Cover crops and biofumigation

Have a plan for terminating your cover crop before you sow!

A combination of chemical and mechanical methods are needed to get good cover crop kill.

This double-sided A3 poster provides the starting point for growers choosing a cover crop for their farm by adapting the information on the table to suit their farm operations, climate and cover crop objective.

If you're considering cover crops on your farm, this informative poster is for you. It provides a solid starting point to help vegetable growers choose a cover crop to suit their farming operation, climate and cover crop objectives with information on the benefits, growth tolerances, soil conditions, sowing and establishment traits for a range of cover crop species.

This publication contains information to assist growers in understanding how biofumigants work and managing them for optimum efficacy against soilborne diseases.

Biofumigants are a unique type of cover crop that produce compounds with suppression effects on soilborne pathogens, pests and weeds.

This guide also discusses and presents data on a range of agronomic management practices of biofumigant cover crops including pest and diseases, nutrient uptake requirements, irrigation and incorporation methods.

The Australian vegetable industry is dependent on healthy soils to maintain profitable and sustainable farms. However, the intensity of vegetable production, market demands, and cost squeezes are placing more pressure on cropping soils underpinning the $3.8 billion vegetable sector.
Today’s growers are rediscovering cover crops as important tools for improving soil structure and health, controlling soilborne disease and weeds, reducing erosion and nutrient loss, and adding nitrogen.

This three-year research project brings cover crops into the 21st century combining the new science, machinery and management practices to make them work on today’s farms.

The project (VG16068), which started in July 2017, and is a partnership between Applied Horticultural Research (AHR), Tasmania Institute for Agriculture (TIA) and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, has been developed under the management of Dr Kelvin Montagu from AHR.

At the Gatton AgTech showcase in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley, Dr Kelvin Montagu, Dr Doris Blaesing, and Steph Tabone showcased a Soil Wealth ICP cover crop trial, hosting two field walks under the theme Making the most of your cover crops.

In this edition: Online hub has all you need to tackle fall armyworm; upcoming events and webinars; veg and melon demo site news from SA and Vic; catch up on the Soil Wealth ICP grower panel discussion at AVIS; manage sucking pests with our Mega Pest fact sheet; and 5 tips for working with cover crops video.

In this short video, Soil Wealth ICP cover crop expert Dr Kelvin Montagu shares five tips for working with cover crops following a trial in Victoria.

Ahead of Hort Connections 2023, Australian vegetable growers heard how their peers have worked with the Soil Wealth ICP project to improve their productivity, profitability and sustainability in field trials to boost soil and plant health at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar (AVIS) in Adelaide on Monday 5 June.

In this edition: Steph to search for a nitrogen fix in veg production, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from Tas and Vic, navigating pest management options and the basics of spray application.

Our Skye demonstration site at Butler Market Gardens in Victoria will give more “oomph” to sandy loam soils south-east of Melbourne through smart nutrient management. Read the latest update after our team visited the site in September 2023.

The Soil Wealth ICP team joined Greater Sydney Local Land Services (LLS) at a field day at Richmond Lowlands, NSW in June with a focus on farm practices that can help or hinder soil health and integrated pest management (IPM). The event, held in conjunction with the Chinese Grower Group's Annual General Meeting, brought together 50 enthusiastic participants. Read more in our article.

The Soil Wealth ICP team has been busy setting up a new network of demonstration sites around the country for the next five years. This will include 10 vegetable sites, aligned with VegNET regions, and four melon sites.

We’re excited to share an update on two confirmed vegetable demonstration sites in Victoria’s south-east and Gippsland: Skye (Butler Market Gardens) and Tarwin (Schreurs & Sons).

Hort Connections 2023 special edition: Soil Wealth ICP panel session at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar (AVIS), weed management technology set to be showcased in Queensland, rapid spread of DBM insecticide resistance, Trade Show highlights, Soil Wealth ICP collaborators celebrated at the Horticulture Awards for Excellence and upcoming events.

In this edition: Veg and melon growers to benefit from Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2, Soil Biology Masterclass registrations, Vic veg innovation days showcases Soil Wealth ICP cover crop trial, Bathurst growers prepare for winter cover crops, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from VIC and new resources from VicVID 2023, Biological Products Database updates, and plant sampling for nutrient analysis webinar recording.

The vegetable industry welcomed the Victorian Vegetable Innovation Days (VicVID) at Catani from 27-28 April 2023.

The Soil Wealth ICP team enjoyed exhibiting at VicVID and supporting the communication of results from the seed and agrichemical field trials via Facebook livestreams, as well as discussing the results of our cover crop trial.

With winter on the way, growers and agronomists from the Bathurst region of New South Wales took advantage of a cover crop coaching clinic in April 2023.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Dr Kelvin Montagu delivered a mini-workshop and field walk which discussed how to select, manage and terminate cover crops to improve soil health and reduce fertiliser costs.

