Effectiveness of zinc sulfate and zinc chelate as foliar sprays in alleviating zinc deficiency of wheat grown on zinc-deficient soils in Western Australia

1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 831 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Brennan

The relative effectiveness of zinc chelate (Zn-EDTA, 15% Zn) and zinc sulfate (23% Zn) applied as f o l k sprays for alleviating zinc deficiency of wheat was assessed. The experiments were conducted at 3 sites in 3 different years, in the Newdegate district about 350 km south-east of Perth, Western Australia. Each source was sprayed at 6 rates of Zn, to define the relationship between grain yield and the amount of foliar Zn applied for wheat grown on Zn-deficient soils where no Zn had been previously applied. The levels of Zn sprayed were 0, 25, 50, 100,200 and 400 g/ha (experiment 1); and 0, 28, 56, 112, 225 and 450 g/ha (experiments 2 and 3). Foliar-applied zinc chelate was 1.4-1.7 times more effective than zinc sulfate applied at the GS 14 growth stage. However, the sprays were equally effective when applied at the GS 23-24 growth stage. Zinc sulfate banded with the seed at sowing produced the highest grain yields.


1990 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 687 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Brennan

The effectiveness of copper oxychloride (CU2Cl(OH)3, 52% Cu) and chelated Cu (Cu-EDTA, 15% Cu) were compared with the effectiveness of copper sulphate (CuSO4, 25% Cu) as foliar sprays for alleviating Cu deficiency and obtaining maximum grain yields of wheat (1.93-2.5 t/ha). The experiments were conducted over 4 years at 4 sites in the Lake Grace and Newdegate districts, about 300-350 km south-east of Perth, Western Australia. Each source was sprayed at 6 or 7 rates of Cu to define the relationship between grain yield and the amount of foliar Cu applied for wheat grown on soils where Cu had not been previously applied. The levels of Cu sprayed in experiment 1 were 0, 21, 63, 125, 250, and 375 g/ha, and for experiments 2,3 and 4, the levels of Cu were 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 g/ha. The relative effectiveness of foliar-applied chelated Cu and CU2Cl(OH)3, compared with CuSO4, was 1.72-2.24 and 0.47-0.63, respectively. Although the relative effectiveness of each product was different, similar quantities of each were required to achieve maximum wheat grain yield because of the difference in the Cu contents of each source of Cu. The amounts of Cu product sprayed for maximum grain yields of wheat varied within the ranges 0.9-1.8 kg/ha, 0.8-1.2 kg/ha and 0.8-1.8 kg/ha for CuSO4, chelated Cu and CU2Cl(OH)3, respectively.



2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1368 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Bakker ◽  
G. J. Hamilton ◽  
D. J. Houlbrooke ◽  
C. Spann ◽  
A. Van Burgel

Waterlogging of duplex soils in Western Australia has long been recognised as a major constraint to the production of agricultural crops and pastures. The work described in this paper examines the application of raised beds to arable land that is frequently waterlogged for the production of crops such as wheat, barley, field peas, lupins and canola. Raised beds are 138 cm wide, seed beds separated by 45 cm wide furrows 183 cm apart. These beds were made with a commercial bed former. Seven sites were selected across the south-eastern wheat belt of Western Australia with the experimental areas varying in size from 10 to 57 ha. These large sites were used to accommodate commercial farm machinery. Each site had raised beds formed with a commercial bedformer. The production from the bedded areas was compared with crops grown conventionally on flat ground under minimum tillage as the control. The experiments were established in 1997 and 1998 and the sites were monitored for a maximum of 5 years. In 11 of the 28 site-years of the experiments, grain yields on the raised beds were statistically significantly higher than the yield from crops grown on the control, with an average yield increase of 0.48 t/ha. Across the whole dataset, growing crops on raised beds did not produce significantly lower yields. Below average rainfall was received for much of the experimental period at several sites. Growing season rainfall had a large effect on grain yield and high rainfall over a period of 40 days after seeding significantly increased the grain yield difference between the raised bed and the control. These data indicate that the use of raised beds lead to higher grain yields when seasonal conditions are appropriate.



