SE14® Delivers Consistent Establishment in Elders Cranbrook Trial
At Elders Cranbrook, Agronomist Laura Archer works with growers facing dry starts and non-wetting soils. In 2019, SE14 was included in Elders’ local trial program to validate its role in supporting crop establishment. The trial confirmed what many local growers were already seeing on-farm: more even crops, easier herbicide timing, and improved weed control, even in challenging moisture conditions.
Key Achievements
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Validated Crop Evenness in Tough Conditions
SE14 delivered more uniform emergence across trial and grower paddocks, even in a dry start.
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Enhanced Herbicide Performance and Weed Suppression
Stronger crop establishment helped reduce ryegrass pressure and improved herbicide activity.
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Increased Grower Adoption Across Cranbrook
More growers are using SE14 to improve crop consistency and manage dry seeding risks.
The Challenge
At Elders Cranbrook, Agronomist Laura Archer works with growers facing dry starts and non-wetting soils. In 2019, SE14 was included in Elders’ local trial program to validate its role in supporting crop establishment. The trial confirmed what many local growers were already seeing on-farm: more even crops, easier herbicide timing, and improved weed control, even in challenging moisture conditions.
The Solution
To evaluate SE14’s fit for these conditions, Elders Cranbrook included it in their local barley trial, sown using Living Farm’s Trial Seeder at three litres per hectare, placed one centimetre below the seed. No additional products were mixed with SE14.
The trial compared SE14 with and without several pre-emergent herbicides, including trifluralin, Arcade, and Boxer Gold, to assess ryegrass control under side-by-side conditions.
Despite only light rainfall before sowing, SE14 helped retain moisture in the furrow, resulting in more uniform crop emergence.
“In the SE14 plots, everything came up at the same time, was very even.”
— Laura Archer, Elders Cranbrook
The Result
The trial plots treated with SE14 demonstrated better crop consistency and timing, allowing growers to make more effective herbicide applications. Ryegrass pressure was noticeably lower in SE14 treated areas compared to untreated plots.
“We’ve been able to see some good reduction in ryegrass populations visually.”
— Laura Archer, Elders Cranbrook
Local growers using SE14 outside the trial also reported even establishment across their paddocks, making weed control and crop staging more manageable in a dry start.
Laura was impressed with the results, particularly given that the trial site was not considered the most non-wetting in the region. She attributed SE14’s performance to its moisture retention benefits during a tough start, regardless of soil type.
Elders plans to replicate the trial in Mingenew that same year and continue rotating sites across southern WA, with SE14 remaining part of the validation program.
SE14® is a registered trademark of Agrion Crop Solutions Pty Ltd.
