NORTHERN FEBRUARY 2017 SUNFLOWER CONTENTS

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "NORTHERN FEBRUARY 2017 SUNFLOWER CONTENTS"

Transcription

1 NORTHERN FEBRUARY 2017 SUNFLOWER CONTENTS

2 Sunflowers What s new Introduction A.1 Agronomy at a glance...xvi A.2 Crop overview...xvii A.3 Key management issues...xvii A.4 End uses...xviii 1 Planning/Paddock preparation 1.1 Paddock selection... 1 Soil management Paddock rotation and history Benefits of sunflower as a rotation crop Disadvantages of sunflower as a rotation crop Fallow weed control Seedbed requirements Soil moisture Irrigation Yield and targets Seasonal outlook Water Use Efficiency Nutrient efficiency Double-crop options Nematode status of paddock Nematode testing of soil Effects of cropping history on nematode status Insect status of paddock Insect sampling of soil Soil sampling by spade Germinating-seed bait technique Detecting soil-dwelling insects Pre-planting 2.1 Varietal performance Yielding ability Oil, protein or other quality traits Maturity...3 vii

3 Sunflowers Head inclination and stem curvature Planting seed quality Seed size Seed germination and vigour Safe rates of fertiliser sown with the seed Planting 3.1 Seed treatments Time of sowing Targeted plant population Calculating seed requirements Sowing depth... 5 Row spacing Sowing equipment Plant growth and physiology 4.1 Plant growth stages Key development stages of sunflower Germination and emergence Development of the root system Vegetative growth...2 Defoliation Bud initiation Flowering Seed filling Physiological maturity Crop desiccation Sunflower phenology Drivers of growth and development Genetic Environment...13 Day length Temperature Moisture Nutrition Adverse effects on growth and development Frost Hail Drought Heat stress Waterlogging Photos of stages of sunflower development...18 viii

4 Sunflowers 4.7 References and further reading Nutrition and fertiliser 5.1 Soil requirements ph Salinity Soil cations and structural stability Declining soil fertility Soil organic matter Current situation Options for reversing the decline in soil organic matter... 7 Impact of fertiliser N inputs on soil Soil testing Test strips Rules of thumb Soil testing for N Forms of N fertiliser Calculating N fertiliser application Soil testing for P...13 Colwell-P BSES-P P buffering index Plant tissue sampling Hierarchy of crop fertility needs Nitrogen Phosphorus Sulfur Potassium Boron Zinc Fertiliser application guidelines Nutritional disorders Weed control 6.1 Fallow weed control Pre-emergent herbicides Post-emergent herbicides Inter-row spraying Cultural control: inter-row cultivation Potential herbicide damage effect References and further reading...10 ix

5 Sunflowers 7 Insect control 7.1 Establishment pests Post-establishment pests... 2 Bees...2 Management False wireworms Damage Thresholds for control Management True wireworm Damage Thresholds for control Management Cutworms Damage Thresholds for control Management Black scarab beetles Damage Thresholds for control Management Thrips Onion thrips Tomato thrips Western flower thrips Damage Thresholds for control Management Wingless cockroaches Damage Thresholds for control Management Black field earwig Damage Thresholds for control Management Field crickets Damage Thresholds for control Management x

6 Sunflowers 7.12 Rutherglen bug Damage Monitoring Thresholds for control Management Weed management...26 Insecticide use...26 Natural enemies Helicoverpa spp Damage Thresholds for control Management Whiteflies Greenhouse whitefly Damage Thresholds for control Management Bemisia tabaci whitefly complex Damage Management Loopers Tobacco looper Vegetable looper Soybean looper Damage Thresholds for control Management Green vegetable bug Damage Thresholds for control Management Nematode control 8.1 Resistant crops Diseases 9.1 Principles of disease management IPM and biological control Integrated disease management at the farm or crop level Steps to effective disease management Risk assessment Providing an accurate diagnosis... 4 xi

7 Sunflowers Observations Samples Sending infected plant tissue Tools of the trade Sunflower diseases: biology, symptoms, management Rust (Puccinia helianthi)...13 Economic importance Survival and spread Conditions for infection Symptoms Control Powdery mildew (Golovinomyces cichoracearum) Economic importance Survival and spread...17 Conditions for infection...17 Symptoms...17 Strategies to minimise powdery mildew buildup Stem canker (Diaporthe/Phomopsis spp.) Economic importance Dispersal and spread...20 Symptoms Infection conditions...23 Control Phoma black stem (Phoma spp.) Economic importance...24 Conditions for infection...25 Dispersal and spread...25 Symptoms...25 Control Tobacco streak virus Economic importance...29 Conditions for infection...29 Dispersal...30 Survival...30 Symptoms...30 Control Alternaria blight (Alternaria helianthi, A. alternata)...33 Economic importance Dispersal and spread Conditions for infection Symptoms Control Sclerotinia rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, S. minor) xii

8 Sunflowers Economic importance...35 Survival and spread...36 Conditions for infection Symptoms Control Sclerotium base rot, crown rot (Sclerotium rolfsii) Economic importance...40 Dispersal and spread...40 Symptoms...40 Infection conditions Control White blister (Albugo tragopogonis) Economic importance...42 Survival and spread...42 Conditions for infection...42 Symptoms...42 Control Charcoal stem rot (Macrophomina phaseolina)...44 Economic importance Survival and spread Conditions for infection Symptoms Control Rhizopus head rot (Rhizopus spp.)...47 Economic impact Survival and spread Conditions for infection Symptoms Control Botrytis head rot or grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) Economic importance...50 Survival and spread...50 Conditions for infection...50 Symptoms...50 Control Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) Economic importance...52 Survival and spread...52 Conditions for infection...52 Symptoms...52 Control Septoria leaf spot (Septoria helianthi) xiii

9 Sunflowers Economic importance...54 Survival and spread...54 Infection conditions...54 Symptoms...54 Control Biosecurity awareness: potential disease threats for Australian sunflower Downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii) Economic importance...56 Survival and spread...56 Conditions for infection...56 Symptoms Control Broom rape (Orobanche spp.) Economic importance...59 Survival and spread...60 Conditions for Infection...60 Symptoms...60 Control References and further reading Plant growth regulators and canopy management 11 Crop desiccation/spray out 12 Harvest Drying Physiological maturity Machinery setup Header set up Harvesting hints Receival standards Storage 13.1 Storing oilseeds How to store sunflowers on-farm Seed quality and moisture content at storage Types of storage Hygiene structural treatment Aeration Aeration cooling Automatic controllers Standard aeration fans operation Aeration drying Drying with heated air Fire risk...5 xiv

10 Sunflowers 13.7 Insect pest control Environmental issues 14.1 Adverse effects on growth and development Frost Hail Drought Heat stress Waterlogging Marketing 15.1 Selling principles Be prepared...2 When to sell...2 How to sell Establish the business risk profile...3 Production risk profile of the farm...4 Establishing a target price...5 Income requirements Managing your price...8 Methods of price management Ensuring access to markets Storage and logistics Cost of holding grain Converting tonnes into cash...14 Set up the toolbox How to sell for cash Counterparty risk Relative values Contract allocation...20 Read market signals Northern sunflower: market dynamics and execution Price determinants for northern sunflower Ensuring market access for northern sunflowers Converting tonnes into cash for northern sunflowers xv