions, the issue of poor canola establishment continues to be raised. In the 2022 and 2023 season canola was sown into moist soil, however there was still a rate of unsuccessful establishment seen that was at unacceptable levels. For the majority of growers, every year there is a proportion of canola that fails to germinate, and it appears to be influenced by different factors every time. With the cost of GM and hybrid canola seed being significant to budgets, better success in establishment would be beneficial to growers’ profitability.

This investment will conduct field trials in the low to medium rainfall zones and work directly with local growers to development the trial treatments at each site. It is expected that there will discussion/events at each site to deliver the project information and outcomes back to the local growers.

In the second year of this investment the successful applicant will link with the new research investment (CSIRO - CSP2212-005RTX - Reducing risks to canola establishment through an integrated understanding of genetics, management, and environment), and implement the best bet treatments found in this project.

Linking the trials and treatments with growers ensures that the growers are invested in the success of the trials and results of the trials will be accessible to all growers. The trials will also help eliminate practices that are thought to have negative impact of crop establishment, allowing growers to focus on practices to reduce the risk of crop establishment failure.

Investment Outcome:

By March 2027, 60% of canola growers in the low and medium rainfall zones of the Western Region will have access to the agronomic knowledge to improve the establishment and germination rates of canola.

Outputs:

Output 1.

Title: By March 2027, results from local trial sites will be successfully extended to local growers and advisers.

Description:

• Minimum of six (6) trial sites each year with at least three replicates will be established in the LRZ and MRZ areas of the Western Region

• Trial sites could be small plot to allow increased treatment numbers, however there must also be farm scale trials at the same location

• Trial sites could target areas within paddocks that have performed poorly in previous seasons. These areas could be identified using previous NDVI imagery or grower knowledge.

• Treatments to be trialled could include but is not limited to:

- grading seed to 2mm or larger vs mixed seed size,

- inter-row vs near vs on-row sowing, with a range of seed fungicide treatments

- wet vs dry vs wet/dry seeding conditions (may involve irrigation of trials sites),

- addition of wetters to seed, in furrow or blanket applications

- TOS looking at soil and air temperature at germination,

- depth of sowing, and proximity to fertilisers including a range of fertiliser rates

- press wheel mechanisms (tyre, steel rod coil, duck foot, paddle wheel),

- temperature of the stored seed prior to seeding, and

- variety selection (OP vs hybrid vs GM)

• Soil moisture measurements to be undertaken to give growers greater con

• Trial sites to have a full five-year paddock history collected including spray history, to identify if there could be chemical plant back issues with either winter or summer weed control (SU usage).

• A communication and extension plan will be developed that includes various methods for extending the trial in season and communicating the results post-harvest to local growers and advisers. Industry collaboration and use of local and interstate researchers, consultants and grower expertise will be viewed favourably.

In the second year of this investment, the best bet treatments from the CSIRO led investment will be incorporated into local trial designs. It will be expected that both CSIRO and the Service Provider of this project will work together and share data between projects.

Output 2.

Title: By May 2026, GRDC will be informed in regard to changes in grower's standard practice for canola establishment

Description:

Project to include benchmarking of current grower practice with the inclusion of a ‘standard grower practice control’ treatment in each validation trial.