2018 Archives - MALDI-ID

Lupin Harvest at maturity can help reduce grain losses

12/10/2018

Western Australian growers are being urged to harvest lupin crops as soon as they ripen to avoid grain losses from seed shedding and pod drop.

Pod drop, seed shedding, shattering of mature grain and potential for reduced seed germination (if there is rainfall after the crop matures) are key issues to be considered at this time of year in regards to lupin harvest.

By harvesting the crop when it’s ripe it can help to lower the risks of yield losses and lower grain quality stemming from these problems.

Trials completed in WA’s northern grainbelt in 2017, with GRDC investment, found that by delaying harvest weeks after crop maturity lowered average lupin yields by six per cent.

If the gap stretched out to six weeks after crop maturity, average yields were 15 per cent less than the crops harvested at maturity.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) research officer Martin Harries led this research and said the extent of yield loss if the harvest was delayed was similar for all six lupin varieties tested, including the latest released lines.

The results from research

He said, “Many WA growers are adding lupins back into their rotations and to help with decision making, we need to generate more information about the effects of delaying harvest on yield losses and potential grain damage, especially if there is rainfall after the crop has matured.”

Harries continues to add, “The best harvesting window for lupin across WA’s grainbelt is typically within three weeks of crop maturity and as soon as grain moisture content reaches 14pc, which is the maximum allowable moisture level to meet CH Group receival standards. Delaying harvest can cause seed and pods to drop and/or lead to brittle grain that is susceptible to cracking and splitting.”

Six lupin varieties at three harvest times, ranging from crop maturity to six weeks after maturity, were investigated last year by DPIRD at Eradu, near Geraldton.

Overall, average yields of the newer varieties across all harvest times were up to 0.5 tonnes per hectare (26pc) higher than the 2.5t/ha average yield across all varieties and harvest times.

A two-week delay in harvest after crop maturity resulted in an average of 0.04t/ha (6pc yield loss across all varieties).

Delaying harvest by six weeks after the crop ripened caused a greater drop of 0.3t/ha (15pc in average yields).

Mr Harries explained, “All varieties had average yield losses between 12 and 15pc if the harvest was delayed after the crop ripened, compared to if they had been harvested at maturity.”

Source: Farm Weekly

WA could be on track for record-breaking crop production

04/10/2018

WA looks to be on track for record-breaking harvest if current weather conditions across much of the grainbelt continue.

First crop production estimates were recently released by the Grain Industry Association of Western Australia (GIWA) for 2018 – WA is predicted to produce more than 15.5 million tonnes of grain and 9.9mt of wheat.

This would leave Western Australia accounting for almost half of the total national wheat crop as the Eastern States continue to go through a severe drought.

James Maxwell, Australian Crop Forecasters analyst, had this to say:

“The big drop has obviously come in Queensland and New South Wales – in Queensland we’ve only got half a million tonnes while New South Wales is at 3.4mt and that has potential to drop further. WA is looking very close, if not more than half of the wheat crop at the moment.”

WA looks set to also have solid seasons with barley and canola – the only state headed for an above-average season.

Steady rain and high commodity prices have set up WA for a successful year but GIWA report author Michael Lamond warns that frost and heat stress could impact how the season played out.

“The growing season for the majority of the State has been near perfect so fat with crops ahead of where they would normally be with a late May break to the season.” Mr Lamond said.

He continues:

“The only downside to this may be the susceptibility to heat stress if crops are exposed to sudden hot weather… The frost risk to crops is generally considered to be less than it was in 2016 – even though crops have moved along quickly this year, they are still behind in growth stage to date from where they were in 2016.”

Kwinana leading the way

In terms of production, Kwinana is predicted to produce more than 8.1mt of grain this season – a quarter of the national wheat crop.

GIWA report that Kwinana crop growth was exceptional even with late May break – cereals being the standout crop.

Most of the zone has benefited from steady rainfall and warm temperatures. Although some areas are suffering from sclerotinia in canola and waterlogged paddocks, most areas are on track for an above-average season.

Source: Farm Weekly

Mr Lamond spoke about low crop growth areas:

“The very poor area of crop growth are now confined to the eastern portions of the (Southern Albany) zone”.

The Esperance zone has experienced a change of gears compared to previous record-breaking seasons and was “shaping up for just an average year”.

Overall, “Most growers are now confident close to average yields will be achieved if the season does not cut out early.

