Canola Lachlan Valley Hillston

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1 Variety specific agronomy for southern irrigated cropping systems Crop Irrigation area Location Canola Lachlan Valley Hillston Key findings Variety choice is one of the key factors in producing high yielding irrigated canola crops. Variety had a significant effect on plant population, crop vigour, lodging, grain yield and grain quality. The variety Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) was the highest yielding canola variety in 2016, with the varieties Pioneer 44Y89 (CL), Nuseed Diamond, ATR-Bonito A, Hyola 575CL and Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) also performing well. The Roundup Ready variety Hyola 600RR, and the triazine tolerant variety Hyola 559TT were the lowest yielding varieties. Crop lodging increased as nitrogen rate increased, with nitrogen rates above 100 kg N/ha applied at sowing having a greater incidence of lodging. Canola grain yield increased as the severity of lodging decreased. Introduction Previous industry research identified potential to significantly increase the area and profitability of irrigated canola in the Lachlan Valley. Growers and researchers highlighted varietal suitability, fertiliser usage and irrigation decision support systems as key priority areas for irrigated canola production. Experiments conducted in the Lachlan Valley in 2015 and 2016 evaluated the regional suitability of current commercially available canola cultivars as well as nitrogen application recommendations for specific canola varieties. The experiments were a part of the Southern irrigated cereal and canola varieties achieving target yields project (DAN00198). Seasonal reviews In 2015 there were less than average frost events. High temperatures and dry conditions occurred in late September through to October which impacted on all crops but most severely on later maturing crops. Many crops in the region benefited greatly from the wet winter and topdressed nitrogen. Severe hail during windrowing caused up to 100% damage in some crops. Crops already windrowed yielded an estimated 20% of their previous potential yield whilst crops still standing were completely lost. Apart from hail damaged areas, 2015 was a good year to grow canola in the region provided it was established in late April. However, due to the very dry start to the season not a lot of canola was grown in the area. The average dryland canola yield was 1.7 t/ha and ranged from t/ha. Irrigated crops were mostly lost due to hail. Growing conditions in 2016 were very wet and mild, with rainfall from May to September one of the wettest on record. Growing season rainfall was well above average with 532 mm recorded at Hillston causing waterlogging in many crops (Table 1). This was coupled with cool to mild conditions throughout much of the growing season. Canola yields were generally above

2 average with high oil contents. Irrigated canola yields in the district ranged from 2.2 t/ha to 3.5 t/ha and averaged 3 t/ha. However, most canola wasn t irrigated as rainfall was adequate to supply the required moisture. Table 1 Growing season (April October) monthly rainfall (mm) at Hillston, Month Rainfall (mm) April May June July August September October Total Experiment site Table 2 Experiment site details, Site detail Location Hillston, NSW Hillston, NSW Experiment design Variety x nitrogen rate Variety x nitrogen rate Row spacing 6 rows x 25 cm 7 rows x 25 cm Soil type Grey clay loam Grey clay loam Soil nutrition at sowing 115 kg N/ha (0 60 cm) 38 mg/kg Colwell P 82 kg N/ha (0 60 cm) 13 mg/kg Colwell P Previous crop Maize 2014/15 Maize 2015/16 Sowing date 22 April 27 April Starter fertiliser 100 kg/ha MAP 100 kg/ha MAP 150 kg N/ha pre-drilled at sowing as urea In-crop irrigation 2 spring irrigations: 20 Sep (1.8 ML/ha) 15 Oct (1.2 ML/ha) Not irrigated (too wet) Fungicides Nil Prosaro 250 ml/ha 4 Oct (by air) Insecticides Aphidex mid-grainfill Nil Harvest date Not harvested (hail damage prior to harvest) 24 November 2 NSW Department of Primary Industries

3 Treatments Twelve canola varieties and four nitrogen rates were evaluated each year (tables 3 & 4). Each experiment was replicated three times. Table 3 Varieties evaluated each year, Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) ATR-Gem A Hyola 559TT Victory V3002 ATR-Bonito A AV-Garnet A Hyola 577CL Hyola 50 Nuseed Diamond Hyola 575CL Hyola 600RR Nuseed GT-50 Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) ATR-Gem A Hyola 559TT Victory V3002 ATR-Bonito A AV-Garnet A Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) Nuseed Diamond Hyola 575CL Hyola 600RR Nuseed GT-50 Table 4 Year Nitrogen treatments evaluated each year. Nitrogen treatment kg N/ha at sowing 100 kg N/ha at sowing 150 kg N/ha at sowing 50 kg N/ha at sowing + 50 kg N/ha at early stem elongation 2016 Very low 150 kg N/ha at sowing Low 150 kg N/ha at sowing + 50 kg N/ha at visible bud Medium 150 kg N/ha at sowing kg N/ha at visible bud High 150 kg N/ha at sowing kg N/ha at visible bud Irrigated canola experiment at Hillston showing flowering differences between varieties, 27 July VARIETY SPECIFIC AGRONOMY FOR SOUTHERN IRRIGATED CROPPING SYSTEMS

