Table S1. Sowing dates, initial soil moisture and plant available soil water for wheat that were used
in the simulations. The three different levels of PAW (Plant Available water) used at sowing in each
site each corresponded to 30% of the sowing soil-water conditions estimated from an initial set of
simulations as described in Chenu et al. (2011).
Site
Soil type
Baralaba
Gray Clay
Biloela
Gray Clay
Black
Earth
Black
Earth
Vertisol
Clermont
Clermont
Soil
depth
(cm)
150
Wheat PAWC
(mm)
213
150
213
80
80
Sow date
PAW at sowing (%)
21/04-12/05-03/06
63-70-89
18/04-07/05-31/05
55-66-84
22/04-06/05-23/05
92-98-104
22/04-06/05-23/05
90-95-105
130
109
180
192
02/05-23/05-19/06
51-68-86
180
02/05-23/05-19/06
58-80-97
22/04-06/05-24/05
91-96-114
Goondiwindi
Vertisol
Black
Earth
Black
Earth
Red Clay
225
Goondiwindi
Red Clay
Gunnedah
Vertisol
Dalby
Dalby
Emerald
Emerald
Gunnedah
Vertisol
80
80
130
109
22/04-06/05-24/05
89-95-115
140
206
02/05-22/05-20/06
47-66-89
140
170
05/05-24/05-17/06
57-74-99
200
213
03/05-29/05-19/06
46-67-76
200
234
04/05-29/05-17/06
48-71-88
Miles
Gray Clay
150
206
02/05-20/05-20/06
52-70-91
Moree
Vertisol
120
213
03/05-22/05-20/06
46-60-81
Moree
Vertisol
120
212
02/05-22/05-20/06
47-72-94
150
192
02/05-22/05-12/06
47-64-88
03/05-24/05-22/06
46-68-89
03/05-24/05-22/06
50-76-97
24/04-10/05-29/05
90-100-119
24/04-11/05-29/05
89-99-121
Pittsworth
Gray Clay
Quirindi
Vertisol
200
213
Quirindi
200
234
05/05-21/05-09/06
87-94-114
Taroom
Vertisol
Black
Earth
Black
Earth
Black
Earth
Gray Clay
150
206
02/05-21/05-11/06
49-72-92
Wee Waa
Vertisol
150
213
04/05-27/05-19/06
45-57-91
Wee Waa
Vertisol
150
212
04/05-27/05-19/06
53-67-98
Rolleston
Rolleston
Roma
80
80
80
130
109
124
Table S2: Description of sites, soils, and management systems used for sorghum and wheat
simulations, along with the weightings given to each in determining aggregate statistics at site or
regional scale. Each site had a unique weather station, and one or two different soil types. For
sorghum, up to six different management systems were considered. (For wheat, all simulations
assumed a sowing density of 100 000 plants ha-1, see Table S1). For all site-soil-management system
combinations, simulations were performed for three different sowing dates and three initial sowing
moisture values, and the output of each was weighted equally in computing aggregate statistics.
Site Name
Central
Queensland
Clermont
Emerald
Soil
(description - depth
(cm) - water holding
capacity (%))
Sorghu
m area
(%)
Wheat
area
(%)
Black Earth – 80 –15
4.7
1.2
Sorghum management system percentage with
each site-soil
(row configuration (solid, single skip row,
double skip (DS) row), sowing density (kplants
ha-1))
Solid, Solid, Skip,
Skip,
DS,
DS,
35
50
35
50
35
50
40
0
60
0
0
0
Black Earth – 120 – 15
2.0
0.5
40
0
60
0
0
0
Black Earth – 80 – 15
5.0
1.3
20
0
80
0
0
0
Black Earth – 120 – 15
1.7
0.4
30
0
70
0
0
0
Baralaba
Grey Clay – 150 – 20
6.7
1.7
0
70
0
30
0
0
Biloela
Grey Clay – 150 – 20
6.7
1.7
0
70
0
30
0
0
Rolleston
Black Earth – 80 – 15
1.7
0.4
30
0
70
0
0
0
Black Earth – 120 – 15
5.0
1.3
30
0
70
0
0
0
Southern
Queensland
Taroom
Grey Clay – 120 – 20
6.7
4.6
0
60
0
20
0
20
Roma
Black Earth – 80 – 20
6.7
4.6
30
0
70
0
0
0
Miles
Grey Clay – 120 – 20
6.7
7.6
0
60
0
20
0
20
Dalby
Grey Clay – 150 – 18
2.7
1.9
0
70
0
30
0
0
Vertosol – 180 – 22
4.0
2.7
0
100
0
0
0
0
Pittsworth
Grey Clay – 150 – 18
6.7
4.6
0
80
0
20
0
0
Goondiwindi
Grey Clay – 120 – 20
4.7
5.3
0
50
0
50
0
0
Red Chromosol – 140
– 15
2.0
2.3
0
30
0
35
0
35
Grey Clay – 150 – 20
5.7
18.1
0
40
0
40
0
20
Black Earth – 150 – 20
1.0
3.2
0
90
0
10
0
0
Grey Clay – 150 – 20
5.7
18.1
0
60
0
30
0
10
Black Earth – 150 – 20
1.0
3.2
0
100
0
0
0
0
Grey Clay – 150 – 20
4.0
4.7
0
100
0
0
0
0
Black Earth – 200 – 20
2.7
3.1
0
100
0
0
0
0
Grey Clay – 150 – 20
1.0
1.2
0
100
0
0
0
0
Black Earth – 200 – 20
5.7
6.6
0
100
0
0
0
0
Northern
New South
Wales
Moree
Wee Waa
Gunnedah
Quirindi