Dry matter production and grain yield from grazed wheat in southern New South Wales

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 769 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. McMullen ◽  
J. M. Virgona

In southern New South Wales, Australia, grazing wheat during the vegetative and early reproductive growth stages (typically during winter) can provide a valuable contribution of high quality feed during a period of low pasture growth. This paper reports results from a series of experiments investigating the agronomic management of grazed wheats in southern NSW. The effect of sowing date and grazing on dry matter production and subsequent grain yield of a range of wheat cultivars was measured in five experiments in 2004 and 2005. In all experiments, results were compared with ungrazed spring wheat (cv. Diamondbird). Grain yield of the best winter cultivar was either the same or significantly greater than the spring cultivar in each of the five experiments. Within the winter wheat cultivars, there was significant variation in grain yield, protein content and screenings, depending on site and year with the cultivar Marombi out-yielding all others. Interestingly, this cultivar usually had the least dry matter post-grazing but the greatest dry matter by anthesis of the winter wheats. Generally, if sowing of the winter wheat was delayed, then the effects on yield were small or non-existent. The results are discussed with respect to the benefits of incorporating grazing cereals into cropping programs in the medium rainfall zone of southern Australia.

1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (125) ◽  
pp. 236
Author(s):  
GK McDonald ◽  
BG Sutton ◽  
FW Ellison

Three winter cereals (wheat varieties Songlen and WW 15, triticale variety Satu) were grown after cotton or summer fallow under three levels of applied nitrogen (0, 100 and 200 kg N/ha) at Narrabri, New South Wales. The cereals were sown on August 7, 1980 and growing season rainfall was supplemented by a single irrigation. Leaf area, total shoot dry matter production and ears per square metre were lower after cotton than after summer fallow, while grain yields of cereals sown immediately after cotton were 33% lower than those sown after fallow. Adding nitrogen increased leaf area, dry matter and grain yields of crops grown after cotton and fallow, but significant increases were not obtained with more than 100 kg/ha of applied nitrogen. Crops grown after cotton required an application of 100 kg N/ha for leaf and dry matter production at anthesis to equal that of crops grown after fallow with no additional nitrogen. The corresponding cost to grain yield of growing cotton was equivalent to 200 kg N/ha. The low grain yield responses measured in this experiment (1 8 and 10% increase to 100 kg N/ha after cotton and fallow, respectively) were attributed to the combined effects of late sowing, low levels of soil moisture and loss, by denitrification, of some of the applied nitrogen. The triticale, Satu, yielded significantly less than the two wheats (1 99 g/m2 for Satu c.f. 255 and 286 g/m2 for Songlen and WW 15, respectively), and did not appear to be a viable alternative to wheat in a cotton rotation.


1976 ◽  
Vol 16 (82) ◽  
pp. 739 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Scott ◽  
H Brownlee

Dry matter production and seed yields of a range of annual legumes grown in ungrazed swards were measured between 1966 and 1971 on seven sites in the low rainfall wheatbelt of central western New South Wales. Jemalong and Hannaford barrel medics (Medicago truncatula) were the highest yielding medic cultivars tested. Jemalong medic was slightly superior to Hannaford in dry matter production but seed yields were equal. The short season subterranean clovers (Trifolium subterraneum), Dwalganup and Geraldton, yielded much less dry matter and seed than the medics in most experiments. Although the mid-season subterranean clovers, Woogenellup and Clare, persisted for the duration of our experiments, their production was not as consistent as that of the medics, and plant densities decreased. The rose clovers (T. hirtum), Sirint and Kondinin, the cupped clovers (T. cherleri), Beenong and Yamina, and Snail (M. scutellata) and Paragosa (M. rugosa) medics did not produce satisfactory swards.


1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (65) ◽  
pp. 705 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Scott

The dry matter production of a pasture of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula cv. Jemalong) under different rates and methods of application of superphosphate was examined, during 1971 and 1972, on a phosphorus deficient soil at Condobolin, New South Wales. The treatments were factorial combinations of four rates of superphosphate (0, 126, 376, and 753 kg ha-1) and four methods of application of superphosphate (surface spread i.e. topdressed, surface applied in bands, placed at 5 cm depth, and placed at 1 0 cm depth). The dry matter production and phosphorus uptake results demonstrated the effectiveness of subsurface placement of superphosphate, but relative ineffectiveness of surface application during the dry winters experienced. The results also showed that root development in the dry 0-2 cm zone was restricted compared with that in the deeper moist soil layers. Soil phosphorus tests showed that one year after topdressing phosphorus had not moved below the 2-4 cm depth layer, even at 753 kg ha-1 of superphosphate.


