Investment

There is currently a gap between yield potential and achieved yield in sorghum crops in the Southern Qld region which is occurring in part due to uneven crop establishment and lack of adequate nutrition being available to the plant.

Rapid and even crop establishment is a foundation for vigorous crops that are competitive against weeds and maintain an even maturity for harvest management. In recent years there has been growing interest in Australia and overseas in utilising precision seeding technology and around the implementation of downforce technology.

The implementation of automatic downforce technology at sowing can ensure that the seed is placed at the correct depth in the soil despite variability across paddocks. If there is not enough downforce present at sowing the seed may be slower to emerge and too much force can lead to compaction and restricted root development - both leading to uneven establishment and maturity.

Opportunities for fertilising dryland summer crop fields are limited in a zero till system. Rates of the nutrients primarily N, P, K being applied at sowing are restricted due to the increased risk of seedling losses. Strip tillage allows fertiliser to be applied near to the seed but without the increased risk of direct seedling losses, while also improving the proximity of the fertiliser to the root system.

This investment seeks to answer the question: 'Can dryland sorghum yield be optimised with better establishment and access to nutrition?'