New research for production of chickpeas

31/08/2018

A multi-nation research collaboration is hoping to unlock valuable new opportunities for the production of chickpeas in Australia.

Researchers supported by GRDC have collected and multiplied wild chickpea species located in the Middle East to build a special genetic resource from which important traits are being screened.

Researches are hoping for a possible incorporation into a new disease-resistant, stress-tolerant, high-yielding varieties for Australian growers.

Dr Francis Ogbonnaya, GRDC pulses and oilseeds manager, says the research is likely to lead to an expansion of Australia’s chickpea production area, particularly in regions where opportunities to grow chickpeas have been limited due to the availability of lines tolerant to constraints such as acidic soils, abiotic stresses and disease stresses.

Chickpeas are Australia’s most valuable cash crop

Dr Ogbonnaya explains the importance of chickpeas in Australia, “…they play an important role in terms of overall optimisation and sustainability of our farming systems.”

“They act as a break crop for cereal rotations, they add nitrogen to the soil, assist with weed control and add market diversity.”

The new research aims to help farmers who have previously had difficulty growing chickpeas due to the narrow genetic base of the domesticated chickpea.

Growth for WA

In Western Australia 2017, only 5000 hectares were planted to chickpeas because of the lack of chickpeas adapted to acidic soils.

“If growers had access to varieties with acid tolerance – and evidence is showing those traits exist in the wild material we now have available – the area planted to chickpeas in the west could potentially grow to about 500,000 hectares. Growers would have a valuable break-crop alternative to lupins.”

Wild Genetic Material

CSIRO ecophysiologist, Dr Jens Berger, says

“I am optimistic that we captured the adaptive diversity needed to improve the performance of cultivated species.”

The wild genetic material is being screened for traits such as tolerance to acidic soils, drought, heat and cold, water use efficiency and resistance to diseases such as ascochyta blight, Phytophthora root rot and root lesion nematodes.

Participating in the work are several of GRDC’s Australian research partners including the Centre for Crop and Disease Management; Murdoch University.

Strong mung bean season thanks to demand from China and Vietnam

23/08/2018

A strong mung bean season in Australia has paved the way for crops to get close to average yields.

Thanks to strong demand from China and Vietnam, mung bean prices have avoided the India-inspired slump that hit the rest of the pulse market.

Mark Schmidt, Australian Mungbean Association president, said there would be an estimated total production between 80, 90,000 tonnes now that harvest has finished.

This is above the five-year average to 2016 of 76,000 tonnes.

Mark Schmidt says:

“The production could have been higher given the better opening rain, but it has not been a bad season for mung bean growers.”

“Most growers have had better than average quality and the price went up towards the end of the season which is a good thing both for this crop.”

Mr Schmidt said the prices for legumes have increased even with India taking less than 5 percent of total exports this year. Typically, India accounts for between 30-50 percent of Australia’s mungbean exports.

“We have been lucky there have been production shortfalls in places like Vietnam and China and they are looking for imports.”

Image source: mungbean.org.au/

Strong demand in China and Vietnam

Much different to other pulse crops, where India and other destinations command the market, Mr Schmidt said there was a high East Asian demand for mungbeans which were used to make products including cellophane noodles, treasured in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking.

Demand from Vietnam and China has helped push the prices for top quality, processing mungbeans to around $1250 a tonne, while manufacturing grade beans are currently selling for around $1050/t.

“Prices have risen around $150/t since the crop was planted,” Mr Schmidt said.

According to Wayne Newton, AgForce grains section president, growers were reporting a higher percentage than usual of top quality beans thanks to a drier season.

“It’s good that we have the chance to access high-value markets and yields, generally between two to three tonnes a hectare, were not too bad in the end either.”

Mr Schmidt said most of this year’s mungbeans had been sold.

“There is not a lot in surplus which is a good sign for pricing for next season.”

Read our recent post on ‘Optimising Mungbean Yields’ project which is set to better predict what determines mungbean yield in Australia.

Climate change: Planning for future farming

16/08/2018

Climate change is causing everyone to plan ahead for the future.

Experimenting with new ideas is important so we can better understand what will work in the future.

For decades farmers have been dealing with heat waves, flooding, droughts and extreme colds. We can only expect these issues to continue into the future.

Paul Blackwell, retired from CSIRO and DAFWA, has a few suggestions and guidelines that may work for farmers in a Controlled Traffic Farming (CFA) framework.

