Western Australian grain growers are challenged by a changing climate,...

Western Australian grain growers are challenged by a changing climate, shifting rainfall later in the cropping season (Green, et al., 2025). The importance of understanding what crop to grow when soil moisture is minimal, and no significant rainfall event occurs until after May, is vital for grain growers to maximise profit.

In the Geraldton port zone, the average season break is the 22nd of May (Guthrie pers. comms.), prompting growers to conduct dry seeding prior to the break of season. Dry seeding, however, can lead to challenges such as compromised seeding depth, reduced herbicide effectiveness and sub-optimal furrow formation. It also carries risks like false breaks that may result in increased seedling mortality. Conversely, delaying seeding until after the break can enhance weed management (offering benefit of double knock herbicide strategies), provide confidence in soil moisture availability, and improve furrow structure.

Other research has investigated timing of sowing across different cultivars, which has ultimately informed the practice of early sowing, however, these findings have failed to address scenarios where late sowing is the only option, particularly as a result of a late break – a scenario which may become more frequent in the Geraldton port zone due to changing climatic conditions.