Seeder-based strategies to reduce the impact of water repellence on crop productivity
Authors: Jack Desbiolles1, Nigel Wilhelm2, Melissa Fraser3, Lynne Macdonald4, Therese McBeath4, James Barr1
1University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, 5095; 2South Australian Research and Development Institute, Urrbrae, SA, 5064; 3Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, Struan, SA, 5271; 4CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Urrbrae, SA, 5064
Funded By: GRDC CSP00203
Project Title: Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the Southern Region
Peer Review: Rodrigo Da Silva
Key Messages
- Low-cost, low risk seeder-based strategies achieved valuable wheat/barley crop establishment and grain yield benefits in a severely water repellent sand in two below-average rainfall seasons.
- Edge-row/on-row sowing and 230mm deep furrow till achieved the greatest crop benefits by exploiting existing in-furrow moisture (via guided sowing) and deeper moisture (via lifting by furrow opener), respectively.
- While adoption of these strategies involves RTK guidance, liquid dispensing and compatible seeding system technologies, scope for simplified solutions to reduce practical challenges exist and their performance should be tested in farm scale demonstrations.