Browsing by Author "Bugeja, T"

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    Beach sand to black clay; Adapting technology and best practice for Homebush farming conditions : SRA Grower Group Innovation Project final report
    (2008) Bugeja, T
    This project aimed to adapt latest technology & best practice to suit the soil types found in the Homebush/Sunnyside district, and evaluate the cost and benefit of adopting these technologies and practices. To conduct the project the group established partnerships with QDPI, SRDC, IAR Consultants, Mackay Rural Supplies, and BSES. Issues investigated included; Refinement & assessment of planting systems and planting rates, Cost – Benefit Analysis of the adoption of available technology & best practice, Trialling “pre-plant” fertiliser, and assessment of Soybean varieties. Key results from the project included: planting rates as low as 3.7T/ha produced similar yields to planting rates of 7T/ha, resulting on cost savings; Pre-planting application of LOS+P in combination with GPS guidance and EM mapping had no detrimental effect on cane & sugar yield, but delivered significant cost savings; Southern bred soybean varieties had some quality advantages, but no yield advantage, and produced less biomass and presented some harvesting issues; the cost/benefit analysis conducted by the group, clearly showed that the technology adoption and practice change paid for itself and delivered a range of benifits. The project assisted a number of growers to convert over to controlled traffic farming systems, and identified a number of cost saving options. The project also developed the group member’s skills in conducting on farm research, which has to the successful application for a 2nd GGIP project investigating the potential of precision agriculture in conjunction with QDPI.
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    The next step for Precision Agriculture : SRA Grower Group Innovation Project final report
    (2009) Bugeja, T
    Growers in the Homebush Innovative Growers Group are well aware of the within-paddock variability that occurs within paddocks. The adoption of electrical conductivity (EC) soil mapping technology verified the patterns of contrasting soil properties and satellite yield estimation maps produced by Mackay Sugar indicated considerable variability in sugarcane paddocks across the central cane growing region. The GGIP project titled “The Next Step for Precision Agriculture” provided an opportunity for the group to gain a better understanding of the interaction of variables that contribute to spatial variability within a paddock. Following the EC soil mapping of the study site, ground-truthing of EC soil mapping patterns indicated the presence of four distinct soil groups in a transect across the paddock. A comprehensive trial plan was developed incorporating the planting of replicated sugarcane plots in each of the four spatially defined soil groups to determine yield differentiation across the soil groups. The replicates for each soil group were split between conventional farming (CF) practices and a traffic free (TF) status to determine the affects of compaction on yield. To develop a better understanding of the agronomic variables that influence yield a number of measurements were undertaken in designated vegetation free zones established at the end of each TF plot across the soil groups, namely: Chemical and particle size analysis to a depth of one metre (topsoil, upper subsurface and lower subsurface); Bulk density, water infiltration and soil resistivity from the apex of the hill up and the inter-row zone; Nematode and Pachymetra monitoring in a crop and vegetation free environments to determine persistence and population dynamics over plant and ratoon phases