Heat Stress

Low rainfall crops can be diminished by approximately one-third for every degree above 35 degrees per day of flowering.

The following strategies may help reduce heat stress:

By orientating the rows and tramlines north-south or NW-SE you can allow more of the afternoon’s sun between the rows and not on the crop.
Burying topsoil and appropriate organic matter in the subsoil can help cool the heads of flowering crops and pastures by encouraging root density in the subsoil.

Cold Stress (radiation frost)

It may be possible to increase canopy temperature on cold nights (following sunny afternoons) if sunlight can heat the soil between rows and be released to warm the crop later at night. Guidelines of north-south to NW-SE orientations, wide rows and stubble apply.

Extreme Dry (after summer rain)

Verified by good soil modelling and experimental investigations by The University of Western Australia, Paul Blackwell explains the importance of moisture;

“Keep the subsoil moisture in better with a less compact profile to wick away the moisture and protective stubble to minimise evaporation. Do early sowing between or next to rows to help conserve that benefit. Also, employ dry ridges of non-wetting sand between rows to further lower summer evaporation rates by using smart furrow sowing.”

Extreme Wet

Apply safe surface drainage with peak stubble levels,
Use slow overland flow along tramlines
Furrows with less than 3 percent slope
Create drive-through drains in complex slope systems for safer water disposal.

These ideas have been backed by farmers and consultants in the southern WA Wheatbelt.

Some of these ideas are being tried at Anthill Farm, Dartmoor.

Image source: farmweekly.com.au

Source: Farm Weekly

Feature image source: abc.net.au

Wheat variety should be carefully selected after big chickpea years

09/08/2018

An accumulation of root lesion nematode populations under heavy and successive chickpea plantings is pushing farmers to make sure their rotations include resistant crops, which will lower the risk of wheat yield losses.

2016 and 2017 were Australia’s largest ever chickpea plantings and has allowed a growth surge of the Pratylenchus thornei root nematode (RLN), commonly found in Queensland and NSW.

Although damaging populations of the parasite can affect wheat yields by up to 80 percent, nematologist Kirsty Owen, University of Queensland, says farmers can follow some steps to reduce impact.

Owen explains that increasing the number of resistant crops in the cropping sequence is the only way to reduce populations.

“One approach is to pick wheat varieties that are tolerant and have the highest level of resistance available to P.thonei because it is when P.thornei populations are reduced to very low levels that crop variety choice is expanded and farm profits can be maximised.”

Kirsty Owen continues to explain that growing chickpeas will increase the populations of P.thornei, which will infest following crops but chickpea varieties may not always suffer yield loss.

The volume of wheat yield loss by P.thornei depends on the population at the time of planting and the tolerance of the wheat variety sown.

Image source: Unsplash.com

A population of two P.thornei to one gram of soil is assumed damaging and will limit the number of varieties and crop types that are likely to be profitable, particularly in the northern region.

“You will have fewer choices in future seasons if the P.thornei population gets to damaging levels.”

P.thornei feeds on and reproduces in the roots of plants, causing yield loss because it restricts plants’ ability to take up water and nutrients.

**There is currently no registered chemical that can reduce P.thornei populations.**

Experiments by the crop nematology team at Formartin, on the Darling Downs, tested the tolerance and resistance of chickpea varieties compared to wheat varieties.

During 2015-16, varieties or advanced lines of chickpeas were planted into plots with high or low P.thornei populations, prepared the year earlier by growing a moderately resistant wheat variety and a susceptible wheat variety.

The average (2015-16) yield for all chickpea varieties at 2.59t/ha was 6.5 percent lower on the high P.thornei populations. There were no major differences detected between varieties.

Owen says that “the take-home message is that chickpeas are generally moderately tolerant to P.thornei”

After harvest P.thornei populations increased by 1.3 to 4.3 times under chickpeas and ten times the amount under Strzelecki wheat when compared with the population of the moderately-resistant wheat control.

Image source: Unsplash.com

Source: GRDC

Dr Sofie De Meyer Awarded State Government Scholarship

24/07/2018

Dr Sofie De Meyer, MALDI-ID CEO, has just been awarded one of six new Aquaculture and Agriculture entrepreneur scholarships by the McGowan Government.

The scholarships are supported by the State Government’s $3.41 million Science and Agribusiness Connect initiative.

Image source: abc.net.au

The scholarships are part of an innovative program designed to assist entrepreneurs with travel, testing, training and/or commercialisation in their specialised field.

