Annual cropping has been expanding in the high rainfall zone of southern Australia. The higher rainfall and longer growing season compared with the traditional wheatbelt contribute to a much higher yield potential for major crops. Potential yields range from 5 to 8 t/ha for wheat and 3 to 5 t/ha for canola, although current crop yields are only about 50% of those potentials. The large yield gap between current and potential yields suggests that there is an opportunity to lift current yields. Both genetic constraints and subsoil constraints such as waterlogging, soil acidity, sodicity, and high soil strength contribute to the low yields. Waterlogging is a widespread hidden constraint to crop production in the region. Controlling waterlogging using a combination of raised beds and surface or subsurface drains is the first step to raise the productivity of the land. Increasing root growth into the subsoil remains a key to accessing more water and nutrients for high yield through early planting, deep ripping, liming and use of primer crops to ameliorate the subsoil. In order to realise the high yield potential, it is essential to achieve higher optimum dry matter at anthesis and high ear number through agronomic management, including early sowing with appropriate cultivars, a high seeding rate and application of adequate nitrogen along with other nutrients. Current cultivars of spring wheat may not fully utilise the available growing season and may have genetic limitations in sink capacity that constrain potential yield. Breeding or identification of long-season milling wheat cultivars that can fully utilise the longer growing season and with the ability to tolerate waterlogging and subsoil acidity, and with disease resistance, will give additional benefits. It is concluded that improving crop production in the high rainfall zone of southern Australia will require attention to overcoming soil constraints, particularly waterlogging, and the development of longer-season cultivars.

We up-scaled the APSIM simulation model of crop growth, water and nitrogen dynamics to interpret and respond to spatial and temporal variations in soil, season and crop performance and improve yield and decrease nitrate leaching. Grain yields, drainage below the maximum root depth and nitrate leaching are strongly governed by interaction of plant available soil water storage capacity (PAWC), seasonal rainfall and nitrogen supply in the water-limited Mediterranean-type environment of Western Australia (WA). APSIM simulates the interaction of these key system parameters and the robustness of its simulations has been rigorously tested with the results of several field experiments covering a range of soil types and seasonal conditions in WA. We used yield maps, soil and weather data for farms at two locations in WA to determine spatial and temporal patterns of grain yield, drainage below the maximum root depth and nitrate leaching under a range of weather, soil and nitrogen management scenarios. On one farm, we up-scaled APSIM simulations across the whole farm using local weather and fertiliser use data and the average PAWC values of soil type polygons. On a 70 ha field on another farm, we used a linear regression of apparent soil electrical conductivity (EC a ) measured by EM38 against PAWC to transform an EC a map of the field into a high resolution (5 m grid) PAWC map. We then used regressions of simulated yields, drainage below the maximum root depth and nitrate leaching on PAWC to upscale the APSIM simulations for a range of weather and fertiliser management scenarios. This continuous mapping approach overcame the weakness of the soil polygons approach, which assumed uniformity in soil properties and processes within soil type polygons. It identified areas at greatest financial and environmental risks across the field, which required focused management and simulated their response to management interventions. Splitting nitrogen applications increased simulated wheat yields at all sites across the field and decreased nitrate leaching particularly where the water storage capacity of the soil was small. Low water storage capacity resulted in both low wheat yields and large leaching loss. Another management option to Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006 decrease leaching may be to grow perennial vegetation that uses more water and loses less by drainage.

Incorporating cover crops into the rotation is a practice applied across many parts of the globe to enhance soil biological activities. In dryland farming, where crop production is highly dependent on rainfall and soil water storage, cover cropping can affect soil water, yet its effects on soil hydrological and biological health require further investigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different timing of summer sorghum cover crop termination on soil water, total and labile organic carbon, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and their mediating effects on wheat yield. Through on-farm trial, soil characteristics along with wheat biomass, yield and grain quality were monitored. In comparison with the control (fallow), the early terminated cover crop was the most effective at retaining greater soil water at wheat sowing by 1~4% in 0–45cm soil profile. An increase in water use efficiency, yield and grain protein by 10%, 12% and 5% was observed under early termination. Under late terminated summer cover crop, there was 7% soil water depletion at wheat planting which resulted in 61% decline in yield. However, late-terminated cover crop achieved the greatest gain in soil total and particulate organic carbon by 17% and 72% and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal Group A and B concentration by 356% and 251%. Summer cover crop incorporation resulted in a rapid gain in labile organic carbon, which constituted hotspots for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi growth, conversely, fungal activities increased labile organic carbon availability. The combined effect of increased soil water at sowing and over the growing season, organic carbon, and microbial activities contributed to greater yield. The findings suggest that summer cover cropping with timely termination can have implications in managing soil water at sowing time and enhancing soil water storage during the season, soil carbon, and facilitating microbial activities while enhancing productivity in the dryland cropping system.