In this edition: See our cover crop trial at VicVID, Soil Biology Masterclass registrations, using soil health to manage soil borne disease risk,upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from NSW, resources on Phase 2 achievements and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

RMCG and AHR have delivered the Soil Wealth ICP project to the Australian vegetable industry on behalf of Hort Innovation. Phase 2 of the project (2017-2022) has now been completed.

Watch this video to find out the highlights from Phase 2 including grower engagement, training and events, demonstration sites, communication products and resources, and progress towards industry outcomes.

In this edition: Tips to correctly identify veg insects, guidance on handling fresh produce exposed to floodwaters, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from WA, resources on reduced till and strip-till for vegetable and potato growers and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Brothers Ed and James Fagan run their 1,400-hectare farm on the banks of the Lachlan River near Cowra, NSW.

The Fagans have been involved with the Soil Wealth project since 2014. They have embraced considerable change, with benefits as well as some difficulties along the way.

Mulgowie Farming Company is an Australian owned and operated vegetable grower and packer.

In collaboration with Soil Wealth ICP, Mulgowie trialled strip-tillage combined with their existing cover cropping practices at their Maffra farm, 220km east of Melbourne.

Their primary goal was to use strip-tillage to improve soil health characteristics like water infiltration and water holding capacity, to improve crop health and yield, reduce costs and ultimately improve profitability.

This guide summarises and provides easy access to useful resources developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection project from December 2017 to February 2023.

The Three Ryans in Manjimup, Western Australia, first became involved with the Soil Wealth ICP project in 2019 with the goal of improving their soil health by trying cover cropping combined with strip-tillage.

Fast forward three years and, despite some hurdles along the way, the Ryans have adopted the use of cover crops and strip-till more permanently in their operations.

In this episode of InfoVeg TV, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this InfoVeg Radio podcast, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this edition: Share your thoughts on Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2, upcoming events and webinars, WA and SA field walk wrap-ups, resources on area wide management of lettuce viruses and irrigation management and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

On 27 June, a group of growers and industry members attended an inaugural field walk at the Soil Wealth ICP demonstration site in the Northern Territory.

Hosted by grower Jeremy Trembath in Katherine, the demonstration site has focused on improving soil health and building soil resilience to weather events, particularly during the wet season, to prevent erosion and to protect soils.

To achieve this, Jeremy has used cover crops and reduced tillage in preparation for his sweet corn cash crop, and has utilised an integrated approach to pest, disease and weed management.

In this edition: Precision agriculture in vegetable production resources, a new approach to release beneficials, an updated snapshot of soil carbon, upcoming events and webinars, Top End field walk showcases soil health improvements and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this edition: Update from Hort Connections 2022, entomology and IPM short courses, upcoming events and webinars, insights from demonstration site growers at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar, biological products resources, onion diseases webinar recording and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

The Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar, held ahead of Hort Connections 2022 in Brisbane, attracted a room full of growers on Monday 6 June.

Presentations included a grower panel from the Soil Wealth ICP project which discussed the cutting-edge practices and technologies that are key to improving productivity, profitability and sustainability in the Australian vegetable industry.

Soil Wealth ICP team members Dr Gordon Rogers and Carl Larsen facilitated the discussion with growers who currently or previously hosted demonstration sites as part of the project. The growers shared why they became involved in Soil Wealth ICP, the areas of soil management and plant health that their demonstration sites focused on, as well as the challenges they have faced and what’s next for their farms.

In this edition: The importance of soil biodiversity, supporting Tassie researchers, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from New South Wales, cover crop resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Establishing a cover crop can be a great time to get on top of a problem weed without herbicides. See the Cover Crops for Australian Vegetable Growers poster for suggestions for cover crops to suppress weeds through quick establishment and/or dense canopies.

Herbicides combined with cover crops can be an additional tool in your Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategy.

The commercial nitrogen fertiliser market has been very volatile the past seven months. Supply issues from China, Russia, as well as Europe, have caused shipping issues and shortages for all of Australia.

Given the price rises and uncertainty of nitrogen fertiliser supply, it’s a good time to look at legume cover crops.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 1 provides an overview of carbon farming and its relevance to Australian vegetable growers.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 2 delves into soil carbon and carbon sequestration.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 3 discusses carbon emissions in vegetable production.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 4 takes you through carbon accounting and the Emissions Reduction Fund.

After 30 years of growing vegetables in southern Queensland, Rob Hinrichsen is well placed to assess the impact of soil health on his farming operation.

Rob founded vegetable production and packing company Kalfresh with his father in the Fassifern Valley, with the operation having expanded considerably over the years to supply produce year-round.

The passion Rob brings for growing healthy, tasty, nutrient-rich food centres around healthy soils.

This article provides a general guide and tips from Kelvin Montagu for choosing a sorghum cover crop for Integrated Crop Protection in vegetable production.

In this edition: Announcement of our 2022 focus topics, carbon management on vegetable farms webinar recording, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from Western Australia and Victoria, new resources on sorghum cover crops, managing soil-borne diseases in vegetable crops and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this short video update, Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen explains how practical approaches such as cover crops and reduced tillage is complementing precision agriculture trials at our demonstration site in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria.

