Agriculture Bureau Sticky Beak Tour & Saltland Pasture Redemption Tour REGISTRATIONS & further info;

[email protected] or 8.30am - 6.00pm meals included text on 0427 750 050 Wednesday 2nd October Register by Thurs 26th of Sept

What you will see & hear? -Deep ripping salinity affected ground -Rhizoctonia, soil nutrition & variety resistance -Shot gun pasture/crop mixes on saline ground

-Pulse Check Legume Trial - varieties, inoculants, - Fourth year regenerating Messina high P response & effective grain storage - Salinity tolerance of crop & pasture seedlings in -MFMG/GRDC Sandy Soil Project comparing the Waite Plant Accelerator full program over the page Plozza Ploughing, Deep Ripping & Spading

For further salinity project information please visit www.coorong.sa.gov.au/saltlandredemption

Lucerne seedlings exposed to salinity

Pulse Check Trial Rhizoctonia

Messina & Puccinellia

Plozza Plough

This project is supported by the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and the NRM Levies

1 Coomandook Agriculture Bureau Sticky Beak Tour Morning Tea and Lunch provided

Saltland Pasture Redemption Tour BBQ Tea at the Coomandook Uniting Church Meeting Room

Wednesday 2nd October 2019

COOMANDOOK AGRICULTURE BUREAU STICKY BEAK TOUR Time Topic and Location Speaker Time Page 8.30am Rhizoctonia and the relationship with soil nutrition Hansen Farms - end of Wilson Road, Coomandook Blake Gontar - SARDI 45 min 3 - 5 Commercial variety resistance to Rhizoctonia 9.15am Travel to Pulse Check Site – 1154 Werrimbrook Road, RHS past Hansen Farms Workshop 15 min 9.30am Pulse Check Legume Trial Site - Looking at pulse varieties, inoculants, & response to high P applications Brendan Wallis – Rural Directions 2 6 - 9 Effective Grain Storage SARDI Agronomy Clare hours MORNING TEA Chris Warrick – Grain Storage 11.30am Travel to Eckerts – ‘Mentara Park’ – Malinong Road (South) 30 min 12 noon Eckerts – Malinong Road (South) – MacKillop Farm Management Group / GRDC Sandy Soils Project Site, Dr Mel Fraser – PIRSA Rural 90 min 10 - 17 comparing Plozza Plough, Deep Ripper, and Spader treatments. Look at the Eckerts - Plozza Plough Solutions (may be joined by Meningie LUNCH East/Field Healthy Soils Group) 1.30pm Travel to Bradley Kleinig’s – ‘Barkulla’ – 171 Gypsum Road, Cooke Plains 30 min SALTLAND PASTURE REDEMPTION TOUR 18 - 20 2.00pm Bradley Kleinig’s – ‘Barkulla’ – 171 Gypsum Road, Cooke Plains Bradley Kleinig 40 min 20 Deep ripping on pasture mix site – wheat, canola, balansa clover, puccinellia Felicity Turner - Coorong Tatiara LAP 2.40pm Travel to Bluey Roberts – ‘Camden Park’ - Gypsum Road, Cooke Plains 10 min 2.50pm Bluey Roberts – ‘Camden Park’ - Year 3 Saltland Pasture Redemption Site Bluey Roberts 40 min 19 Good coverage, pasture mix of puccinellia, messina, and canola AFTERNOON TEA Felicity Turner - Coorong Tatiara LAP 3.30pm Travel to Mick Patterson’s– ‘Roby Downs’ cnr Goodale Road & Old , Coomandook 15 min 3.45pm Mick Patterson – ‘Roby Downs’ – First year mix of puccinellia, messina, fescue and vetch 40 min 20 4.25pm Travel to Paul Simmon’s – Goodale Road 10 min 4.35pm Paul Simmons – Fourth year regenerating Messina Paul Simmons 25 min Felicity Turner - Coorong Tatiara LAP 5.00pm Travel to Coomandook Uniting Church REFRESHMENT BREAK 30 min 5.30pm PRESENTATION: Dr Rhiannon Schilling, Agricultural Scientist – University of 30 min Results of exposing a range of crop and pasture seedlings to saline conditions in the Plant Accelerator at the Waite BBQ TEA – CATERING BY COOMANDOOK AG BUREAU EVALUATION 21 - 22

