Completed projects and reports

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Improved sugarcane farming systems : SRDC Final report BSS286
(2010) Salter, B; Bell, MJ; Stirling, GR; Garside, AL; Moody, PJ
This project - Improved Sugarcane Farming Systems (BSS286) - was designed to build on the outcomes of phase 1 and 2 or the Sugar Yield Decline Joint Venture (STDJV). Thus its main focus was on issues that had been identified in the SYDJV that were not fully researched in the earlier programs and/or required further development.
Final report SRDC project GGIP050 Improving soybean and nitrogen management in subtropical NSW cane systems
(2012) Moore, NY; Munro, AJ; McGuire, PJ; Aitken, R; Beattie, R; Herridge, DF; Young, A
This project aimed to document nitrogen inputs from soybean crops grown in NSW cane lands, promote soil-specific fertiliser recommendations following soybean to achieve more efficient use of nitrogen fertiliser and to assess different methods for dealing with soybean crop residue. The project was a Grower Group Innovation Project undertaken from April 2009 to March 2012 by the NSW Farming Systems Group Inc. in association with staff from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, BSES Limited, NSW Sugar Milling Cooperative and the University of New England. Whilst many sugar cane growers have adopted soybean rotations, the potential benefits of soybean are not being fully realised, particularly making use of residual nitrogen (N) in the following cane crop. Some growers continue to over-fertilise cane following a soybean crop, while on some soil types in NSW cane crops have shown nitrogen stress after a well grown soybean crop. Local data was required to fine-tune N fertiliser recommendations in sugar cane following soybean. Previous research on soybean as a rotation crop in cane-production systems was conducted in the tropical Qld environment through the Sugar Cane Yield Decline Joint Venture. However, the different rainfall, temperature and soil conditions in this subtropical region of NSW are likely to impact differently on N cycling.
Adapting soybean for profitable rotations in sugarcane farming systems : SRDC Final report
(2005) James, A
Cropping of soybean has been shown by the yield decline joint venture to increase the yield of the following sugar crop by 15 to 30 percent. One impediment to the increase of soybean in sugarcane production systems is that the financial benefit of inclusion of a fallow crop like soybean into a sugarcane production system is delayed until sugar crops harvested in the following years. However, by inclusion of a grain soybean option, growers are more likely to manage the crop better and can gain the financial return from harvest of grain in addition to benefits to the following cane crop delivered by improved soil health. This project sought to complete varietal evaluation of experimental varieties with improved potential for harvest of grain through to the point of commercialisation to industry. Varietal evaluation trials were conducted at sites in the Burdekin, and on the Atherton Tablelands at early, mid season and late summer planting dates and in the south at Bundaberg and Nambour also at late summer planting dates and in the Burdekin during the dry season. In addition farmer participation in varietal evaluation was encouraged via strip trials. Ultimately eleven strip trials were conducted in the second year of the project and five in the third. In addition large scale seed increase of the new variety was conducted at Nambour and at Walkamin and a second round of seed increase sown in June 2005 in northern Australia. Soybean is unique among grains in having a very high content of protein of a type which is highly digestible and finds ready acceptance in stock feed milling. Grain of light hilum varieties is also readily accepted into higher-value human consumption markets. During the last year of this project, members of the Northern Australian Soybean Industry Association (NASIA) were involved in commercial evaluation and release of the new variety named Stuart. In particular North Queensland Tropical Seeds and Bettacrop conducted pre-release evaluation and also participated in the next round of evaluations along with Mt Tyson seeds Queensland Cotton, Beangrowers Australia and Philp Brodie Grains. The new variety has been licenced to NASIA for commercial production. The new soybean variety ‘Stuart’ was named after Mt Stuart south of Townsville, following the theme of local mountains. Stuart is adapted to coastal production from Nambour to Mossman. It has a very light grey hilum and is suitable for some human consumption uses. It has high levels of nematode and rust resistance, maturity a week or more earlier than Leichhardt and is adapted to both wet and dry season planting in north Qld and has generally higher grain yields. Stuart is taller than Leichhardt and adapted to row widths from 50 to 130 cm. It has a more erect and open canopy than Leichhardt, making control of insects by insecticide application slightly easier. Lodging may however occur with plant populations over 35 plants per square metre or in early-season sowing. Good quality grain possessing light hilum and apparent suitability for food grade uses was produced from strip trials in several farmers fields. Relative to existing varieties Leichhardt and YY, Stuart offers higher grain yield and higher value grain through access to food grade uses rather than feed or oilseed crushing. Release of a new soybean variety and an ongoing varietal improvement program will help to underpin sustainability in tropical cropping systems and provide a basis for new industry development.
Controlled traffic farming systems for the North Coast Grower Group : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project Final report
(2008) Fox, J; Zamparutti, M
The project aim was to implement and trial farming systems that incorporate the practices of controlled traffic, minimum tillage and crop rotations. The North Coast Grower Group members combined their resources and efforts to develop and implement a new farming system that utilized the bulk of their existing equipment, improved the management of their natural resources and reduced their cost of production. The group combined the results of their trials to identify a farming system that is sufficiently robust to handle the variations experienced in the North Coast environment (seasonal conditions, soil types, farm layouts and variable equipment) and improve the financial sustainability of the group members.

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