Crop management
Large paddock of wheat
Paddock selection
Select paddocks that consistently produce high protein grain (12.0% or above). An application of nitrogenous fertiliser may be necessary to ensure adequate protein levels.
Durum wheats and bread wheats should not be sown into paddocks known to carry high levels of crown rot inoculum. Alternative crops such as chickpea, mungbeans or sunflower should be grown for two years before re-planting with wheat. Rotations with pulses and pasture legumes also provide biological fixation of nitrogen.
Where possible, avoid growing successive durum crops in the same paddock.
Ground preparation
Ground preparation is the same as that for bread wheat. Adequate cultivation and/or herbicide application should eliminate all weeds and volunteer plants of bread wheat, barley or other crop species.
Planting of wheat
Planting
Use sound, true-to-type seed which is free of weed seeds, cracked grain and bread wheat grain. Ensure that the initial seed of a purchased variety is of high quality, preferably with a quality guarantee. Germination should exceed 80%. Before harvesting seed stocks for the following season, rogue all off-types and contaminant crop and weed plants.
Durum can be sown from May to July in South Queensland. Best yields can be achieved in Central Queensland from sowings in mid April (in frost-free areas) to the end of June. Frost may damage earlier sowings. Later plantings into July in central Queensland usually yield less. Detailed planting time suggestions for individual districts are available in the Wheat varieties for Queensland brochure.
Durum seed is on average 20% larger than bread wheat seed. The usual planting rate is 40 to 50 kg/ha however a higher planting rate may be beneficial in some situations (e.g. seed with a low germination, irrigated crops or early/late sowings). Conventional sowing equipment can be used but the larger seed size may necessitate adjustments.
In a well-prepared, level seedbed, the planting depth should be about 3-5 cm and not exceed 8 cm, or poor establishment will result. Press wheels increase establishment.
Durum crops grow to about 80 cm at maturity (15 to 20 cm shorter than Hartog wheat).
Weeds invading wheat in Irag
Weed control
Durum wheats can compete well with weeds, but strong weed competition reduces yield. Good weed control is essential to make full use of stored summer rainfall, minimise yield losses, and to prevent weed seed contamination at harvest.
This can be achieved effectively by controlling weeds well in preceding crops and fallow, rotating crops, growing competitive durum crops, and the judicious use of herbicides.
It is important to control weeds such as New Zealand spinach, climbing buckwheat (black bindweed) and Mexican poppy, as their small black seeds can be difficult to remove from the grain, affecting consumer acceptance.
When selecting a herbicide it is important to know the weeds present, the crop growth stage, the recommended growth stage for herbicide application, and the herbicide history of the paddock. Weeds should be sprayed while they are small and actively growing.
It is important to rotate between herbicide groups to avoid weeds developing herbicide resistance. Herbicide labels should be read carefully before use. Ongoing research has found that durum cultivars differ in their tolerance to herbicides registered for use in durum wheats.