2019 COOMANDOOK DISEASE MANAGEMENT TRIALS – BLAKE GONTAR, SARDI Key Messages:

 Top growth is not an indicator of root health – inspect crop roots for signs of root disease  Rhizoctonia has caused significant damage in crops all over in 2019, often without obvious above-ground symptoms  In trials conducted 2018-2019, improving crop nutrition has demonstrated small improvements in foliar disease control, however there is no obvious effect on Rhizoctonia

Introduction Disease is a significant cost issue for SA growers, causing yield loss and increasing management costs such as fungicides. At the same time, many crops grown in SA also have nutrient deficiencies, particularly phosphorus, potassium, copper and zinc. Previous research has demonstrated that these nutrient deficiencies not only reduce growth and yield directly, but can also affect the capacity of plants to resist or tolerate disease. While the benefits of addressing nutritional requirements are becoming better understood and adoption by growers has increased, most research is carried out under low disease conditions. A two-year project (2018-2019) has been funded by the South Australian Grains Industry Trust (SAGIT) to assess the disease management benefits of improving crop nutrition.

2019 Coomandook trial… so far The Coomandook trial site was sown 21st May to barley cv. Planet. The site is marginal for both phosphorous (P) (13-15 mg/kg (0-10cm) and potassium (K) (42-90 mg/kg). Three rates of P (0, 10, 20kg/ha) and 2 rates of K (0,40kg/ha) were applied as granular fertilisers below seed at seeding. Plots had either disease control (fungicides at seeding and throughout growing season) or were allowed to develop disease (with additional Rhizoctonia added at seeding). The site also contains two other trials as part of SAGIT and GRDC-funded research; one evaluating an improved method for artificially inoculating trials with Rhizoctonia to ensure low variability and allow accurate evaluation of future agronomic options (including fungicides) and the second evaluating current cultivars for resistance and tolerance to Rhizoctonia.

Results Testing at GS22 indicated that both P and K treatments have created differences in leaf tissue nutrient concentrations, whilst disease also appears to be effecting a range of

3 nutrients. However, all treatments appear to have sufficient K and only the nil P are deficient for P.

Treatments N (%) P (%) K (%) Zn (mg/kg) Critical Value 5.5 0.27- 0.37 1.5-2.3 16-25 P0K0+ 5.25 0.36 3.55 83 P0K0- 4.41 0.32 3.64 72 P0K40+ 4.55 0.37 4.13 90 P0K40- 4.46 0.32 3.88 77 P10K0+ 4.88 0.39 3.27 79 P10K0- 4.49 0.4 3.7 62 P10K40+ 4.64 0.4 3.66 72 P10K40- 4.52 0.4 3.95 68 P20K0+ 4.69 0.46 3.41 70 P20K0- 4.43 0.42 3.04 57 P20K40+ 4.66 0.48 3.83 67 P20K40- 4.55 0.44 3.92 74 Table 1 Unreplicated tissue testing results taken from whole plants sampled at approx. GS22 suggesting a P response is likely but that K is sufficient in all treatments. Note variation in Zn and N as a result of disease treatments (+/- fungicide)

Root Disease At GS22 and GS59 roots were assessed by sampling approximately 20 plants from each plot and scoring plant roots on a 0-5 scale (0=no damage, 5=roots completely truncated and black). Figure 1 illustrates the effect of root disease compared with control.

Figure 1 a) healthy root system of barley – note separate seminal and crown roots connected by healthy sub- crown internode and b) heavily Rhizoctonia-affected roots of barley

4 However, nutrition treatment does not appear to reduce root disease. This backs up the results from two trials on the Eyre Peninsula in 2018 where root disease was not reduced by additions of sulfur, potassium, phosphorous or copper.

Treatment Seminal Roots Crown Roots P0K0 3.36 3.98 P0K40 3.35 3.65 P10K0 3.39 3.69 P10K40 3.20 3.67 P20K0 3.26 3.87 P20K40 3.12 3.66 Table 2 Average root disease score of non-fungicide treated plots at GS59 at Coomandook with very little difference evident between nutrient treatments.

Foliar Disease Foliar disease was assessed at GS30 and GS59 by sampling 20 leaves from each plot (Flag leaf-3) and scoring disease as a percentage. Spot form net blotch was the most eveident disease present. Statistical analysis is yet to be conducted for this trial however treatment averages are presented in table 1 below.

