Micronutrient Field Evaluations

Micronutrient Field Evaluations - Swan Hill 2011

Objective:
Can we achieve better efficiency from copper either foliar or dircet injection in a no till system against granular?
Does copper give any yield benefits to wheat (triticum avestium) in Mallee conditions?Trial Site, Swan Hill district, Victorian Mallee, sandy loam, pH 8.5, 1.2% OM. No Cu soil test value.

Methods:
Test crop, wheat (cv Yitpi), sown May 30, Harvest December 08. 141 mm growing season rainfall.
Sown with Jenke tine, split boot,25 cm row spacing.
4 replicates, randomised complete block.
Base dressing was single superphosphate (SSP). One treatment had no fertilizer applied.
Copper was applied either as 0.5% Cu with the fertilizer, 150 g/ha Cu applied in-furrow as a fluid (Inj@150), or as Cu foliar (copper sulfate) applied at either early tillering (DC32) or flag leaf stage. Some treatments were combined to give at sowing and foliar applications.

Treatments and results:
None of the treatments had a significant effect on plant numbers, screenings%, grain protein % or grain hectolitre weight.

Treatment	Yield t/ha
No fertilizer	2.49	abc
SSP Alone	2.22	c
SSP Cu .5%	2.24	c
SSP + Inj @ 150	2.70	a
SSP + 32	2.52	ab
SSP + Flag	2.57	ab
SSP + 32 + Flag	2.47	abc
SSP + Inj @ 150 + 32	2.49	abc
SSP + Cu .5% +32	2.30	bc
SSP + Inj @ 150 + Flag	2.65	a
SSP+ Cu .5% + Flag	2.35	bc
SSP + Cu .5% + 32 + Flag	2.44	abc
LSD (p=0.05)	0.28

Discussion
1. There was no response to Cu with the fertilizer, but fluid or foliar applications resulted in significantly higher yields.
2. There was an apparent yield depression associated with superphosphate compared to no fertilizer in this experiment.
3. These data are not conclusive on the response of wheat to copper, as the effect of the superphosphate alone may have confounded the experimental results.

This experiment was undertaken by J Brown, Agrivision, Swan Hill.