Grain and Graze Milestone 5 Report:

Maximising soil protection and profitability in fragile dune / swale soils project delivered by Northern Sustainable Soils farmer group

Project aim:

This project aims to measure the effect of stubble on weeds, pest & disease management using an extension of trials already conducted.

Hypotheses:

1)  That by increasing the height of retained stubble, windspeeds will decrease and erosion will therefore, be reduced

2)  That retaining stubble, moisture will be retained in the soil as opposed to a bare soil (as measured by soil moisture probes)

3)  That by growing the most suitable break crop, nitrogen & ground cover will be increased, thereby increasing the yield & stubble (ground cover) of the subsequent wheat crop

4)  The effect of stubble on herbicides is less in standing stubble, and this may also be able to reduce disease

Work plan:

1)  Reducing Windspeeds – measure the effect of difference stubble heights on windspeed, and the possible effect on reducing erosion

2)  Retaining Moisture – grow a barley crop over the 3 different stubble treatments, assessing the stubble effect on retaining moisture

3)  Alternative Break Crops – assess the amount of ground cover remaining wheat had been grown after various break crops

4)  Herbicide & Disease Effect – grow Lentils into different stubble treatments and measure any difference in weed and disease pressures

The site details are as follows: GPS coordinate of the NSS Trial Site

33o 41’ 29.49” S 137o 58’ 09.08” E

Factors ie / NSS Trial Site / NSS Trial Site / NSS Trial Site
Rainfall / 2011 128 mm to date
Soil type / Sandy Loam
Strategy/ies the project is testing / Reducing Windspeeds / Retaining Moisture / Alternative Break Crops
Control site / No stubble / Bare ground / Pea & Pasture ground

Monitoring strategy

1)  Reducing Windspeeds – about once a week, assessments are taken above and within the respective different height stubbles

2)  Retaining Moisture – soil moisture probes are recording moisture levels on-going and results are available to NSS members on-line

3)  Alternative Break Crops – ground cover assessments were done after 2010 harvest and have just been done again pre-seeding 2011

4)  Effect of Stubble on Herbicides – has not been sown yet, but plans are for the site to be sown next week (May 23rd)

Results

1)  Reducing Windspeeds

2)  Retaining Moisture

3)  Alternative Break Crops

Possible contributing factors - i.e. unseasonably wet summer & early autumn has lead to minimal difference between the probes. Wet 2010 spring lead to high Wheat yields with little difference in 2011 ground cover.

This is the 2010/2011 plan.