Carbon is the main component of soil organic matter and helps give soil its water-retention capacity, its structure, and its fertility. The management of carbon is not only important for soil health and productive vegetable crops, but is also increasingly important in carbon markets and reducing the effects of climate change.

Watch industry leading researchers, practitioners and growers who tackle some of the most important questions about carbon management on vegetable farms during this webinar.

Farming in the Northern Territory is notoriously challenging: it takes resilience and perseverance to battle the weather and soils.

The Soil Wealth ICP team is working with Jeremy Trembath to establish a new demonstration site on his farm in the Northern Territory. The site aims to build greater resilience to heavy weather events and soil erosion using cover crops, strip-til, soil biology inputs and non-chemical weed control.

In this edition: Soil Biology Masterclass videos, demonstration site news from the Northern Territory and Victoria, a fact sheet on the potential of biochar in vegetable production and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

With a strong focus on innovation and sustainable farming practices, Mulgowie Farming Company has teamed up with Soil Wealth ICP to take their soil management to the next level.

In this edition: Virtual shed walk showcasing microwave weed technology, demonstration site news from Queensland and Victoria, new resources from the Soil Biology in Vegetable Production Masterclass, a go-to guide on nutrition management resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen braved the windy weather at our Koo Wee Rup demonstration site in Victoria to bring growers a short update on how things were progressing at the site.

Soil Wealth ICP team members Kelvin Montagu and Marc Hinderager look into breakdown of organic matter, agrochemicals and impact on soil biology.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Kelvin Montagu looks at the linkage between key soil functions and soil biology, and the interactions between plant roots and soil biology.

Watch how microwave technology is being developed to assist with integrated crop protection.

In this global scan we look at some of the changes affecting the integrated crop protection tools available to vegetable growers by examining what is happening elsewhere, globally and in other sectors.

The Cradle Coast Authority Natural Resource Management Agriculture program discussed hillslope erosion risk reduction using autumn cover cropping at an industry forum in Tasmania in August 2021. This presentation highlights the key considerations for growers.

There are many things we can take for granted, and in vegetable and potato production this can be as simple as nutrition and its impact on a crop from a plant physiology perspective.

However, growers and advisers armed with a deep knowledge of nutrition and its practical application in a crop are better placed to ensure that crop achieves peak production. We spoke to our Partnership Network member Stoller Australia to find out more.

Catch up on Day 2 of the Australian Potato R&D Forum 2021, which focused on soil health and disease management. Speakers and topics included:
• Promoting soil health: How can cover crops and soil amendments improve your soil health and yield? Julie Finnigan (Serve-Ag)
• PREDICTA Pt: How can you identify risks before they become a problem? Michael Rettke (SARDI)
• Update on ‘Investigating soil pH and nutrition as possible factors influencing pink rot in potatoes’: Dr Robert Tegg (TIA)
• Simplot Ag R&D disease-related projects overview: Dr Audrey Leo (Simplot)
• Update on ‘Mechanisms and manipulation of resistance to powdery scab in potato roots’: Professor Calum Wilson (TIA)
• Options and approaches for managing soil borne disease and promoting plant health (Panel session)

AHR’s Marc Hinderager and Soilpack Services’ Ian Packer are teaming up to deliver a webinar on soil organic matter, soil biology and the challenges and complexity of estimating mineralisation rates in soils.

In this edition: choosing the right lime product to manage soil acidification, EGVID2020 celebrated at industry awards, videos available from our Victorian demo sites and new resources on boosting mycorrhizal fungi in vegetable crops.

The vegetable industry has a growing interest in soil health and beneficial soil microbes, including mycorrhizal fungi. While there is a need for practices that help to boost the beneficial fungi in Australian vegetable crops, getting the benefits under commercial field conditions is not easy.

This case study examines why and how vegetable growers can boost beneficial mycorrhizal fungi in their crops. It also shares the results from a trial which looked at the potential of cover crops, together with commercial mycorrhizal inoculants and reduced soil tillage, to increase the beneficial fungi in vegetable crops.

In this edition: a new weed management guide for wild radish in the vegetable industry, nominate a leader in plant health and soil management at the Hort Connections National Awards for Excellence, farm walks to go virtual in Victoria and resources on reduced tillage.

The potential for cover crops to provide protection from erosion is multifaceted.

In this multisite trial in North West Tasmania, seasonal cover crops were used to protect bare fallow autumn and winter soils from erosion. Read more in this fact sheet.

In this edition: Information on fall armyworm and serpentine leafminer, demonstration site news from NSW and new resources on oxalis, volunteer potatoes and winter cover crops.

Grower Kim Ngov has sown another cover crop trial on his intense vegetable farm near the southwest outskirts of Sydney (Wedderburn NSW). This time Kim is focused on using cover crops to build soil health, control weeds and eliminate single-use plastic mulch.

