Canola production in Australia:
success on the driest continent on earth
John Kirkegaard
CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra
Talk Outline
● Australian farming systems
● Canola industry – history and current production
● Selected R&D highlights
● Current trends and challenges
Australian environment, soils and system
Dry (12-20 inch), infertile soils, unsubsidised agriculture
120
0
CLERMONT
120
120
0
120
0
GERALDTON
Mixed farms (5000 acres)
1 crop/yr (May-Nov)
Mean yield 1200 lbs/ac
DALBY
0
CONDOBOLIN
120
0
MOOMBOOLDOOL
120
120
0
MERREDIN
0
120
0
ESPERANCE
WAGGA WAGGA
120
120
0
0
ROSEWORTHY
HORSHAM
Growing season rain (mm)`
Low and variable rainfall (risk management)
10-year running mean
500
20
400
16
300
12
200
8
100
4
0
1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999
Year
Crop failure due to drought
Failed canola crop (drought)
Canola cut for hay
Farming “BC” (before canola!)
● Up to 1980s
ley pastures grass/annual legumes (merino sheep for wool)
cereals (wheat and barley)
Pasture
Burn or remove residues
+
Wheat Barley
Repeated cultivation for weeds and seedbed
Farming system evolution – the 1990s
● Since 1990 - Intensification of cropping
fewer, larger farms (5000 acres)
increased crop area per farm (3.6% pa)
less pasture, fewer sheep
more crop diversity (lupin, canola)
no-till, stubble retention
Pasture
Canola Wheat Wheat Lupin Wheat
The canola cropping year...
Heat, drought
Climatic risks
Frost risk
Sowing rain?
Fall
Winter
Spring
Brief history of canola in Australia
● 1970s
small areas of rapeseed (B napus, B campestris)
● 1976
decimated by Blackleg disease (Leptosphaeria maculans)
● 1990
resistant “double-low” varieties revive Industry
● 1999
area peaked at 5M acres, stabilised at ~3M acres
grown for system benefits rather than profit
80% triazine tolerant varieties, all open pollinated
● 2001
concern over “yield decline” in canola
● 2002-08
widespread drought limits yield and area sown
● 2008
new GM hybrid varieties first approved in 2008
● 2011
area grown and yield prospects best for a decade
● 2014
private breeding; 50% hybrids, record area 6M acres
Canola in Australia - area sown and yield
Yield
(lb/acre)
Area sown
(million acres)
7
1750
6
5
4
Canadian
varieties
Canola Check
Australian
varieties
GM hybrids
1500
1250
1000
3
750
2
TT
varieties
Blackleg
500
1
250
Millenium
drought
0
'70
'75
'80
'85
'90
'95
'00
'05
'10
0
'15
Year
Source: ABARE estimates, Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) industry estimates
Insert presentation title
Current status
● 3rd most valuable grain crop in Australia
Gross value:
Wheat ($7.8B), Barley ($1.9B), Canola ($1.1B)
Export value:
Wheat ($5.0B); Barley ($1.5B); Canola ($ 0.8B)
● ~ 0.8 – 1.4 Mt (75%) exported annually
● 0.6 Mt canola crushed annually (Australian capacity 1.1 Mt)
● 25% of oil is exported, domestic use in food sector
● meal used in high protein feed in pig, poultry, dairy
Canola’s benefits (70%) expressed in wheat crops
Wheat after Wheat
Wheat after Canola
Australian national wheat yield trends
2200
1780
1340
890
450
Kirkegaard et al., (2013) Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment (online)
Crop sequence experiments
Kirkegaard et al., (2008) Field Crops Research 107, 185-195
Yield benefit to following wheat crops
10
(a)
180 (b)
experiments
Yield of wheat after Indian mustard (t/ha)
Yield of wheat after canola (t/ha)
10
1:1.2 line
8
1:1.2 l
● Mean8yield benefit 0.8 t/ha
● Independent of wheat yield
1:1 line
6
6
● Value underestimated
in dry seasons
4
2
4
2
(Angus et al 2011)
0
0
0
2
4
6
8
Yield of wheat after wheat (t/ha)
10
0
2
4
6
Yield of wheat after w
Canola intensification in NSW, lime and N use
0.5
1.0
0.5
2
1.0
2
0.2 0.2
0.1 0.1
0.5
0.5
1
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0
Canola area (million ha)
0.3
Canola area (million ha)
0.4
Fertiliser N use (million tonnes)
0.3
Fertiliser N use (million tonnes)
Lime in NSW (million tonnes)
Lime in NSW (million tonnes)
Canola
area, lime use and N-fertiliser use
0.4
1
Fertiliser
N use
Fertiliser
N use
NSWNSW
limelime
useuse
Canola
areaarea
Canola
0
19961998
19982000
2000
1980 1980
19821982
19841984
19861986
19881988
1990199019921992199419941996
Benchmarking yield performance in canola
What should my canola yield?