Dave Kelly, Science and Fisheries Minister, explains that these scholarships will help WA grow in a number of areas.

“These exciting and innovative projects have the potential to grow WA jobs and the $6.8 billion agriculture sector, particularly in the regions… One project alone could help grow our seafood industry by generating 20 new direct and indirect jobs and $5 million over five years.”

The scholarship will allow Dr De Meyer to further investigate legumes, and how they can help to increase pasture performance.

Click here to read the full article by the Government of Western Australia.

Watch the short video below to learn how MALDI-ID are using the power of science to transform legumes in our agriculture.

Delayed Lupin flowering important to increase yield.

19/07/2018

UWA postgraduate student, Candy Taylor, recently delivered her thesis on lupin flowering times at the University of WA’s Frontiers in Agriculture showcase.

During the presentation, Ms Taylor highlights that Australia accounts for 51% of the global 1.3 million tonnes of Lupin production. And Western Australia produces a staggering 70 – 80% of Australia’s lupins.

Lupins tend to flourish in the Northern Wheatbelt thanks to the short seasons. Because of the Lupins early flowering time, parts of WA don’t capitalise on later season rains which are perfect for lupin crop.

Image source: www.freenatureimages.eu

Ms Taylor has concluded that by delaying the flowering time of a narrowed leaf lupin for 22 days, you could increase yield by up to 16%.

Whereas, the best delay of flowering for high rainfall areas to boost yield is 18 days.

Click here to learn how our RHIZO-ID kits can help increase your legume yield.

Pulse crops on the rise in 2018

11/07/2018

The current money on offer for profitable pulse crops, such as lentils and chickpeas, is on par with average levels according to data.

In the past nine months alone, there have been substantial drops in price for pulse crops, as much as hundreds of dollars per tonne.

Although it’s not all bad, some pulses used in stockfeed are on the rise.

Lupins and faba beans have shown an increase in price due to increased domestic demand.

Faba beans are also gaining popularity in the pet food industry because of their high protein. It is suggested that over time, the long-term prospects for faba beans may further improve.

Results found in a report by Pulse Australia and the Grains Industry Market Access Forum predict that crops used for human consumption are expected to rise significantly. The report also suggests that stock feed crops will have prices better than usual.

A stockpile of lentils?

Not all crops are expected to have increased profit. Unfortunately, lentils are expected to fare the worst.

Because of the significant amount of lentils around the world, farmers should prepare for lower than normal prices, in the decile two to three range, for the upcoming season.

Australia is reported to still be holding lentil stocks from the 2016 and 2017 season.

Below: Port Adelaide Decile pricing shows low decile 1 – 2

Image Source: Pulse Australia – Global Pulse State of Play

Good news for Chickpeas?

Chickpeas are expected to have a decile pricing between 5 – 6, which is a decent price considering it is predicted that large amounts of chickpeas from the 2017/season have not been sold.

There were approximately 200,000 tonnes of unsold chickpeas from the previous season.

Below: Brisbane Chick Pea Decile pricing shows to be in the middle decile 5 – 6

Image Source: Pulse Australia – Global Pulse State of Play

Improved Pulse Plantings

Pulse Australia Chief Executive, Nick Goddard said he predicted pulse plantings in Australia to improve this year thanks to pricing and agronomic factors;

“It is very dry in many cropping areas which will impact plantings, while farmers are also looking to their rotations and giving pulses a bit of a spell after a pretty solid push over the past couple of years when prices were good”.

He continues;

“It may have been time pulses came back in terms of percentage they made up of traditional plantings, traditionally they have made up 7pc of the plant, but over the past two years that figure was around 15pc, due to the chickpea boom. This year, I’d expect that would be back at around 5-7pc.”

Due to the improving value of wheat and barley, Nick Goddard says it is a good time to lower pulse plantings a little.

Instructional video for sampling your legumes for analysis

02/07/2018

Have you recently ordered a RHIZO-ID kit? Or, perhaps you want to order a RHIZO-ID kit but want to learn more about the sampling process.

Either way, be sure to check out this short informative video that explains the simple steps to follow.

Click HERE to order your RHIZO-ID kit.

A brief summary of the sampling process:

Dig out 5-10 plants per location in the paddock – wash and dry
Sort plants according to species and cut off roots
Place in kit bags
Record sample numbers and paddock GPS location as instructed
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