Riverina grower Rohan King has bumped his Durum wheat into a higher payment grade and improved soil biology simply by using a soil activator. Mr King, of Darlington Point, increased protein in the wheat crop by 1.5 per cent last year after trialling the organically certified TM Agricultural. The irrigated crop tested at 13.5 per cent protein and yielded an average of 8t/ha, compared to the district average of 6.5t/ha. Although the market for Durum is relatively small, Mr King prefers to grow it for its stripe rust resistance. He now plans to ramp up the applications of TM Ag, which uses plant extracts to stimulate indigenous soil microbes, from 40 to 300ha. Rohan, his wife Nerissa, children Madelyn and Paige, and parents Jeff and Margaret, farm the 800ha property, “Warangesda”, fronting the Murrumbidgee River. Set in a 350mm rainfall zone, the property ranges from alluvial to sandy loam soils.

The enterprise mix consists of wheat, canola, 100 Angus cows and a 20ha drip irrigated vineyard of shiraz and semillon grapes. Rice and grapes are being phased out in favour of increased oilseed and cereal plantings. “Although our enterprise is 50:50 cropping and livestock, cropping earns 90 per cent of the income,’’ Mr King said. This year, 400ha of lasered country will be sown to 200ha of Janz wheat and 200ha of Durum using a Horward Bagshaw seeder on a 30cm row spacing. Last year, the rotation included triazine tolerant canola variety, Crusher, which yielded an average of 2.7t/ha with an oil content of 42 per cent. Of the 320 tonnes of Durum wheat grown on the TM trial, 280 tonnes graded DR1 and 40 tonnes DR2 at the 2013 harvest. While some Durum wheat is stored on farm, the majority is sold to Cargill Australia. Rohan spreads poultry manure at 10 cubic metres per hectare and waters it in pre-sowing to activate the soil biology. This was followed by an in-crop top dressing of Urea at 200kg/ha. The family has battled ryegrass resistance in one paddock, using the management tools of herbicide rotation, windrowing and residue burning. The property is still recovering from the 2012 floods when two-thirds was inundated, damaging levy banks and fencing. Mr King said the floods had leached nitrogen from the soil. Soil compaction and water logging have also been a problem.

Coleambally farmer Brad Harland worked with Rohan to establish the 40ha biological trial. Mr Harland said the acreage of Durum under TM Ag was expanding in the region, along with cotton, corn, rice, soybeans, oats, pumpkins, cherries and lucerne. A demonstration trial will be undertaken this year with wheat and canola on the Coleambally Experimental Farm under the guidance of farming systems agronomist Dr Maarten Stapper. A paddock walk will be held during the growing season. The TM Ag was applied on Rohan’s paddock in a tank mix at 250mls/ha pre and post sowing on a 40ha section identified as less fertile. “We observed during the growing season good rooting depth and structure in an aggregated, friable soil,’’ Mr Harland said. “There were plenty of earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi.’’ Mr King said plant counts in the wheat were under 80 per square metre but the crop quickly caught up. “Spring was a non-event so the crop received five irrigations at 5.5 megalitres/ha all up, including one pre-plant watering,’’ he said. Mr King is confident the TM is working and will apply it across 300ha this year. “The TM has increased protein by 1.5 per cent – I’m not saying it has given me more yield but the protein increase bumped the wheat into the next payment grade,’’ he said. “Even if it doesn’t increase protein, it is still promoting the beneficial soil microbes.  “I will continue to trial the TM with poultry manure and various rates of synthetic fertilisers by observing the crop, and according to water availability.’’

Media Release By
Kim Woods | Director
Outcross Media | www.ogacreative.com.au
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