Project overview
Canola is now widely grown across WA, while the production of legumes such as lupins has steadily declined since the 1990s. As a result, many farming systems have become heavily reliant on synthetic nitrogen fertilisers to maintain crop yields. Finding practical ways to bring legumes back into crop rotations may help improve soil health and reduce fertiliser use over time.
This project explores the potential of growing canola and legumes together in the same paddock, a practice known as intercropping. While this approach is used by some growers in WA, it has not been widely adopted, and its benefits and challenges are not yet well understood under local dryland conditions.
The aim of the project is to assess whether intercropping canola with legumes can provide a productive and profitable option for WA growers. By working closely with growers, the project seeks to better understand current experiences, identify agronomic barriers to adoption, and ensure future research is relevant to local conditions.
This project aligns with the Hub’s priorities to strengthen farming practices in a changing climate and supports the reintroduction of legumes to improve diversity in broadacre systems.
Expected outcomes
The project uses a combined approach of grower engagement and field-based research to ensure outcomes are relevant and applicable at the farm level.
To capture current perceptions, identify barrier and highlight knowledge gaps, Chloe will be engaging with growers and grower groups from around WA through surveys and interviews.
Findings from the grower engagement activities will directly inform the design of a grower-aligned field trial planned for 2026.
Alongside the grower engagement activities, the project is also value adding to the WAARC N-ABLE project to try and assess the rotational nitrogen benefit of intercropping canola and legumes though small plot field trial experimentation.
Expected outcomes include improved understanding of the productivity, profitability, and system benefits of canola-legume intercropping, including reduced reliance on nitrogen fertilisers. The project will also aim to identify practical barriers to adoption and opportunities for future research and extension.
The surveys and interviews will be commencing in February 2026. If you or anyone you know would be interested in sharing your opinions or experience with intercropping, please contact Chloe at chloe.rout@research.uwa.edu.au.
This project is supported by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, and the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration.
FAQs
Why SMART SPRAYS?
Smart sprays have the potential to reduce evaporation and redirect water for increased crop yield and profit.
Smart sprays components:
- Biodegrade in marine, soil, and compost environments into CO₂, water, and biomass.
- Do not degrade into microplastics in the environment.
- Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and have a decreased carbon footprint as no fossil fuel feedstock is used.
- Do not need to be retrieved from the field – they will biodegrade in situ.
The main component of SMART SPRAYS can be produced by microorganisms through the use of a wide variety of renewable feedstocks, like organic wastes, waste canola oil, brewers waste and glycerol, creating a circular economy.
What’s the different between plastics and bioplastics?
Plastics and bioplastics can be categorised based on their origin/feedstock (biobased vs. fossil fuel based) and their degradation properties (biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable).
Feedstocks
Fossil-based feedstocks: Derived from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
Biobased feedstocks: Derived from plants, algae, or agricultural waste products.
Differences in degradation
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
What’s the different between compostable and biodegradable?
Biodegradable materials are those that can be fully broken down into natural substances, such as water and carbon dioxide, by naturally occurring microorganisms. In waste management, the term “biodegradable” is broadly used to describe materials that degrade either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. The key distinction is that compostable materials are designed to break down within a specific timeframe under controlled composting conditions, where factors like temperature, moisture, and microbial activity are optimised to accelerate decomposition and biomass formation.
Certified compostable
Compostable refers to a product’s ability to biodegrade into non-toxic, natural elements within a defined timeframe under specific composting conditions. Both fossil-based and bio-based bioplastics can be certified as compostable. However, compostability claims should only be made if the product has been certified to a recognised standard, such as Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 or AS 5810-2010.
Biobased bioplastic biodegradable
Smart sprays belong to this category.
Bioplastics made from bio-based feedstocks that fully break down into natural substances, either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. PHA bioplastics, in particular, are known to degrade effectively in both soil and marine environments.
Fossil-based bioplastic biodegradable
Fossil-based biodegradable plastics make up a relatively small category, which includes materials like PBAT and PCL. While PBAT is both biodegradable and compostable, improper disposal can still have environmental consequences, as its degradation requires specific conditions to occur efficiently.
Biobased bioplastic non-biodegradable
Bioplastics can be derived from bio-based feedstocks while remaining non-biodegradable. These materials are chemically identical to traditional fossil-based plastics.
Conventional plastics non-biodegradable
These materials do not biodegrade. In Australia, 2.9 million tonnes of plastic waste are discarded each year, with only 13% recycled, while the remaining 87% ends up in landfill.
Reference: State of Bioplastics in Australia, CSIRO, 2024 with permission.
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
News
- Article, Regional Soil Coordinator
- Article, PropaGATE
The PropaGATE project team and its partners presented on an innovative wastewater treatment trial at the WA Beer and Brewing Conference on 3 July, highlighting
- Article, E&A training
- Article, Field Notes
- Article, PropaGATE
- Article, Regional Soil Coordinator
Resources
- Webinar
- Podcast
- Webinar
External resources
- Not all Water is equal: Water quality is the key to WaterSmart Dams (and Farms)
- WaterSmart Farms: Reverse Osmosis trials giving rural communities fresh water for the future
- WaterSmart Farms: Unlocking Opportunities with Desalination – From Stockwater to Spray Quality
- WaterSmart Farms Deep Drilling project with Dr. Richard George
- WaterSmart Farms: Wongutha CAPS
Collaborators
Project team
Professor Ken Flower
The University of Western Australia
Chloe Rout
The University of Western Australia
Samantha Vijoen
Murdoch University
Alex Gulizia
Murdoch University
Contact
Chloe Rout
PhD candidate, University of Western Australia
chloe.rout@research.uwa.edu.au
Professor Ken Flower
Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI)
School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia
ken.flower@uwa.edu.au
Mary-Anne Glanzlowe
Extension Specialist and Knowledge Broker, South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
mary-anne.glanzlowe@gga.org.au
0400 191 378