Commence date

April 2022 

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Completion date 

February 2023 

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Aim 

This project aims to support grower decision making when presented with early sowing canola opportunities giving consideration to soil moisture, time of sowing and varietal choice. Through the implementation of a small plot demonstration accompanied by three grower case studies, growers in the region will build their confidence to weigh up the risks and rewards of ‘going early’ to capitalise on early rainfall events.

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Funding Provider 

GRDC

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Lead Project Organisation 

The Liebe Group 

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Project Background 

The Liebe Group R&D committee, who met on 24 March, have identified a timely opportunity to investigate early seeding opportunity for canola. A tropical cyclone system (Charlotte) from the 26-30 March has the potential to bring significant rainfall to the region and has prompted growers to investigate how different varieties perform in an early April sowing window. These weather events are becoming more common as changes to climate sees more late tropical low systems coming through further south and as such providing a non-traditional season break.

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Liebe growers have also identified a lack of experimental data on the consequences of sowing canola in this region before mid-April. There has been research undertaken by DPIRD in Mullewa and Wongan Hills in 2019 and 2020 that investigated time of sowing that showed no yield penalty for seeding in March. Liebe Group staff have liaised with Jackie Bucat (DPIRD) to confirm this demonstration is not duplicate of any of the early seeding work she is undertaking. Jackie supports the proposal going ahead.

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The last few seasons have continued to provide these early seeding opportunities, particularly in 2021 off the back of cyclone Seroja, and therefore growers want to better understand the risk and reward of going early.

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The Liebe Group propose to undertake a locally relevant small plot demonstration that will investigate six different Round Up Ready canola varieties seeded at start of April. This will also be accompanied by three grower case studies to understand the decision-making process of time sowing and varietal choice.