CANOLA was once considered only useful as a break crop to clean-up weeds in paddocks, according to agronomist Greg Sefton, Cobram, Vic.
But since the GM moratorium lifted in Vic and NSW in 2008, he said his cropping clients were increasingly turning to Roundup Ready canola and being rewarded with improved yields.
Mr Sefton works for IK Caldwell - an agribusiness that also has branches in Shepparton and Rochester in northern Vic and Corowa, Deniliquin and Moama in southern NSW.
He spoke at a Future Farming Forum in Adelaide recently on his experience with GM canola adoption in that region.
"Most of our clients are in a high rainfall area, which unfortunately means a higher weed presence, particularly ryegrass and radish," he said.
"So there is a lot of effort put into getting those paddocks clean during that canola phase."
Mr Sefton said this year's canola seed sales were 45 per cent RR, 47pc triazine-tolerant, 6pc Clearfield and 1pc for RT canola (a triazine-tolerant RR canola hybrid) and conventional varieties.
"But then as an example, in the Corowa region - a higher rainfall area - nearly 73pc of our clients use RR canola, with the remainder mostly TT," he said.
"While in the west, it's about 80pc TT, because they just don't have the ryegrass pressure.
"They also generally run sheep in the drier areas, compared to the continuous croppers in the higher rainfall areas."
Windrow burning of weed seeds was also a method becoming more popular in an effort to tackle ryegrass and radish issues, Mr Sefton said.
"This is becoming more popular instead of the blanket burn," he said.
"It enables us to keep our stubbles, which we need to assist in soil moisture preservation and to protect crops when we get 50-kilometre winds like we had earlier this season."
Another issue Mr Sefton highlighted in growing GM canola was making sure non-GM neighbours were unaffected.
"It has been all about communication," he said.
"We have seen plants come across, mainly due to wind and birds, but they are only minimal.
"So we make sure those neighbours have 2,4-D in their knockdown just in case there is any RR crossover."
