Two year breaks profitably reduce agronomic constraints in the Northern Victorian Mallee

Michael Moodie 1, Nigel Wilhelm 2, Roger Lawes 3, Peter Telfer 2, Todd McDonald 1
1 MSF Mildura; 2 SARDI Waite campus Adelaide, 3 CSIRO Perth

Key Messages
• Including 1 and 2-year break phases in the low rainfall Mallee can significantly increase the productivity of subsequent wheat crops.
• Brome grass population in a long term cereal paddock near Mildura was the most significant driver of the break benefits in a crop sequencing trial.
• Including a two-year break phase in the rotation was up to $90/ha/year more profitable than maintaining continuous wheat over the four year period of the trial.