Zinc should be applied every three to four years as part of the normal fertiliser program when cropping in the Mallee and Wimmera.

• Grain yields were increased by sowing early (mid-April to early-May) over later sowing (end of May) under the favourable growing seasons experienced at Hart in 2016, in contrast to similar climatic seasons in higher rainfall areas of SA such as Tarlee.
• Varieties with agronomic characteristics of early flowering and high biomass production optimised yields.
• There was no change in grain yields from application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on early sown faba beans.
• Agronomic traits related to improved harvestability were observed from some PGRs, however further field testing will be required to better understand the best application timings and quantify benefits.

• Prices for faba beans have remained very high compared with long term averages, enhancing the profitability of faba beans. Growers always need to be aware of possible price swings as the international market is limited. The potential return for the crop should be based on longer term pricing between $300 and $400/ t.
• New varieties, PBA Zahra and PBA Samira, offer significantly improved grain yield (>10%) and disease resistance compared with older varieties.
• Sowing early is essential to maximise benefits to the farming system from improved biomass and grain yield to maximise profitability.
• Good disease management is critical to maximise grain yield and quality. Growers are encouraged to carefully plan their strategies, regularly monitor crops and have fungicide purchased in advance, to ensure appropriate timing of application.

• Seasonal conditions were the major influence on faba bean performance.
• Earlier sowings were beneficial in 2015, with significantly increased yields and grain weight.
• Extremely dry spring conditions and a short harsh finish mean results should be interpreted with caution. Long-term data and additional information should be considered when making varietal or agronomic decisions.

• Commercial viability has been difficult to demonstrate.
• Field trials demonstrated that the H Senor was able to accurately classify annual ryegrass in several broadleaf crops, including canola, faba bean, lentil and field pea.
• Other grass weeds such as brome grass and wild oats were also correctly identified as grasses in these crops.
• Broad leaf weeds were accurately classified in cereal crops, however this was more difficult due to the overlapping nature of the cereal crops at the time when the broadleaf weeds had emerged.
• Classification accuracy was lower for detection of grass weeds in cereal crops and broadleaf weeds in broadleaf crops, and these scenarios were not pursued for that reason.  

• Commercial viability has been difficult to demonstrate.
• Field trials demonstrated that the H Senor was able to accurately classify annual ryegrass in several broadleaf crops, including canola, faba bean, lentil and field pea.
• Other grass weeds such as brome grass and wild oats were also correctly identified as grasses in these crops.
• Broad leaf weeds were accurately classified in cereal crops, however this was more difficult due to the overlapping nature of the cereal crops at the time when the broadleaf weeds had emerged.
• Classification accuracy was lower for detection of grass weeds in cereal crops and broadleaf weeds in broadleaf crops, and these scenarios were not pursued for that reason.  

• Early sowing, concurrent with previous research, was highest yielding in 2012
• There appear to be several promising new varieties available for southern Victoria, offering a range of grain types and forage options, associated with excellent yield potential.
• Crop topping results highlight the importance for growers and advisors to be aware of both weed and crop growth stages, otherwise significant grain yield loss could occur.

• New varieties are likely to offer significant yield improvement in southern Victoria, along with improvements in disease resistance.

• There were no significant differences in yield between lupin or faba bean varieties.
• Farah was the highest yielding faba bean variety and Mandelup was the highest yielding lupin variety.
• Disease and weeds were a significant problem in these poorly competitive crops in this wet year in Gippsland.

• Commercial viability has been difficult to demonstrate.
• Field trials demonstrated that the H Senor was able to accurately classify annual ryegrass in several broadleaf crops, including canola, faba bean, lentil and field pea.
• Other grass weeds such as brome grass and wild oats were also correctly identified as grasses in these crops.
• Broad leaf weeds were accurately classified in cereal crops, however this was more difficult due to the overlapping nature of the cereal crops at the time when the broadleaf weeds had emerged.
• Classification accuracy was lower for detection of grass weeds in cereal crops and broadleaf weeds in broadleaf crops, and these scenarios were not pursued for that reason.  

