Is the 15 of March too early to start sowing? BCG researchers have sown the first trial for 2017 to try and answer this question.
As part of a new GRDC-funded ‘managing early sown wheat’ project, trials of winter wheat varieties have been sown at BCG research sites at Curyo and Longerenong.
The purpose of the project is to identify how to best manage new winter wheat varieties that will be available to growers in the coming years.
With the shift from less autumn to more summer rainfall, increased farm sizes and area sown to pulses and on-farm logistical challenges, there is a need for more adaptable varieties to widen the sowing window.
Research shows higher yields and profit, as well as greater weed competition, occur when wheat is sown earlier.
For this to occur growers need to be able to access varieties that are slower to develop than those traditionally grown, thus trying to avoid risks during flowering such as heat stress and frost.
Vernalisation requirements mean that plants develop slowly until experiencing a period of cold temperatures between zero and 12 degrees. An example of a variety that has a longer vernalisation requirement is EGA Wedgetail.
EGA Wedgetail is a winter wheat variety that was trialed at Warmur in 2016, and achieved 4.4t/ha from a May 4 sowing date. The other winter wheat variety trialed in 2016 was the not yet released RAC2341, which achieved 4.2t/ha. While sown in the first week of May it is an adaptable variety to an earlier sowing time.
RAC2341 is a fast maturing variety that is 70 per cent derived from Mace. This variety is photoperiod sensitive meaning that the plant will develop slowly until experiencing a certain duration of day length. Yitpi and Cutlass are other examples of wheat varieties that have strong photoperiod requirements.
Some varieties don’t have a vernalisation or photoperiod requirement, but are affected by thermal time. Compass is a barley variety example that speeds up its development processes as temperature increases.
These three different requirements can assist growers in drawing out their sowing program to ensure that varieties are sown within their optimal sowing window and spreads sufficient risk for the farm business.
Growers can also delay sowing until later in the season with some varieties showing excellent results from a later sowing time where the season is conducive.
BCG’s time of sowing research conducted at Kalkee in 2016 showed that Wallup and DBA Aurora yielded higher when sown on 20 June. This gives growers an option if conditions arise where there is a late brake or to relieve logistical pressures.
Varieties and sowing date options are fundamental when seasons are so variable. Stay tuned throughout the year to see how varieties are performing, and keep Wednesday 13 September in your diary to visit the trial at BCG’s Main Field Day at Curyo.
This article was published in the Stock and Land on March 23.
