Grains Research and Development Corporation

🌟TOMORROW - 9 July, 9.00-10.30am AEST🌟 GRDC Grains Research Update, online – Practical management of ascochyta in chickpeas With a wetter start to the season and more chickpeas being sown this year than in the past few years, this GRDC Grains Research Update online looks at practical management for ascochyta this season. ⭐ Fungicide strategy and timing for ascochyta in chickpeas in different varieties and situations: Paul McIntosh (Pulse Australia | WeedSmart) ⭐Increasing levels of pathogenicity – what's happening where, and implications fungicide strategy, plus a new decision support tool: Ido Bar (Griffith University) ⭐Consultant strategies for managing ascochyta – key decisions and managing risk: Ross Pomroy (Nutrien Ag Solutions - Australia) & Rob Holmes (HMAg) Register now: https://bit.ly/4cybh3F Independent Consultants Australia Network (ICAN)

The Oat Grain Quality Consortium aims to transform Australian oat quality and production research to benefit the entire oat supply chain. It's a collaborative GRDC investment, led by InterGrain and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (Department of Primary Industries and Regions). It will bring together a diverse group of organisations spanning the research, production, processing, and food and beverage manufacturing sectors. Find out more about the Consortium's research focus and its target positive impacts for industry and consumers. 👇👇👇 https://bit.ly/4bwhprG

Retaining sufficient ground cover to improve soil moisture retention is the focus of cover cropping trials in Central QLD. Growers in this region regularly encounter situations that result in inadequate ground cover, including after tillage and low stubble residue crops. This reduces water infiltration rates and soil moisture profiles, with consequent impacts on productivity and yield potential. GRDC-supported research led by Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland) began in 2023 and is exploring options for maintaining and increasing ground cover. Read more: https://bit.ly/3L44WRu 📷 DAF Qld #GroundCoverOnline #cropping #soilmanagement

Is this a new opportunity for QLD and NSW growers? The Woods Group is trialling pigeon pea as a broadacre summer pulse option in a joint project with GRDC, The University of Queensland and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland) (DAF). The aim is to move the pulse from its position as a trap or refuge crop for cotton to a key summer legume for the drier and hotter areas of Queensland and northern NSW, where mungbean and sorghum production are not as viable. Read more: https://bit.ly/4cwS4iE 📷 Nicole Baxter/GRDC #GroundcoverOnline #PigeonPea #SummerLegume

🎊🎉FRIDAY FREEBIE🎉🎊 We have a stack of old Ute Guides in our warehouse. We'd love to find better homes for them. We will post them out for free. (However, for orders of multiple copies, postage and handling costs may be applied.) Order copies: 1800 11 00 44 or ground-cover-direct@canprint.com.au In stock are the following Ute Guides: 🚜 Peanut & Navy Bean Disorders: The Ute Guide 🚜 Sorghum Disorders: The Ute Guide 🚜 Sunflower Disorders: The Ute Guide 🚜 Pasture Legumes for Subtropical Grain and Pastoral Systems (Northern): The Ute Guide 🚜 Pasture Legumes For Temperate Farming Systems - The Ute Guide 🚜 Mungbean & Soybean Disorders: The Ute Guide 🚜 Lucerne Pests & Disorders: The Ute Guide View our full publication stocklist - order anytime: https://bit.ly/4bsrJBc

Morawa Agricultural College is 370 km north of Perth and receives an annual average rainfall of approximately 340 millimetres. It has approximately 1800 hectares of arable land. Laconik chief executive Dr Darren Hughes has been working with the college to set up a 2-year trial that has been integrated into components of the college’s curriculum. The trial is investigating the agronomic and economic benefits of fallow in WA's low-rainfall zone. This is being achieved by running several large strips with different treatments including vetch, a brown-out and volunteer pastures and returning the strips to cereals the following season. “The trial at Morawa is one of several in low-rainfall environments across WA. It has involved soil sampling to determine moisture and nutrient levels, monitoring plant establishment and then following crops through to final yield and quality assessments,” Dr Hughes says. Read more: https://bit.ly/3RMXuOx 📷 Morawa Agricultural College #GroundCoverOnline #Innovation #Teaching #Capacity

Digging in and looking for fall armyworm (FAW) pupae could be one of the best ways to assess a paddock’s risk this coming winter and spring. And with 2024 being one of the most destructive and distressing seasons for maize and sorghum growers since FAW was found in Australia in 2020, it's timely to learn how to do it. FAW expert Dr Melina Miles, principal entomologist at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland), recently spoke at GRDC Updates, both online and in person, about continuing FAW risks this year. Our #GroundCoverOnline article pulls out her key insights 👇👇👇 https://bit.ly/3RTqSCI Also the check out the QDAF fact sheet (pdf download) 'Detecting and assessing fall armyworm (FAW) infestations in winter cereals and pasture': https://bit.ly/3RTbm9K

🎙️ NEW PODCAST For the 2024 growing season, some Western Australian growers are chasing moisture deeper than ever before, by successfully planting conventional wheat varieties down to around 60 to 80mm. This new thinking stems from positive findings from long coleoptile wheat (LCW) research. In this podcast, we hear from Tammin-based grower, Simon York, and SLR agriculture CEO Michael Lamond, on the benefits LCW will have on accessing deep moisture and the success growers are having with planting conventional varieties deep this year. Listen now ▶️ https://bit.ly/3XHZtHB #GRDCPodcast CSIRO | University of Melbourne | NSW Department of Primary Industries | Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland) | SLR Agriculture | Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development | University of South Australia | EPAG Research 📷 Jo Prendergast, ABC Midwest Wheatbelt

GROWER STORY 🌾🌾 Crop competitions encouraged a younger Jim Hombsch to join his local agriculture bureau back in the early 1960s. Today, Jim is well known at the Duri Agricultural Bureau, south of Tamworth, and has worn many hats for the group, including secretary and president. He is now its patron and still doing well on the competition front. Jim and his son Gavin came a close second in the 2023 canola competition. They finished on 110 points, just one point behind the winning entry. Gavin says the crop did well, given the conditions. “We had a lot of heat early on in 2023 and canola has only got to spend a few days over 27°C and it starts avoiding flowering. So, we had some yield limitations, including the fact that it was running out of moisture.” The Duri Agricultural Bureau is one of the longest-running agricultural bureaus still operating. Originally set up by the New South Wales Department of Agriculture in 1910, its role was to disseminate information and organise educational activities in rural areas. Read more: https://bit.ly/3XKhV2a 📷: Mel Jenson #GroundCoverOnline #GrowerStory

🐛✔️ It's out! Updated and refreshed for 2024 - the IPM checklist! Thanks to Cesar Australia and partners for pulling it all together to provide grain growers with steps to support sustainable pest management in their crops. The checklist gives an overview of IPM (integrated pest management) practices and highlights which activities to focus on during different stages of the grain-growing season. IPM comprises a range of management methods designed to suppress pest populations while reducing reliance on insecticides. The IPM checklist is designed as a reminder of best practice, a guide to respond to pests, and an educational tool. 👉 Download it here https://bit.ly/4cKULgC