Bulletin 25 2010 - BSES

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Bses Bses LiMiTeD / eOiN WALLis CeO’s MessAGe issue 25 2010 Introduction of the new systems of farming sugarcane have inevitably led to new scrutiny of how we manage pests and diseases. In this Bulletin issue, BSES researchers Peter Samson from Mackay, Keith Chandler from Bundaberg and Nader Sallam from Gordonvale take us through a comprehensive review of sustainable canegrub control in the light of the new systems. BSES and the Sugar Research and Development Corporation (SRDC) have invested in research to determine the influence of different agronomic practices on the risk of canegrub infestations. Working within this program, Peter and Keith have contributed to the development of an integrated approach to monitoring and managing canegrubs. Their article outlines the general principles of canegrub management, the influence CONTeNTs of legume rotations, and the implications of adopting controlled-traffic and reduced tillage to influence canegrub numbers and means of their control. Their research found that the effectiveness of soil-borne fungal and protozoan diseases on canegrub numbers was enhanced under reduced tillage. In far northern Queensland infections of greyback canegrubs with Metarhizium fungus were significantly greater in ratoon fields that had been prepared with zonal rather than conventional tillage. They also found that spores of Metarhizium fungus were retained in the undisturbed soil when new cane was planted into old rows, leaving those spores in higher concentrations and in the best position to infect future generations of grubs. Insecticides still play a vital role in canegrub control. Peter, Keith and Nader give a comprehensive overview of insecticide use, including what types to use, appropriate Front Cover: pg 16 Cost savings from zonal tillage dosage, means of application, and timing. They also highlight the importance of monitoring as a basis for making informed decisions about future canegrub management. They stress the importance of timing – for instance, detection of small grubs in autumn is an indicator that large damaging grubs will appear in the following spring- summer if management measures are not introduced. An SRDC-funded grower group at Isis is preparing to test monitoring systems for canegrub over the next two years. We await the results with interest. Growers will also shortly benefit from a booklet currently in preparation that describes canegrub management within the new farming systems. Eoin Wallis evALuATiON Of vArieTies fOr A CONTrOLLeD-TrAffiC fArMiNG sysTeM vArieTies reLeAseD iN 2009 MANAGiNG sOyBeAN sTuBBLe CANeGruB MANAGeMeNT AND NeW fArMiNG sysTeMs BiOseCuriTy feATure pArT 5 / rAMu sTuNT COsT sAviNGs frOM zONAL TiLLAGe BLAsT frOM The pAsT suGArCANe CrC sTrives TO eNhANCe BiOTeChNOLOGy eDuCATiON expOse ON MAjOr CANe DiseAses fOr NeW suGAr iNDusTry sTAff BrAziL sees OrANGe WeeD prOfiLe: BeLL viNe / COMMON MOrNiNG GLOry 2009 TeChNiCAL reseArCh repOrTs NOW AvAiLABLe We encourage and welcome your feedback. Please visit bses.org.au to contact the team. 3 7 9 10 14 16 19 20 22 24 25 26
QCrOps / BArry sALTer evALuATiON Of vArieTies fOr A CONTrOLLeD-TrAffiC fArMiNG sysTeM AN srDC fuNDeD prOjeCT TiTLeD ‘evALuATiON Of GeNOTypes fOr A CONTrOLLeD-TrAffiC fArMiNG sysTeM’ is CurreNTLy uNDerWAy. Project leader Dr Barry Salter, research agronomist based at BSES Mackay discusses progress to date. Some years ago the Sugar Yield Decline Joint Venture (SYDJV) recommended that sugarcane be grown using controlledtraffic, following its findings that, when coupled with legume fallow crops and reduced tillage, a controlled-traffic system brought significant improvements to soil health. The system has been widely adopted, and row spacings between 1.8 and 2.0 m are now common throughout the industry. Now an SRDC-funded project* is underway to determine whether varieties that ere selected on 1.5 m single row configurations are suitable for wider row configurations (both single and dual). Experiments in progress are also determining what changes are needed TABlE 1 | Trial information. to the selection system, to ensure that varieties with good performance on wide-row configurations are released in the future. TriALs Trials comprising four current varieties and three row configurations were established at Bundaberg, Mackay, Ingham and Meringa. In the Burdekin, six current varieties and two row configurations were used. Trial information is summarised in Table 1. At the time trials were planted, sugarcane smut was found in Queensland, therefore smut-resistant varieties were selected where possible. In the Burdekin, researchers included Q117 and Tellus A , which were known to have different growth patterns. Q117 tends to produce a small number of large stalks, while Tellus A is characterised by slow growth early in crop development. Both of these growth habits may be an advantage in dual row systems, as plants may suffer less from lodging than fast-growing varieties with a large number of thin stalks. All the trials except Mackay were sampled over the plant and 1 st ratoon crops. r esuLTs The results from Bundaberg (Table 2) showed that there was no difference in yield – tonnes of cane per hectare (TCH) and tonnes of sugar per hectare (TSH) – among row configurations. Differences were found among varieties – Q232 A and Q208 A performed best. No statistically significant variety-by-row spacing interaction was found. All varieties reacted to the different row configurations in a similar manner. When a variety performed well it did so on all row configurations. Trials Genotype Row configuration Planter Land preparation Planting date Bundaberg Mackay Burdekin Ingham Meringa Q151 Q190 A Q208 A Q232 A Q190 A Q200 A Q208 A Q209 A Q117 Q171 A Q200 A Q208 A KQ228 A Tellus A Q135 Q174 A Q183 A Q200 A Q186 A Q200 A Q201 A Q220 A 1.5 m single 1.8 m single 1.8 m dual (500 mm) 1.5 m single 1.8 m single 1.8 m dual (500 mm) 1.85 m single 1.85 m dual (450 mm) 1.63 m single 1.83 m single 1.83 m dual (450 mm) 1.52 m single 1.85 m single 1.85 m dual (500 mm) DDOP – DOuBlE-DISC OPENER PlANTER. ROW CONfIGuRATION – VAluES IN BRACKETS REPRESENT DISTANCE BETWEEN DuAl ROWS DDOP DDOP DDOP DDOP DDOP DDOP DDOP DDOP Mouldboard DDOP DDOP Mouldboard Mouldboard Mouldboard Planted flat + hill-up 13–17 September 2007 Pre-formed beds 13–15 September 2006 Pre-formed beds 9–4 May 2007 Planted flat + hill-up 1–9 August 2006 Planted flat + hill up 15–24 August 2006 p 3 i s s u e 2 5
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Page 11 and 12: IMAGE 1 | Spores of the protozoan d
Page 13 and 14: MONiTOriNG Childers canegrub life c
Page 15 and 16: 7 risk Of iNTrODuCTiON The movement
Page 17 and 18: Grower Area of cane (ha) Soil type
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Page 23 and 24: 1 5 A widely used saying in the ind
Page 25 and 26: for cane borers that could spread t
Page 27 and 28: Bses LiMiTeD / DATe CLAiMers 2010 B

Bulletin 25 2010 - BSES

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