The barley agronomy for the southern region project (DAN00173) is funded by GRDC and has been active since 2010.
It is part of a tri-state funded project, with BCG and Southern Farming Systems (SFS) running the Victorian component in collaboration with NSW DPI and SARDI.
The aim of the project is to improve grower productivity and industry sustainability through the successful adoption of improved barley varieties.
This is achieved through the development of improved agronomy practices and packages for barley varieties and by aligning crop production with market and industry requirements. The project also acquires grower feedback and issues to formulate into regional trial ideas.
BCG has been delivering research through the barley agronomy project since 2010, with the latest incarnation of the project (which commenced in 2013) set to conclude in 2018.
BCG has predominately focused on identifying barley varieties and management strategies specifically for the Wimmera and Mallee.
Research trials have examined nutrition and nitrogen management, disease management, delayed harvest, weed competition, phenology, time of sowing, sowing rates and sprouting tolerance among new and existing barley varieties.
In 2016 research trials include: barley nitrogen response (variety response to varying N rates), delayed harvest (head loss and lodging), variety by sowing rate by nitrogen rate, increasing weed competition (time of sowing by nitrogen timing), barley weed competition (variety performance with and without weeds), barley penology, barley time of sowing (Kalkee).
The results from this research will be released early in 2017.
