The grain yield of wheat sown after pulses were 300 kg/ha higher on average compared to wheat sown after canola. The yield gap between the canola-wheat rotation and canola-pulse rotation was a result of reduced soil nitrogen levels following harvest of the break crop phase in 2018.

Biomass and grain yield performance of varieties differed between environments, particularly when there were major differences in soil characteristics and rainfall.

The trial faced numerous problems such as poor emergence in several lines, selective grazing by rabbits/hares and spray drift that confounded the fungicide applications. This trial was abandoned.

Chickpea ascochyta blight infection was low due to dry seasonal conditions, which were not conducive for high levels of disease infection at Hart, 2019. Harvestability, in terms of plant height, was not reduced where chickpea was intercropped with canola. However, intercropping chickpea with linseed in a mixed row arrangement decreased the plant height of chickpea. Grain yield of chickpea as a sole crop was greater than all intercropping treatments. Further work is required to determine if the costs of disease management, weed management and crop desiccation can be reduced by adopting mix species system.

Improved nutrition and inoculants improved biomass but not grain yields Desi chickpea, PBA Striker produced more biomass at flowering than kabuli varieties (Genesis 090 and Genesis 079).

Inoculant and MAP fertiliser increased plant height and biomass production. Further, inoculant and MAP fertiliser increased the height of the lowest pod, which increased their harvestability at Tooligie, 2019. Doubled rate of inoculant did not increase chickpea production compared to applying the standard rate at an economically viable level. Gibberellic acid did not influence plant height or biomass but decreased the grain yield of chickpea at Warnertown 2019.

Incorporating canola as a companion plant did not increase grain yield at all sites in 2019. Plant growth regulator used to manipulate canopy structure increased grain yield. Further work is required to understand the effects on plant density, row arrangements, and companion species on canopy structure and grain yield production.

Although disease pressure was low, the resistant variety, PBA Amberley had significantly lower occurrence of chocolate spot disease than the other two varieties confirming improved resistance in this variety. The lower rainfall in spring was not conducive to chocolate spot and no infections were seen until late November when plants were near maturity. Further research is required to clarify the fungicide treatments required to control chocolate spot in PBA Amberley, especially in seasons more conducive to the disease.

High levels of crop safety were observed in the imidazolinone tolerant faba bean variety at both Mundulla and Yeelanna sites in 2019.

Applying inoculant at sowing has proven to be beneficial to early season crop vigour in faba bean production. Adequate phosphorus fertiliser increased early season crop vigour, biomass and grain yields. Applying 75 kg/ha MAP to faba bean at sowing doubled biomass production compared to faba bean being sown with no fertiliser, at Strawberry Hill in 2019.

Potassium applied to faba bean at sowing and/or at flowering had no effect on plant height, biomass or grain yield.

Tebuconazole foliar fungicide is the superior treatment for controlling this disease, showing that Systiva® seed treatment or Uniform® in furrow were not effective fungicide treatments for control of cercospora leaf spot. 182 Infection from cercospora leaf spot was high early in the season at eight node stage where Uniform mildly suppressed severity compared to the nil treatment. However, by spring the standard tebuconazole treatment at six node growth stage prevented further spread of the disease.

Grain yield of PBA Oura field pea was 400 kg/ha at Kimba, 2019, due to dry seasonal conditions. A foliar fungicide strategy is only recommended for crops that have a potential yield of at least 1.5 t/ha. However, it is not economic to apply fungicides in crops with grain yields below 1.5 t/ha.

Field pea cultivar mixtures show potential in terms of decreasing lodging and increasing harvestability. Cultivar combinations dd not increase biomass and grain yield compared to sole varieties in 2019.

Seed dressings were more effective at controlling the mild infections in Hart while seed dressings or foliar fungicides were not effective in controlling the severe infection levels in Minnipa. Seed dressing is more effective than foliar sprays for low to moderate disease severity, but for severe disease conditions both were less effective.

Intercropping lentil and canola resulted in increased grain productivity at Wudinna, 2019. Intercrop combinations did not over-yield at Warnertown, 2019. Intercropping warrant exploring in low rainfall environments and their potential ancillary benefits, such as increasing groundcover on erosionprone soils, nitrogen fixation, and fodder production as a secondary end use benefit.

Soil treatments had no effect on grain yield. Varieties differed in biomass and grain yields.

Although we reached harvest at both Kimba and Farrell Flat, multiple environmental factors coinciding with bacterial blight infection meant that data was compromised, and no sound conclusions could be drawn from this work.

Key message: Herbicide damage symptoms were not observed in PBA Hallmark XT due to herbicide treatments at Wudinna and Warnertown, 2019. This is likely due to the dry seasonal conditions, which lowered herbicide mobilisation within the soil. Consequently, effects of zinc sulphate on herbicide damage recovery were not visible. Average grain yield of PBA Hallmark XT was 0.71 t/ha at Wudinna and 0.93 t/ha at Warnertown.