There are many factors that contribute to strong environmental stewardship in the vegetable industry, and improving soil management and plant health is an important component of business sustainability. But when it comes to finding evidence of the strengths and gaps of your growing operation, it can be difficult to know where to start.

This article from our Partnership Network member EnviroVeg explains how the program can help growers identify these opportunities and take action to ensure their vegetable growing business is environmentally responsible.

In this edition: The future of integrated weed management technologies, demonstration site news from NSW and Victoria, new resources on healthy soils, blackleg in potato and drone regulations podcast.

Being part of a grower group has many benefits. It helps to be on the forefront of new developments in vegetable production and talk to other growers to share successes, challenges and support each other with new ideas.

A group of young growers have joined the Warren Improvement Group in Western Australia to provide a fresh focus on improving vegetable production in the Manjimup region. This case study explains more.

In this edition: Good Soils Guide, seasonal outlook for February to April, demonstration site news from Manjimup, Western Australia and Werribee South, Victoria, and new resources on choosing cover crops, organic soil amendments and spray rig calibration.

Vegetable growers in Australia can now access a comprehensive online resource to improve all aspects of soil health on-farm and increase the efficiency and profitability of their businesses.

The Good Soil Guide is a free online encyclopaedia specifically designed for growers and industry to use in the field. The resource was developed in the United Kingdom as a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions and soil scientist Neil Fuller.

Integrated Weed Management (IWM) is vital for getting on top of weed problems in vegetable production, or for keeping the farm relatively weed-free. This webinar will look at the capacity of both summer and winter cover crops to out-compete weeds during non-cash cropping periods, reduce the weed seedbank and improve soil health.

In this edition: Focus topics announced for Soil Wealth ICP in 2021, demonstration site news from Richmond, Tasmania and new resources on foliar diseases, nutgrass, integrated weed management and pathogen DNA testing.

Integrated weed management (IWM) is vital for getting on top of weed problems in vegetable production. It involves combining all appropriate weed control options in a coordinated, supportive and flexible way. A key outcome of effective IWM in vegetable production is the reduction of the weed seed bank (the number of viable weed seeds present in the soil) to ensure that the weed burden is minimised.

Patience was indeed a virtue for Tasmania’s agriculture industry after the 2020 Precision Ag Expo successfully went ahead on Monday 2 November at Hagley Farm School, following a six-month delay.

Doris Blaesing from the Soil Wealth ICP team was also on hand to share information on the project’s activities, resources and outputs with attendees.

In this edition: 2020 Precision Ag Expo wrap-up, demonstration site findings from Katherine, Northern Territory and Koo Wee Rup, Victoria, and new resources including a soil microbiology fact sheet and advantages of Sunn hemp in veg production video.

Cover crops, typically grown during the wet season in the north of the Northern Territory (NT), are an essential part of best practice management where poor soil structure can be further eroded by heavy rainfall.

A demonstration site trial on cover crops for cucurbit growers was developed in 2020 at the Katherine Research Station. This article outlines more information about what was involved in the trial, the initial results and potential next steps.

Read how snow pea grower Kim Ngov found a solution for his weed management challenges using ryegrass as an inter-row cover crop.

Koo Wee Rup Grower Group - Cover crops and strip tillage in organic production with Dr Kelvin Montagu (27 October 2020)

In February 2020, six cover crop demonstration sites were planted in the lead-up to the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group's Precision Ag Expo. Take a look at the summary of results from the trial which focused on nematode suppression, feed production, weed suppression, soil conditioning, pathogen control and nitrogen fixation.

In this edition: New guide to brassica biofumigant cover crops, seasonal outlook for vegetable growing areas, demonstration site findings from Manjimup, Western Australia and Koo Wee Rup, Victoria, and new resources including a poster on the ins and outs of variable rate application.

With assistance from the Soil Wealth project team, the Three Ryans, located at Manjimup, WA, decided to try the cover crop + strip till combo to see what benefits there are for their vegetable farm. So, an on-farm strip till demonstration plot was established in a broccoli crop. This has seen cost savings and soil benefits, compared to their conventionally grown broccoli crop.

In 2018 and 2019, the University of New England worked with Ivankovich Farms in Myalup and David Grays Aglink in Perth, Western Australia, on a two-season trial to explore the effects of different winter cover crop varieties in suppressing weeds in vegetable production.

In this edition: Vegetable Crop Nutrition Masterclass an online success, demonstration site news from Sydney Basin and Cowra, NSW, and new resources on pink rot in potatoes.

Kim Ngov grows snow peas on trellises with the alleys heavily infested with weeds and the added problem of heavy foot traffic causing the soil to become soggy following rainfall.

Recently, Kim took up the suggestion from the SoilWealth & ICP team of seeding cover crops into the alleys of snow pea for weed suppression, creating an easier working environment for his staff and reducing the reliance on herbicides and minimising the exposure of chemicals to personnel, crops and the environment.

Cambodian Grower Group are exploring the potential of cover crops as part of an integrated weed management strategy.

There is increasing interest in the use of different cover crop species and mixes of cover crops to improve soil health and productivity in the Australian vegetable industry.

