R&D Report - SANTFA · •The lack of plant species diversity in farming rotations is a major...

2016 Annual SANTFA Conference

R&D Report


Seed Closer


Wheel in furrow


Firmer in furrow


To half of the plots, also applied press-wheel at 4kg/cm2

1) Firmer in furrow + press-wheel

2) Firmer in furrow

3) Wheel in furrow + press-wheel

4) Wheel in furrow


1) Firmer in furrow + press-wheel 2) Firmer in furrow

3) Wheel in furrow + press-wheel 4) Wheel in furrow


Emergence & Vigour


Wear


Biochar as Soil Carbon


Biochar in annual row crop production


Biocarbon as a tool for nitrogen

and chemical management.

Chemosphere. 2014 Jan;95:346-52. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.09.043.

Epub 2013 Oct 13.

Atrazine leaching from biochar-amended soils.

Delwiche KB1, Lehmann J, Walter MT.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Delwiche%20KB%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=24129000

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lehmann%20J%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=24129000

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Walter%20MT%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=24129000


Water

Filtration


Tissue sample amalgamated from 100 YFEB leaves per plot from 4 replicated plots per treatment

Plant Nitrogen Concentration (N%) at 5 leaf stage.


Clay Surface

_

_

Nitrate is soluble in water.

When water drains through soil, nitrate leaches.


Soluble ions like nitrate and sulfate can leach from the soil as the wetting front penetrates.


Permanent soil cover is overwhelmingly positive.

One outcome can be greater infiltration rates of water.


European Journal of Soil Science

Volume 65, Issue 1, pages 113-119, 4 SEP 2013 DOI: 10.1111/ejss.12082

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejss.12082/full#ejss12082-fig-0004

Reduce Nitrogen Leaching

Effect of pine wood biochar on nitrate leaching from a sandy soil.

Less N leaching …

= reduced nitrogen cost per unit of production.

= reduced rate of soil acidification.

= less N-induced environmental contamination.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejss.2014.65.issue-1/issuetoc

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejss.12082/full#ejss12082-fig-0004


Effect of Cool Terra biochar on nitrate leaching.


Recycling Nitrogen

Biochar use in Composting of Livestock Waste

Ammonia emissions from composting poultry litter were lower by up to

64% if poultry litter (80%) was mixed with biochar (20%).

Total N losses were reduced by up to 52%.

Reducing nitrogen loss during poultry litter composting using biochar.

Steiner C, Das KC, Melear N, Lakly D,, J

Environ Qual. 2010 Jul-Aug; 39(4): 1236-42


Biochar use in Litter Management


Biochar is 5 star accommodation for the soil biology

- Coral reef effect.

Is increasing the size of the bucket as important as

increasing the access to the bucket?

Both are important but …


Clay Surface


Clay Surface

Winter wheat


Clay Surface

Winter wheat

Summer Weed


Clay Surface

Winter wheat

AM Fungi


Revegetation in SAMDB


Revegetation in SA MDB

Planting for 2016 autumn & winter

2016, Target:

•100 ha existing vegetation improvement

•200ha revegetation

2016, Available for properties in the SA MDB:

•40ha existing Vegetation improvement

•60ha revegetation

Implement - fencing, vermin & weed controls, seedling planting or direct seedingNo livestock until fully established (10 years)

Contact: Wayne Brown 0408 813 628


Biomass to Energy

Another agronomic tool in the sustainability tool-box.


More than just straw

• Bale-direct weed-seed capture.

• Market for low-spec biomass

+ Weeds or weed seeds = OK+ long or short straw = OK+ Stained or bleached colour = OK+ Frosted or mixed species = OK

8 x 4 x 4 = OK

8 x 4 x 3 = OK


Diversity in the Rotation

•The lack of plant species diversity in farming rotations is a major limitation to soil health and productivity.


Diversity Crops = Soil Health

• Long term benefits of break crops.

• Cash flow to allow break crops is a limitation.

• Biomass to energy is a stable and long-term market for baled biomass crops, - multiple species mixes- agronomic purposes.

• Further development of plant based solutions

SOIL HEALTH: A shot gun mix for nitrogen fixation, disease break, weed-seed control

and diversity!


Multi-speci Diversity Crops

• Lower-input cost.

• Low risk to quality, drought, frost, etc..

• Sow in Autumn, winter, or in spring.Shake up the weed system.Out-of season food reserves for pollinators.Flexibility can ease pressure on timeliness.

• Double biomass crops when reserves of deep soil moisture are low.

• What does the economics and lifestyle of a biomass only farm look like?


Stubble Management

land area within a 50km radius contains 785,000ha (πr2). Considering the sea and non-agriculture land use around Ardrossan, estimate 275,000ha of arable land in the proposed biomass supply catchment.

At a 1.5 t/ha straw yield, 80,000T from 53,350 ha, or less than

20% of the arable area in the catchment.

