Crop and Pasture Agronomy

In genotype (G) x environment (E) context, agronomic management is a vital component of E in modern agricultural systems. There is little doubt that agronomic management will continue to play an important role in enhancing resource use efficiency and realisation of the genetic potential of crop and pasture species.

Research Projects

Resource use efficiency under wide-row cropping systems

Production of high quality wheats

Whilst the emphasis with wheat development continues to focus on yield improvement, there must be parallel emphasis on wheat quality for consumer needs. In the upper north region of South Australia specific quality export markets are being targeted through cultivar choice and strategic N inputs based on seasonal water availability. In India wheat quality for the consumer is very important, yet farmers to date have not attached much importance to quality as most of the wheat is purchased by Government agencies. In both locations we are also developing innovative nitrogen management scheduling, with sustainable production practices, to optimise specific grain quality attributes across a range of crop rotations. This research is funded by ACIAR.

Researchers: Prof David Coventry

Collaborators: Dr Jay Cummins (Rural Solutions, PIRSA)

Crop geometry and resource use efficiency

Systems that utilise crops and forage species grown as relay crops for grain, forage or silage as a basis for future farming systems in the medium-high rainfall mixed farming areas of southern Australia are being developed. This work involves the quantifying of water, nutrient and light use of plant species grown as various poly-crop systems. There is an international component to the work with the design of locally effective methods to produce and conserve forages, development of feed quality databases and feed budgets for efficient use of resources to meet nutrient requirements of dairy cattle in high altitude farming in Tibet. In Tibet there is also a socio-economic component of the study involving the understanding of the key factors affecting the adoption of improved technology. The attitudes of farmers, practical constraints and opportunities in implementation of recommendations will be identified, and strategies and structures for information transfer activated. This research is funded by ACIAR and the CRC Future Farm Industries.

Researchers: Prof David Coventry, Dr Nick Paltridge, Tom Giles (PhD student), Penny Craig (Masters student)

Collaborators: Dr John Wilkins (NSW DPI, Wagga Wagga), Dr Jay Cummins (Rural Solutions, PIRSA)

Integrated crop-livestock systems

The overall aim of this research theme is to realise improvements in resource use efficiency through the integration of crop and livestock production. The specific focus is to improve water use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency through the incorporation of perennial forage legumes into cropping systems based on annual crops. The perenial legume lucerne (Medicago sativa) provides high quality forage, improves soil fertility and can be incorporated into wheat production systems to improve water use and nitrogen cycling. This research is multi-disciplinary in nature, including soil science, climate science, plant physiology, crop ecology, agronomy and farm economics. Emphasis is placed on a systems analysis approach including field experimentation, farmer participation, and system simulation modelling. The research is conducted in southern Australia and western China.

Researchers: Dr Bill Bellotti, Mr Lawrence Burk

Postgraduates: Mr Alan Humphries, Mr Rob Harris, Ms Seshula Sasa

Research partners: Dr Michael Robertson, Dr Anthony Whitbread (CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems), Professor Nan Zhi Biao, Professor Shen Yuying (Lanzhou University, China).

Funding: ACIAR, Future Farm Industries CRC, GRDC

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