SA Drought Hub Activities 2022: Best Practice Early Sowing Opportunities
Project Location
Penong, Mitchellville
Project Manager
Naomi Scholz
Start Date
April 2022
Finish Date
December 2023
Funding Source
FDF: SA Drought Hub
Funding Amount
$60,000
Project Code
019_AIR (2022), 038_AIR (2023)
Lead Researchers
Fiona Tomney, Amanda Cook
Summary
This project aimed to demonstrate and extend the findings of a SAGIT research project conducted in 2019-2021, which found ways to improve plant establishment and crop production by adopting specific early sowing techniques. Separating seed and fertiliser, sowing earlier than district practice, and using longer coleoptile wheat varieties to sow deeper into soil moisture, were trialled at two low rainfall sites on the upper Eyre Peninsula. Improving plant establishment and increasing crop production remain critical components of resilience in low rainfall farming systems. This is the second year these trials have been conducted (2022 and 2023).