Farming systems site report – Narrabri 2015–2017

Abstract

Key findings •• Between 2015 and 2017 the baseline, high nutrient, high intensity and high legume treatments produced significantly higher cumulative grain yield, and crop water use efficiency than the low intensity and high diversity systems. •• The high intensity system resulted in the highest treatment gross margin with $2407/ha or $802/ha/year. •• From 2015–2017, the low intensity system, which contained a summer cotton crop, had a lower water use efficiency than the high diversity treatment (17% compared with 25.5%), but had a greater gross margin per millimetre ($0.85/mm compared with $0.55/mm). •• Pratylenchus thornei (P.thornei) numbers were higher in 2017 after the 2016 chickpea crop than after faba bean and field pea. Canola and cotton reduced P. thornei numbers in 2017. The higher P. thornei numbers after the 2016 chickpea crop have continued through to December 2017.