The Department of Agriculture and Food’s 103rd annual Merredin Research Facility field day on 21 September will highlight a selection of field trials and discussions that reflect the theme: Pushing the envelope.
Development officer Greg Shea said field day visitors would be able to absorb the latest grains research information, which continues to challenge conventions and optimise yields and profit margins.
Mr Shea said one of the highlights would be a presentation by Dr Lee Hickey, from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, on the potential for new lines of deep rooting barley.
Mr Shea said Dr Hickey’s research team had discovered key genes in wheat and barley that direct root growth downwards to access nutrients and moisture deep in the soil profile.
“Department senior research officer Blakely Paynter is working on a scoping study with Dr Hickey to explore the potential for the deep rooting trait to be included in future varieties suited to the Western Australian environment,” he said.
“The study includes a small sample of 22 lines of germplasm from Queensland planted in plots at the Muresk Institute, Wongan Hills and Merredin, alongside control lines including La Trobe, Baudin and Compass.
“While it is early days, Dr Hickey’s talk will provide an insight into how the inclusion of the deep rooting trait could result in plants being able to extract more moisture from depth, extending the grain filling period and thereby increasing grain yield potential.”
As well as observing the barley trial, field day visitors will be able to see first-hand what the deep rooting trait looks like in seedlings potted in transparent garden pots to measure the direction of root growth in seedlings.
A bus tour will include visits to research plots, including early sown wheat and canola trials and an in furrow fungicide to suppress soil borne diseases by Syngenta.
“A time of sowing trial will be very instructive, showing very early sown canola and wheat, as most of the district had April sowing opportunities,” Mr Shea said.
“Research officer Shahab Pathan will also discuss a trial that examines the benefits of deep ripping for canola and the use of inclusion plates on the ripper.
“Break crops will be another interesting topic, including the latest agronomic information for chickpea and field pea varieties.
“Participants will also visit the department’s Managed Environment Facility to hear from the CSIRO about a pre-breeding trial using plant material that has a longer coleoptile length.”
Mr Shea said the trials reflected the department’s strong relationship with local grower groups and agribusinesses in the eastern grainbelt, including the Merredin and Districts Farm Improvement Group (MADFIG).
“The field day provides a unique opportunity for local growers and those from further afield to discover the cutting edge research undertaken at Merredin by the department and its partners, including CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation,” he said.
The 103rd Merredin Research Facility field day will be held on Wednesday, 21 September, commencing at 9.30am for a 10am start to the bus tours, which should conclude about 4.30pm. Lunch, morning and afternoon teas will be provided free of charge.
Please register with the Merredin office on +61 (0)8 9081 3111 or emailing vince.lambert@agric.wa.gov.au or text on 0428 916 918.
Media contacts: Lisa Bertram/Megan Broad, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937