AGRONOMY AND FARMING SYSTEMS  Program Leader - Dr Rob Norton

Agronomy and Farming Systems Program - Joint Centre for Crop Innovation.

This JCCI Program links the intellectual and physical resources of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment with the University of Melbourne’s Department of Crop Production. At present, most of the activity in this program is based at Horsham either at the Longerenong campus of the Institute for Land and Food Resources (ILFR) or at the Victorian Institute for Dryland Agriculture (VIDA).

1. Focus Areas for Research

At Longerenong College, A&FS research includes crop adaptation, crop sequences, new crops (including N fixation) and green manuring. At VIDA, agronomy research is within the commodity programs (Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds) and farming systems research is within the Farming Systems Program. Across the two organizations, five areas of research can be identified as below (table 1).

In-crop agronomy

It is expected that future in-crop agronomy projects will be closely linked to VIDA crop improvement programs to fill specific knowledge gaps for individual crops and new cultivars. The VIDA oilseed program has integrated agronomy and crop improvement research for several years. The cereal and pulse programs are now adopting this approach, with the latter having appointed a pulse agronomist recently. Although there are only a few students in this area, there is potential to develop further collaborative projects.

Crop sequences

Current projects in this area include the Longerenong-based work on crop sequences (in collaboration with CSIRO Plant Industry), new crops including a scoping study on alternative oilseed, canary seed, fenugreek and safflower, and an investigation into the benefits of green manuring. As well, Longerenong has initiated and maintained a 10-year farming systems trial (WCFA trial) located on the College and adjacent to the Wimmera Research Station. VIDA maintains long-term experiments at the Wimmera Research Station. Longerenong Rotation 1 (LR1) is now the longest running rotation trial in Australia, having been established in 1916. Sustainable Crop Rotations in Mediterranean Environments (SCRIME) has been running since 1997.

Resource management

Overcoming soil limitations to crop production is the area of resource management where collaboration occurs within the JCCI at VIDA. Within this main research area, four main priorities are studies on:

• Physio-chemical processes in soil (especially in relation to phosphorus, bicarbonate, boron, sodicity and salinity).
• Plant responses to soil conditions (at both the species and germplasm level, including genotype by environment interactions).
• Root function, physiology and distribution (especially in relation to water and nitrogen).
• Simulation modelling for understanding, at a physiological level, of how crops exploit soil resources.

Crop protection

Prof. Roger Cousens (The University of Melbourne) has taken a lead in defining how weeds research could be developed within the JCCI, and indeed within Victoria where it pertains to cropping systems. There has recently been GRDC funding approved for a post-doctoral fellow to work with Professor Cousens in weed ecology in cropping systems, along with a technical assistant. This position may be at VIDA or Parkville depending on the particulars of the research areas to be pursued and the selected applicants preferences. Besides weeds, there are other opportunities in crop protection for joint activities, particularly if there are new appointments at Parkville and VIDA in the areas of pathology and entomology.

Modelling

Modelling of crop systems, weed/crop interactions and other applications has been an active area of research in the JCCI. The O’Leary/Connor model is an output of this work, a model available publicly and has been used successfully in several projects within the JCCI. Modelling expected to link with Agriculture Victoria Rutherglen, where NRE presently has better resources than VIDA. Longerenong has links to Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit in Queensland in the area of canola growth modelling. This internationally known group has developed an integrated agricultural systems simulation (APSIM) model based on the CERES models.

Other projects

There are several other projects at both VIDA and Longerenong that fall outside these five focus areas.

3. Current physical resources

The A&FS program has a comprehensive set of physical resources available to students and research fellows. There are wet and dry laboratories at both Longerenong and VIDA, with well equipped sample handling and preparation areas. The JCCI has access to analytical equipment through the DNRE as well as through the ILFR.

While much of the work in A&FS will be on farmer’s properties, the program has access to secure sites with known histories. DNRE has land at Lower Norton and on the Wimmera Research Station, while Longerenong has approximately 1000 ha of cropping land including a 500 Ml irrigation water right. The Longerenong farm is operated as a commercial unit, but does make land available to research projects.

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