vegetables

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Mulyan Farms owner Ed Fagan oversees the harvest with the purpose-built
spinach harvester of the high-yielding spinach crop grown after a legume cover.
Soil Wealth and Integrated
Crop Protection industry update
R&D
Farm Productivity,
Resource Use
& Management
THE SOIL WEALTH AND INTEGRATED CROP PROTECTION PROJECTS HAVE PROVIDED
VEGETABLE GROWERS AROUND AUSTRALIA WITH PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND
VALUABLE RESOURCES. IN THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS REGULAR COLUMN, WE DISCUSS
THE RESULTS FROM A SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION SITE IN NEW SOUTH WALES AND
TWO EXCITING WEBINAR SERIES ON MANAGING CROP NUTRITION AND INTEGRATED
PEST MANAGEMENT.
Welcome to the new regular
feature in Vegetables
Australia on Soil Wealth and
Integrated Crop Protection
(ICP). These projects,
coordinated by Applied
Horticultural Research and
RM Consulting Group
(RMCG), aim to improve the
communication and adoption
of existing soil management and
plant health R&D.
You will see articles on
project demonstration sites,
read about recent project
events and new resources
available from the Soil Wealth/
ICP website at soilwealth.com.
au or integratedcropprotection.
com.au.
Ed and James Fagan from
Mulyan Farms have hosted a
Soil Wealth demonstration site
on their Cowra farm in New
South Wales since 2014.
Trials on the site build on
the reduced tillage farming
initiatives the brothers started
on the property in 2009.
Recently, a cover crop and
demonstration trial showed
significant benefits in the
commercial spinach crop that
followed. The cover crops
tested were annual clover,
annual ryegrass and field peas,
with the results then compared
to bare fallow.
The legume cover crops
were included because of their
capacity to fix atmospheric
nitrogen and make it available
to the subsequent crops.
The cover crops provide
organic matter, but also
help to move soil nutrients
closer to the soil surface. They
encourage soil microorganisms
such as Mycorrhizal fungi
and beneficial bacteria which,
together with the extra organic
matter, help to improve soil
structure leading to better soil
aeration and drainage.
The highest yields were
obtained with clover at 16.8
tonnes per hectare (48 per
cent higher than bare fallow)
and field peas at 15.4 tonnes
per hectare (36 per cent higher
than control). Ryegrass alone
also resulted in higher yields
compared to bare fallow.
The higher yields from the
legumes were most likely due
to the added nitrogen these
crops provided. The quality of
the spinach was also excellent
and deemed one of the best
spinach crops produced so far
at Mulyan Farms.
These practices will contribute
to healthier soils and a healthier
bank balance for Ed and James.
“The Soil Wealth project and
demonstration site here on
Mulyan Farms has allowed us
to look at many different cover
crops side by side,” James
Fagan said.
“We have been able to
observe and compare growth
rates, rooting depths, nutrient
deficiencies, green manure
versus brown manure, and
stubble residue breakdowns –
all within the same paddock and
the same environment.
“The project has also
provided lots of soil and tissue
testing right here on our farm to
help us understand positive and
negative impacts from cover
crop and cultivation decisions.
“It has allowed us to plant
our cash crops over many
different treatments and focus
on the best economical strategy,
knowing it is sustainable and
that our soil health will only
get better. We like the project’s
interest in all physical,
chemical and biological aspects
on our farm.”
The Soil Wealth team with
FertCare are presenting a
series of four webinars on