In this video, Dr Kelvin Montagu will provide some guidance on sowing, management, and how best to terminate the cover crop.

In this two part video series, the University of New England presents the results from a recent trial which explored the effects of diferent cover crops in suppressing weeds in vegetable production at Greater Sydney Local Land Services' Demonstration Farm in the Richmond Lowlands, New South Wales.

A new series of ‘Sustainable Success Stories’ from the South Australian vegetable industry showcase how local leaders are engaging with industry-led programs to overcome farm challenges and improve their sustainability. Take a look at the five case studies below.

In this edition: Get effective R&D support in a remote setting, demonstration site news from Victoria and Bathurst, NSW, and new resources on managing salinity in potato and vegetable production.

Dr Kelvin Montagu summarises the potential role of cover crops in managing mycorrhizal fungi in vegetable production.

The webinar covers:

- Why mycorrhizal fungi
- Do Australian vegetable crops have mycorrhizal fungi – a survey of 50 vegetable crops
- Levels of mycorrhizae in vegetable growing soil
- Trials adding inoculant to cover crops
- Trials adding inoculant to cover crops and vegetable crops (leeks/corn)
- The webinar presents the work undertaken in the Optimising Cover Crops for the Australian

Agronomists, Dr Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyse and Marc Hinderager, discuss the outcomes from a case study carried out on a pumpkin farm in Bathurst, NSW. You will hear how inter-row ground cover may assist you in suppressing weeds and a more integrated approach, using cover crops and strip-till, might help you reduce the use of herbicides. And not disturbing the soil, will result in better water infiltration rates and moisture retention.

Vegetable grower, Michael Camenzuli, managed to grow pumpkins without the use of plastics. Instead, he used a cover crop (rolled and strip-tilled) resulting in cleaner pumpkins at harvest.

Agronomist, Marc Hinderager, has been working with the growers in Cowra and reports on the results of this cover crop trial.

In this edition: Have your say on agvet chemicals review, demonstration site news from Bathurst, NSW and Tasmania, and new resources on nutrition management support.

This podcast looks at the value of on-farm trials, and the support given to practice change by membership of a grower group. We meet two Tasmanian farmers, Rebecca Addison and Yuri Wolfert, who trialled mixed cover crops for soil health before potatoes in 2019; with the support of grower group Soil First Tasmania, and funding from Landcare Tasmania. They speak about the challenges and teachings from their trials and what they will do differently in the future.

Join Dr Kelvin Montagu (AHR) and Dr Shane Powell (University of Tasmania) for a webinar on the impacts of cover crops on soil biology where we consider the questions:
• How diverse are biological communities in vegetable soils?
• Do we see differences between sites (Tasmania to Queensland)?
• Do cover crops impact on the microbial communities?
• How do soil properties and management impact on the microbial community?
• What impact do biofumigants have on the soil microbial community?

Tasmanian vegetable and potato grower Yuri Wolfert provides an update on his cover crop, which was planted five weeks ago to prepare the soil for next season's potato crop.

Cover crops and strip tillage live webinar panel session with a focus on cover crops, strip-tillage and slug and snail management.

Join Dr Kelvin Montagu (AHR, Soil Wealth ICP team), John Duff (Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) and Carl Larsen (RMCG, Soil Wealth ICP team) as they discuss the results of a cover crop trial at the East Gippsland Vegetable Innovation Days.

The team will discuss the different cover crop species used in the trial, their benefits and best options for use, as well as any drawbacks around terminations.

Combining cover crops with strip-till is proving a winner for vegetable soils and crops. In the Cowra Case Study Part I, we detailed cucumber crop benefits. In Part II we dig a bit deeper to look at the soil health benefits from cover crop + roller crimper + strip-till which underpinned the outstanding yield result.

Pink rot of potato is an important soil-borne storage disease of potatoes worldwide. It is caused by the fungus Phytophthora erythroseptica and sometimes by P. cryptogea. Pink rot infection is often associated with secondary infection by anaerobic soft rot bacteria.

This fact sheet outlines the symptoms, hosts, risk factors and disease cycle of pink rot, as well as potential management options.

Watch this webinar recording to learn from key researchers about the latest findings of several Hort Innovation Vegetable Levy Funded Projects.

The aim of the trial was to demonstrate the effectiveness of mixed species cover crops in cropping rotations, and to find out if using them improves conditions and profitability for potatoes.

Read this case study to find out more about the trial design, results and next steps.

A Bathurst pumpkin grower, working with the Soil Wealth team is breaking new ground by using cover crops and strip-tillage to make his irrigation water go further.

This factsheet identifies and provides preliminary data on some soil health measures after long term (13 years) cover cropping at Forthside, Tasmania.

There are many brassica species and cultivars that can be grown as biofumigants or cover crops. These brassicas are typically thought of as cool seasons options but work by the cover crop project has looked at how they perform across the year in southern Queensland. And some results will surprise!

