Full Name: SA Drought Hub De-risking the Seeding Program in the Upper North
Funding Body: SA Drought Hub
Duration: 2026
Project Lead: AgEx Alliance
Background: Dry and early sowing of cereal crops is a practice commonly employed across southern Australian cropping regions to combat the increasingly erratic and delayed opening season rainfall. Whilst there has been a large amount of research and development undertaken on dry and early sowing, significant opportunities remain to engage growers in the adoption of strategic management approaches that best suit local grower needs, management preferences, and local climatic and environmental conditions.
This project will further extend on the work carried out by UNFS through the AgEx led “De-risking the seeding program” in 2024 and SA Drought Hub funded work in 2025. UNFS have faced two consecutive years of dry seeding during this time and have expressed a keen interest in repeating and expanding the work carried out.
This project will deliver a program that accelerates the adoption of strategic dry and early sown crop management approaches. UNFS will tailor activities to meet the knowledge, experience, and needs of their members.
In 2026, one site hosting three trials will be conducted in the Upper North region on the Western side (Upper Broughton, Port Pirie region and will focus on:
• Barley time of sowing – investigating how long barley seed can remain in dry or marginal soil moisture, particularly on saline soils, before establishment and early vigour are affected.
• Seed dressings and crown rot management in wheat and barley.
The trial was sown into red clay loam and grey calcareous loam soil. Throughout the season, assessments will include plant establishment counts, crop vigour measurements, soil testing, drone imagery, visual assessments and grain yield.
The project aims to provide practical information that growers can use to reduce establishment risk and make informed seeding decisions as seasonal conditions continue to become more variable..
Contact: Rachel Trengove, UNFS Program Manager