Optimising Crop Establishment
Optimising Crop Establishment
Project duration: 4.5 years (10 March 2026 – 30 September 2030)
Project Lead: Grower Group Alliance (GGA)
Project Outputs
Development Component
By 2027 and thereafter, best management strategies to improve crop establishment are benchmarked and validated through 3-5 large scale trials per annum in each GRDC region using a nationally standardised approach for data collection.
Led by a National Steering group and delivered by regional hubs, the Development Component aims to benchmark and validate best management strategies for improving plant establishment through large-scale demonstration trials in each GRDC region p.a. Each site will have extensive soil and environmental characterisations and standardised protocols for collection of treatment response data to support local and national analysis. The focus will be on generating robust, science-based evidence to inform future agronomic practices across various technologies and practices, both individually and combined “Stacked”. This information will be extended through workshops in Output 2.
Demonstration activities will be designed to avoid influencing grower perceptions through visual impressions alone and will not include machinery brand or model comparisons. The sites will be implemented and managed by regional subcontractors, while the equipment and treatments used in each site will be determined in consultation with local reference groups.
Demonstration & Extension Component
By 2027 and thereafter, a nationally coordinated plan to deliver regionally relevant extension outputs on crop establishment, including at least 15 seeder set up workshops per annum.
A seasonal operating plan will specify the locations, dates, and proposed content for each seeder set up workshop each year for sign off by GRDC. That plan will specify the accompanying extension and adoption-related deliverables each year in each region, along with the proposed budget and rationale for the proposed deliverables. This approach will allow for tailoring to region-specific requirements (including the collaboration with local agronomists and reference groups) while still ensuring there’s strong oversight from GRDC.
The seeder setup workshop will provide guidelines for seeding configurations independent of specific manufacturers, avoiding machinery comparisons to maintain clarity and neutrality. In addition to seeding setup, the workshops will address agronomic principles and general management factors that influence seeding operations, incorporating both current knowledge and new insights from Output 1. Topics will include soil types, decision points, reseeding considerations, and weed suppression etc. The aim is to deliver consistent information and support GRDC’s role in providing science-based extension.
A resource summarising key aspects of seeder setup, such as a back pocket guide, is planned for distribution at these workshops.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
By 2026 and each year thereafter, a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning report (MEL) to monitor, improve, and maximise the effectiveness of the entire RD&E program.
The monitoring, evaluation, and learning report will be used to monitor and improve the delivery of the demonstration and extension Component. The first plan will deliver a clear, specific, and evidence-based program logic that outlines how the intended E&A plans and demonstration trials will lead to practice change on-farm. The plan will also be used to provide program participants and GRDC with insights on how to accelerate the time and effectiveness by which new research outputs on novel solutions are tested, developed, extended, and adopted on-farm. To strengthen adoption pathways, the MEL framework will leverage the results of a behavioural insights analysis undertaken in the first year of the project. That analysis will consider factors such as social norms, cognitive biases, and decision heuristics to better understand and influence grower and advisor behaviour. It will also track the effectiveness of targeted incentives (e.g. recognition, peer benchmarking, cost-sharing, or risk mitigation tools) designed to accelerate the uptake of novel practices.
The MEL report will provide GRDC and research partners with actionable insights on:
What behavioural barriers or enablers are influencing adoption of best practice.
Which incentives are most effective in different grower segments and/or regions.
How to tailor communication and extension strategies to improve engagement and decision-making.
The results of the behavioural insights analysis will be used to critically assess the assumed path to adoption for the project.