Released last week, the outlook also found that while the east coast will be drier on average, rainfall is expected to be above average in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The drier outlook may influence the seeding strategies in Victoria and New South Wales, with seeding set to get underway in April.

In dry areas such as the Mallee in Victoria, lentils and chickpeas have flourished in parched conditions, while in other areas canola, barley and lupins have shown strong signs despite a lack of rainfall.

University of South Australia agricultural research engineer Jack Desbiolles has spent years studying the impacts of seeding systems on crop performance under different soil types and residues.

“Getting the seeder set-up right is critical for rapid seed germination, uniform crop emergence and good early vigour,” he said prior to seeding season in 2016. 

“Due to the diverse nature of soils and climatic conditions there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”

Desbiolles said crop establishment was often variable, with crops sown too shallow on the stony soils and too deep on the sandy hills, which significantly impacted crop emergence, erosion risks and ultimately crop profitability.

Research by the Minnipa Agricultural Centre during 2007-09 found that both tyne and disc seeders could be used effectively in stony soils as long as the settings were optimised; getting the settings wrong, such as too shallow seeding depth in dry conditions, reduced establishment by up to 40 per cent.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation website has plenty of information on dry seeding options for your soil, visit https://grdc.com.au/Media-Centre/Media-News/South/2016/03/Select-a-seeding-system-for-your-soil.