Integrating CTF into WA Dryland cropping with dry autumns, increasing machinery scale and new tillage methods

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Conference Title

2013 Society for Engineering in Agriculture Conference: Innovative Agricultural Technologies for a Sustainable Future

Place of Publication

Barton, ACT

ISBN

9781922107114

Keywords

Conservation tillage, Crop yields Crops, soil compaction, Dry farming, Environmental aspects

Disciplines

Agricultural Science | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Soil Science

Abstract

Adoption and development of Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) systems for dryland cropping in WA have been challenged recently by:-

- More unprofitable growing seasons for most growers since the turn of the century, compared to the 90s. Thus a reduced capacity to invest in the machinery changes to CTF.

- Increased frequency of dry autumns encouraging sowing dry sowing to complete large cropping programs before the latest advisable date. Thus an urgency to sow as much area as possible per day while suitable sowing conditions have developed and encouraging the use of wider seeders which may not easily fit a CTF system (>about 12m).

- Use of increasingly powerful and larger mass tractors and increasing large capacity air carts and chaser bins to allow better efficiency of operations during appropriate sowing windows, but larger risk of subsoil damage.

- Rapid adoption of deep tillage methods relatively new to the WA wheatbelt; Spading and inversion mouldboard ploughing. Very few of these growers are using CTF despite the capacity of such deep cultivated soils to recompact easily.

New field data was collected of wheat yield and grain quality after normal traffic on deep ripped yellow sand. This is used to estimate the grain yield and income benefits from CTF after deep ripping and calculate the estimated payback period of conversion to CTF. Analysis of factors other than seeder width to improve seeding capacity is made to help growers consider increased seeding speed and reduced reloading frequency as alternatives to increase seeding capacity. Data from deep compaction by very heavy vehicles is also used to alert the industry to future risks of very high axle loads.

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