HRZ Farming Systems
Over the past decade there has been a trend towards more cropping in the High Rainfall Zone (HRZ) but yields are typically 1-3 t/ha below water-limited yield potential for wheat and 0.5-1.5 t/ha for canola in an average season. These limited yield potentials presented a significant opportunity to lift the profitability of cropping systems in the HRZ, defined in Western Australia as arable areas with annual rainfall above 450mm. The GRDC invested in this High Rainfall Zone Farming Systems project to support growers to overcome major constraints, adopt superior long-season varieties and develop management packages to express superior yield potentials. DPIRD, CSIRO and FAR Australia combined their expertise in farming systems, bio-economic modelling, disease management, and systems agronomy to work with growers to develop high production packages for the HRZ.
Over the three years of the project, the team focussed on supporting growers to increase the value of the cropping phase in the HRZ farming system by 10%. This was done by addressing modelled crop yield potential and the gap between potential and realised yield in wheat and canola crops grown in the HRZ of the Albany and Esperance port zones.
This project has helped to deliver a better understanding of the yield potential of different combinations of germplasm (i.e. winter vs spring germplasm), early sowing and farming systems advances based on soil amelioration. This gives us the opportunity on farm to identify options that can reduce the yield gap in the HRZ, and help quantify the economic risks associated with potentially higher input farming systems.
The final year of results are now published, please click on the READ MORE tab below to download your copy. Links are also available to the 2020 and 2021 results as well as the 2021 Perth Update paper delivered by FAR Australia covered by the field work on 2020 and 2021 Resources & Publications - FAR Australia FAR Australia
Please also find attached to this email a snapshot of the results from the 2022 canola nutrition trials.
Thank you for your support over the past three years, we hope to be able to continue with this work in order to build on these achievements to date.
Nick Poole
Managing Director
FAR Australia
For more information on cereals contact Nick Poole from FAR Australia.
(nick.poole@faraustralia.com.au).
For more information on canola contact Jens Berger from CSIRO
(jens.berger@csiro.au) or Jeremy Curry from DPIRD (jeremy.curry@dpird.wa.gov.au).
Photo credit Evan Collis
