This year BCG has an incredible total of 9500 trial plots. If you can imagine, each plot is like a mini paddock showing us a different method or treatment. This includes trials from GRDC, members, government organisations, and commercial businesses. Claire Browne highlighted “there is some very exciting research and extension work happening around the various BCG trial sites this year”.
The GRDC plant establishment trial has two parts. One looks at what impact sowing density, row spacing, and seeder type have on the establishment of canola and lentils. While the second part assess the performance of 6 different seeders, including precision and conventional on canola establishment.
The GRDC Managing early sown wheat trial sets out to evaluate the suitability of early sown winter wheat in the Wimmera and Mallee; this also includes drip irrigation to mimic rainfall to ensure emergence occurs on a certain date and thus determine how much rain is needed to successfully establish early sown wheat.
The CMA Soil Carbon project is all about forming a database of carbon in the soil on farmed land. The project sets out to provide field walks, demonstrations and workshops in the area of improving soil water holding capacity.
The AgFutures Oaten Hay Agronomy project is a partnership with a number of government organisations and grower groups. It aims to conduct annual field trials to evaluate variety responses to sowing date, nitrogen nutrition and PGR’s on disease management, hay production and quality, and profitability. This will provide variety specific management information which will allow producers to increase productivity, improve fodder quality and reduce production risk.
In total, BCG has established 130 research trials this year at 23 sites across the Wimmera, Mallee and North Central regions. With the research and extension team currently delivering over 30 projects.
The majority of the research has been established at BCG’s two major regional sites for 2019: Kalkee in the Wimmera, which is situated 2 km south of the Kalkee football oval on the Blue Ribbon Road; and Karyrie, in the Mallee, located 9 km west of Birchip on the Sunraysia Highway.
You can see and hear about this research at the Main Field Day at the main site on Wednesday September 11.
