Better Frost Decisions September 2022

Tactics to minimise frost damage on the Eyre Peninsula update

The frost trial site at Tooligie explores an array of frost management strategies across two different frost risk zones.

These strategies include soil amelioration, phenology, time of sowing, nutrition, preventative foliar applications and crop type.

18 different cereal varieties and 16 different mixtures were sown on both 19 April (reaching GS31-32 by 23 June) and on 18 May (reaching GS31-32 by 3 August).

Since reaching growth stage 31 the Kyancutta BoM weather station has recorded 6 frost events. Down in the canopy level at Tooligie, tiny tags recorded 19 events.

Tiny tags were also placed 5cm below the soil surface. At the ground level, temperatures were warmer in the evenings and cooler during the day, when compared to the air around it.

A 50cm deep Bednar ripper strip was run parallel to both the high and medium risk trials.

The canopy temperature in the ripped strip has been around half a degree warmer most nights and especially warmer during the more severe frost events (28 June and 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 24, 27, 28 July) (Figure 1.).

GRDC Project code: AIP2203-001SAX Prepared by Rhaquelle Meiklejohn, EPAG Research