Sowing Strategies to Improve Productivity on Sandy Mallee Soils

Therese McBeath1, Bill Davoren1, Vadakattu Gupta1, Rick Llewellyn1
1CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Waite Campus, Adelaide.
Peer review: Sarah Noack, Hart Field-Site Group, Clare, South Australia

Key Messages
• There were no measurable differences in 2014 wheat yield in response to two different sowing dates and sowing on-row vs. inter-row.
• On the sandy soil type, there was more plant available water (PAW) in the top 10cm when sowing on-row.
• Rhizoctonia inoculum was higher with on-row compared to inter-row sowing but this did not carry through to an effect on rhizoctonia infection in the crop.
• In a season where the profile PAW was similar for the two sowing dates (April 30 and May 14) crop establishment was better with the earlier time of sowing but ryegrass pressure on the swale was also higher with the earlier time of sowing.