What does it take to optimise mungbean yields in Australia’s northern growing region?

Fusarium wilt is significant mungbean disease that can result in up to 80 per cent yield loss.

The National Oat Breeding Program, backed by joint $5.4 million investment from AgriFutures Australia and GRDC, is being propelled into a new era under the leadership of commercial breeding company, InterGrain.

In this podcast, program leader Stuart Nagel explores the history of vetch and its adaptability in cropping and mixed farming systems.

After favourable springs in both 2020 and 2021, slug populations are on the rise and sliding into regions that don’t normally see them.

Dual-purpose crops under irrigation offer an attractive graze and grain return. But what's the best set-up to maximise potential at the paddock level?

A collaborative project, called area wide management for cropping systems weeds, is taking a unique approach to traditional weed control by collaborating beyond fence lines with varying land users across three pilot regions - the Sunraysia, the Darling Downs and the Murrumbidgee irrigation area.

Across Western Australia’s grain growing regions, farmers are reporting increased mouse activity, sparking new concern about risks heading into the 2022 season.

Scientists from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at the University of Queensland have been trailing sowing the summer crop in winter. And while the trials have taken place in cool conditions, the results have proved to be red hot.

Dr Peter Boutsalis from the University of Adelaide explains the resistance status of annual ryegrass to pre-emergent herbicides.

Dr Grant Hollaway from Agriculture Victoria and Professor Robert Park from the University of Sydney share all the details on the latest variety disease ratings and recommendations to help growers make informed stripe rust management decisions this season.

In WA, a series of trials over several years has been studying the interaction between wheat seeding timing and pre emergent herbicides choice on annual ryegrass seed production, with some helpful results on offer.

Grain storage is a long-term investment so it’s important to get it right from the start. Considerations need to include storage design and structural integrity, effective pressure testing and knowing how to seal silos correctly to achieve successful fumigation. Manufactures are a good source of information, but make sure they’re not your onlysource. And that’s where GRDC’sGrain Storage Extension Projectcan help. In this podcastnational extension team member Ben White takes youthrough the latest evolution in Silo features and pressure testing methods.

The Seed of Gold is one of the grains industry’s most prestigious awards. First presented in 2007 only four people have received this honour. The latest recipient is globally recognised research scientist Emeritus professor Stephen Powles from Western Australia who was presented with his Seed of Gold in 2021. The award is given in recognition of an individual’s outstanding contribution, dedication and commitment to communicating research outcomes to the Australian grains industry.

It’s an unusual thing to see – a mob of cattle grazing contentedly in a patch of paddock, held there by an invisible border. But virtual fencing technology is really taking off and is showing promise as a tool to help mixed farmers control weeds. On Heath Nickolls’ cattle and grain property near Pinnaroo in the South Australian mallee, the CSIRO’s Dr Rick Llewellyn is leading a GRDC and Australian Wool Innovation investment trialling virtual fencing to gain better crop integrated weed management. As Rick and Heath explain, a strip grazing trial of 40 Angus heifersis delivering promising results.

Nick Poole from FAR Australia provides an excellent explanation of how to target fungicide applications for the best economic return. He describes the value of focusing on critical growth stages and their ‘money leaves’, the best way to manage disease risk in crops before tillering, and the importance of protecting fungicide effectiveness for the long term.

It’s been common practise across the southern grain growing region to wait for opening rains, before applying a knockdown herbicide, then seeding the crop. But new research is revealing weedsare better controlled by adopting a three-pronged approach of sowing early, at a high density crop seeding rate while also applying an efficient herbicide. As the University of Adelaide’s Dr Gurjeet Gill and Ben Fleet explain, the mid-trial results come from a five-year GRDC investment looking into weed management across a range of rainfall zones in SA, Vic and WA.

While farmers typically spray fungicide to manage one disease, applications should be considered in a broader context. Dr Steven Simpfendorfer describes how spraying one pathogen can inadvertently encourage resistance in other pathogens that may be present. He outlines some typical examples, including rusts and powdery mildew in wheat; blackleg and sclerotinia in canola; as well as net blotches and powdery mildew in barley.

Sub-surface drainage, one of many water management options, is not widely adopted, for reasons that will be better understood during this project, with surveys used to understand current grower practice and opinions. Sub-surface drainage, one of many water management options, is not widely adopted, for reasons that will be better understood during this project, with surveys used to understand current grower practice and opinions. In total, the GRDC invests about $2 million nationally in projects addressing waterlogging, with work ranging from the new sub-surface drainage projects through to genetic research.

The seedbank is the link between the current weed populations and future infestations. While the seedbank life is well understood for major weed species such as annual ryegrass, new research has filled the knowledge gap on the seedbank life of emerging weed species. The research, emanating from a five-year GRDC investment, has delivered a comprehensive manual on weed seedbanks. The Ecology of Major Emerging Weeds resource details more than 25 summer and winter weed species. In this podcast, we speak to the three weed scientists who delivered this research, Gurjeet Gill, Catherine Borger and Bhagirath Chauhan. Their insight on the headline findings and emerging issues in landscapes across the northern, southern and western regions is essential listening for all growers and advisers.

In Western Australia’s South West agricultural zone there are 3 million hectares of lateritic gravels or ironstone gravel soils. These are sandy soils that have a cemented laterite surface or caprock. Many growers are using contractors with specialised machinery that rips and pulverises this top-layer, making sowing easier and improving the likelihood of good crop establishment. What is also needed for developing crops is good nutrition and Lateritic soils bind-up phosphorus, an essential nutrient for young plants.With GRDC investment,on-farm trial are underway to test for nutrient levels in these soils and development nutrient packages for crop management.

When Western Australian Ag Research Company TrialCo signed on with GRDC to run a trial on non-wetting sandy soils in low rainfall country the last thing anyone expected was a wet start to the growing season. In this podcast TrialCo field operations manager and TrialCo’s executive officer outline the reasons for the trial and the methodology applied to evaluate the use of surfactants in sandy non-wetting soils.

Innovative lab technology has helped uncover new information on the water and nutrient use efficiency of ironstone gravel soils. It's a first for the grains industry and a big step forward in managing this often-underperforming soil type.

Generous rain and high prices have increased the economic risk from Sclerotinia and blackleg of canola this season. Dr Steve Marcroft outlines the very real risk of fungicide resistance developing in blackleg of canola in Australia – and how growers can achieve sustainable disease control.