● Simple rules of thumb
e.g. yield should be 50% of wheat
● Water-limited yield based on seasonal rainfall
Based on French and Shultz WUE approach
Relate yield to seasonal rainfall total
Simple, accessible but less precise
● Prediction based on crop simulation models
JK000214.PPT
Accounts for daily weather, soil, management
Requires more data and interpretation
Benchmarking yield in canola
● Farmers often expect yield to be 50% of wheat?
R atio can o la:w h eat yield
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
JK000214.PPT
0
1780
2000
3560
4000
5300
6000
7080
8000
Wheat
W
h eat grain
g rain yield
yield(lbs/acre)
(kg /h a)
Robertson et al (1999)
10000
8860
0
0
100 200 300 400 500
Water-limited
yieldIn-crop
concept
rain (mm)
(d) 6000
5300
700
800
R2=0.68
240 lbs/acre/inch
5000
4450
4000
3560
Yield (lbs/acre)
600
330 lbs/acre/inch
3000
2670
2000
1780
175 lbs/acre/inch
1000
890
0
0
4
100
8
200
12
300
16
400
20
500
24
600
28
700
Seasonal
water
supply(inches)
(mm)
Seasonal
water
supply
[in-crop rainfall + stored water – water left]
(f)
6000
Robertson and Kirkegaard (2005) Aust. J. Agric. Res. 56, 1373-86
32
800
Simulation models online - Yield Prophet
Based on APSIM canola model - well validated in NSW
Simulated grain yield (g/m2)
500
4450
3560
400
2670
300
200
1780
R2 = 0.86
Error + 270 lbs/acre
890
100
0
0
890
100
1780
200
2670
300
3560
400
Observed
grain
yield
(g/m2)
Observed
grain
yield
(lbs/acre)
4450
500
Simulated yield vs district yields
Yield “gap” worse in better seasons
4.0
3560
b)
Canola yield (t/ha)
3.5
3.0
2670
2.5
2.0
1780
1.5
1.0
890
0.5
simulated yield
canola yield
0.0
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Kirkegaard et al. (2006) Aust. J. Ag. Res. 57, 201-12.
Establishing canola in wheat stubble
Burn
Retain
•
•
•
•
Poor emergence
Poor vigour
25% yield loss
Causes
(allelopathy?)
Separating physical and biochemical effects
Bruce et al., (2006) Plant and Soil 281, 203-218
A solution to the problem – without burning
Burn
3100 lbs/acre
Stubble inter-row
3030 lbs/acre
Stubble spread
Bruce et al., (2006)
Aust. J. Agr. Res. 57, 1203-1212
2225 lbs/acre
Modern, no-till canola
Stubble retained, direct seeded, inter-row sowing
disc-seeder, controlled traffic
Canola intensification and yield decline?
Concerned since 1999, poor yields in good seasons
Paddock Survey (2000 paddocks 1991 - 2000)
10% reduction in yield
ABARE census and survey data (high rainfall east)
Increased diseases in wet seasons!
Blackleg
Sclerotinia stem rot
Premature death
Root rot
Summary of response to disease control
Response to fungicides at 7 sites from 2001-2005
Year
Sclerotinia
control
(lbs/acre)
Blackleg
control
(lbs/acre)
2001
980
800
2002
90
712
2003
90
180
2004
ns
90
2005
ns
270
JK000214.PPT
If disease was controlled or absent crops yielded to potential
Kirkegaard et al. (2006) Aust. J. Ag. Res. 57, 201-12.
