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Western Australian
wheat growers can look to lucerne in ongoing rotations to boost
yields |
Western Australia
August 31, 2005
To boost wheat yields,
Western Australian
growers can look to lucerne in ongoing rotations, recent
GRDC-supported research has
found.
Western Australia
Department of Agriculture
researcher Perry Dolling said based on results from the three
year trial at Borden, lucerne controlled weed populations over
the long-term due to physical competitiveness and the ability to
tolerate some non-selective herbicides.
"The research found lucerne
assisted in reducing the build up of herbicide resistant weeds.
"Lucerne was sown in plots in
2001 that had lucerne in the previous pasture phase and then to
simulate a first-time grower it was sown in 'virgin' lucerne
plots following annual pasture.
"Despite
slightly lower protein counts, wheat yields increased 10 per
cent when lucerne was removed in late 2003 and all treatments in
the trial were then sown to wheat in 2004," Mr Dolling said. |
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