Gladius wheat wins Mallee competition

Kevin and Lachie Singh from Alawoona won the Mallee Sustainable Farming crop competition (formerly Browns Well ag bureau crop competition) with a 185-hectare Gladius wheat crop sown on April 28, which scored 85.2 from 100 possible points.

The crop's estimated water use efficiency score of 27.8kg/available mm of rainfall was calculated using the Reg French/Jeff Schultz model.

"20kg equals 100 per cent, so the Singh's recording 27.8kg is an unbelievable score - way better than the crop should be achieving considering the amount of rainfall it has received," competition organiser John Gladigau said.

Competition scores are calculated from attendee score-sheets during a crop walk earlier in the day, which range from farming peers to chemical retailers to financiers.

Attendees are given an agronomic and management history of the paddock by the farmer entrant, are then given time to inspect the crop and are then asked to judge the crop on expected yield, weeds, disease, agronomic management, timeliness and paddock knowledge.

The results are collected and the winner decided from a combination of best expected yield, water use efficiency and gross margins.

"The great thing about the day is there is such a broad range of attendees (this year about 50) that get to go out and kick the dirt and ask questions without feeling nosey," Mr Gladigau said.

As to the winning crop, Lachie Singh said he was rapt because of limited rainfall post-sowing.

"We had 13mm of rain in the second week of May, which was good," he said.

"But our next main rain to crack double figures was only in early August, when we got 12mm.

"It also got 9mm in June, but that was the most of it."

Lachie said the history of the paddock was a good medic pasture last year, wheat crop in 2013 (which went 2.23t/ha) and then a pasture in 2012.

"Last year, we took the grass out with Select and Verdict herbicides, and then 500mm NCPA," he said.

"It then got a summer spray of 1.5L glyphosate, 100mm of Galon and 200mm Amine.

"While prior to seeding, we put out 1.5L RoundUp, 1.5L Treflan, and 300mm of Ester."

Lachie said the crop was no-till sown with a John Deere Conserva Pak air seeder at 48kg of seed/ha on April 28, with 60kg DAP at seed depth and 20kg of urea under the seed.

This was after 55mm of rainfall prior to sowing (from January).

No in-crop fertilisers had been applied, but the crop had received a treatment of 500mm Amine 625, 100mm of Lontrel and 185mm Tebuconazole.

Lachie said production costs averaged about $90/ha for chemical, fertilisers and seed etc.

About 147mm of rainfall was also recorded over the growing season.

Local agronomist Chris McDonough said the Singh's grass and weed control and no-till cereal following pasture rotation had been beneficial to the crop's performance.

"From a soil point of view, there is a fair bit of root activity through the sandy loam and into the hardpan, reaching up to 70cm depth," he said.

"That tells me, that even though it looks high pH, it has a reasonable root zone and it shows that the crop has used that pretty well."

Second place of the competition went to Jody and Adam Flavel, Meribah, on a scored of 82.1 points from 100, with an estimated yield of 2.23t/ha and WUE of 19.1kg.

While Andrew Cass, Paruna, came third on 79.7pts, est yield of 2t/ha and 21.7 WUE.