Optimising Plant Establishment 2018 Roseworthy Lentil Experiment

Data from the 2018 crop establishment trial at Roseworthy, SA. The trial compared the establishment of Hurricane lentil at different densities, under a conventional cone seeder and under a precision seeder. The experiment was run under the UOA1803-009RTX GRDC research project led and managed by the University of Adelaide.

Files:2018 Roseworhty lentil .xlsx

Experiment setup:The trial was organised as a randomised complete block design with 11 treatments (containing combinations of the cone seeder vs precision seeder, together with different levels of target seeding density), arranged spatially in two columns containing 3 replicates each, for a total of 66 plots. For the precision seeder, the target densities were attained using "skips", where holes in the lentil seeder disc were glued in both systematic and random patterns to alter the seeding rate (for 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% skip). For the cone seeder, the populations were taken to be 5%, 10% and 20% lower than the target density. The variety used for this Roseworthy trial was Hurricane lentil.

Variables recorded:establishment count (plants/m2), NDVI, soil temperature (cumulative degree days), soil moisture (% Volumetric Water Content), plant weights (g), fresh weight (g/plant), lost plot (%), grain yield (g/plot)

Data collection and assessment:The paddock was sown on 31/05/2018 with the conventional cone seeder, and on 01/06/2018 with the precision seeder at a rate of 100 seeds/m2 (with "skips" induced by gluing holes in the lentil disc to alter the seeding densities). Plant emergence counts were taken in 1.524m2 areas in 3 metre sections across both rows, and recorded 6 times between 11/06/2018 and 03/07/2018. NDVI readings were made on 09/08/2018 over the same 3m sections from which the emergence counts were taken. Two soil data loggers recorded cumulative degree day soil temperature data between 31/05/2018 and 03/07/2018, and soil moisture measurements were taken 6 times between 07/06/2018 and 07/07/2018 at the same locations as the establishment counts, using MPM 160B moisture probes at the 0-5cm level to record the volumetric water content. Individual weights for the plants (in g) and shoot biomass samples were taken on 22/10/2018 and weighed to establish the fresh weight per plant. On 08/11/2018 the plots were assessed and the percentages of lost plot were recorded, together with the grain yield in g/plot.