At a 6 t/ha biomass crop yield,

80,000T from 13,350 ha, or less than

5% of the arable area in the catchment.

80,000T from 50% straw and 50% biomass

Straw (10%) = once every 10 years

Biomass (2.5%) = once every 40 years


UHP Water-Jet as an Industrial Tool

• 20+ year history with widespread industrial application.

• Amazing new solutions previously thought impossible.

• Why not agriculture?


UHP Water-Jet as an Industrial Tool

1,000 fpm ~ 18 km


Aqua-Till, Liquid Coulter

Developed a simple ground engagement tool, and an interchangeable tool bar.


Aqua-Till Bench Test

•Proximity of nozzle to stubble a critical factor.

•Water-Jet can slice stubble.

- wet or dry stubble not as important as ‘stubble holding’.

•Water-Jet can cut soil.

- a rake angle improves performance.

Power and liquid required are significant but not ‘out of the ball-park’.



Clean cut straw with virtually no hair-pinning effect.

No aggressive smearing of the sidewall.



Straw cutting: Running a tine through 8T wheat residue (N9 at 8 km/h).

Tine Only Aqua-

Till + Tine



An old season straw bale cut to assess penetration N9 @ 8 km/h



More work is required to quantify effectiveness with broad stemmed plants.

Old season sunflower stalk cut, N9 @ 8km/hr (Felton QLD).



Chaff cutting: chaff can be a problem for disc seeders. N9 8km (Dubbo, NSW).



Rice Stubble; N9 8km/hr (Griffith NSW).



Root & crown cutting; N9 8km/hr (Griffith NSW).- less soil being ripped out with tine- visible effect on soil throw, draft & breakout.- seemingly less compaction at the bottom of the furrow.



Soil Penetration.



Best Fit:

Medium to higher rainfall.

Where trends are to keep more residue

- over increasingly soft soils.

Parts of the rotation are sown on wider rows.

Nitrogen fertilizer is applied at higher rates.

Where mechanical outcomes like smearing

and soil compaction are undesirable.



1)Row Spacing – the number of cutting heads is the most influential cost parameter.

1)Residue Load– bigger residue loads require a bigger nozzle.

2)Ground Speed- is more cost effective to run at higher speed.- speed must be managed in conjunction with orifice size to maintain satisfactory cutting.

3)Ground & Stubble Engagement- nozzle must be close to residue.- stubble firmly pressed is desirable.


Aqua-Till, OPEX

Scenario @ 8 km /hr

Fuel: Diesel

Date: 01.06.2015

Price: $1.19 ex GST

Rebate: $0.38 /l

Farm Cost: $0.81

Rounded up to $0.85 for analysis.

The Aqua-Till OPEX includes:

+ fuel consumption

+ nozzle replacement

+ UHP pump servicing

+ engine servicing (power plant)

+ mains water as a default liquid.

The purchase price (CAPEX) of

the Aqua-Till pump and plumbing

is not included in this analysis.


Aqua-Till OPEX

Scenario @ 13 km/hr

Fuel: Diesel

Date: 01.06.2015

Price: $1.19 ex GST

Rebate: $0.38 /l

Farm Cost: $0.81

Rounded up to $0.85 for analysis.

The Aqua-Till OPEX includes:

+ fuel consumption

+ nozzle replacement

+ UHP pump servicing

+ engine servicing (power plant)

+ mains water as a default liquid.

The purchase price (CAPEX) of

the Aqua-Till pump and plumbing

is not included in this analysis.


Aqua-Till OPEX relative to total variable cost of crop production.


Aqua-Till, Nitrogen Injection.

• Compatible with anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia and aqueous UAN.- Cuts down relative carting and cost of water and integrates N-application cost.

• Vertical spread of N-concentrate may reduce fertilizer toxicity.

• Mitigation of N2O [ GHG @ 300x CO2e ].

• Denser liquids may exhibit more effective cutting


Aqua-Till, Nitrogen Injection

• Initial trends encouraging.- less significant in south.- more significant in north.

N2O ~ Rainfall, Temp & N-conc.


Aqua-Till, Nitrogen Injection

NSW DPI at Wollongbar has recorded

significant N2O results in UHP N-Injection

trials at four sites in northern NSW.


Aqua-Till, Liquid Coulter Media Rates

Liquid may be a combination of water and specific nitrogen fertilizer.


In a disc system, if we can get an efficient cut

with a 0.006 nozzle ….

then, on 300mm row spacing at 13km/hr

OPEX = $4.70 / ha

Power = 139 kW

Liquid/ha = 83L / ha

We now recognize the design flaws in

the demo design.

To get the liquid rates down we need

to improve the efficacy of the cut

through better engagement.


Aqua-Till, Power.

UHP pump may be powered by PTO or stationary diesel engine.New and recondition stationary diesel engines are readily available.

R&D Report - SANTFA · •The lack of plant species diversity in farming rotations is a major...

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