1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
KHM Siddique ◽  
SP Loss ◽  
SP Herwig ◽  
JM Wilson

The growth, phenology, grain yield and neurotoxin (ODAP) content of Lathyrus sativus, L. cicera and L. ochrus were compared with a locally adapted field pea (Pisum sativum L.) to examine their potential as grain legumes in Western Australian farming systems. About 17 lines of each species were obtained from ICARDA, Syria, and grown at 3 agro-climatically different sites. In general, the 3 species were later flowering than field pea, especially L. cicera and L. ochrus; however, L. sativus was the last species to mature. The best Lathyrus lines produced biomass near flowering similar to field pea. At the most favourable site, grain yields were up to 1.6, 2.6 and 1.7 t/ha for L. sativus, L. cicera and L. ochrus respectively, compared with a field pea grain yield of 3.1 t/ha. There was considerable genotype and environmental variation in ODAP concentration in the seed. On average, the ODAP concentration of L. ochrus (6.58 mg/g) was about twice that of L. sativus, and L. cicera had the lowest ODAP concentration (1.31 mg/g). Given that Lathyrus spp. have not had the same breeding effort as field pea and other grain legumes in Australia, these results encourage further selection or breeding. In the shor-tseasoned, mediterranean-type environment of Western Australia, harvest indices and grain yields could be improved with early flowering. Low ODAP concentration should also be sought.



2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Malhi ◽  
L. Cowell ◽  
H. R. Kutcher

A field experiment was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of various sources, methods, times and rates of Cu fertilizers on grain yield, protein concentration in grain, concentration of Cu in grain and uptake of Cu in grain of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and residual concentration of DTPA-extractable Cu in soil on a Cu-deficient soil near Porcupine Plain in northeastern Saskatchewan. The experiment was conducted from 1999 to 2002 on the same site, but the results for 2002 were not presented because of very low grain yield due to drought in the growing season. The 25 treatments included soil application of four granular Cu fertilizers (Cu lignosulphonate, Cu sulphate, Cu oxysulphate I and Cu oxysulphate II) as soil-incorporated (at 0.5 and 2.0 kg Cu ha-1), seedrow-placed (at 0.25 and 1.0 kg Cu ha-1) and foliar application of four solution Cu fertilizers (Cu chelate-EDTA, Cu sequestered I, Cu sulphate/chelate and Cu sequestered II at 0.25 kg Cu ha-1) at the four-leaf and flag-leaf growth stages, plus a zero-Cu check. Soil was tilled only once to incorporate all designated Cu and blanket fertilizers into the soil a few days prior to seeding. Wheat plants in the zero-Cu treatment exhibited Cu deficiency in all years. For foliar application at the flag-leaf stage, grain yield increased with all four of the Cu fertilizers in 2000 and 2001, and in all but Cu sequestered II in 1999. Foliar application at the four-leaf growth stage of three Cu fertilizers (Cu chelate-EDTA, Cu sequestered I and Cu sulphate/chelate), soil incorporation of all Cu fertilizers at 2 kg Cu ha-1 and two Cu fertilizers (Cu lignosulphonate and Cu sulphate) at 0.5 kg Cu ha-1 rate, and seedrow placement of two Cu fertilizers (Cu lignosulphonate and Cu sulphate) at 1 kg Cu ha-1 increased grain yield of wheat only in 2001. There was no effect of Cu fertilization on protein concentration in grain. The increase in concentration and uptake of Cu in grain from Cu fertilization usually showed a trend similar to grain yield. There was some increase in residual DTPA-extractable Cu in the 0–60 cm soil in Cu lignosulphonate, Cu sulphate and Cu oxysulphate II soil incorporation treatments, particularly at the 2 kg Cu ha-1 rate. In summary, the results indicate that foliar application of Cu fertilizers at the flag-leaf growth stage can be used for immediate correction of Cu deficiency in wheat. Because Cu deficiency in crops often occurs in irregular patches within fields, foliar application may be the most practical and economical way to correct Cu deficiency during the growing season, as lower Cu rates can correct Cu deficiency. Key words: Application time, Cu source, foliar application, granular Cu, growth stage, placement method, rate of Cu, seedrow-placed Cu, soil incorporation



2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Herridge ◽  
M. J. Robertson ◽  
B. Cocks ◽  
M. B. Peoples ◽  
J. F. Holland ◽  
...  

