Harvest of SARDI’s field crop research trial plots on Lower Eyre Peninsula is now well underway, with canola, field pea and barley trials the first to be put through the header.  Early indications are that yields have stood up well, despite the dearth of useful rainfall from July onwards.

One of the first trials to be harvested was a TT canola variety evaluation trial at Wangary.  While Bravo TT was top yielder at 1.3 t/ha, a group of varieties all produced similar yields (not significantly different statistically) in the 1.1 to 1.3 t/ha range.  These included ThunderTT, ATR-Summitt and ATR-Barra, and a string of new variety releases for 2008 – PacT2203, Rottnest TTC, Flinders TTC, CBIT6601 and ATR-Cobbler.

Information on these varieties can be found in the canola crop sowing guide in the most recent edition of “Grain Business”, produced by ABB Grain Ltd and posted out to growers throughout SA and interstate.  This also contains variety information from SARDI’s Crop Improvement team for all winter cereal and pulse crops in SA, to guide growers’ seed retention and purchase decisions in preparation for next year’s sowings.

Many of our Lower EP trials are part of the National Variety Trial (NVT) program, which SARDI is conducting in SA for ACAS, the Australian Crop Accreditation System.  ACAS aims to provide growers and their advisors with sound information on the performance and characteristics of grain crop varieties, so that they can make valid comparisons between available varieties.

This program is funded by growers’ research levies through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

Results of the 2007 NVT trials should be available to growers and advisors on the ACAS website, at www.acasnvt.com.au, from early in the New Year.  We also plan to publish comparative variety performance results in the Crop Harvest Report in the February/March edition of “Grain Business”, and include tables of results in the Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems 2007 Summary book to be put out by Minnipa Agricultural Centre in March.  These reports will bring together results from the network of NVT and breeding trials in our research program.

A new feature planned for the EP Farming Systems Summary book early next year will be a section specifically for Lower Eyre Peninsula growers, bringing together reports on field trials and demonstrations of particular relevance to this region.  This will include a number of new trials established in 2007 through LEADA, the Lower Eyre Agricultural Development Association.

In the meantime, if you have any queries or comments on NVT or any other aspect of SARDI’s field crop research program on Lower Eyre Peninsula, please contact me at the Port Lincoln Crops Research base, on 8688 3424.

PICTURED:
1.  Ashley Flint of SARDI’s field crop research team in Port Lincoln harvests canola field trials at Yeelanna.
2. SARDI’s Joanne Crouch records the weight of canola from the trial plot, to measure grain yield.

AUTHOR: Jim Egan, Senior Research Agronomist, SARDI

CONTACT: Jim Egan, Crop Improvement Centre Pt Lincoln, Telephone 8688 3424  email egan.jim@saugov.sa.gov.au