4 Results and discussion Establishment The target plant population was 40 plants/m 2. Variety significantly affected plant population in 2015 and 2016 (Table 5). The variety Nuseed Diamond was in the top three plant populations in both years, while ATR-Gem A, Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) and Hyola 559TT were in the lowest five plant populations in both years. In 2015, Nuseed Diamond (46 plants/m 2 ) had the highest plant population but was statistically similar to Hyola 577CL and Hyola 50. ATR-Gem A (18 plants/m 2 ) had the lowest plant population, although statistically similar to Pioneer 45Y88 (CL), AV-Garnet A and Hyola 559TT. In 2016, Hyola 600RR (33 plants/m 2 ) had the highest plant population but it was statistically similar to Nuseed Diamond and Hyola 575CL. Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) (21 plants/m 2 ) had the lowest plant population but was statistically similar to ATR-Gem A, Victory V3002, Hyola 559TT and ATR-Bonito A. Table 5 Plant establishment (plants/m 2 ) of 12 canola varieties in the irrigated canola experiments at Hillston in 2015 and Variety Plant establishment (plants/m 2 ) Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) ATR-Bonito A ATR-Gem A AV-Garnet A Nuseed Diamond Nuseed GT Hyola Hyola 575CL Hyola 577CL Hyola 600RR Hyola 559TT Victory V Average l.s.d. (P = 0.05) In 2015 a trend was observed with plant population being lower as the nitrogen rate increased. The lowest nitrogen rate (50 kg N/ha) had the highest plant population (34 plants/m 2 ) and was statistically similar to the split nitrogen treatment. The highest nitrogen rate (150 kg N/ha) had the lowest plant population (28 plants/m 2 ) which was statistically similar to the 100 kg/ha nitrogen rate. Normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) Crop vigour was measured from full ground cover to flowering using a hand-held NDVI unit. Results show that variety significantly affected crop vigour in 2015 and Results in 2015 also showed there were significant effects for N treatment and variety x N treatment for crop vigour. In 2016, Hyola 575CL (0.8036) had the highest NDVI value but was statistically similar to all other varieties except ATR-Bonito A (0.729) and ATR-Gem A (0.748) which were significantly 4 NSW Department of Primary Industries

5 lower. In 2015, Hyola 577CL (0.793) had the highest NDVI value but was statistically similar to Victory V3002 (0.753), Hyola 600RR (0.773), Hyola 50 (0.760) and Nuseed Diamond (0.758). ATR-Gem A (0.52) again had the lowest NDVI value in 2015, significantly lower than all other varieties (Table 6). Table 6 NDVI values of 12 canola varieties (taken at full ground cover) in the irrigated canola experiments at Hillston in 2015 and Variety NDVI Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) ATR-Bonito A ATR-Gem A AV-Garnet A Nuseed Diamond Nuseed GT Hyola Hyola 575CL Hyola 577CL Hyola 600RR Hyola 559TT Victory V Average l.s.d. (P = 0.05) In 2015 applying a high rate of nitrogen upfront (150 kg N/ha) resulted in a significantly lower NDVI value than where lower rates of nitrogen were applied upfront (50 kg N/ha) and the nitrogen applications were split (Figure 1). Conversely, where a low rate of nitrogen (50 kg N/ha) was applied upfront, NDVI values were significantly higher than when higher rates (100 kg N/ha and 150 kg N/ha) were applied upfront. NDVI values were affected by plant population at establishment as well as the rate of nitrogen applied. Applying 150 kg N/ha upfront had a lower NDVI value as a result of less plants establishing NDVI Value split Nitrogen treatment (kg N/ha) Figure 1 NDVI value for each nitrogen treatment taken at full ground cover in the irrigated canola experiments at Hillston in VARIETY SPECIFIC AGRONOMY FOR SOUTHERN IRRIGATED CROPPING SYSTEMS

