MALLEE Sustainable Farming’s Karoonda Field Day is on again on September 4 and this year weed management will be a big topic of discussion.
Michael Moodie, who is in charge of organising this year’s field day, said that MSF trials at the site
have shifted focus from improving water use efficiency to research that is looking to improve the profitability of farming systems where stubble is retained.
“Weed management, in particular brome grass, has been identified by farmers and advisors from across the Mallee as an issue that needs to be focused on," he said.
Mr Moodie said that agronomists and farmers have been finding that the incidence of herbicide resistant brome grass populations is on the rise.
Local consultant Tanja Morgan has been leading a SAGIT funded project in the SA Mallee which she said had shown 75 per cent of brome grass samples showed some resistance to group Bs and 65pc showed some resistance to group As.
Furthermore Mrs Morgan said that Intervix® resistance had been confirmed in brome grass in the SA Mallee and was likely to become more widespread in the near future.
One of the key sessions on the day will be narrow windrow burning and other non –herbicide options.
“Dr Michael Walsh from the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative will be speaking on the topic," Mr Moodie said.
“Dr Walsh has been instrumental in developing the narrow windrow burning system in Western Australia so it is a great coup to have him speak at this year’s field day."
Dr Walsh won’t be the only Western Australian to present on the day with Dr Andrew Fletcher from CSIRO in Perth to talk about his research into the pros and cons of early seeding. His talk will headline a session focused on sowing strategies which also includes an on-row/off-row seeding trial and information from a local machinery dealer for farmers looking to get into inter-row sowing.
While weed management and sowing strategies are two of the major themes this year, field day participants will still be presented with a diverse range of information, which also includes crop nutrition, variable rate fertiliser management, nitrogen fixation, varieties and seed quality.
Mr Moodie said that there will be 12 different sessions on the day with presenters from a range of organisations including CSIRO, SARDI, Rural Solutions and Universities”.
The field day will be held from 10am to 3.30pm at the MSF Karoonda research trial site located at Peter and Hanna Loller’s property. There is no cost to attend the day which is fully catered with a free BBQ lunch. Further information can be obtained on MSF’s website www.msfp.org.au or by contacting Michael Moodie directly on 0448612892.
To RSVP for the day please email events@msfp.org.au or call (03) 50219100.