Apparent nodulation failures and associated low grain yields have been reported for commercial mungbean (Vigna radiata) crops in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. We therefore conducted on-farm surveys of 40 commercial mungbean crops in the region in which symbiotic traits, i.e. nodulation and nitrogen fixation, and biomass and grain yield were monitored. Effects of bradyrhizobial inoculation and inoculation methods on mungbean and soybean (Glycine max) symbiosis and yield were determined in experiments at 3 sites in northern New South Wales. Thirty-four of the 35 mungbean crops assessed for nodulation were nodulated. The relationship between soil nitrate to a depth of 90 cm at sowing and mungbean nodulation was not significant. However, at low-to-moderate soil nitrate levels (<100 kg N/ha), the mean nodule score was 1.6, compared with 0.5 at high (>100 kg N/ha) soil nitrate levels. Soil nitrate had a negative effect on the percentage of mungbean nitrogen derived from nitrogen fixation (%Ndfa). Mean %Ndfa values for soil nitrate levels <50, >50–100 and >100 kg N/ha were 35, 22 and 19% respectively. Grain yields of the surveyed mungbean crops varied from 0.3 to 2.1 t/ha, and were correlated with shoot dry matter. Grain yield was not significantly correlated either with sowing soil nitrate, nodule score or %Ndfa. In the inoculation experiments, mungbean did not nodulate as well as soybean, producing about one-third the number of nodules. Both species responded to inoculation with increased nodulation, although data from one of the sites suggested that responses during early growth of mungbean were not maintained during pod-fill. Effects of inoculation on mungbean %Ndfa were marginal. Average increases were 9%, based on natural 15N abundance, and 6%, based on the ureide method. Soybean %Ndfa, on the other hand, responded strongly to inoculation, with increases of 56 (15N) and 77% (ureide). Inoculation increased mungbean crop N by an average of 10% and grain yield by 6%, compared with responses to fertiliser nitrogen of 31% (crop N) and 10% (grain yield). For soybean, inoculation increased crop nitrogen by 43% and grain yield by 7%, similar to responses to fertiliser nitrogen of 45 (crop N) and 5% (grain yield). These results suggest that inoculated mungbean was N-limited and that inoculation of mungbean using current technology may be somewhat ineffectual. We concluded that low nodulation and nitrogen fixation of commercial mungbean most likely results from the suppressive effects of nitrate and/or insufficient numbers of bradyrhizobia in the soil. When low symbiosis and low soil nitrate are combined, N is likely to limit crop growth, and potentially grain yield. Suggested strategies for improving mungbean nodulation and nitrogen fixation in the northern grains belt include selection of more symbiotically competent plant and bradyrhizobial genotypes and more effective utilisation of established soil populations of mungbean bradyrhizobia.



1986 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
WK Anderson

Eight spring bread wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.), differing widely in their nominal yield component characteristics, were tested under rain-fed conditions for three years at sowing densities ranging from 50 to 800 seeds m-2. The objectives of the experiments were to estimate the relationship between grain yield and particular yield components, the expression of plant type (yield components) in relation to plant density, and the plant population x cultivar interaction for grain yield over a range of seasons in a given environment. The 'optimum' plant population (at maximum grain yield) varied over 30-220 plants m-2, depending on season and cultivar. In general, variation in the 'optimum' population was greater between seasons for a given cultivar than between cultivars within seasons. The relationship between grain yield and yield components was examined at the 'optimum' population rather than at an arbitrary population at which grain yield may have been suboptimal for some cultivars or seasons. Grain yields at the optimum populations for the various cultivar x season combinations were positively related to culms m-2, spikes m-2 and seeds m-2. They were not clearly related to culm mortality (%). When averaged across seasons, cultivar grain yields were positively related to harvest index, but the general relationship was not so clear when seasons and cultivars were examined individually. Spike size (seeds spike-I or spike weight) and seed size were also not clearly related to grain yield at the 'optimum' population, and it was thus postulated that the production and survival of large numbers of culms, which in turn led to large numbers of seeds per unit area, were the source of large grain yields. Some interactions were found between yield components and plant population for some cultivars that could have implications for plant breeders selecting at low plant densities. The implications for crop ideotypes of the individual plant characters at the 'optimum' population are also discussed. Interactions between cultivars and plant populations implied that some cultivars required different populations to achieve maximum yields in some seasons. There was a tendency for larger yields to be achieved from cultivar x season combinations where the optimum population was larger, which suggested that commercial seed rates should be re-examined when changes to plant types or yield levels are made.



1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Brennan

The area of rhizoctonia bare patch and the incidence and severity of rhizoctonia root rot (caused by Rhizoctonia solani Khnn) were reduced by the application of ammonium nitrate fertiliser. Residual copper (Cu) from a Cu fertiliser treatment in 1967 had no effect on the area of rhizoctonia bare patch or the incidence and severity of root rot. With no applied nitrogen (N), 17.6% (mean of residual Cu levels) of the plot was affected by patches while the area of plot affected by patches declined to 4.2% where 92 kg N/ha had been applied. The incidence and severity of rhizoctonia root rot declined from 45.9 and 27.0% to 32.7 and 9.1%, respectively, with the application of N fertiliser. The grain yield of wheat supplied with adequate Cu increased although the level of N fertiliser exceeded that considered adequate for plant nutrition. The response is explained by the control of rhizoctonia bare patch. The area of rhizoctonia patches and the incidence and severity of rhizoctonia root rot decreased with the application of N, and with adequate Cu fertiliser (2.2 kg Cu/ha), the grain yields increased. However, with marginal and deficient levels of applied Cu fertiliser, the application of N fertiliser induced Cu deficiency in wheat plants, and the grain yields declined although rhizoctonia patches were reduced.



