We’re pleased to announce the 2019 BCG main research site is at Karyrie, 9km west of Birchip on Andrew and Lachlan Barber’s property. Keep any eye out for research and extension activity on the Sunraysia Hwy this year and lock in Wednesday 11 September for BCG Main Field Day.
The main research site has been in this area twice in the last 26 years. Back in 1996, the Birchip Cropping Demonstration Sites used land generously donated by Keith and Helen Barber, where 25 trials and demonstrations were on display. In 2012, trials including vetch termination, end use of vetch, early sown wheat and canola time of sowing and barley agronomy management trials were sown.
While the site is in a slightly different location, the process for selecting a main site takes more than you might realise.
BCG Research Leader, Claire Browne, explained that there are many requirements for the location.
“A flat and even area near a GPS receiver for sowing purposes is preferable,” she said.
“A main sealed road gives ease of access to equipment for the Main Field Day as well as buses as we often have visiting groups coming to the site.”
Each trial also has its own set of requirements, with the GRDC funded ‘Development of crop management packages for early sown, slow developing wheats in the southern region’ having an extensive list of requirements.
“The managing early sown wheat project requires a water source in the paddock for irrigation purposes to ‘simulate an early break’ and it cannot be on a wheat stubble as the winter wheats generally don’t have a tolerance to yellow leaf spot,” she explained.
There is always a fine balance between weedy and clean paddocks.
“We like ‘paddocks with management issues’ because it gives us a chance to trial a range of treatments.”
“A weedy paddock is generally great for herbicide trials, but not so good for the rest of our program.”
Where the paddock is at in the rotation can affect the types of trials that can be located there.
“This year’s paddock was a fallow in 2018. We generally like paddocks low in nitrogen which gives us the ability to add nitrogen to certain trials and treatments if we need to.”
Being on 12-inch row spacings is generally preferred along with no residual herbicides.
“For example, this year the pulse trials will be located in the paddock next door, due to residual herbicides being applied over summer.”
BCG staff visit the main research site frequently and therefore, logistically, it makes sense that it is close enough to town so we do not waste time travelling back and forth.
“We generally try to stay within a 40km radius of Birchip purely for operational reason as our equipment is based here.”
“Other trial sites are more regionally based and often have different purposes such as weeds.”
BCG managed 24 trial sites in 2018, including the BCG main research site at Narraport.
GRDC National Variety Trials (NVT) will be located at the BCG main research site this season, with wheat, barley, canola, lentils, peas and chickpeas varieties all being investigated.
“GRDC NVT trials can be visited by the public at any time, however it is best to contact the BCG office beforehand just to ensure you are not driving over trial areas and there are no fungicide applications happening that day.”
“The NVT trials have maps in the corner of the plots to highlight the varieties in each plot.”
Opportunities to visit the BCG main research site will occur throughout the season with the first on Friday 12 April with a seeder demonstration as part of the GRDC ‘Optimising plant establishment, density and spacings to maximise crop yield and profit in the southern and western regions’ project.
“Six seeders will be on display including two precision planters (disc) plus tyne and disc machines.”
“They will all sow canola from the same source at two sowing rates, with a representative of each machine being on site to explain how each works.”
Save the date for the BCG Main Field Day which will occur on Wednesday 11 September.
For more information and to RSVP for the BCG seeder demonstration day, contact the BCG office on 03 5492 2787.
