APSRU PROJECT SUMMARY NO. 49

Project Title:                Better management of cotton production systems through on-farm monitoring, modelling and grower networks.

Project Supervisor:      Dr P S Carberry

Funding Body:            CRDC

Admin Contact:                        Mr M Mackay

Commencement Date: 01/07/95                                    Completion Date:         30/06/98

Aims:

The project aim is to develop a framework for the delivery of improved crop and soil management in cotton production systems.

Research Proposal Summary:

In 1994/95, CRDC funded a pilot project to focus effort over a 12 month period into providing support for management decisions of a target group of cotton growers at Brookstead, Qld. This project proposal intends to continue this activity over the next three years, and to extend its scope by closely involving other grower groups run by commercial consultants - Michael Castor & Assoc., Goondiwindi, and Seed and Grain Sales, Pittsworth and Dalby will act as group coordinators.

As farmers themselves are often experimenting with rotations and crop management, it has been feasible to join them in exploring farming systems issues on farm. With collaborating farmers and consultants, soil water and nutrient data will be collected prior to planting from paddocks which differ in their cropping history. These data coupled with models and the long-term climatic record will be used to suggest production strategies that better meet grower objectives. Trailing these strategies on farm and collecting data on the growth, development and yield of dryland cotton and alternative crops will provide growers with feedback on the consequences of their decisions. Showing that our models can reproduce on-farm results is important in order to provide creditability in mode predictions. All these preceding activities lead to the creation of an environment where the unique capabilities of our APSIM cropping systems model can be utilised to explore strategic management issues of interest to out grower groups.

In summary, this project intends to:

·         support several grower networks coordinated both by commercial consultants and public extension agronomists;

·         assist growers in monitoring the on-farm performance of cotton-based cropping systems;

·         use on-farm data, models and weather records to explore management strategies relevant to the farming system;

·         develop an integrative package, containing the on-farm monitoring, modelling and group network components, which can be extended to industry; and

·         evaluate the prospect of grower benefits from receiving information derived from models.

Project Publications: