Dry and early sowing of cereal crops is a practice commonly employed across southern Australian cropping regions to combat increasingly erratic and delayed opening season rainfall. Though there has been a large amount of research and development undertaken on dry and early sowing, there is an opportunity to promote the wider adoption of best practice dry and early sowing practices adapted to local conditions.

Building on previous demonstrations delivered through the De-risking the seeding program project led by Ag Excellence Alliance, this project investigated the influence of sowing depth on crop establishment and performance across three South Australian Mallee sites. The demonstrations generated practical, locally relevant information to help growers better understand the opportunities and limitations of dry and early sowing under a range of seasonal conditions.

Project description: 

Building on the 2024 De-risking the Seeding Program demonstrations, Mallee Sustainable Farming delivered three demonstration trials across Bowhill, Waikerie and Lameroo to investigate the performance of dry and early sown crops under different sowing depths and seasonal conditions.

The demonstrations evaluated cereal and grain legume responses across contrasting soil types, improving understanding of how sowing depth influences crop establishment and crop performance. Project findings were extended through field activities, research updates and technical resources, providing growers and advisers with practical information to support more informed sowing decisions in the South Australian Mallee.

Key achievements and results: 

Project update – 2026

This project has now been completed, with demonstration trials delivered across Bowhill, Waikerie and Lameroo to investigate sowing depth under challenging seasonal conditions. Although the 2025 season was characterised by low summer rainfall, limited subsoil moisture and significant wind erosion at several sites, the demonstrations generated valuable local evidence on the opportunities and limitations of deeper sowing across contrasting soil types.

Key findings include:

• Bowhill demonstrated that deeper sowing improved crop establishment and grain yield on non-wetting sandy soils.
• At Waikerie and Lameroo, limited subsoil moisture and difficult seasonal conditions reduced the performance of deeper sowing treatments.
• Results reinforced that sowing depth decisions should be tailored to seasonal conditions and soil type rather than applying a single approach across all paddocks.
• The demonstrations expanded the evidence base supporting dry and early sowing decisions for growers across the South Australian Mallee.

Read the full technical report below for detailed trial results and key learnings.

Project findings were shared through presentations at the Karoonda Mallee Research Update and the Lameroo Pre-seeding and Variable Rate Technology Forum, helping extend practical learnings to growers and advisers. Feedback from these events highlighted strong interest in risk-managed seeding decisions, soil-responsive management and practical guidance to support crop establishment under challenging seasonal conditions.

Further information:

Access the full technical report with trial results here: Demonstration of key management practices for the success of dry and early sown crops – building on results from 2024

Keep updated with the project via Mallee Sustainable Farming.