In June 2019, the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) ceased operations globally, including supporting and developing the information provided through their website. The website contained a significant amount of research and publications by IPNI regional staff and collaborators from across the globe, including local resources developed by Australia New Zealand […]
Acid layers within the topsoil can cause crop failure in acid-sensitive plants like faba beans and chickpeas. Conventional agriculture acidifies soil through ammonium fertilisers, nitrate leaching, and product removal e.g. harvesting grain. Topsoil acidity is usually measured as a 0-10 cm core. This provides an average pH for the topsoil […]
Here are our five most popular articles from 2019. Last year we published 40 articles and these covered many different aspects of crop nutrition in the Australian grains industry and reflected the year’s seasonal conditions and emerging issues. These articles were prepared with and reviewed by, members of our […]
Do you apply gypsum every time you plant canola? Are you sure you need to? Gypsum can supply sulphur (S), calcium (Ca), and treat sodic (dispersive) soils. Some growers use gypsum to both improve soil structure and supply S. Gypsum only improves soil structure in dispersive soils. A simple DIY […]
In dispersive soils, the structure deteriorates when the soil is wet. Dispersive soils are prone to compaction, temporary waterlogging and reduced seedling emergence. None of which are great for cropping. Many soils in south-eastern Australia had naturally dispersive topsoils. These soils are high in sodium (Na) and are also known […]
Any kind of nutrient deficiency can reduce crop yields. Trace elements are only needed in small amounts but untreated, deficiencies can cause important crop losses. Also, crops won’t make the most of nitrogen (N) fertiliser if they can’t access the trace elements. Nutrient use efficiency is a measure of how […]
Climate variability is a major source of risk to the profitability of southern Australian grain growers. A GRDC project aims to improve how seasonal outlook forecasts are used to increase grower profitability. Part of the project includes working with advisors from South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania to see if and […]
During late February and early March 2019, the GRDC Grains Research Updates for the northern region were held in Warra, Moonie and Goondiwindi in Queensland, and Spring Plains, Coolah, Dubbo, Corowa and Wagga in New South Wales. A number of the presentations at the Northern Updates focussed on the new […]
During February 2019, the GRDC Grains Research Updates for the southern region were held in Boort, Hopetoun, Dunkeld and Bendigo in Victoria and in Maitland and Adelaide in South Australia. Soil health was a popular theme of the Southern Updates, with presentations that included: Disentangling soil amelioration and plant nutrition […]
Lupin growers are being encouraged to assess their crops for manganese (Mn) deficiency. This has re-emerged as a problem in recent seasons, causing split seed disorder. The GRDC’s Western Lupin GrowNotes says this can result in yield penalties of up to 70%. According to Jeremy Lemon from WA’s Department of […]
GRDC Communities Webinar: On Tuesday 8th October at 1:30pm (AEDT), Matt Cox from Agriculture Victoria and Michael Moodie from Frontier Farming Systems/Immersive Ag will share their experiences with 360-degree filming in agricultural extension. They will be discussing tips, tricks, and traps about filming, processing/editing and using this exciting technology for […]
Did you know that GRDC Communities now has a podcast channel that connects you to science-based solutions for agriculture? Featuring podcasts on crop nutrition and field crop disease topics, in this series, we share conversations with some of the best researchers & experts from around the country so you can […]
