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Turretfield Research Centre was established in 1908 and is owned and maintained by SARDI for the purpose of conducting research for the benefit of the rural industries.

Turretfield conducts research related to the agricultural systems of the State’s cereal-livestock zone. Historically this has included applied research on cereal, pulse and oilseed crop production, pastures, sheep and beef cattle production, and soil conservation.

As a result of review of State Research Centres in 1985, it was decided that Turretfield would assume statewide responsibility for sheep and wool research, at the same time maintaining a role in cereal-livestock zone cropping and pasture agronomy research. Additional land (Kingsford) was purchased in July 1989 and new office, laboratory and conference facilities opened in October 1991.

In August 1995, as part of SARDI’s charter to promote industry development and as a means to reduce reliance on public sector funding laboratory and office facilities were leased to a private commercial pharmaceutical’s company, Protherics Australasia

Funds to finance research are derived from the State Government, Industry Trust and the private sector.

Applied Sheep Genetics

Turretfield maintains a self-replacing Merino ewe flock that has been involved in applied sheep breeding and genetics research since 1987. Facilities for sheep handling, single sire mating and lambing are first rate. Investment in e-sheep technology (electronic ear tags, computer based data capture, automatic electronic weighing and drafting) facilitates efficient conduct of sheep breeding research programs.

Sheep Reproductive Biology

World class facilities and expertise are available in the area of sheep reproductive biology. Research and commercial contract programs are conducted in embryo transfer, juvenile in-vitro embryo transfer, transgenesis and cloning.

Field Crop Research

As a major site for SARDI’s National Oat Breeding Program, National Vetch Breeding Program, Pea Evaluation Program and the National Variety Testing Program (NVT), Turretfield makes available 25 to 30 hectares per year for field crop research where trials of the whole range of cereal (wheat, oats, barley, rye, triticale) and pulse crops (field peas, faba beans, chickpeas, lentils, vetch) are grown. Trials include breeders, variety evaluations, agronomic, disease resistance, and herbicide screening trials.

Foundation Seed Scheme

Historically Turretfield has maintained and multiplied breeders’ lines and produced basic seed of all recommended field crop varieties. In April of 2006 due to a lack of long term support for the scheme it was decided to discontinue the role of the Foundation Seed Scheme. However, the area set aside for the multiplication of varieties will still continue to be used by the National Oat Breeding Program (on a smaller scale) for the development of breeders seed of new varieties and in some cases the maintenance of breeders lines of existing proprietary cultivars of oats. 

Technical expertise

Turretfield serves as a valuable resource to assist consultants, professional associations and other educational agencies keep abreast of the latest research developments. The results of Turretfield research are conveyed to producers and agri-business through field days, press articles, special interest seminars and PIRSA Rural Solutions consultants.

Postal address

SARDI
Turretfield Research Centre
Holland Road
ROSEDALE      
SA 5350

Phone: 08 8524 9600
Fax: 08 8524 9088

Current Research Programs

Livestock 

Projects include:

• transgenesis technology to produce sheep which model certain diseases of importance to humans
• improvement of the efficiency of artificial breeding techniques including:
  • artificial insemination
  • embryo collection and transfer
  • in vitro maturation and fertilisation of oocytes
  • somatic cell cloning
  • embryo culture
  • juvenile in vitro embryo transfer (JIVET™)
• the genetic improvement of Merino sheep, through:
  • estimation of genetic parameters
  • demonstration of alternative selection strategies
  • improving wool production and quality, including the evaluation of fine wools
  • improving meat returns from Merinos
  • investigation of genetic causes of pigmentation in sheep
  • development of a high fertility South Australian Merino

Field crops

Projects include:

• Evaluation of improved lines of field crops bred by SARDI, Adelaide University and Interstate is carried out, with emphasis on disease resistance, quality, and yield in the Turretfield environment.
• Other research is aimed at identifying management and cultural practices to overcome factors presently limiting yield or reducing quality in cereal and pulse crops.

Pastures

• Evaluation of alternative legumes to suit the different soil types of the cereal-livestock zone and, in particular, to improve establishment, seed production and regeneration on the hard-setting red-brown earth soils over a range of rainfall isohyets and soil pH levels.

The Turretfield Environment

Turretfield Research Centre is situated at Rosedale, 55 km northeast of Adelaide, in the red-brown earth soil area of South Australia’s cereal-livestock zone. The Kingsford property is 4 km to the west.

Climate

Mediterranean-type with hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters.

 Area and topography

The Centre’s original holding of 651 hectares contains 508 ha which are arable, flat to undulating land. Contour banking permits cropping on the slopes. The 127 ha of unarable land are steep hills, rocky outcrops and the North Para River and Salt Creek watercourses. The office is 113 m above sea level.

The Kingsford property is 370 hectares, of which 300 ha are arable.

Soils

Predominantly loamy red-brown earth soils, with smaller areas of sandy red-brown earth and patches of dark-brown cracking clays over limestone. The red-brown earth soils are slightly acidic to neutral and the dark-brown cracking clays are alkaline.

General Farming Operations

Rotations

Rotations vary from continuous cropping to continuous pasture, depending on the purpose for which the paddocks are used ie:

• for pure seed production 110 ha is utilised in a six paddock rotation of pure seed cereal : pure seed pulse : pure seed cereal : feed barley : followed by two year pasture
• for field crop research 120 ha is utilised in a five split paddock rotation of pasture/ cereal : cereal trials/ pulse trials : cereal : followed by two year pasture. The part of the paddock sown to cereal in year 1 is sown to pulse trials in year 2. The part of the paddock sown to pasture in year 1 is sown to cereal trials in year 2
• remaining arable land is cropped irregularly in order to grow grain and hay to feed to stock during late summer – autumn, usually totaling between 80–160 ha per year
• arable paddocks close to the yards and shearing shed have been continuous pasture for up to 30 years

Pastures

Based on annual species, principally subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum, varieties Clare, Rosedale, Junee and Seaton Part), Trifolium michelianum (Paradana) and Medicago truncatula (Parraggio, Mogul) together with volunteer grasses, including annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) and barley grass (Hordeum leporinum).

The pastures are normally dry sown after the cropping phase. Some use is made of selective herbicides to control grass and broadleaf weeds and to maximise legume content of pastures.

Fertilisers

Historically superphosphate was applied on all paddocks every year; 13–20 kg P/ha sown with crops and new pastures, or 10–14 kg P/ha spread on established pastures in autumn. Nitrogen fertiliser (18–20 kg/ha) was applied at seeding with follow-up urea applications if needed.

In more recent times economic pressure has led to reduced fertiliser inputs.

Stocking rate

Under the current cropping program the carrying capacity of Turretfield plus Kingsford, is 4500 dry sheep equivalent or 4.5 DSE per ha. This equates approximately to 7.5 DSE per arable pasture ha, 2.5 DSE per unarable ha and 1.0 DSE per cropped ha (stubble grazing) This stocking intensity usually requires supplementary feeding (hay and grain) in late summer–autumn with feeding extending into winter if the seasonal rains are delayed beyond April.

Additional grazing capacity is sometimes obtained by leasing additional land.