Reinventing the wheels
The first official seeding trials using the patent-pending Wesley Wheel have been sown in Merredin and Southern Cross to better understand the effects of water harvesting techniques on wheat yields.
Southern Cross farmer Callum Wesley, who invented the imposing seeding structure, came up with his innovative concept after achieving high yields on a small trial plot during a low rainfall year on his eastern Wheatbelt farm.
Mr Wesley said the concept involved the use of specific seeding points that increased the soil throw.
The points are trailed by the Wesley Wheels, which compress this excess soil in the inter row into two faces, creating a steep incline to support water run off.
Trials in both Merredin, at the Department of Agriculture and Food research station, and at Mr Wesley's Southern Cross farm, include row spacings of 220mm, 300mm, 375mm and 460mm, with and without the Wesley Wheel concept.
Mr Wesley said there was some thought that while wider-spaced rows might have a yield penalty, there would be benefits associated with greater water harvesting capacity.
"It's a common idea that the wider furrow space means the less yield you get, but the catch to this is that the wider the furrow the more water harvesting you can achieve with this concept," Mr Wesley said.
He said the Wesley Wheel concept was attempting to maximise the efficiency of the rainfall through water harvesting from the inter row and concentrating it in the furrow where it is needed during the growing season.
"This concept has come about with RTK auto steer, where we can repeat our furrows over consecutive seasons," he said.
"While it's quite a tailored system, it can be easily adapted to an existing seeder.
"Instead of conventionally farming 100 per cent of your top soil, and not doing a very good job of it with the poor seasons we've had, this concept means you are only farming about three-quarters of your top soils, but you are farming that exceptionally well.
"Not only are you encouraging all the available water into those furrows, but the nutrients also."
DAWFA development officer Glen Riethmuller said nutrient testing would be conducted on the plant tissues during the trial to ascertain the impact of the deep furrows on the plant health.
He said given the seed was effectively planted more deeply, below the topsoil, it may not be able to access some of the soil nutrients from previous years.
"This is the first time we have done a monitored trial using the Wesley Wheel, and while the rainfall so far this year doesn't yet lend itself to a low rainfall trial, this is the first step in the process," Mr Riethmuller said.
Mr Wesley said the Wesley Wheel could have applications for farms right throughout the Wheatbelt, not just for those farming in marginal rainfall areas.
"Even in a typical season, there can be dry spells, and this concept may be able to support the plant during those dry spells to secure any moisture available," he said.
Mr Wesley said despite this being the first step in a long trial process, he hoped to see the use of the Wesley Wheel in coming seasons, particularly in the eastern Wheatbelt region.
"Our district doesn't really have five years of research and development time up its sleeve," he said.
"We need to access technology like this as soon as we can to ensure we maximise our water harvesting opportunities and achieve yields that make us profitable."
