Frost is a four letter word

1. Kelly Ryan developed MyCrop® to ensure your
crop is the picture of health. Frost is a four letter word
Ben Biddulph, ben.biddulph@dpird.wa.gov.au 0428 920 654

2. Frost is a four letter word

3. Don’t let the F of 2017 burn you in 2018

5. Frost is emotionally challenging

6. Grieving cycle

7. Frost = Fishing

8. 2017 Frost events 26-29 August

10. Cold air came from the polar regions

11. 2017 Frost events 26-29 August

12. 2017 Frost events 7-10 September

14. • Pre-season
• In-season
• Post event

15. Preseason
• Main tools
• Frost zoning
• Variety by TOS
• Crop type
• Minor tools
• K nutrition and micro nutrient nutrition Cu, B, Zn….
• Grazing crops
• Stubble management
• Tools, still under evaluation
• Soil amelioration
• Nitrogen management
• Seeding rate
• Row direction (NS Vs E_W), spacing.

16. Frost zoning
• Rest of talk is about the frost prone areas
• Frost zoning, consciously managing those areas differently
• Landscape, pdk, farm
• Enterprise, crop type, variety TOS, Nutrition (N $ risk management)
• All have a plan for drought, late breaks/dry seasons why not frost?

17. Frost and cold susceptible stages

18. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1-Apr
8-Apr
15-Apr
22-Apr
29-Apr
6-May
13-May
20-May
27-May
3-Jun
10-Jun
17-Jun
24-Jun
1-Jul
8-Jul
15-Jul
22-Jul
29-Jul
5-Aug
12-Aug
19-Aug
26-Aug
2-Sep
9-Sep
16-Sep
23-Sep
30-Sep
7-Oct
14-Oct
21-Oct
28-Oct
4-Nov
11-Nov
18-Nov
25-Nov
Loxton No. events <2*C 1957-2007
Sow
Mace/Scepter
Yitpi/Cutlass

19. Lameroo No. events <2
Sow
Mace/Scepter
Yitpi/Cutlass
0
5
10
15
20
25
30

20. Drought and heat susceptible stages

21. Frost, cold, drought and heat susceptible stages

22. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1-Apr
8-Apr
15-Apr
22-Apr
29-Apr
6-May
13-…
20-…
27-…
3-Jun
10-…
17-…
24-…
1-Jul
8-Jul
15-Jul
22-Jul
29-Jul
5-Aug
12-…
19-…
26-…
2-Sep
9-Sep
16-…
23-…
30-…
7-Oct
14-Oct
21-Oct
28-Oct
4-Nov
11-…
18-…
25-…
Loxton No. events <2 or >30*C 1957-2007
Sow
Mace/Scepter
Yitpi/Cutlass

23. Lameroo No. events <2 or >30*C 1957-2007
Sow
Mace/Scepter
Yitpi/Cutlass
0
5
10
15
20
25
30

24. Choosing a crop or a car?
• Choosing and growing a crop is like selecting which car to buy.
• It depends on
• Road/terrain – position in landscape, seasonal rainfall, rotation
• Type 4WD, AWD, 2WD, what crop is most suited in the system
• Distance travelled ie growing season left to end of season = maturity type

26. Data showing yield increases
for early sowing

27. Sowing time in WA - Stephens & Lyons
1998
WA Grains Research
Update 2015 | James Hunt
2012 2013 2014
Fletcher et al (2016)

28. Dale 2016

29. Dale 2016

30. Dale 2016

31. Dale 2016

32. Dale 2016

33. Gross income for Dale 2016
The opportunity cost of sowing one variety was $404/ha
Variety
Sowing
date
Grain yield
(t/ha)
Mace grain yield
(t/ha)
Gross income*
for a mix of
varieties ($/ha)
Gross income*
for sowing all
Mace ($/ha)
Winter 20/4/16 3.6 0.8 900 200
Winter 27/4/16 2.9 0.5 725 125
Winter 5/5/16 3.8 0.4 950 100
Long 13/5/16 4.0 1.6 1000 400
Mid 20/5/16 3.8 3.8 950 950
Short 9/6/16 2.9 2.5 725 625
Average 875 471
*Gross income was calculated my multiplying grain yield by a flat price of $250/t for wheat

34. Dry sown and– late break
Variety Germination date
Grain
yield (t/ha)
Mace grain
yield (t/ha)
Gross
income* for a
mix of
varieties ($/ha)
Gross
income* for
sowing all
Mace ($/ha)
Winter 13/5/16 4.0 1.6 1008 400
Winter 20/5/16 3.5 3.8 879 950
Average 943 675