Treatment Ave Med P0K0 28.30 21.50

P0K40 28.05 19.00 P10K0 37.45 34.50 P10K40 35.80 30.50 P20K0 43.35 38.00 P20K40 24.85 18.50

Table 3 Percent leaf area infected with spot form net blotch at GS59 for non-fungicide treatments. Data have not been analysed statistically and are presented as a guide for presentation only. Average and median values of 20 leaves per plot are presented, averaged across replicates of the treatment.

Summary

The trials on Eyre Peninsula in 2018 suggested that addressing nutrient deficiencies can have some limited benefit on foliar disease, albeit under fairly low disease pressure. The Coomandook trial appears to show (data not analysed statistically at this stage) an increasing amount of disease with additional P. This may be due to increased canopy size and disease pressure, or the pathogen could be benefitting from a richer P source in leaves. However there also appears to be an effect of K in offsetting some of the increase due to P, despite the fact that K is ‘sufficient’ in all plots.

Whilst nutrient addition did not reduce root disease in 2018, at one site there was a significant yield improvement from both P and Cu, which was larger in the presence of Rhizoctonia disease. This suggests that, while P and Cu did not reduce disease, their supply was more critical under disease pressure. The important message may be to increase nutrient supply above critical levels where root disease issues are suspected.

5 BRENDAN WALLIS – RURAL DIRECTIONS

Coomandook Southern Pulse Agronomy Site 2019

Buffer 1 FIELD PEA Early Vigour + Nutrition 10 Buffer Buffer 1 VETCH Early Vigour + Nutrition 10 Buffer Buffer 1 LENTIL Early Vigour + Nutrition 10 Buffer Buffer 1 Lentil + Faba Bean

Road Radish Control 12 Buffer Buffer 1 Faba Bean - K Nutrition 6 Buffer Buffer 1 Species X Variety 60 Buffer Buffer 1 Chickpea - Rhizobia Rate Trial 3 Buffer Buffer 1 Chickpea - N Fixation Demo Strips 4 Buffer gate

Pipe line

6 Coomandook Southern Pulse Agronomy Site 2019

The current Southern Pulse Agronomy program has been undertaking field trials in SA and Victoria from 2015-2020 on a range of pulse crops including chickpea, faba bean, field pea, and lentil, more recently the focus has also included vetch and lupin. The aim of this research has been to improve yield and yield stability of pulses in the Southern Region by focusing on a number of key areas including herbicide tolerance and weed ecology, disease management, canopy management, and harvest quality. The project has worked closely with the breeding programs to evaluate varieties prior to commercial release, developing information on best agronomic management strategies to enable optimisation of the new varieties by growers. Southern Pulse Agronomy is a multi-party agreement between AgVIC, SARDI and GRDC lead by AgVIC.

Site Details

Sown 22 May 2019, Cereal stubble, 8m plots X 6 rows X 21cm row spacing’s

Soil Sampled 2 May 2019

Depth (cm) 0-10 10-30 30-60

Colour BRGR BR LTBR

Gravel % 5 20-25 15-20 1.5 2.5 3 Texture sand - sandy loam loam - clay loam clay loam - clay

Ammonium Nitrogen mg/kg 2 < 1 < 1 Nitrate Nitrogen mg/kg 20 7 5 P Phosphorus Colwell mg/kg 26 12 9 mg/kg 390 288 219 K Potassium Colwell high high adequate

mg/kg 7.7 8.9 18.1 S Sulphur marginal marginal adequate

Organic Carbon % 1.3 0.82 0.72 Conductivity dS/m 0.155 0.126 0.17 pH Level (CaCl2) 7.6 7.7 7.9 pH Level (H2O) 8.3 8.4 8.8

moderately alkaline strongly alkaline strongly alkaline

7 Coomandook Southern Pulse Agronomy Site 2019 Trials Information

Field Pea, Vetch and Lentil Early Vigour and Nutrition

Aim: Promote early pulse vigour to improve biomass and yield partitioning

Variety: Field Pea PBA Gunyah, Vetch Volga, Lentil PBA Bolt

Seeding Rate: Field Pea 55 plants/m2, Vetch 60 plants/m2, Lentil 120 plants/m2

Sown 80 kg/ha MAP

Treatment applied at seeding:

P – 23 kg/ha, 5 units of P

S – 21 kg/ha, 5 units of S

Standard Inoculum - commercial peat rate (Group E&F)

