FIFTH-generation Crystal Brook cropper Andrew Sargent said his family were in the throes of deciding whether to grow canola this year, after being affected by beet western yellows virus last season.
Andrew, with parents Malcolm and Jane Sargent, no-till 2000 hectares of wheat, barley, peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and canola.
They sow only about 100ha of canola a year on their sandier country as part of their break-crop rotation.
"We grow Clearfield canola because of the Clearfield chemistry, so it also gets a good handle on brome and ryegrass," he said.
"But we are tossing-up whether or not to grow canola again or whether we go for chickpeas, which we trialled successfully for the first time this year.
"We're not sure. We have been advised that it would be very unlucky if we got the virus again, but we don't have to make a final decision for another month."
Mr Sargent said they first noticed the virus in June, when their plants started to wilt and turn purple. "It started to look like spinach," he said.
"And then when we got down to have a good look, we could see the aphids (green peach aphids, the main carrier of the virus) flying about."
A week later they sprayed Transform and the plants immediately looked healthier, but the damage had been done. "The crop survived the virus, but the yields were low," he said.
- ALISHA FOGDEN.
Alisha Fogden
Cropping editor of Stock Journal.
Cropping editor of Stock Journal.
