澳洲油菜.pdfVIP

2007 CANOLA JUNCEA CANOLA TRIALS How early can we successfully sow crops in the Mallee? 1 2 3 By Rob Sonogan , Neil Vallance and Ashley Waite Agronomists, Victorian Department of Primary Industries (1 2 3 Swan Hill, Walpeup, Birchip) TAKE HOME MESSAGES • Opportunistic early sowing (from late March) of canola, juncea canola and lupins can be very worthwhile in the Mallee. • Canola and juncea canola appear to offer a real alternative to costly summer weed control as rapid early growth of early sown crops helped smother weeds • Plants escaped damage from redlegged earthmites and native budworm as the critical growth stages did not synchronise with times of high insect levels. • Severe frosts did not have a marked effect on pods or flowers of either the oilseeds or lupins. • Additional trials with more crop types will be undertaken in early 2008, subject to rainfall. • Note: data and grain quality still to be analysed. This report will be updated when the information becomes available. Introduction Sowing time trials: early-sown plots of field peas, lupins and canola were in full flower in the Mallee on 26 July 2007 If climate change comes to fruition, the Mallee may experience both more frequent and intense summer rain events and less winter rainfall. If significant rains fall in March, instead of spending money on weed control, can winter crops be successfully grown and thereby capitalise on this soil moisture? Two time of sowing trials were undertaken in the Mallee in 2007 to determine if early sowing of lupins and canola is worthwhile. Method In an attempt to determine how early win