From the Ground Up – Southern Region Annual Report: RCSN, 2013–14

This report outlines some of the local research, development and extension (RD&E) priorities identified by the grain grower, adviser and researcher members of the GRDC Regional Cropping Solutions Networks (RCSN), operating across the southern grain-growing region of Australia.

Executive Summary

This document is the first Annual Report of the GRDC southern region RCSNs. Its purpose is to present the priority issues that the RCSNs identified for the 2013–14 investment cycle, and outline the actions taken by the GRDC in response to each priority issue. The document also provides an overview of the GRDC’s investment planning process for grains RD&E, and how grain growers and the RCSNs contribute to that process.

For 2013–14, the southern region RCSNs identified 36 priority issues that they believed required RD&E investment. Of these, 17 issues were addressed directly by new investments in the 2014–15 investment plan, and 16 have been addressed within broader or ongoing GRDC investments. The remaining three issues are acknowledged as important but more information is required before they are ‘investment ready’.

Among the issues identified by the RCSNs for the 2013–14 investment cycle and which were subsequently addressed by GRDC investments were:

• „subsoil constraints in the high rainfall zone
• management of invertebrate pests in retained-stubble farming systems
• improving production on sandy soils in the low rainfall zone
• more break crop options
• increased inclusion of legumes in farming systems
• correct crop sequences for irrigated double cropping
• management of soils under irrigation
• management of emerging weed issues
• management of foliar diseases in high potential canola crops in the high rainfall zone.

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Region South

• 2.73 mb GRDC Southern RCSN Annual Report 2013-2014 This report outlines some of the local research, development and extension (RD&E) priorities identified by the grain grower, adviser and researcher members of the GRDC Regional Cropping Solutions Networks (RCSN), operating across the southern grain-growing region of Australia.