Wider survey of 132 fields (2004 – 2006)
● Dry years, low disease - 75% of crops yielded to potential
● No evidence of widespread micronutrient or N deficiency
● Under-performing crops had:
- late season heat and water stress on bulky crops
- range of subsoil constraints, south of Wagga
60% of paddocks had
root distortions >3.0
Lisson et al (2007) Aust. J. Exp. Agriculture 47, 1435-45
Subsoil constraints in canola (2007 – 2009)
● Experiments on hard, acid or saline/sodic subsoils
● Effect of ripping (30 cm) with lime or gypsum injected
● No yield responses at 10 of 14 sites
● Canola relatively (and surprisingly) insensitive (cf barley)
● No support for expensive interventions
Reducing risk - dual-purpose canola
● Canola crops grazed without yield penalty
● Increase flexibility, profitability and reduce risk
● Increase animal and crop production from mixed farms
Defoliation experiments
Grazing experiments
Simulation
Profitability, risk and systems benefits
If yield penalty is avoided, feed is added value
$GM/ha increase of $100 - $400/ha; whole-farm $100/ha
Indirect benefits include
grass weed and cereal disease control
pasture spelling provides lambing feed in late winter
wider sowing and grazing windows for crops
reduced crop height to facilitate windrow and harvest
graze, hay and grain option = increased flexibility, lower risk
“A decade ago we only grew fine wool……
Now we produce a range of crops and
pastures for forage, silage, hay and grain
as well as meat from sheep and cattle”
New horizons...
● New cropping areas, varieties and systems
High rainfall zone;
raised beds, dual-purpose, winter hybrids
Low rainfall zone;
earlier-maturity, low- input precision systems
Existing areas;
new agronomy for GM herbicide tolerant hybrids
Precision on wide rows
Herbicide resistant weeds
National Canola Productivity Project (2014 - 2019)
“....robust information on specific adaptation of canola varieties
to make more profitable management decisions...”
Western
Eastern
High Rainfall South
Many colleagues, farmers and friends.....
Thank you
Contact Us
Phone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176
Email: [email protected] Web: www.csiro.au
CSIRO Plant Industry
John Kirkegaard
Email: [email protected]
New regions – crops in the High Rainfall Zone
Conversion of low productivity
waterlogged pastures to highly
productive cropping land
200,000 ha
> 9 mth season
● 32 M ha Total
● 20 M ha Agriculture
● 2-6 M ha arable
5-6 t/ha yield feasible
with long-season hybrids
Soil EC, canola rooting depth and yield
180
Root depth reduced by salinity
in both years
160
120
100
2008
2009
80
60
y = 2.1057 - 0.000026x r2 = 0.00
2.5
40
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
ECa (dS/m)
Yield reduced in dry year;
unaffected in wet year
Grain Yield (t/ha)
Root Depth (cm)
140
2.0
1.5
1.0
y = 0.836 - 0.0028x r2 = 0.46
0.5
2009
2008
0.0
0.5
CSIRO. Potential impacts of subsoil constraints on canola productivity in southern NSW
1.0
1.5
2.0
ECa (dS/m)
2.5
3.0
Yield Prophet – report for 2011 crop
Impacts of soil salinity - variable salinity site
EM Survey
Area:
EM38:
45m x 600m
every 5m x 1m
Sampling Positions
20 each 12 m2
with 16 plants/m2
CSIRO. Potential impacts of subsoil constraints on canola productivity in southern NSW
Effect of sowing date on yield (Forbes)
5000
Yield (kg/ha)
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
9-Apr
29-Apr
19-May
8-Jun
28-Jun
Sowing date
Forbes, 150 mm soil, Oscar phenology
18-Jul
average
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Dual-purpose canola – it works!
Site
Sow
Variety
Canberra
2008
3 April
Winter
440
2
3.1
3.0
23 April
Spring
70
4
2.8
2.2*
7 April
Winter
630
1
5.0
4.6
16 April
Spring
283
7
4.7
4.9
Young
2008
Grazing
Flower
(sheep.day/acre) Delay (d)
Kirkegaard et al (2012) Crop and Pasture Science 63, 429-443
Yield (t/ha)
G
UG