Private Mail Bag

Organic cereal production in southeast Australia is challenging for producers due to a range of influences such as weeds and low soil available phosphorus. Two experiments were conducted on a certified organic property at Berrigan NSW during 2001-2003 to investigate ‘within crop ’ weed management and forage crop management for weed control. Sowing later using a short season wheat cultivar did not affect yield and reduced (P<0.05) levels of annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.). Incorporating a forage crop into the rotation prior to sowing a cereal resulted in improved (P<0.05) weed management for the cereal crop, in comparison to retaining annual pasture. There were no differences between forage treatments in weed management in the following wheat crop. Where forage was cut for silage and then grazed, grain yield was higher (P<0.05) than where forage was only grazed or cut for silage, or where annual pasture was retained