The
Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU) is an unincorporated
joint venture between:
and
The
Improving
profitability of agricultural systems while maintaining the integrity of the
soil resource base and surrounding environment requires innovative approaches.
In 1990, the Queensland State Government and CSIRO established a joint research
team, the Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU), based in
Toowoomba. APSRU brings together expertise in computer simulation of farming
systems to facilitate research that impacts on how agricultural production
systems are managed, both in
Since its inception
APSRU has grown considerably and is now an unincorporated joint venture between
the CSIRO, through its Divisions of Sustainable Ecosystems and Land &
Water, the State of
APSRU now provides a
significant research capability in
While APSRU is based
in and largely targets the north-east cropping regions of
To benefit rural industries and
the environment through innovative systems approaches to research and
development.
APSRU’s success to
date has been built on the collaboration between its core participants and
their close partnership with research, development and extension clients. APSRU
achievements not only include the quality strategic research required to
develop a world leading capacity to simulate agricultural systems, but also the
applied research that has shown the way for simulation to be enthusiastically
embraced by farmer, adviser,
policy and research clients to improve the economic and ecological performance
of dryland farming systems of northern Australia. APSRU is now
acknowledged as a world leader in systems R&D with its tools and techniques
being used throughout agricultural
industries in
Sustainable Farming Systems:
A major thrust of APSRU is
the development of ways of assisting farmers, along with their advisers and
agribusiness service suppliers, to efficiently manage their cropping systems
and the risky investment in maintaining land productivity. In our engagement
with industry, APSRU primarily adopts a participatory action research approach
in which farmers and advisers are invited to participate as part of the
research team and where the emphasis is on the development of new relationships
and learning processes. APSRU continues to lead the way in developing a
RD&E approach, which uses systems analysis approaches and tools that are
aligned with the realities of farm production management and advising.
To
generate solutions to catchment-scale problems such as salinity and water
quality, land degradation, and other off-site impacts, production-system models
need to be linked to landscape-scale models. Our aim is to find new approaches
to balance environmental, social, and economic factors to achieve sustainable
management of our landscape.
Improved
Crop Design:
APSRU
has the capability to simulate the functional basis of genetic variation in
crop traits (via its generic crop template). This provides a means to use crop
physiology as an aid to plant breeding. New combinations of crop traits and
management systems that may be better suited to target cropping systems are
being explored with this technology. This work is undertaken in close
collaboration with plant breeders, quantitative geneticists and molecular
biologists.
Modelling
Tools and Methods:
The new scientific
insights into biophysical processes of cropping systems that are generated
throughout APSRU’s research is captured within APSIM, our farming system
simulator. The on-going development of advanced state-of-the-art crop, cropping
systems and farm simulation computer software is at the core of our modelling
capability.
APSIM,
the Agricultural
Production Systems sIMulator, is nationally and
internationally recognised as a highly advanced cropping system simulator.
APSIM simulates the growth of crops and cropping sequences for specific
locations. It contains an ever increasing number of plant modules (currently
20) with additional modules for water, soil nitrogen, soil organic matter, soil
phosphorous, erosion and land management.
It includes the capability to interface with seasonal climate forecasts
based on the state of the ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) system and has
recently been extended to deal with agroforestry systems and crop-weed
interactions.
A
key requirement of APSRU’s on-farm research approach is the characterisation of
the soil for plant available water content (PAWC) and regular sampling of soil
water and nitrogen during crop and fallow periods. APSRU’s Soil Resource
Database consists of over 140 soil types, mostly from north-east Australia,
but now increasingly from Australia-wide. These resource data and the methods
for their collection are published in the ‘Soil Matters’ manual.
APSRU
research is at the forefront of developing and demonstrating value in Seasonal
Climate Forecasting tools (SCF) for dryland agriculture in Australia and
elsewhere around the world. These forecasting systems are based mainly on the
ENSO phenomenon, with the best-known approach being the use of phases of the
Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The SOI has been widely promoted as a tool to
help forecast seasonal rainfall, and farmers in Australia are increasingly
utilising climate forecast information in making management decisions. APSRU
pioneered the linking of seasonal climate forecasting based on the SOI phase
system with soil resource monitoring and simulation modelling at the paddock
level.
Regional Commodity Modelling and Forecasting tools (RCF) integrate
climatology and seasonal climate forecasting with simple, regional crop models
(eg. wheat, sorghum etc) to generate a forecast distribution of the likely
shire yield expected within a given season. These production forecasts are
generated well before harvest and are updated monthly through the growing season.
APSRU has developed a
practical methodology for facilitating delivery of on-line learning programs,
after successfully pioneering the application of real-time synchronous
Internet engagements (video, audio and application sharing) using Microsoft
Netmeetingä
with many farmer groups around Australia.
For further information please contact:
Agricultural
Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU)
PO Box 102
Toowoomba QLD 4350 AUSTRALIA
Telephone: +61 7
4688 1596
Email:
christopher.murphy@dpi.qld.gov.au
Website: www.apsru.gov.au/