Cam Taylor, BCG Business and Innovation Manager, believes there are still significant production gains to be made in canola in the Mallee and Wimmera.
“Even in the tough years, like 2018 in the Mallee, canola performed better than wheat and lentils when sown into a fallow paddock” Mr Taylor said.
Table 1. Birchip main trial site crop type averages for the last 3 years where the trials have been based on high soil moisture reserves.
|
Crop Type |
2016 ($/ha) |
2017 ($/ha) |
2018 ($/ha) |
Average return on 2 years (fallow/crop) ($/ha) |
Variation |
|
Hybrid Canola |
914 |
363 |
297 |
525 |
339 |
|
OP Canola |
810 |
329 |
132 |
424 |
349 |
|
Lentils |
1151 |
211 |
-164 |
399 |
678 |
|
Wheat |
148 |
473 |
148 |
256 |
188 |
|
Barley |
372 |
569 |
550 |
497 |
109 |
Cameron believes there are several factors growers need to consider to get the most out of this high value crop including:
- variety selection based on maturity and yield potential,
- sowing for the optimum flowering window and
- subsoil moisture at sowing.
A member-funded demonstration trial at BCG’s 2019 main site is investigating all three factors with approximately 15 varieties and three times of sowing.
“The majority of canola sown in the Mallee are open pollened (OPs) varieties, yet Hybrid varieties have consistently yielded higher at our main site (on a variety of soil types under a variety of seasonal rainfall conditions) and in the NVT’s over the past four years” Mr Taylor said,
“There are approximately 40 to 50 canola varieties available to growers in this region, yet Mallee growers and northern Wimmera growers should only consider about 10 per cent of them” he added.
‘Hitting’ the optimal flowering window is also crucial to minimise frost or heat stress in Spring. In the Mallee and northern Wimmera, this is achieved by selecting a maturity type that is suitable to your climatic region (early to early-mid maturing varieties) and time of sowing and getting seed in the ground at the right time (by early May at the latest).
Sown at the right time, hybrid varieties offer a grazing opportunity for mixed farmers and hay options if the season isn’t finishing favourably.
And of course, soil moisture at sowing is key factor in deciding whether to grow canola or not.
“In very marginal seasons, where there is little, to no subsoil moisture. Canola may not be your most economic option” Mr Taylor advised,
“This year was an exception in the southern Mallee with over 200mm of summer rainfall in December and many growers took the opportunity to increase the acreage of canola sown in the rotation” he added.
For the past five years BCG has collaborated with industry and researchers on the GRDC-funded Optimising Canola Profitability project that has been working in the low rainfall SA Mallee and at Longerenong to understand the phenology and production drivers in canola systems.
Cameron will be taking tours of the BCG member-funded trial at the BCG Main Field Day on Wednesday 11 September, 9 km west of Birchip on the Sunraysia Highway.
This event is FREE for BCG members. More information at www.bcg.org.au