1981 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
VE Rogers

Dry matter production and plant density were measured after seeding lucerne: (Medicago rarii'a) into grassland at two sites in New South Wales having inearl annual rainfalls of 292 and 425 mm. Various methods of minimal tillage establishment were used. Sod-seeding failed to produce a satisfactory stand at either site, even where herbicide had been applied. Survival was best when lucerne was sown in furrows 15 cm wide, the lucerne density after five years being 8 plants ~n'~, or 80,000 plants ha-'. This treat- ment was also superior in dry matter production to the use of furrows of 5 and 10 an width, or to seeding after a single cultivation. The effect on production of a herbicide applied at sowing decreased with increasing width of furrow. The results of this study could also be relevant to the establishment of other species under rangeland conditions.


1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 922 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Lemerle ◽  
AR Leys ◽  
RB Hinkley ◽  
JA Fisher

Twelve spring wheat cultivars were tested in southern New South Wales for their tolerances to the recommended rates and three times the recommended rates of trifluralin, pendimethalin, tri-allate and chlorsulfuron. Recommended rates of these herbicides did not affect the emergence or grain yield of any cultivar. However, differences between cultivars in their tolerances to trifluralin, pendimethalin and chlorsulfuron at three times the recommended rate were identified. The extent of the reduction in emergence and/or grain yield varied with herbicide and season, and there was also a herbicidexseason interaction. Durati, Songlen and Tincurrin were the most susceptible cultivars to trifluralin, and Teal was the most tolerant. Yield losses from trifluralin were more severe in 1979 than in 1980 or 1981. The differential between cultivars treated with pendimethalin was smaller and more variable; Tincurrin was the only cultivar with a yield reduction in more than one season. Durati, Songlen and Shortim were the only cultivars affected by chlorsulfuron. A reduction in crop emergence of a cultivar treated with trifluralin or pendimethalin did not correlate consistently with any grain yield loss, and reductions in emergence were always greater than yield loss.


1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
PL Milthorpe ◽  
PR Dann

In 1985, experiments were conducted at 4 localities in south-eastern and central New South Wales, to assess the production potential of tagasaste. The results were disappointing: 2 experiments failed to establish because of soil waterlogging, while production from the other 2 sites was only intermittent. Annual dry matter production did not exceed 3 t/ha at Condobolin or 5 t/ha at Yass. Although survival of established plants was good, production was limited by prolonged dry periods at Condobolin and by low temperatures during winter at Yass. Tagasaste is costly to establish (up to $A500/ha) and difficult to manage. In our environments, conventional pastures or fodder crops which require simpler management would probably out-produce tagasaste at most times during the experimental period.


1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (99) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
AC Andrews ◽  
FC Crofts

Four ecotypes of hybrid Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) were compared with common couch (C. dactylon) and kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) at five sites in coastal districts of New South Wales. The sites were Grafton and Coaldale (Lat. 30�S), Mitchells Island (Lat. 32�S) and Richmond and Badgerys Creek (Lat. 34�S). Hybrid Bermudagrass ecotypes 6389 and 692 were established quickly at all sites while ecotypes 71 9 and 632 were satsifactory. Kikuyu was strong at all sites except Grafton but the rate of establishment of common couch was poor. At the frost-free sandy site of Mitchells Island, Bermudagrass ecotypes 719, 692, 6389, and 632 outyielded kikuyu by 75, 65, 65 and 35%, respectively. However, at Grafton and Coaldale, the highest yielding Bermudagrass ecotype, 719, had only 35% higher production than kikuyu. At the frost prone southern sites of Richmond and Badgerys Creek, the annual production of kikuyu was equal to that of ecotypes 719, 6389, 692 and 632. Common couch yields were equal to kikuyu at all sites except at Richmond. At Mitchells Island, the hybrid Bermudagrasses outyielded kikuyu in spring, summer and early autumn but in the late autumn kikuyu had equal and sometimes higher growth rates than the best Bermudagrasses. In winter, the growth of both species was negligible, although kikuyu, unlike the Bermudagrasses, did produce some new shoots at the base of the sward. Data on persistence under grazing were collected from only three of the sites but trends were similar to establishment. Ecotype 6389 had the highest persistence rating of the Bermudagrasses. Kikuyu failed at the poorly drained sandy site of Grafton but remained strong at the other sites. It was concluded that hybrid Bermudagrasses were of potential value for pastures in New South Wales, especially for sites with sandy soils and low frost incidence.