2 X inoculum – double commercial peat rate (Group E&F)

Treatment applied post seeding:

Gibberellic Acid – applied as Gala 40ml/ha at 6 node growth stage (4 July 2019)

Radish Weed Control

Aim: To assess efficacy of herbicide management strategies for radish control in pulses

Variety: PBA Hurricane XT and PBA Hallmark XT, PBA Bendoc

Seeding Rate: Lentil 120 plants/m2, Faba bean 24 plants/m2

Sown 80 kg/ha MAP

Treatment Lentil Faba Bean NIL Unweeded - - Group C Metribuzin IBS 280ml/ha Simazine IBS 2L/ha Group B Spinnaker (4-6 node 3 July) 100 gm/ha Intervix (4-6 node 3 July) 750ml/ha Group B + C Metribuzin IBS 280 ml/ha & Simazine IBS 2L/ha & Spinnaker (4-6 node 3 July) 100 gm/ha Intervix (4-6 node 3 July) 750ml/ha

8 Potassium (K) Nutrition

Aim: To improve plant growth and vigour through improved timing of potassium application in faba bean

Variety: PBA Marne Seeding Rate: 24 plants/m2 Sown 80 kg/ha MAP

1. Nil (no K applied) 2. K applied at seeding 73 kg/ha (30 units of K) 3. K applied at seeding, 2x rate 146 kg/ha (60 units of K) 4. K applied at seeding 73 kg/ha + flowering (50% flowering (2 Sept)) 73 kg/ha (30 units of K) 5. K applied at seeding 73 kg/ha (30 units of K) + pre-flowering (first sign of budding (12 August)) 73 kg/ha (30 units of K) + post-flowering (50% podding) 73 kg/ha (30 units of K) 6. K applied at flowering (50% flowering (2 Sept)) 73 kg/ha (30 units of K))

Species X Variety

Aim: Identify best break crop options for different climate, soil type and biotic stress situations within major cropping region of the southern region

Sown 80 kg/ha MAP

Lentil (120 plants/m2) – PBA Blitz, PBA Hallmark XT, PBA Flash, PBA Jumbo2, PBA Hurricane XT, PBA Bolt

Field Pea (44-55plants/m2) – PBA Gunyah, PBA Coogee, PBA Percy, Kaspa, PBA Wharton, PBA Butler

Faba Bean (24 plants/m2) – PBA Marne, PBA Samira, PBA Bendoc

Lupin (55 plants/m2) – Mandelup, PBA Jurien, PBA Bateman

Vetch (60 plants/m2) – Timok, Volga, Rasina

Chickpea (desi 50 plants/m2, kabuli 35 plants/m2) – PBA Striker (desi, small), PBA Monarch (Kabuli 8- 9mm), Genesis090 (Kabuli 7-8mm)

Chickpea Rhizobia Rate

Aim: Chickpea growth and yields improve when using a granular inoculum

Variety: Genesis Kalkee, 120 kg/ha

Nil – no inoculum, Standard granular - TagTeam®, Double rate granular - TagTeam®

Chickpea Rhizobia Rate

Aim: To compare granular and peat inoculum treatments in chickpea

Variety: Genesis Kalkee, 120 kg/ha

Granular TagTeam® compared to Peat Nodule N

9 #1: Water repellence Know your Soil Water repellence is a common problem on sandy soils, with waxes from decayed organic Health: Is it time for material coating grains to make them hydrophobic (lucerne and lupins are common a check-up? culprits). This impedes water infiltration, affecting seedling germination early in the Broadacre farmers and graziers are in the season. business of converting rainfall into plant biomass that is either removed as grain or hay or converted into red meat, milk or wool. On many Australian farms, the water-use efficiency of the system (kg of product produced / mm of rainfall) is often constrained due to sub- optimum soil health. It’s easy to think of soil merely as the growing medium that supports root structures and holds plants up; in reality soils are complex ecosystems that contain chemical, biological, hydrological, respiratory and physical processes Figure 1. Soil is strongly water repellent if a droplet that interact to supply plants with what they of water remains on the surface for longer than 60 need to grow. If one of these processes is seconds. hindered, one or more of the others tend to Many soil laboratories offer the Molarity of suffer too and the consequences for plant Ethanol Droplet (MED) test as a means to assess growth are often dire. the severity of repellence. Whereas ‘soil health’ is a term well understood Treatment: in agriculture and natural resource  Wetting agents (surfactant) or water management, it is often poorly measured and retaining agents (humectant) applied monitored on-farm. Just as an annual health at sowing to improve germination. check is important for us humans, regular  Edge row sowing, furrow openers. assessment of soil health status is vital to  Deep cultivation to bury and/or dilute ensuring the optimum fertility and function of the surface layer: Plozza plough, your farming system. spader or offset discs.

