Northern NSW pulse agronomy project

Author: | Date: 01 Mar 2015

1 Tamworth Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth NSW 2340
2 Trangie Agricultural Research Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Trangie NSW 2823

Take home messages

  • If any single nutrient is lacking or not adequately balanced with other nutrients, crop growth may be suppressed or inhibited
  • Phosphorus was the limiting nutrient at Spring Ridge
  • When sowing within the optimum sowing window mid May – mid June:

                                high yield potential ≥ 2.0 t/ha sow at ≥  30 plants/m2,

                                low yield potential ≤ 2.0 t/ha sow at ≥ 20 plants/m2

  • When sowing within the optimum sowing window mid May – mid June:

                                yield potential ≥ 2.0 t/ha sow on narrow rows (≤ 40cm)

                                yield potential ≤ 2.0 t/ha row spacing has less of an impact on yield

Introduction

The 2014 season was characterised by episodic cold weather events during flowering and terminal drought during grain fill. These seasonal conditions impacted heavily, reducing the potential yield of chickpeas across most areas of the northern NSW cropping zone.

The Northern Pulse Agronomy Initiative project had a range of experiments covering a number of agronomic themes in 2014. This paper will report on the outcomes of row spacing, density and nutrition experiments across northern NSW.

1. Cold weather effects

Mean temperatures below 15C have been shown to cause flower abortion (Siddique and Sedgley 1986; Berger et al. 2004; Clarke and Siddique 2004). The 2014 growing season had significant cold weather events causing flowers to abort.

Table 1 has the 50% flowering dates and significant cold weather events for a range of experimental sites.  The North Star and Spring Ridge sites suffered the least from cold weather events which occurred early in the flowering period thus allowing more time for subsequent flower set.  Coonamble had similar cold event episodes but with two major events occurring during early flowering. Moree and Edgeroi suffered cold weather episodes occurring early then later in flowering thus reducing potential yield significantly. The Spring Plains site suffered two severe cold weather events within 4 days of each other around mid flowering (see Table 1).

Table 1. Dates of 50% flowering for the experimental sites and major cold events (minimum and average temperature (0C)) for selected dates for the nearest meteorological stations across northern NSW in 2014.

Experimental Site

50% Flower

Met Station

Major cold events (oC)

North Star

15th August

Goondiwindi

08/8       Min.  0.6 (Av. 11.6)

 

Moree

26th August

Moree

12/8       Min. -0.2 (Av. 9.5)

04/9       Min. 1.8 (Av. 10.9)

Edgeroi

25th August

Narrabri

12/8       Min. -3.3 (Av. 7.9)

04/9       Min. -0.2 (av. 9.2)

Spring Plains

11th August

Collarenebri

10/8       Min. 0.3 (Av. 11.9)

13/8       Min. -0.4 (Av. 8.9)

Coonamble

18th August

Coonamble

09/8       Min. 0.1 (Av. 11.0)

12/8       Min. -2.0 (Av. 7.9)

Spring Ridge

25th September

Gunnedah

19/9       Min. -2.1 (Av. 8.9)

 

2. Growing season rainfall

2014 growing season rainfall was well below the long term average (LTA) for all sites (see Table 2).  Goondiwindi and Rowena received only 44% and 49%, respectively, of their LTA rainfall for June to October while Moree and Narrabri received 50% and 61%, respectively. Coonamble (93%) and Gunnedah (81%) faired much better (see Table 2).

The biggest impact occurred during September and October when crops were completing flowering, setting pods and filling grain. With the exception of Coonamble (September rainfall 53mm (LTA 32mm)) all sites received substantially less rain than their LTA. October rainfall was virtually non existent across all sites with Goondiwindi, Narrabri, Rowena and Coonamble receiving ≤ 6mm.

Under these dry conditions potential yields were substantially reduced.

Table 2. Growing season (June to October), September and October rainfall (mm) for 2014 and long term averages (LTA) for selected meteorological stations across northern NSW.

Met Station

June-Oct rainfall (mm)

September rainfall (mm)

October rainfall (mm)

Goondiwindi

84 (LTA 191)

8 (LTA 37)

5 (LTA 49)

Moree

97 (LTA 194)

24 (LTA 34)

16 (LTA 48)

Narrabri

139 (LTA 229)

7 (LTA 42)

5 (LTA 52)

Rowena

90 (LTA 183)

7 (LTA 32)

0 (LTA 44)

Coonamble

166 (LTA 179)

53 (LTA 32)

6 (LTA 42)

Gunnedah

180 (LTA 222)

17 (LTA 40)

26(LTA 55)

 

3. Effect of row spacing on yield

A row space (20, 40, 80, 120cm) by density (15, 30, 45 plants/m2) by variety (CICA1007, Kyabra, PBA HatTrick) experiment was conducted at Tamworth in 2014. There were no significant 2nd order interactions between row space x density, variety x density and variety x row spacing. Row spacing main effects only are presented here (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Effect of row spacing on grain yield of chickpea in 2010 (squares) and 2014 (circles)

The effect of row spacing on yield for the 2010 and 2014 seasons are shown for comparison in Figure 1. In 2010 yield declined as row spacing moved from 40 to 80cm while in 2014 yield was not significantly different across row spacing from 20, 40 and 80cm. Sowing at very wide rows (120cm) in either season led to significant yield loss.

