Grain mineral contents in southeastern Australia
Results of a survey of wheat grain nutrient concentrations
IPNI-2010-AUS-01
28 Jan 2010
2009 Annual Interpretive Summary
There is little recent data on grain P, Zn, and S contents from across Australia. This project is collecting two wheat varieties that have been grown in approximately 100 variety testing sites across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. As of mid-January, approximately 30 samples have been received and once all are available, they will be sent for mineral analysis at Adelaide University. These data will be used to assess the spatial variability of grain mineral contents to assist with nutrient budgets as well as identifying areas where grain Zn and S levels are low.
Earlier research in Queensland indicated that grain P contents varied from 0.17 to 0.50% and such a range means there is a considerable error when nutrient budgets are used to guide fertilizer demand. To make a preliminary assessment of the grain levels, data from earlier experiments in Victoria were re-analyzed. These data were from nine sites across 2 years, but cultivars were different between the 2 years. These data show average grain P contents to be 2,592±443 mg/kg ... a CV of 17%. The levels of the other nutrients were S (1,656±197 mg/kg), K (3,931±527 mg/kg), Ca (365±81 mg/kg), Mg (967±141 mg/kg), Na (16±4 mg/kg), Cu (4±1 mg/kg), and Zn (16±4 mg/kg). Sodium and Zn were the most variable of the minerals assessed from that data set.
The data from 2009 will provide a larger sample using two consistent cultivars across a wide range of soil types, all of which have been soil tested. ANZ-01