Part 2 of the webinar looks at the potential pest and disease issues while growing the cover crops and the potential impact on soil-bourne disesases (Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum & Macrophomina phaseolina) following incorporation.

Watch this webinar with Dr John Duff and Kelvin Montagu who summarise the results of trials growing more than 12 different biofumigants at different times of the year in Gatton and Bundaberg. 

There are many brassica species and cultivars that can be grown as biofumigants or cover crops. These brassicas are typically thought of as cool seasons options but work by the cover crop project has looked at how they perform across the year in southern Queensland. And some results will surprise!

Part 1 of the webinar looks at the growth of 17 different biofumigant cover crops and the levels of glucosinolates.

Watch this webinar with Dr John Duff and Kelvin Montagu who summarise the results of trials growing more than 12 different biofumigants at different times of the year in Gatton and Bundaberg. 

With hay prices through the roof, and farmers desperate for fodder to keep their breeding stock alive, it is seems almost criminal to plow in a cover crop.

However, before you call the hay contractor, think about how taking a hay crop may affect your next vegetable crop.

NRM North Tasmania Agriculture Landcare Facilitator, Adrian James, visited M.G Farm to film the healthy soil resulting from green manure. See and hear some of the benefits for yourself.

Link between soil wealth and cover cropping with Dr Kelvin Montagu (12 min listen)

Cover crops + roller crimper + strip-tillage have proven a winning combination for a partnership between
Mulyan Farms’ Ed Fagan and AHR’s Marc Hinderager from the Soil Wealth ICP project.

The factsheet summerises cover crop selection, biofumigants, termination and incorporation for the Wide Bay Burnett region in Queensland and produced inconjunction with VegNET.

Get inspired by this podcast with Dr Kelvin Montagu who gives a good overview on cover cropping, the key benefits for using it on your farm – for your wallet and for your soil health – as well as some handy tips and methods for doing it successfully.

The 9 minute podcast provides
1. an overview of cover cropping
2. benefits of cover cropping
3. typical types of cover crops
4. how quickly can you see benefits
5. what savings can you expect
6. top tips

the podcast is part of VG16068 Optimising cover cropping for the Australian vegetable industry

Ed Fagan (Cowra, NSW) explains how strip-tillage and cover cropping compliment each other for a successful cucumber crop.

The Soil Wealth ICP team look at how Harvest Moon, a large volume vegetable producer in North West Tasmania, are using cover crops to protect and improve their precious red soil.

The Cowra demonstration site in southern NSW is focussed on improving soil health through cover crops and improved tillage.

Read this update to find out more about the soil moisture monitoring results for summer 2019 following a ryecorn cover crop being sown in winter 2018.

This presentation by Ted Kornecki at the 2014 International Soil and Water Conference in the USA summarises work undertaken on roller crimper termination of cover crops at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, in Alabama, USA.

Both large scale and small scale roller crimpers are tested on cereal rye and crimson clover.

As part of its levy-funded project navigating the wealth of soil health information available to growers, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture has undertaken a series of interviews with growers from around Australia to provide insights into what they're doing to manage the most valuable resource on their farms: their soil.

In this video, Tasmanian grower James Addison discusses the value of cover cropping in maintaining soil health and increasing productivity in potato production.

Some of the advantages of buckwheat include rapid growth, strong weed suppression and quick breakdown of residues, allowing it to fit into tight rotations and certain crops like baby leaf.

Watch this video to find out more.

Watch this webinar recording to learn about the latest techniques in managing the soilborne disease Fusarium wilt in vegetable crops including solanaceous, legumes, cucurbits and sweet potatoes and to understand the latest ways of managing this disease to keep your plants in production for longer and improve yield and pack out rates.

This guide summarises useful information developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) Phase 1 projects from 2014-2017, and where to find it. These resources are relevant to all major vegetable growing regions in Australia. The resources developed includes fact sheets (51), case studies (12), videos and apps (36), e-newsletters (32 editions), as well as demonstration site information. The main topics covered by these resources include crop management, pest and disease management, and soil, nutrition and compost.

All the resources in this guide can be found on this project website.

Six years ago, Rob Hinrichsen and his team at Kalfresh decided to focus on four key practices – controlled traffic, cover crops, soil biology and compost – to improve the soil health across their farms. The main drivers were to improve crop yield and quality, as well as the sustainability of the business.

Rob’s emphasis on softer tillage, boosting organic matter with compost and cover crops has helped the soil recover and support a healthy population of beneficial soil organisms. Rob supplements the naturally occurring biology by using specific beneficial organisms to improve the robustness of his farming system.

This case study provides insights into some of the main changes involving controlled traffic, cover crops and compost at the Kalfresh demonstration site in Queensland.

The Schreurs family have been farming on the Koo Wee Rup swamps in Gippsland, Victoria since 1963. After noticing a decline in soil condition, resulting in waterlogging and an increase in weed and disease pressure, the Schreurs partnered with the Soil Wealth and ICP team to trial a range of different cover crops to improve the overall quality and productivity of the farm from 2014 to 2017. Schreurs & Sons farm run by Adam, Ben and Chris produces a variety of different products including celery, leeks and baby leaf spinach.

