A project to change the perception of farming and a study comparing the effects of agricultural pesticides on soil microbial functions are among 25 research projects to share $1.81 million in funding through the SA Grain Industry Trust.
The trust received 36 applications for funding this year, with successful projects ranging from crop root health, the use of drones, salt tolerance in bread wheats and nutrients in lentils and chickpeas.
SAGIT chair Michael Treloar said applications were of a high quality which created challenging decisions for the trust, which is funded by a grower levy of 30 cents a tonne produced.
“We were really thrilled with the quality and diversity of the applications,” Mr Treloar said.
“We spend quite a bit of time going through them and it is a hard decision, but we only have so many funds.
“Our role is to make sure we invest the funds to give growers the best value for money.”
Mr Treloar said there were a number of exciting projects, which would hopefully provide good outcomes for growers in the future.
“There’s been an increased interest in lentils in the past few years so the project regarding growing lentils in low rainfall areas is something new,” he said.
“The UniSA research regarding the effects of pesticides in soils is also a new area which will provide growers with important information about the effect chemicals have on soils.”
SAGIT has also boosted its funding for grower groups, allocating $20,000 to six funding applications, including Ag Excellence Alliance, Agriculture Kangaroo Island, EP Agricultural Research Foundation, Upper North Farming Systems and MacKillop Farm Management Group Inc.
Another round of funding for grower groups will be announced in July.
The successful research projects are:
- More than Gumboots and Tractors - AgCommunicators
- Economics of high phosphorus rates on pulses- Agronomy Solutions
- 10th Australasian Soilborne Disease Symposium- Australasian Plant Pathology Association
- Improved capture of native soil nitrogen and urea fertiliser in wheat- CSIRO Agriculture & Food
- SA high-rainfall zone canola variable rate nitrogen prescription project - Elders Rural Services
- Rapid Development of innovative lentils for low rainfall regions - Global Grain Genetics
- Investigating frost susceptibility in Clearfield varieties treated with imidazoline herbicide - Mallee Sustainable Farming
- Identifying nutrient requirements of lentils & chickpeas grown in Mallee sands - Mallee Sustainable Farming
- Improved soil water decisions across the South East cropping region - MacKillop Farm Management Group Inc
- Profitable pulses for the Murray Plains - Moodie Agronomy
- Publication of the 2019 Farm Gross Margin Guide for SA - Rural Solutions
- Benchmarking yield potential of barley in higher rainfall zones - SARDI
- Making science useful for agriculture- SARDI
- Drivers of flowering time in durum- SARDI
- Further development of crown rot resistance in durums- SARDI
- Grower crop root health workshops- SARDI
- Establishing levels of salt tolerance in Australian bread wheats- SARDI
- Survey potential emerging pulse root diseases- SARDI
- Improved crop nutrition for disease management and reduced fungicide dependency- SARDI
- Conversations with farmers agricultural practice change with the PA early adopters- Society of Precision Agriculture Australia
- Phenotypic evaluation of a wheat RIL population for salinity tolerance -University of Adelaide
- Development of wheat population using speed breeding for salinity tolerance -University of Adelaide
- Herbicide residue effects on soil microbial communities in alkaline soils -University of Adelaide
- Investigating the accuracy of plant traits measured using drones -University of Adelaide
