Demonstration Projects

SEPWA’s DEMONSTRATION SITES

Current Demonstration Projects

Since its inception in 1993, SEPWA has undertaken a diverse and extensive range of trials and projects to help Esperance Port Zone growers produce premium quality wheat, barley, canola and legumes. SEPWA has a range of trial data available back to 2011. To access records from earlier years, please contact us.

RIPPER GAUGE – 1 SITE

Site Location: Neridup
Project Donor: GRDC & Host Grower

This project is now in its fifth year. One new Ripper Gauge Demonstration site was established at Neridup in 2021 to evaluate different timings of post seeding deep ripping compared to a non-ripped control and a traditional pre-seeding rip timing. Crop response to these ripping treatments will be assessed again in 2022.

SUMMER CROPPING – 4 SITES

Site Locations: Cascade, Speddingup,
Beaumont and Dalyup
Project Donor: GRDC & Host Grower

This project, which is in its fourth year, has been impacted by the drier than average seasons experienced in 2019 and 2020. The project aims to demonstrate the effect of summer crop species on the performance of the subsequent year’s winter crop and paddock gross margin in situations where winter waterlogging frequently occurs. There are four demonstration sites, one at Cascade, Speddingup, Beaumont and Dalyup.

SOIL PATHOGENS – 1 SITE

Site Location: Salmon Gums
Project Donor: GRDC, FarmLink, GGA & Host Grower

This demonstration site located at Salmon Gums was established in 2021 to assess four soilborne disease management strategies in wheat, with a focus on Crown Rot and Rhizoctonia. The treatments consisted of a new seed-dressing versus bare seed, delayed sowing, and a chemical fallow. In 2022 these treatments will be sown to a cereal to assess any impacts on disease pathogens from 2021 management.

OPTIMISING High Rainfall Zone (HRZ) farming systems – 2 SITES

Site Locations: Munglinup & Condingup
Project Donor: GRDC & Host Grower

In 2020 we looked at the effects of deep-ripping versus no ripping, in conjunction with spring and winter type wheat varieties, and time of sowing. In 2021 the two sites were sown to canola and the focus was on the effects of deep-ripping and no-ripping in conjunction with grower standard practice rates of nitrogen and phosphorus versus 1.5 times these rates.

DEEP RIPPING DEMONSTRATION – 1 SITE

Site Location: Munglinup
Project Donor: SEPWA & Host Grower

This project site was established in 2020 using a range of deep ripping machines with varying tyne and roller types. In-season data will again be collected from each treatment strip as well as grain yield and quality.