 Clay spreading provides a permanent solution. Diagnosis and treatment

Careful diagnosis is the key to unearthing the #2: Acidity causes of productivity decline and stopping any Acidity is a severe soil degradation problem that deleterious problems in their tracks. The old can greatly reduce the productive potential of adage “you can’t manage what you don’t crops and pastures. Diagnosed with a pH test, measure” is certainly applicable when it comes which measures the amount of hydrogen ions in to soils! a 1:5 soil water solution (or calcium chloride), a Considered diagnosis of the whole soil system, soil is considered acidic when the pH (in water) particularly below the top 10cm, enables the falls below 6.5. It is important to know if your best treatments to be identified and soil is becoming acidic, and looking below the surface 10cm is crucial. implemented to optimise plant health and productivity. What to measure:

10 #3: Soil physical properties High bulk density, which can be natural or induced by farm machinery (compaction), and high penetration resistance (soil strength) are both soil physical issues that inhibit root exploration. Problems associated with poor root growth will be most obvious in dry years when water is limited and plants are more dependent on deeper soil water reserves.

Figure 2. Assessing the pH down the soil profile can Bulk density (BD) can be measured using a help to find discrete bands, or acid throttles, which steel ring of a known volume. Collect an intact can hinder root growth and exploration sample and dry the soil in the oven at 110°C, (Photo courtesy of Catherine Miller, Fairfax Media). weigh the dry soil and calculate the BD in g/m3. Aim to keep the BD <1.6 g/m3. Use a field pH kit (Fig. 2) to assess pH in the paddock, digging a hole to at least 30cm. A penetrometer is used to assess penetration Follow the instructions on the box and record resistance (PR; measured in kPa) and is best the pH for different depths in the profile. performed when the soil is moist throughout Aim to keep the soil pH >6 on an indicator card. (field capacity). Aim to keep the PR <2500 kPa. Alternatively, collect samples from similar soil types in a paddock (in 5 to 10cm increments) Figure 3. You can buy a penetrometer from and submit to a lab for 1:5 assessments in www.themeterman.com.au water or calcium chloride. Aim to keep the surface pH in water >6 or pHCa >5.5 for cropping soils. Treatment:  Compacted, Treatment: consolidated or hard setting soils may benefit from  Acid soils must be limed – lime it or lose being physically disturbed but where it! soils are dispersive (see below) the  Lime treats acidity by neutralising the addition of gypsum or organic material acid reaction in soils. The carbonate is required to prevent soils from component of lime consumes becoming even denser. hydrogen ions in the soil solution and  Spading will provide uniform in doing so raises the pH. disturbance across the top 30cm of the  Liming is the only cost effective way to profile. manage acidity and is best applied to  Ripping is also effective; target the prevent acidification in the first depth to reach below the layer of instance. compaction.  Soil texture, rates of nitrogen

fertilisation, rate of product removal, #4 Sodicity rate of lime applied and desired pH all affect liming frequency. Sodicity is a measure of the amount of  Lime can come from a variety of exchangeable sodium in the soil, in comparison sources with different qualities and to calcium, magnesium and potassium; it is effectiveness. If soil magnesium levels commonly reported as the ESP on a test result are low, consider using dolomitic lime. (exchangeable sodium percentage). Elevated  Calculators are available on the ESP results in the dispersion of clay particles Ag Excellence website to calculate lime that can block soil pores, impeding infiltration requirements and cost. and drainage, resulting in boggy, crusty and pugged soils. They commonly set very hard