35. Grain yield x flowering date Brookton 2015

36. Sowing date
Grain yield x sowing date Brookton 2015

37. Gross income for Brookton 2015
The opportunity cost was $195/ha for sowing all one
variety
Variety
Sowing
date
Grain yield
(t/ha)
Mace grain
yield (t/ha)
Gross income*
for a mix of
varieties ($/ha)
Gross income*
for sowing all
Mace ($/ha)
Winter 15/4/15 3.4 1.9 839 479
Winter 29/4/15 3.4 2.1 851 513
Long 8/5/15 3.1 1.9 783 472
Long 15/5/15 3.4 2.7 848 687
Mid season 23/5/15 2.5 2.5 632 632
Mid season 2/6/15 2.2 2.2 557 557
Average 752 557
*Gross income was calculated my multiplying grain yield by a flat price of $250/t for wheat

38. Dry sown and late break?
Variety Germination date
Grain yield
(t/ha)
Mace grain
yield (t/ha)
Gross income*
for a mix of
varieties ($/ha)
Gross income*
for sowing all
Mace ($/ha)
Winter 15/5/15 2.8 2.7 700 687
Winter 23/5/15 2.3 2.5 575 632
Average 638 660
http://www.giwa.org.au/2017researchupdates

39. Varieties within the same maturity class
same grain yield response to TOS
short mid
long winter
short mid
long
winter

40. Summary for Frost prone areas in central
wheatbelt
•Winter wheats are suited to April sowing in frost
prone landscapes
•Longs (eg. Yitpi, Cutlass, Magenta) are suited to
early May to mid May planting

41. Summary for Frost prone areas in WA
central wheatbelt
• Mids (eg. Mace, Scepter) are suited to a mid May planting
• Short maturity wheats (eg. Axe, Westonia, Emu Eock) for June
planting
http://www.giwa.org.au/2017researchupdates

44. YitpiMace

45. Beer Vs BreadSusceptibilitytofrostdamage
Wheat
Barley
LOW
HIGH

47. Floret sterility -
species
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Wheat Barley Oat
Sterility(%oftotalflorets/head)
Sown 15th April

48. R² = 0.94
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
Grainyield(t/ha)
Sterility %
Barley Oats Wheat
http://www.giwa.org.au/2017researchupdates
Beer Vs Bread: Crop types Muresk 2016
Oats> Barley> Wheat

49. Crop type choice can and does have a big impact
• Cereals: Oats>Barley>Wheat>Triticale>Durum
• Pulses: Canola> Lupins> Field peas/Chickpeas/Vetch/Lentils
• Enterprises: Livestock> Hay> Grain production

51. Soil amelioration & frost
Acknowledgement: Steve Davies DPIRD; Facey Group; Living Farm

52. Water repellence & frost
Acknowledgement: Steve Davies DAFWA; Facey Group; Living Farm

54. Frost and Soil amelioration summary
• Need to ameliorate soil anyhow for non-wetting, acidity, weed seed
etc.
• Significant economic response anyhow for these.
• Maybe a frost bonus but need more data to confirm this.

55. So what’s new in the toolbox for 2018?
• Don’t let Frost from 2017 burn you in 2018.
• Sow early and sow Long, or don’t sow wheat at all.
• A little stubble is OK
• Manage stubble loads to yield potential.
• Beer Vs Bread, Barely is better than wheat, but its not frost tolerant,
not even oats is.
• Soil amelioration, do it for the right reasons, frost is not the reason.

57. Roles ascribed to K in alleviating frost
stress (after Romheld and Kirkby 2010,
PLSO)
Improved translocation of
photo-assimilates
Increased photosynthesis
Detoxification of reactive
oxygen species
Reduced tissue
dehydration
Lower freezing
point of tissue water
Potash and Frost can I buy tolerance?

58. On marginal soils (<50mg/kg) still get K response under frost
$-
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
$1,000
0 20 40 80
GrossMargin($/ha)
Muriate of Potash kg/ha
98%
60-70%
30-40%
15-25%
20-30%
* Assuming $500/t for MOP and grain price of $250/t
http://www.giwa.org.au/2017researchupdates

59. K and frost summary
• Need robust K rates on frost prone marginal K soil types
(<50mg/kg).
• Still get economic response with no frost and with light to moderate
frost.
• But doesn’t buy tolerance, with sever frost no response.
http://www.giwa.org.au/2017researchupdates

60. Thankyou

61. Discussion
• Main tools
• Variety by TOS
• Crop type
• Minor tools
• Stubble management
• K nutrition and micro nutrient nutrition Cu, B, Zn….
• Grazing crops
• Tools, still under evaluation
• Soil amelioration
• Nitrogen management
• Seeding rate
• Row direction (NS Vs E_W), spacing.