This case study provides an overview and lessons learnt from trialling different cover crops at the demonstration site in Cora Lynn, Victoria.

Growers, Scott and Kent Samwell, have always been using cover crops to rest the soil between brassica plantings and prevent erosion on the hilly land. They mainly planted rye grass and oats, and have been trying new types over the past 4-5 years, including rye grass mixed with legumes. They continue to be interested in investigating further options. This includes rye grass, faba beans, vetch and triticale, and potentially lucerne and rye corn.

This case study presents insights and lessons from trialling different cover crops and IPM at the Eastbrook Vegetable Farms demonstration site in Mt Barker in South Australia.

The Soil Wealth ICP team sat down with InfoVeg TV to chat about the project and its aim to communicate information about soil management and plant health to Australian vegetable growers to help the industry grow sustainably using healthy soils.

This webinar with Nematode specialist Dr Sarah Collins from Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA focused on the pest nematode, outlining the life cycles of the root-knot and root-lesion nematodes and how this can be used to target control measures.

The webinar also covered beneficial free living nematodes and how these can be managed and used as soil health indicators.

Members of the Soil Wealth and ICP team were recently interviewed for the Potatoes Australia magazine. The key message? Many of the soil health and plant protection practices relevant to vegetables, also apply to potatoes.

Click through to read the article.

Read this excellent summary of some common tools for managing soil health in cropping/mixed enterprises in Tasmania. Generally, the more tools you can use, the better!

This poster was prepared by Adrian James, NRM North, with contributions by Bill Cotching, Doris Blaesing, Greg Gibson and John McPhee.

There has been some great coverage of our economic case study for cover crops, as well as a demonstration site update on the compost trials from Gingin in Western Australia in the Winter 2017 edition of the WA Grower magazine.

Click through to read the articles.

The farm walk on cover crops by Kelvin Montagu was streamed by Good Fruit and Vegetables and can be viewied here.

Hear from Rob Hinrichsen of Kalfresh in QLD about using cover crops, or 'green carbon', in commercial vegetable production systems.

This video captures Rob's experiences in using different types of cover crops such as tillage raddish and sun hemp to achieve different objectives, some of the benefits of using cover crops such as increased soil carbon and crop resilience, as well as providing advice to those starting out.

This case study outlines the economic considerations when using cover crops in vegetable production systems. It is based on lessons learned from several Soil Wealth – ICP demonstration sites, during the period 2014 to 2016.

One of the most important considerations is being clear about the purpose of using cover crops in the farm system system as it influences the way you may judge costs and benefits and the timing of these.

The overall benefits will depend on each situation. However, to figure out what works for you on your farm and a specific purpose, talk to others who have used cover crops for a similar purpose / situation; trial cover crops or include a test strip if possible.

The Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects provide R&D extension services, products and communication on improved soil management and plant health to the Australian vegetable industry.

From 2014 to 2017, RMCG and AHR have delivered the projects for Horticulture Innovation Australia. Phase 1 of the projects have now been completed. So, what’s been achieved?

This fact sheet outlines key factors and the management options for the successful transition from cover crop to cash crop in vegetable production systems.

A webinar on biofumigation cover crops presented by Julie Finnigan and Dr Kelvin Montagu as part of the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects.

Did someone say popcorn? This is just one of the crops involved in the Soil Wealth extension project at the Cowra site. Along with chickpeas at Kalbar, eggplant in Darwin, carrots in Gingin, coloured lettuce in Gippsland, and 8-kilo cabbages in Bathurst – these various projects look at tillage, soil structure, cover crops, and the resulting healthy soil using compost.

Cover crops are being rediscovered by vegetable growers as practical ways of improving soil productivity and health. While cover cropping is a simple concept, it can be complex to implement in todays intensive production systems.

In this webinar Dr Kelvin Montagu from the Soil Wealth - ICP team, talks about the use of cover crops in vegetable production and the practical issues which need to be considered.

The Cover Crop Chart (v. 2.1) is designed to assist producers with decisions on the use of cover crops in crop and forage production systems. The information is based on USA conditions and care is required to adapt the information to Australian conditions.

The information provides a good summary of the different cover crop options for warm and cool seasons.

Match your main soil management aim to the southern Australian summer cover crops.

The Soil Wealth and ICP projects have managed a demonstration site at Kalfresh since early 2015.

The results from the demonstration site confirm that by following four principles in managing vegetable cropping soils, both soil condition and financial returns can be maximised. It’s a true win:win situation.

Match your main soil management aim to the southern Australian winter cover crops.

David East is a lettuce grower with Bewray Pty Ltd east of Manjimup. Since 2011, David has been growing the biofumigant mustard Caliente during winter between his summer lettuce crops.