11 when they are dry; much like cement! A soil is recommendations should be tailored to your classified as sodic when the ESP exceeds 6%. soil type. In-season tissue testing can also provide a useful indicator of nutrient Spontaneous dispersion (an indicator of availability to the plant, rather than total sodicity) can be assessed by placing a few soil nutrient concentration in your soil. Your local aggregates in a dish of distilled water. If the agronomist or consultant can assist with water becomes cloudy with fine clay particles, sampling and result interpretation. you can suspect the presence of sodium in your Treatment: soil.  Correct nutrient deficiencies by Send soil samples (0-10, 10-20, >30cm) to the applying and incorporating a complete lab for an assessment of the exchangeable package of specific fertilisers. cations to determine the presence and severity  Apply and incorporate organic of sodicity. amendments such as legume based hay or pellets, chicken manure, Treatment: compost or prilled materials to boost  Correcting sodicity is best achieved by organic carbon and supply nutrients applying calcium to the soil. (primarily nitrogen).  In soils with pH>7, gypsum (calcium  Combine nutrient fertilisers + organic sulphate) is the best option. amendments to supply all required  Lime (calcium carbonate) can be used nutrients.

to treat a sodic soil that is acidic. Diagnosing the different types and severity of #5: Nutrient fertility and biological cycling constraints in your soil is the crucial first step Monitoring soil nutrient fertility over time to take when seeking to increase fodder and provides an indicator of whether nutrients and crop production on your farm. Contact your carbon are being maintained or mined in your local agronomist or advisor for advice and system. All commercial labs measure nitrogen, assistance on how, where and when to collect phosphorous, potassium, sulphur, strategic soil and plant samples for assessment. exchangeable cations and organic carbon in their basic soil test suites. Electrical Authors: Dr Melissa Fraser & Claire Dennerley conductivity, trace element concentrations and PIRSA Rural Solutions SA clay content can also be requested. Struan House Rd, via Naracoorte, SA Interpretation guidelines are usually included [email protected] with test results but to derive the most benefit, Mob: 0427 084 56

Where to go for more information: http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/water-repellency http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-ph- south-austral https://agex.org.au/project/soil-acidity/ http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/bulk-density-measurement http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/making-sense-of-physical-indicators http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/dgt-phosphorus http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/making-sense-of-chemical-indicators http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/water-availability http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/cation-exchange-capacity https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/75698/grdcspreaddelvespadeinvertpdf.pdf.pdf

DISCLAIMER: This report has been prepared in good faith on the basis of information available at the date of writing without any independent verification. The Government of South Australia does not guarantee, represent or warrant in any way (express or implied) the quality, accuracy, reliability or completeness of currency of the information in this report nor its usefulness in achieving any purpose. Any person using the information contained in this report does so at their sole risk and is responsible for assessing the usefulness, relevance, accuracy, currency and completeness of the content of this report. The Government of South Australia accepts no liability however arising for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of any person using or relying on the information in this report. Products may be identified by proprietary or trade names in this report to help readers identify particular types of products but this is not, and is not intended to be, an endorsement or recommendation in any way of any product or manufacturer referred to. Other products may perform as well or better than those specifically referred to.

This work is copyright. Unless permitted by law, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission. All requests and inquiries concerning reproduction of this report should be addressed to Dr Melissa Fraser, Senior Consultant, Rural Solutions South Australia.

12 Ripping results for SA sandy soils

CATHERINE MILLER13 Apr 2019, 3:30

Dr Fraser says spading alone produced a lift in yield, but treat- ments that also included organic matter were generally the high- est access to stored soil water.

13 nutrients”, she said. “These treatments produced so much more biomass above the ground and root mass underneath as well, which in turn feeds the biological cycle and nutrient supplies.”

14 Clay and hay increases yields on SE sands Authors: Melissa Fraser1, Nigel Wilhelm2, David Davenport1 Research Team: Peter Telfer2, Brett Masters1, Claire Dennerley1 1PIRSA Rural Solutions SA, 2South Australian Research & Development Institute Funded By: GRDC Sandy Soils CSP00203 Project Title: Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the Southern Region

Key Messages

 Positive crop production responses still remain at Cadgee five years after amelioration treatments were applied.  Application of clay improved establishment and flowering biomass, regardless of incorporation depth (shallow, 10 cm and spaded, 30 cm), compared to the control and the spaded lucerne treatments (Fig. 1).  Grain yield response to clay application increased with the depth of incorporation, and were doubled in the spaded clay + Luc treatment compared to the control, adding 1.58 t/ha in 2018. Figure 1. Crop measures for key treatments at Cadgee in 2018.  Over the long term, this treatment has produced an additional 95 % grain (4.5 t/ha) since 2014 (four years grain data; Fig. 2).  Changes in soil chemical, hydrological and physical characteristics as a result of spading and lucerne and clay addition were the focus of 2019 soil measurements at the site.  A full report detailing temporal trends and long term soil fertility changes will be released soon.