When yield potential is high, under high in-crop rainfall (2010 = 349mm), narrower rows (40cm) had a 9% yield advantage over wider rows (80cm). However, under lower yield potential due to lower in-crop rainfall (2014 = 165mm) there was no difference in yield between 40cm and 80cm row spacing.

4. Plant density and yield

The plot of grain yield versus plant density for six northern sites is shown in Figure 2. The response of yield to plant density was flat from 15 to 45 plants/m2 (see Fig. 2) with slopes of; Coonamble = 0.83, Spring Plains = 2.20, Edgeroi = 1.25, North Star = 2.06 and Moree = 2.39 kg/ha/plant/m2. For the southern site, Spring Ridge, the slope of yield to plant density, from 15 to 45 plants/m2 (see Fig. 2) was 7.04 kg/ha/plant/m2.

The southern site, which on average received more in-crop rain, showed greater yield response as plant density increased from 15 to 45 plants/m2. Optimum yield was achieved around 30 plants/m2. Spring Plains and Edgeroi had optimum yields at 15-20 plants/m2 while Moree and Coonamble had a flat (nil) yield response above 15 plants/m2.

Figure 2. Effect of plant density on chickpea yield at a range of northern NSW locations

5. Nutrients and grain yield in chickpea

Nutrients were applied in a nutrient omission format. In nutrient omission trials, one nutrient is deliberately omitted in each treatment, while all other nutrients are applied at rates considered as non-limiting. It is therefore not possible to determine optimum nutrient application rates directly from the results of these trials.

The 12 treatments were; Zero nutrients, All nutrients, - N, - P, - K, - Ca, - B, - Cu, - Zn, - Mn,
 - Mg, - Fe.

Application method varied between nutrients. Both P and N were applied at sowing, at 10 kg P/ha as Trifos and 10 kg N/ha as urea, respectively. Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe were applied as chelates in a foliar spray.

K was applied as Potassium citrate and B as Boron ethanolamine as foliar sprays. Besides N and P (applied at sowing), all other nutrients were sprayed on the crop at flowering.

Table 3. Effect of the zero, All nutrients and All nutrients –P treatments on grain yield in chickpea at northern NSW sites in 2014

Treatments

North Star
(kg/ha)

Moree
(kg/ha)

Edgeroi
(kg/ha)

Spring Ridge
(kg/ha)

Spring Plains
(kg/ha)

Coonamble
(kg/ha)

Zero

2136.8a

990.0a

1314.0ns

2038.2b

1670.2ns

847.9a

All nutrients

1969.7a

895.7ab

1312.1ns

2148.4a

1552.6ns

654.1b

All nutrients -P

1742.6b

891.1b

1275.3ns

1948.6b

1479.4ns

787.4ab

Values in columns with the same letter are not significantly different from one another

Edgeroi and Spring Plains showed no effect of applied nutrients on yield. Both of these sites were frosted and suffered terminal drought. North Star and Moree showed no effect of applied nutrients on grain yield but had negative responses to yield when all nutrients were applied except P, suggesting P was limiting. Coonamble actually showed a significant reduction in yield over the zero treatment where all nutrients were applied. The only significant outcome was the site at Spring Ridge which showed a 5% yield increase when all nutrients were applied compared to zero. This site was also responsive to P (see Table 3).

Conclusions

  • Late frosts and cold periods during flowering at sites led to floral abortion and a reduction in yield;
  • Extended dry periods at sites during September and October led to pod and seed abortion ;
  • Under high yield potential, narrow rows (40cm) offer a yield advantage over wide rows (80cm), however, under low yield potential there was no difference in yield between 40cm and 80cm row spacing;
  • When sowing within the optimum sowing window mid May – mid June, high yield potential ≥ 2.0 t/ha sow at ≥  30 plants/m2, low yield potential ≤ 2.0 t/ha sow at ≥ 20 plants/m2 ;
  • Adverse seasonal conditions led to no site responses to applied nutrients except at Spring Ridge.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Michael Nowland, Jayne Jenkins, Dana Burns and Scott Richards (all NSW DPI) for their technical assistance in the trial program.

The research undertaken as part of this project is made possible by the significant contributions of growers through both trial cooperation and the support of the GRDC, the author would like to thank them for their continued support.

References

  1. Mengel, K., Kirkby, E.A., Kosegarten, H., Appel, T. (2001). Principles of Plant Nutrition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
  2. Grain Legume Handbook (2008). GRDC publication
  3. Siddique KHM, Sedgley RH (1986) Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) a potential grain legume for south-western Australia: seasonal growth and yield. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 37, 245–261. doi: 10.1071/AR9860245
  4. Berger JD, Turner NC, Siddique KHM, Knights EJ, Brinsmead RB, Mock I, Edmondson C, Khan TN (2004) Genotype by environment studies across Australia reveal the importance of phenology for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) improvement. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55, 1071–1084. doi: 10.1071/AR04104
  5. Clarke HJ, Siddique KHM (2004) Response of chickpea genotypes to low temperature stress during reproductive development. Field Crops Research 90, 323–334. doi: 10.1016/j.fcr.2004.04.001

Contact details

Dr Andrew Verrell
NSW Department of Primary Industries
Ph: 0429 422 150

GRDC Project Code: DAN00171,