How to protect against long fallow disorder

Story sponsored by Sumitomo Chemical Australia.

After years of dry weather, which severely limited plantings across the northern farming region, producers should evaluate their paddocks for the potential risk of issues like long fallow disorder.

When planting their first crop after a drought, growers need to be aware that naturally occurring beneficial fungi, known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), previously known as vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (or VAM fungi), may be depleted in their soils. These fungi help crops access nutrients and moisture within the soil.

Having AMF present and working for you leads to more efficient uptake of key soil nutrients, (particularly phosphorus and zinc), greater drought tolerance, improved soil structure and a greater ability for plants to overcome stresses from disease and pests.

The absence of a host crop during the drought is likely to have led to a decline in AMF inoculum.

A low level or lack of AMF can cause long fallow disorder, which is often found in paddocks that have been fallow for eight to 12 months.

Thankfully, Business Development Manager at Sumitomo Chemical Australia Jock Leys says, there is now a product available that can help reduce that risk and help crops reach their full yield potential.

EndoFuse™, from Sumitomo Chemical, is a new inoculant formulation that contains AMF.

EndoFuse includes four high performing endo-mycorrhizae species that have been proven to increase crop resilience, productivity and overall plant and soil health.

"Treating crops with EndoFuse following fallow periods will reduce the chance of long fallow disorder and under-performing crops," Mr Leys said.

"This is particularly important when planting crops that are much more dependent on good mycorrhizae colonisation and will be more prone to poor growth where levels are low."

EndoFuse is an extremely concentrated highly uniform liquid formulation designed to be easy to apply to broadacre crops as a seed treatment or as an in-furrow spray.

Those growing pulse grain crops or legume pastures who are used to inoculating the seed with Rhizobium will find it is very similar, Mr Leys says.

In fact, for legume crops, it works extremely well when applied together as a combination seed treatment slurry or together in furrow. Another important place to use an AMF inoculant, Mr Leys says, is following Canola.

Growers can test the levels of AMF in their soils by getting their agronomists to take a Predicta B test of their fields, which gives an indication for the level of beneficial AMF present.

Endofuse will be available from mid-April and as Mr Leys always says: "It all starts with the soil, the healthier you can make your soil, the better your crops will perform".

Story sponsored by Sumitomo Chemical Australia.