Herbicide damage on crops was negligible. Grain yield of PBA Hurricane XT (1.94 t/ha) was 150 kg/ha greater than PBA Hallmark XT, at Coomandook, 2019.

PBA Hallmark XT and PBA Hurricane XT, which are tolerant to Group B herbicides displayed less herbicide damage at all three locations.

Ripping increased mature biomass by 116% and grain yield by 126% compared to unripped plots. However, plants were more susceptible to lodging in ripped plots as they had heavier biomass at maturity. None of the agronomic treatments or varieties had any effects on grain yield.

The application of inoculant at sowing has proven to be of high importance in optimising pulse production. Providing adequate level of available phosphorus boosts pulse production. Application of calcium shortened mature lentil plants diminishing harvestability, as pods formed closer to the ground.

None of the lentil varieties developed ascochyta blight due to the dry conditions during the season. Only few isolated lesions were developed in PBA Hurricane XT.

Inoculant and MAP fertiliser improved biomass yield and plant height of vetch during early vegetative stage at Kimba, Coomandook and Mundulla. This highlights the importance of adequate fertiliser and inoculant for early plant growth.

A negative grain yield and harvest index response to inoculant and MAP fertiliser was observed at Kimba under drought conditions.

There were no production responses in vetch to sulphur application.261 Very few positive responses or more often negative responses were observed in response to gibberellic acid. Further work needs to be done in this area to determine the best use for gibberellic acid in pulse production.

• Field pea, vetch, faba bean and lentil had 3-125% higher biomass yield and 51-110% higher grain yield than chickpea and canola at Minnipa, 2018.
• Current high demand and grain prices for faba bean meant they were the most profitable break crop species.
• Low grain yield of canola (0.43 t/ha) and chickpea (0.39 t/ha) resulted in these crop species not being profitable as grain crops.
• Field pea and vetch, in particular, have multiple alternative end-use options in dry seasonal conditions that can be utilised to recover crop input costs.

• A newly released herbicide tolerant faba bean provides increased weed management options.
• A new release lentil provides another herbicide tolerant lentil variety with different agronomic characteristics.
• However, care still needs to be taken in relation to herbicide use, paddock selection, and herbicide permits and registrations.
   

• Interactions between herbicide and application rate did not have differing responses for grain yield, biomass yield, or gross margin at Minnipa, 2018.
• Combined herbicide and application timing treatments did show differences in grain yield, biomass yield and gross margin.
• Metribuzin and Diuron treatments indicated increased safety levels (58-466% higher biomass and 6-161% higher grain yield) and lower economic risk compared to Terbuthylazine treatments.
• For herbicide applications incorporated by sowing, Metribuzin was of lower economic risk (45% higher gross margin) than Diuron.

B isolate tested was collected from the high intensity lentil producing area in the Yorke Peninsula region in SA.

Protection of the plant foliage through application of fortnightly Chlorothalonil significantly increased yield in the most susceptible variety, PBA Flash (76 %) over unprotected (Nil) plots.

Grain yields were also improved in varieties that had moderate disease reactions together with those varieties that showed no disease symptoms, indicating the importance of fungicide sprays in not only controlling disease but also enhancing plant growth.

All commercial lentil varieties should be managed as having potential for risk from foliar AB especially under favourable conditions that promote disease. Varieties will need close monitoring for disease during the growing season and strategic fungicide sprays will be required in all varieties even in the absence of disease symptoms particularly in varieties rated as having foliar resistance to AB pathogen.

• Field peas have proven to be the most reliable pulse option on the upper Eyre Peninsula with yields remaining the most stable across seasons.
• Under favourable conditions there is potential for alternative pulse crops to be successful.
• Paddock selection, soil type, time of sowing, pulse agronomy, marketing and storage options all need careful consideration when looking at growing alternative pulse crops.
• New varietal options offer earlier maturity as well as improvements in harvestability, disease resistance and herbicide tolerance over older commercial standards, aiding production and profitability.
• Higher value alternatives, such as lentils, may be a high risk option and pulse crops better suited to the region could still prove to be the most profitable option in the long term.

ol and significant yield increases over the nil and Mancozeb treatments in 2015.

Disease progression and grain yield were both reduced by dry and hot spring conditions in early October at all sites in 2015. Further evaluation is warranted in years and environments with more favourable spring conditions. Earlier application timings than the 8 week treatment used in these experiments may also be warranted, along with additional ‘spring’ treatments in longer more favourable seasons.

A number of industry support groups have reported the economic benefit of using fungicide in controlling blackspot in field pea. Results in 2015 showed the current fungicide application strategy, using PPT and two Mancozeb applications suppressed blackspot at most sites, but previous yield benefits reported from this treatment were not realised due to the hot and dry spring conditions experienced in 2015.

New fungicide actives and formulas being evaluated showed significant increases in efficacy for controlling blackspot compared to untreated plots and those treated with Mancozeb. Furthermore, a significant yield benefit (approx. 15%) were also identified in these treatments this year. Further trials are planned in 2016 to explore these results.