Why was the project undertaken? The objective of this trial was to assess changes in Figure 2. Total grain produced (2014/2015/2017/2018). Bars crop productivity as a result of overcoming the show the baseline control (blue), gains from the application of clay chemical, physical and biological constraints of a (grey), and additional gains from the 2014 incorporation of sandy soil at Cadgee. Lucerne hay (dark blue).

How was the project undertaken? Soil amendments including clay, lucerne hay and fertiliser were incorporated into the top 30 cm of the sand either alone or in combination to assess their impact on crop production and soil fertility. Amendments were applied in 2014 and incorporated using a spader; they have not been reapplied. Long term crop productivity gains were best attained when clay was applied, adding ~1.6 t/ha over a 5 year period when incorporated in the top 10 cm and ~2.5 t/ha when mixed to 30 cm (Fig. 2). An additional 2 t/ha was gained when lucerne was added to the spaded clay treatment (95% increase above the control).

Acknowledgements We acknowledge the assistance and contribution of Karatta Pastoral, the co-operators at the site. CSP00203 Sandy Soils is a collaboration between CSIRO, University of South Australia, SA state government through Primary Industries and Regions SA, Mallee Sustainable Farming Inc, AgGrow Agronomy and Trengove Consulting.

15 Think before ripping into sandy soils 7th of April 2019

“Where acidity, water repellency or subsoil toxicity are primary con- straints, other amelioration practices may also be needed for the full bene- fits from ripping to be achieved,” she said.

“Ripping sandy soils aims to remove physical constraints to root growth which result from compaction due to machinery trafficking, animal tram- pling or natural consolidation (cementing) due to drying, but ripping alone does not fully address other soil constraints such as acidity, subsurface toxicities or non-wetting.”

Dr Macdonald says identifying and prioritising the key constraints on sandy soils can be difficult. “Assessing where crop roots stop growing can be a useful first indicator Of the depth of relevant constraints,” she said.

Soil moisture has a big impact on how hard the soil will feel, with most soils hardening on drying. Push probes and penetrometers should be used after sig- nificant rain when the soil moisture profile is full.

16 17 COOMANDOOK SALTLAND REDEMPTION PROJECT – 2019 UPDATE

AN INITIATIVE OF THE COOMANDOOK AG BUREAU AND THE COORONG TATIARA LAP

Project Summary PROJECT DETAILS The Coomandook Saltland as a result of the dryland salinity Project ID: 1268C Redemption project was initiated information sessions held across by the Coomandook Ag Bureau the area Funding Body to investigate the application of in 2016, it was decided to This project is supported by the new developments in the establish an additional site in the South Australian Murray-Darling productive use of saline land Meningie East area. Basin Natural Resources Management Board, the South across Coomandook / Cooke Key issues that farmers wanted East Natural Resources Plains area. This included testing to investigate were: Management Board, The the suitability of new salt tolerant Coorong Tatiara Local Action 1. Does Messina grow in the Plan and the Coomandook legume species Messina and environment? Agricultural Bureau through complimentary salt tolerant 2. Can it be productive either funding from the NRM Levies and pastures in broadacre farming as a stand alone species or the Australian Government’s as part of a pasture mix? systems. After consultation, and National Landcare Programme.

Project Duration 2017-2019 Project Activities To address these issues, three A replicated trial site was also Site Locations farmer demonstration sites were established at Cooke Plains (in - Cooke Plains (K & R Roberts, B.Kleinig) established during the 2017-18 collaboration with SARDI) to look - Coomandook (Hansen season at Cooke Plains, at the seeing rates for Messina in Farms, M&A Patterson ) Coomandook and Meningie East. a low rainfall environment, and - Coomandook (Simmons) These sites were sown down with the impact of fungicide seed - Meningie East (S.Williss) Messina – either in mixes with treatments (Apron SD™) on other potential salt tolerant establishment and nodulation of pastures or as a stand-alone Messina. species to assess the potential for Messina across not only saline The results in 2017 were highly areas, but in the gradational variable with the limitations of areas surrounding saline areas. All Messina as a curative plant on sites were sprayed out prior to salt scalds being observed. 2018 sowing and then sown with plans were reviewed based on inoculated Messina plus or minus results in collaboration with other companion species. growers and sites were either resown or left to regenerate. September 15, 2018 Report prepared by Felicity Turner on behalf of the CTLAP