Author(s):  
Yashvir S. Chauhan ◽  
Rex Williams

Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] in Australia has been transformed from a niche opportunistic crop into a major summer cropping option for dryland growers in the summer-dominant rainfall regions of Queensland and New South Wales. This transformation followed stepwise genetic improvements in both grain yields and disease resistance. For example, more recent cultivars such as ‘Crystal’, ‘Satin II’ and ‘Jade-AU‘  have provided up to a 20% yield advantage over initial introductions. Improved agronomic management to enable mechanised management and cultivation in narrow (<50 cm) rows has further promised to increase yields. Nevertheless, average yields achieved by growers for their mungbean crops remain less than 1 t/ha, and are much more variable than other broad acre crops.  Further increases in yield and crop resilience in mungbean are vital. In this review, opportunities to improve mungbean have been analysed at four key levels including phenology, leaf area development, dry matter accumulation and its partitioning into grain yield. Improving the prediction of phenology in mungbean may provide further scope for genetic improvements that better match crop duration to the characteristics of target environments. There is also scope to improve grain yields by increasing dry matter production through the development of more efficient leaf canopies. This may introduce additional production risks as dry matter production depends on the amount of available water, which varies considerably within and across growing regions in Australia. Improving crop yields by exploiting photo-thermal sensitivities to increase dry matter is likely a less risky strategy for these variable environments. Improved characterisation of growing environments using modelling approaches could also better define and identify the risks of major abiotic constraints. This would assist in optimising breeding and management strategies to increase grain yield and crop resilience in mungbean for the benefit of growers and industry.


1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 753 ◽  
Author(s):  
GM Lodge ◽  
MG McMillan ◽  
AJ Schipp ◽  
AS Cook

Two experiments were conducted at Tamworth, New South Wales, to assess the effects of herbicides applied post-sowing pre-emergence, and at 2 post-emergence growth stages, on Danthonia (wallaby grass) dry matter yield, plant number, and plant phytotoxicity. Phytotoxicity was scored visually on a 0-5 scale (0, no phytotoxicity; 5, 100% phytotoxicity). In the post-sowing pre-emergence study, no Danthonia plants survived on plots sprayed with metribuzin (375 g a.i./ha), chlorsulfuron (45 g a.i./ha), or simazine (750 and 1500 g a.i./ha). Phytotoxicity was also high at lower rates of metribuzin (187.5 g a.i./ha) and chlorsulfuron (22.5 g a.i./ha). Dry matter yields and plant numbers on 2,4-D amine and ester treatments were not significantly different from those of unsprayed controls. On metsulfuron-methyl (3 and 6 g a.i./ha) and triasulfuron (21.4 g a.i./ha) treatments, plant numbers were similar to the controls, but Danthonia yields were lower (P<0.05). In seedling stands, the only herbicide that reduced (P<0.05) Danthonia dry matter yield compared with the unsprayed control plots was metsulfuron-methyl applied at 6, 12, and 18 g a.i./ha at the 2-4 tiller stage, and at 12 and 18 g a.i./ha at early stem elongation. At both times of application, Danthonia plant numbers were lowest (P<0.05) on the metsulfuron-methyl 12 and 18 g a.i./ha treatments. Phytotoxicity scores were >2 and highest (P<0.05) on all metsulfuron-methyl plots. These studies indicated that a range of chemicals could be used to control broadleaf weed seedlings, without damaging Danthonia seedlings.


1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 967 ◽  
Author(s):  
BW Dunn ◽  
HG Beecher

The potential for suppling a portion of the required nitrogen (N) for aerial-sown rice crops by green manuring legume pasture was investigated in southern New South Wales. Green pasture material could be the source of up to 300 kg N/ha in the southern New South Wales ricegrowing systems. Three experiments were conducted over 2 seasons. Each included 3 land preparation treatments (fallow, pasture removed, pasture incorporated) split for 5 rates of N (0, 40, 80, 120, 160 kg N/ha) applied as urea immediately before flooding for aerial sowing. In all experiments fallow resulted in lower anaerobic incubation soil ammonium levels at flooding than the pasture-incorporated treatment. When the fallow was extended, N losses led to a decrease in grain yield. The incorporation of green manure resulted in an increase in grain yield at the nil N rate in experiment 1, where soil N levels were comparatively low and seasonal temperatures average. In experiment 2, where soil N levels were high and the temperatures before panicle initiation below average, the incorporation of green manure reduced total dry matter and increased per cent unfilled grain. Land preparation treatments did not affect total dry matter or grain yield in experiment 3, where a short season variety was grown and all treatments lodged severely. Grain yields in all experiments were affected by a season x soil fertility x variety interaction.


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