IKC Trial Sites

Over a number of years IK Caldwell have been building valuable knowledge and experience with extensive trial work. In-paddock comparisons and the use of the demonstration site at Barooga and other sites have specifically aimed at delivering technically sound and precise advice on the different varieties and chemical use including their rates and timings and interaction with various cereal and canola varieties

In 2006 trials were being run across the entire IKC region, which covered the following topics: 

• Cereal varieties
• Canola varieties
• Pulse varieties
• Pre-em herbicides
• Post-em herbicides
• Cereal diseases
• Cereal seed treatments
• Ryegrass pasture
• Cereal growth regulators

Our most extensive demonstration site is close to Barooga in NSW. Below is a brief description of what we have been researching over the winter crop seasons.

2006/2007

2006 was the fifth year that IK Caldwell has run trials at the current Barooga site. This year we increased the number of varieties planted in our cereal and canola yield trials as well as extended the fungicide trials.

There were 47 different wheat varieties and 6 barely varieties, with the majority of these being new promising varieties to be released in the coming years.

The fungicide trials increased allowing more experimentation into the level of disease in Barley, Chara, and Ventura. Whilst most of the main wheat varieties were exhibiting some intolerance to stripe rust and newer varieties are being bulked up in the hope they remain tolerant to stripe rust, IKC agronomists are becoming concerned that other diseases may need to be considered and managed well. Therefore, we are focused on yellow leaf spot, stem rust, septoria, and leaf rust of barley as well as stripe rust.  These plots were monitored, during the season on a weekly basis giving the exact longevity of products, as well as the presence and severity of stripe rust and other diseases, under various pressures throughout the year.

2005/2006

The main role of the IKC broad acre trial site at Barooga is to trial new up and coming varieties and agronomic concepts being developed. The site for the 2005 season consisted of over 600 plots under evaluation for their agronomic performance covering a range of management areas.

In 2005 the season was an excellent year for the trial site where the weather conditions allowed us to gain valuable information on variety yield differences and disease levels. The Canola variety trials consisted of 33 different varieties with a mixture of Conventional, Triazine Tolerant (TT), and Clearfield (IT) canola varieties looking at differences in season length, yield, and oil quantities. 

The cereal variety plots trialed 39 different varieties ranging from traditional to new experimental lines of Barley, milling wheat and Durum wheat varieties.

In 2005 a special focus was placed on the cereal fungicide trial area. With big inroads being made in 2004 into understanding the best management practice of stripe rust and other leaf and root diseases we increased the scope of the fungicide trials to include more potential fungicide options over both wheat and barley.

In addition to fungicides the trial site also features a pre-emergence chemical trial, which operates on a ryegrass and wild oat pressurized area. In 2005 there were 17 different pre emergent chemical treatments trialed over crop sown with both Janke equipment and a John Deere Disc seeder.

IK Caldwell had a major field day to display the site in early October as well as smaller farmer tours held during the course of the year. The results gained from this site are openly given to growers and used to increase our agronomist's knowledge of new varieties and agronomic products. 

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