6 Lodging scores Lodging was scored on a scale of 0 to 9, with 0 indicating no lodging and 9 indicating horizontal plants. Three lodging assessments were taken from mid-september to mid-november in 2015 and The first lodging assessment was taken before the first irrigation and no differences in lodging were observed at this time. The pre-harvest lodging assessment demonstrated that variety had a significant effect on lodging in 2015 and 2016 and nitrogen rate had a significant effect on lodging in In 2015 and 2016 the five varieties with the highest average lodging scores were AV-Garnet A, Victory V3002, Hyola 600RR, Hyola 559TT and Nuseed GT-50 (Table 7). Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) had the least lodging in 2016 with a score of 2.07, which was statistically similar to ATR-Bonito A, Pioneer 44Y89 (CL), Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) and ATR-Gem A. In 2015 Hyola 577CL had the least lodging with a score of 0.63, which was statistically similar to Hyola 575CL, Nuseed Diamond, Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) and ATR-Gem A. Table 7 Lodging scores of 12 canola varieties in the irrigated canola experiments at Hillston in 2015 and 2016 (0=no lodging; 9=horizontal plants). Variety Lodging score (0 9) Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) ATR-Bonito A ATR-Gem A AV-Garnet A Nuseed Diamond Nuseed GT Hyola Hyola 575CL Hyola 577CL Hyola 600RR Hyola 559TT Victory V Average l.s.d. (P = 0.05) In 2016 a trend was observed with increased lodging as the nitrogen rate increased. The highest nitrogen rate resulted in the highest average lodging score (3.80) but was statistically similar to the medium and low nitrogen rates. The very low nitrogen rate resulted in the lowest average lodging score (2.97) and was significantly lower than the high nitrogen rate. Grain yield In 2016, variety had a significant effect on grain yield. Grain yield across all varieties and nitrogen rates averaged 2.69 t/ha and ranged from 2.34 t/ha for the Roundup Ready variety Hyola 600RR to 3.11 t/ha for the Clearfield variety Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) (Table 8). Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) was the highest yielding canola variety but was statistically similar to Pioneer 44Y89 (CL), Nuseed Diamond, ATR-Bonito A, Hyola 575CL and Pioneer 45Y25 (RR). Hyola 600RR was the lowest yielding variety with 2.35 t/ha, but was statistically similar to Hyola 559TT, AV-Garnet A and ATR-Gem A. 6 NSW Department of Primary Industries

7 Lodging of canola plots in the irrigated canola experiment at Hillston, 27 September Nitrogen rate had no effect on grain yield in this experiment. The very low nitrogen rate had an average yield of 2.72 t/ha which was statistically similar to all other nitrogen treatments. In 2015, the canola crop received significant hail damage and was not harvested therefore no grain yield data is available for that year. An interaction between grain yield and lodging was observed with grain yield decreasing as lodging increased (Figure 2). Table 8 in Variety Grain yield (t/ha) of 12 canola varieties evaluated in the irrigated canola experiment at Hillston Grain yield (t/ha) Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) 3.03 Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) 2.74 Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) 3.11 ATR-Bonito A 2.76 ATR-Gem A 2.57 AV-Garnet A 2.38 Nuseed Diamond 2.80 Nuseed GT Hyola 575CL 2.75 Hyola 600RR 2.35 Hyola 559TT 2.37 Victory V Average 2.69 l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.37 Data not available for VARIETY SPECIFIC AGRONOMY FOR SOUTHERN IRRIGATED CROPPING SYSTEMS

8 3.5 Grain yield (t/ha) R² = Lodging score Figure 2 The interaction between crop lodging and grain yield in the irrigated canola experiment at Hillston in Grain quality The average canola grain oil content was 41.6% in Results showed that grain oil content was significantly affected by variety and variety by nitrogen rate. ATR-Bonito A had the highest oil content (43.16%) and was significantly higher than all other varieties. Hyola 559TT had the second highest oil content (42.19%) but was statistically similar to Victory V3002. Hyola 575CL had the lowest oil content (40.29%) and was statistically similar in oil percentage with Nuseed Diamond (Table 9). There was no relationship between nitrogen rate and oil concentration. The very low nitrogen rate had an average oil concentration of 41.57% which was statistically similar to all other nitrogen rates including the high rate which had an oil concentration of 41.65%. Table 9 in Grain oil content of 12 canola varieties evaluated in the irrigated canola experiment at Hillston Variety Grain oil content (%) Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) ATR-Bonito A ATR-Gem A AV-Garnet A Nuseed Diamond Nuseed GT Hyola 575CL Hyola 600RR Hyola 559TT Victory V Average l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.89 Data not available for NSW Department of Primary Industries

