Optimising Plant Establishment 2021 Merredin Canola Experiment

<p dir="ltr">Data from the 2021 canola seeding trial at Merredin, WA. The trial compared the establishment of canola with ryegrass competition across different densities (5 densities for canola vs 3 densities for ryegrass), and under a cone seeder vs under a Monosem precision seeder. The experiment was run under the UOA1803-009RTX GRDC research project led by the University of Adelaide, and the experiment trial and data collection were managed locally in Merredin by the Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association (WANTFA).</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Files:</strong>2021 Merredin canola.xlsx</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Experiment setup:</strong>Experiment managed locally by the Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association (WANTFA). The trial was organised as a split split plot with 5 densities of canola (10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 target plants/m2), three densities of competitional ryegrass (nil, low and moderate) and two different seeders used (conventional cone seeder vs Monosem precision seeder). The design was embedded in a spatial grid with 30 rows (not including two bordering buffer plots on either side), and 3 replicate columns, for 90 plots total.</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Variables recorded:</strong>establishment count (canola and ryegrass plants/m2), interplant distance (cm), canola biomass (t/ha), ryegrass biomass (t/ha), canola yield (t/ha), protein (%), moisture (%), oil (%), temperature (degrees Celsius), ryegrass tiller counts</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Data collection and assessment:</strong>Date of harvest was recorded as 08/09/2021. Plant counts were made for both the canola crop and ryegrass, with 3 counts made per plot on 04/07/2021. Interplant distances were also measured and recorded on 04/07/2021. On 08/09/2021, the harvest yield, canola biomass and ryegrass biomass in each plot were recorded in t/ha, and ryegrass tiller counts were made on 15/11/2021. Grain quality information, including the protein content, moisture content, oil content and temperature, were also recorded subsequent to harvest.</p>