2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Brennan

Naturally acidic sandplain soils in the lower rainfall (<350 mm annual average) eastern region of the agricultural areas of south-western Australia are deficient in molybdenum (Mo) for grain production of wheat. Liming soils ameliorates Mo deficiency, but it is not an economic option for these soils because they are naturally acidic at soil depths commonly explored by wheat roots. Consequently, Mo fertiliser, usually as Mo trioxide, needs to be applied to wheat on these soils. The residual value of the Mo fertiliser for these soils was not known, so was measured using grain yield of wheat in 2 long-term field experiments. The Mo fertiliser treatments were applied once only in different years to plots not treated with Mo in a previous year. In both experiments, the residual value of the fertiliser was measured in 1993. Thus, it was possible to determine the effectiveness of the fertiliser applied once only 1–11 years previously (previous Mo) relative to freshly applied (current) Mo applied in 1993. At both sites, a continuous decline in the effectiveness of previous Mo relative to current Mo was related to time of Mo–soil contact. In experiment 1, the effectiveness of previous Mo relative to current Mo decreased by about 40, 50, 60 and 70% when applied 2, 5, 7 and 11 years previously. In experiment 2, on a more acidic soil with a larger capacity to sorb Mo, the relative effectiveness of previous Mo decreased by about 60 and 80% for Mo applied 2 and 6 years previously. The concentration of Mo measured in youngest emerged leaf blades was related to 90% of the maximum shoot yield at the time of sampling (diagnostic critical tissue test value) and to 90% of the maximum grain yield (prognostic critical tissue test value). Irrespective of the growth stage of wheat, both critical diagnostic and prognostic values were about 0.07 mg Mo/kg. The concentration of Mo in grain that was related to 90% of the maximum grain yield was 0.02 mg/kg. The reapplication of Mo fertiliser to naturally acidic sands can be made with knowledge of the residual value and use of tissue testing for Mo, particularly when sampled at early growth stages of wheat.



2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 849 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. A. Bolland ◽  
K. H. M. Siddique ◽  
R. F. Brennan

Seed (grain) yield responses of faba bean (Vicia faba L. cv. Fiord) to applications of fertiliser phosphorus (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 kg P/ha as triple superphosphate) and zinc (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg Zn/ha as zinc oxide) were measured in 3 field experiments conducted in 1997 and 1998 on neutral to alkaline soils in south-western Australia. Additions of fertiliser phosphorus significantly (P<0.001) increased grain yields by about 50 and 100% in 2 experiments, but in the third experiment differences in grain yield due to applications of fertiliser phosphorus were not significant (P>0.05). Increases in grain yields due to zinc fertiliser were small (<10%) and were only significant (P<0.05) in 1 experiment. This suggests the 3 sites chosen had adequate soil zinc for grain production of faba bean. In 1 experiment the increase in grain yield due to addition of phosphorus fertiliser was due to an increase in the number of pods per plant; numbers of seed per pod and mean seed weight were unaffected by additions of phosphorus and zinc fertiliser. Adding phosphorus and zinc fertiliser increased concentrations of both elements in grain, but had no effect on the concentrations of other nutrient elements (N, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na, Cu, Mn, Fe) measured in grain. These findings support results of a previous study in Western Australia indicating that phosphorus is the major nutrient element deficiency for grain production of faba bean in neutral to alkaline soils.



1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 797 ◽  
Author(s):  
MDA Bolland ◽  
BH Paynter ◽  
MJ Baker

In a field experiment on a phosphorus (P) deficient soil in south-western Australia, lupin seed (Lupinus angustifolius cv. Danja) of the same size (157 mg/seed) but with 2 different phosphorus (P) concentrations in the seed (2.0 and 2.8 g P/kg) was sown with 4 levels of superphosphate (5, 20, 40 and 60 kg P/ha) drilled with the seed in May 1988 to examine the effect of seed P concentration on subsequent dry matter (DM) and grain yields. Increasing the amount of superphosphate applied from 5 to 60 kg P/ha almost doubled yields. In addition, lupins grown from seed containing the higher P concentration produced larger yields of dried whole tops in early August (69-day-old) for all levels of superphosphate drilled with the seed, the difference decreasing from about 45 to 10% as the level of superphosphate increased from 5 to 60 kg P/ha. By maturity (mid- November), however, plants grown from seed containing the higher P concentration in seed produced higher DM yields of tops and grain only when 5 and 20 kg P/ha superphosphate was drilled with the seed, the differences being about 40 and 20%, respectively.



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