9 Summary The project Growing conditions in 2016 were very wet and mild, with rainfall from May to September one of the wettest on record with 532 mm recorded between April and October 2016 at Hillston. The canola experiment established well with all varieties achieving a plant population between 20 and 35 plants/m 2. Plant establishment was backed up by NDVI measurements taken at full ground cover, with the greater plant populations having a greater NDVI value. Selecting the right variety proved to be a key factor for achieving a high grain yield in An interaction between yield and lodging was observed with the highest yielding varieties generally having the least amount of lodging. The Clearfield variety Pioneer 45Y88 (CL) had the least amount of lodging at harvest and was the highest yielding variety in this experiment. Other varieties that were high yielding with a low incidence of lodging included ATR-Bonito A, Pioneer 44Y89 (CL) and Pioneer 45Y25 (RR). The Roundup Ready variety Hyola 600RR had the highest amount of lodging and was the lowest yielding variety. Pioneer 45Y25 (RR) was the best performing Roundup Ready variety while the TT varieties Hyola 559TT and ATR-Gem A were in the lowest yielding group. This experiment reinforced the concept that it is difficult to achieve maximum yields using TT varieties, with a yield penalty of about 0.5 t/ha. The experiment was established with a grain yield target of 4 t/ha and therefore had a very high nitrogen budget. The experiment yield average in 2016 was 2.69 t/ha, with a top yield of 3.11 t/ha. There were no significant differences in yield and oil content between nitrogen rates showing there was no reason to apply more than 150 kg N/ha upfront. There was a significant difference in lodging between the nitrogen rates demonstrating that increasing the nitrogen rate can increase the incidence of lodging. This variety specific agronomy package (VSAP) is an output of the Southern irrigated cereal and canola varieties achieving target yields project (DAN00198; ). It summarises the research outcomes from experiments that were conducted in this research node on this crop type. The objective of the project was to demonstrate an increase in irrigated cereal and canola production, and ultimately water use efficiency, through improvement of grower and adviser knowledge of high yielding cereal and canola varieties and specific agronomy management that will increase production and improve profitability under irrigation. The project area extended from the Lachlan Valley in NSW to Victoria, Tasmania and across to south-eastern South Australia. The project comprised a series of research experiments to identify the optimum cereal and canola varieties and agronomic management practices for irrigated cereal and canola production in south-eastern Australia. Specific research questions were tailored to the geographic area, or research node. Organisations that have contributed to the project by conducting research experiments and the location of their research node are NSW DPI (Murrumbidgee Valley, NSW; Murray Valley, NSW), Victorian Irrigated Cropping Council (Northern Victoria), Southern Farming Systems (Tasmania), MacKillop Farm Management Group (south-east South Australia), Central West Farming Systems (Lachlan Valley, NSW) and AgGrow Agronomy & Research (Lachlan Valley, NSW). In addition to the VSAPs, the project also produced an irrigated wheat production manual and an irrigated canola production manual (available by contacting the author) and an extensive database of experiment results. The project has joint investment by NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). VARIETY SPECIFIC AGRONOMY FOR SOUTHERN IRRIGATED CROPPING SYSTEMS

10 Acknowledgements This research is part of the Southern irrigated cereal and canola varieties achieving target yields project (DAN00198; ) which has joint investment by NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Ag Grow Agronomy and Research would like to thank experiment co-operator Graeme Horneman, Hillston for hosting the canola experiments on his property and also providing assistance with the overall management of the experiments. Further information Barry Haskins and Rachael Whitworth Ag Grow Agronomy and Research Website: ISBN: State of New South Wales through Department of Industry You may copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose, provided that you attribute the Department of Industry as the owner. However, you must obtain permission if you wish to: charge others for access to the publication (other than at cost) include the publication in advertising or a product for sale modify the publication republish the publication on a website. You may freely link to the publication on a departmental website. Disclaimer The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (June 2017) and may not be accurate, current or complete. The State of New South Wales (including the NSW Department of Industry), the author and the publisher take no responsibility, and will accept no liability, for the accuracy, currency, reliability or correctness of any information included in the document (including material provided by third parties). Readers should make their own inquiries and rely on their own advice when making decisions related to material contained in this publication. Always read the label Users of agricultural or veterinary chemical products must always read the label and any permit, before using the product, and strictly comply with the directions on the label and the conditions of any permit. Users are not absolved from compliance with the directions on the label or the conditions of the permit by reason of any statement made or not made in this publication. The product trade names in this publication are supplied on the understanding that no preference between equivalent products is intended and that the inclusion of a product name does not imply endorsement by the department over any equivalent product from another manufacturer