issue 151, march april 2021
This page shows the articles in issue 151, march april 2021 of GroundCover. As articles are developed and published online, the list below will grow until all articles are available.
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Confidence secures role for pulse
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 10 Apr 2021Lentils are not as difficult to grow as they sound – that is the major lesson Brad Dennis says he learned in his first three years of growing the crop at Baroota, north of Port Pirie on the east coast of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf.
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Grower groups prove a valuable learning curve
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 09 Apr 2021The GRDC Southern Pulse Extension project was established to help growers maximise income from pulses. Ground Cover spoke to some of the people involved in the project about its outcomes.
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Soil testing guides optimal crop nutrition and stubble production to reduce erosion risks
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 08 Apr 2021Agronomists in the South Australian and Victorian Mallee say that using soil testing to optimise crop biomass and soil nutrition decisions can help avoid topsoil erosion and yield losses. Research shows that losing one millimetre of topsoil can result in yield losses of between one and six per cent.
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Harnessing rainfall a key goal for growers
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 07 Apr 2021Each year, GroundCover follows a group of growers from across Australia as they manage the winter cropping season. In the first instalment for 2021, Melissa Marino introduces this year's participants.
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Fire adversity turned to opportunity
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 06 Apr 2021South Australian grower Steve Jaeschke has turned the adversity of a fire into an opportunity for intensive soil amelioration works on his family's farm near Bordertown. The Jaeschkes' amelioration program includes clay spreading, delving, spading and deep ripping. It has not only remediated charred non-wetting sands, but also lifted the overall productivity and profitability of the family's farm business since the fire in 2018.
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Whole-of-agriculture approach to new climate forecasting
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 03 Apr 2021Australian rural industries are collaborating with the Bureau of Meteorology to develop five new forecast products for extreme climate events. Through participatory research, rural industry reference groups are working with climate scientists to design user-friendly tools to aid longer-term climate forecasts.
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The road trip that delivered feats of clay
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 30 Mar 2021From testing the waters to full immersion, South Australian grower from Karkoo, Scott Crettenden, recounts his clay spreading journey from novice to becoming his region’s principal contractor. Scott ameliorated non-wetting sands with a Claymate machine developed specifically for clay spreading as part of a contracting business on SA's Central Eyre Peninsula. Scott estimates the business spread clay on about 12,000 hectares of the region's water-repellent sands between 1997 and 2003.
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Confident start to making 2021 the year to thrive
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 29 Mar 2021By understanding and working on the most pressing – or valuable – industry needs, GRDC aims to support growers to thrive in 2021, and beyond.
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Residual food reduction needed so mice take the bait
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 26 Mar 2021With concern about mice across the country, experts warn that residual food must be minimised to enhance exposure to bait and reduce population build-up
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New chickpea offers regional balance
Issue 151, March-April 2021 - 25 Mar 2021The first variety released by the new chickpea breeding initiative encompasses what a joint $30 million, five-year program aims to achieve – broad adaptation to all Australian chickpea growing regions.