Maintaining or increasing soil carbon makes good sense – for the environment and for soil productivity. While climate scientists talk about soil carbon, you will know it better as soil organic matter. And the productivity benefits of soil organic matter are legendary:

• Providing a slow release supply of nutrients
• Improving cation exchange capacity and nutrient- holding ability
• Buffering against soil acidity
• Improving soil structure and aggregate stability
• Improving soil water holding capacity
• Reducing erosion risk.

This fact sheet summaries the opportunities and management options for mitigating or sequestering soil carbon in vegetable soils.

A healthy topsoil is a great asset to have, as this layer of soil contains the highest concentration of organic matter, micro-organisms, nutrients and biological activity. Lost topsoil can’t be replaced in a human’s lifespan. Therefore erosion, probably the biggest culprit in the loss of topsoil, should be effectively managed.

This fact sheet provides essential information on managing soil erosion, including reducing the impact of wind and water. The easy to read publication also guides decision-making on managing your irrigation system, controlling run-off water, covering exposed soil areas, improving soil structure and increasing cohesion between soil particles.

Vegetable pathologist, Dr Len Tesoriero and AHRs Dr Kelvin Montagu, recently presented a highly successful webinar on how to manage the soil borne disease Pythium in vegetable crops.

The webinar was recorded, and is now available as a YouTube video. You can click on the link below to watch the full Webinar. You can also download the presentation and follow the link to an ICP factsheet on how to manage soil borne disease in vegetable crops.

On September 17th a field day on biofumigation at David and Lee East’s Bewray farm at Manjimup, WA attracted over 45 growers and industry specialists.

Dale Gies outlines the importance of correct establishment and water and nutrient requirements of biofumigant crops.

Soil-borne diseases are a major threat to vegetable production and now a new project is tackling the problem.

Hear from Tasmanian lettuce grower Colin Houston about the exciting demonstrations being run on his new farm aimed at improving profitability and sustainability.

Vegetable growers and advisors discuss how attending a master class has changed the way they manage soilborne diseases and influenced their business.

Vegetable growers and advisors talk about how implementing integrated crop protection and new soil management practices has changed their business.

Steve Groff, farmer and the founder of Cover Crop Solutions, Pennsylvania, USA provides an excellent overview of cover cropping in the USA.

Part 2 of 5 of a Green Crops and Biofumigation seminar presented by Dale Gies from High Performance Seeds Inc, Washington, USA. Seminar hosted by Serve-Ag Tasmania, February 2015 and broadcast by Soil Wealth.

Weeds increase the cost of growing vegetables, reduce crop yield and quality, and impact farm management decisions, such as timing of harvest and choice of herbicide options.

Missed the Bulmer Farm Walk on 21 May 2015? Catch up on reduced tillage options in vegetables in this video from Jeanette Servers of Good Fruit & Vegetable.

This video documentary showcases grower practices used to better manage sweetpotato pests in their Australian sweetpotato production systems. It was produced as a result of project VG09052 'Integration of crop and soil insect management in sweetpotato', which was undertaken by the Australian Sweetpotato Growers Association (ASPG inc).

Part 1 of 5 of a Green Crops and Biofumigation seminar presented by Dale Gies from High Performance Seeds Inc, Washington, USA. Seminar hosted by Serve-Ag Tasmania, February 2015 and broadcast by Soil Wealth.

This book is a practical guide to ecological soil management that provides background information as well as details of soil-improving practices. It is meant to give the reader an appreciation of the importance of soil health and to suggest ecologically sound practices that help to develop and maintain healthy soils.

This webpage contains videos, documents and photos from the 5th International Symposium of Biofumigation held in September 2014.

This in depth educational video examines the different species of cover crops on the market today. Learn the characteristics and benefits of planting legumes, grasses, cereals, and more. If you're new to cover crops, this is the video you must see.

This book by Gary Zimmer, a farmer in the United States, provides support for farmers who would like to reduce chemical inputs and use natural processes within their farming systems.

This publication from ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service) in the United States provides information on improving disease suppression within soil.

This article discusses the benefits and challenges of incorporating mixed cover crops into a farming system.

This handbook published by the Sustainable Agriculture Network in the United States provides helpful maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, chapters about specific aspects of cover cropping and extensive appendices that
will lead you to even more information about managing cover crops.

Biofumigation is the use of specialised cover crops, which are grown, mulched and incorporated into the soil prior to cropping. High biomass, especially roots, can provide the traditional benefits of green manure crops, and if done right, naturally occurring compounds from the biofumigant plants can suppress soil-borne pests, diseases and weeds.

Sole reliance on fumigants like Metham Sodium often changes soil conditions and reduces inherent disease suppressive soil properties, reinforcing continued reliance on fumigation to deal with soilborne diseases, pests and weeds.

New management strategies for lettuce drop and white mould of beans.

A reduced till system on this Cowra vegetable farm delivered soil, cost and crop benefits.

NSW farmers, Ed and James Fagan explain how they developed a reduced tillage vegetable farming operation in Cowra, NSW.

Reduced till is a system change that relies on keeping the soil in a healthy condition through the use of permanent beds, controlled traffic, cover cropping and crop rotations rather than frequent cultivation.