18 an initiative of the Coomandook Ag Bureau and the Coorong Tatiara LAP

There was also a shift in focus by the steering committee from looking solely at the remediation of saline scald areas to try and pro-actively identify areas that were potential areas where salt may occur. Unfortunately, this was 12 months too late, with large areas being lost to salt scalds over the summer period and further areas of dryland salinity observed in crops in 2018. As a result of this increase, there was a focus on re-visiting the hydrology of the region and piezometer observation trends historically (covered under another project).

In 2019, the initial demonstration areas were maintained, with the site at Cooke Plains being re-sown to pasture. The areas where remediation techniques were being demonstrated was also expanded onto other properties. Demonstrating different management techniques were implemented at two sites with some deep ripping being conducted and then pastures sown across the area.

Table 1. Site Activities for 2019 Site Location 2019 Activities Mulching to provide a micro-climate for Messina establishment Cooke Plains Various pasture mixes (Roberts) Use of various liquid fertilisers to try and increase establishment levels Cooke Plains Deep ripping vs no ripping in areas affected by salt since 2013. Oversown (Kleinig) with a mixture of crop and pasture species Coomandook Regeneration observed and monitored from initial seeding. Additional (Hansen Farms) saline areas on the farm sown to a mix of species. Coomandook Remediation of saline areas by leaving what is there and oversowing (Patterson) pasture species. Coomandook Regeneration observed and monitored (from initial planting in 2016) (Simmons) Meningie East Regeneration of Messina and Puccinellia observed and monitored Meningie East Deep ripping of saline soil with the addition of various soil improvement

Preliminary Findings 2019 – sites to be visited as part of Saltland Redemption Tour 1. Cooke Plains (Roberts)

The site was sown in July after the remainder of the cropping program had been sown. Throughout the start of the season, large rainfall events had occurred, and the cumulative average was 30mm higher than in 2018. These large rainfall events (multiple events greater than 10mm over consecutive days) are thought to have helped the salt concentration in the surface decline slightly providing a more favourable environment for pasture establishment. The pasture establishment at the site has exceeded expectations, with the majority of the salt scald being covered (Fig.1)

It is thought that all of prior activities (application of organic matter and previous seedbank developed) in conjunction with the rainfall events at the

Fig 1. Establishment at Cooke Plains (Roberts) 2019

19 an initiative of the Coomandook Ag Bureau and the Coorong Tatiara LAP

start of the season have contributed towards providing a favourable micro-climate in which the pasture has been able to germinate.

2. Cooke Plains (Kleinig)

A deep ripper was utilized in strips at the site to see if cracking open the soil or reducing a hard pan layer had an impact on the establishment of pasture species.

On 11th June 2019, a mixture of wheat (100kg/ha), cobra balansa (3kg/ha), puccinellia (1kg/ha), canola (2.5kg/ha) and ryegrass (2kg/ha) was sown across the site.

The ripped area was quite soft, and it is though that some of the smaller seeds were sown a bit deep, as there appears to be a greater number of wheat plants and less of some of the species. The health of those plants does however appear to be a lot greater (Fig 2).

This site was also soil sampled (16th September 2019) to determine if there was any difference in the salinity levels of the soil at the surface. The results showed a decrease in soil salinity levels in the area that was ripped, both at the surface and in the 10-30cm layer (Fig 3).

Fig 2. Ripped (LHS) vs untreated (RHS) Fig 3. Soil test results (September 2019)

16 14 12 10 8 6 4

Soil Salinity Soil (ECs.e.) 2 0 Topsoil Topsoil Subsoil Subsoil Ripped Untreated Ripped Untreated

3. Coomandook (Patterson)

In June 2019, a shotgun mix was sown into an area to try and remediate a sandy area that had scalded and experienced quite a bit of wind erosion in 2018 exposing a limestone base that had previously not been observed. The mix contained puccinellia, messina and tall fescue. The site was not sprayed out to encourage growth of any species (weed or beneficial) to try and stabilize the site. Initial results show a good level of germination of all species.

Acknowledgements

Heritage Seeds Seednet Landmark, Cooke Plains and Keith Platinum Ag Services, Meningie Coomandook School

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