• An advanced breeding line (AF07125) has been developed with improved resistance to CLS.
• There was no CLS in the trial, and the fungicide amended fertiliser (Impact-in-furrow) provided no additional benefits in terms of grain yield.
• Disease levels were low, and grain yield was high, averaging 4.3t/ha across the trial.
• The potential release AF07125 was the highest yielding variety, outyielding Farah and Nura by 5%

• Chocolate spot is a major disease in bean crops, causing significant losses to yield and profitability.
• Low disease levels in 2012 and favourable seasonal conditions meant that there was no treatment or variety response for either disease severity or grain yield.

• Crop-topping 7-14 days prior to milky dough stage of ryegrass caused significant yield loss at all three sites, and ranged from 24% at Melton to 72% at Bool Lagoon.
• Crop-topping at the milky dough stage (MDS) of ryegrass caused significant yield loss at only one of the three sites (Bool Lagoon).

• The late break (12 June) and prevailing seasonal conditions were unfavourable for the spread of disease, although chocolate spot and rust did infect the trial plots early in the season. Disease was not a yield limiting factor in this trial this year.
• No significant difference was recorded between any of the different fungicide spray programs within varieties or between varieties.
• Fiesta VF plots had a reduced plant population compared to the other varieties due to poor seed quality of the commercial seed sourced.y treatment.

• Low levels of ascochyta. Fiesta had a significantly higher foliar symptom score (2.1) than
  Farah and Ic*As/7/3 (both 1.1). The Standard and Complete spray treatments reduced
  ascochyta on Fiesta to negligible levels (score of 1.0).

• A low level of rust infection occurred during October and was the only foliar disease affecting bean performance.
• 7% higher grain yields occurred in the fortnightly sprayed (improved rust control) and single
  cercospora treatment (reasons unclear) compared with the nil treatment.
• Grain yields decreased by 14% when sowing date was delayed from May 1 to May 18. No
  further yield loss occurred when sowing date was delayed to June 6.
• Nura was higher yielding than Farah at the mid sowing time and equal at the others, unlike
  in previous trials where Nura has been lower yielding at later sowing dates. Late rainfall events in 2007 were of more benefit to Nura than Farah.
• Necking (collapsing of top part of bean plant) was greater at the early sowing time. Nura
  had a higher level of necking than Farah sown early, but yields were the same. Similar
  necking and yield occurred between the two varieties when sown late.

• Yield of faba beans (ignoring the broad bean PBA Kareema) averaged 1.5t/ha at Wanilla in 2012. Early establishment and growth was excellent, disease pressure was low, and beans showed high yield potential.
• Beans appeared to “hay off” late in the season due to high early season biomass production and the dry and rapid finish to the season, together with the occurrence of several high temperature events during late flowering.

• There was low disease pressure in 2018 and there was no difference in grain yield between the nil control and various fungicide programs. 

• There was low disease pressure in 2018 and there was no difference in grain yield between the nil control and the fungicide programs.  
   

• The three bean varieties, Farah, Fiesta and Nura, gave similar yields and showed a similar yield response to delayed sowing – i.e. around 1.5 t/ha when sown on May 12, falling to around 0.9 t/ha with a June 7 sowing.
• Foliar disease levels (ascochyta) were negligible in Farah and Nura at both sowing times, and very low in late sown Fiesta. The slightly higher, but still low, levels of ascochyta in early sown Fiesta were reduced by fungicide sprays, but this did not produce a yield response.
• Spinnaker herbicide applied at 100 g/ha post-sowing pre-emergence caused no yield depression in any of the varieties at either time of sowing, and showed no effect on total plant height or height to bottom pods at harvest.
• The extreme dry late winter/spring conditions may have limited responses to fungicide spray regimes and Spinnaker in this trial.

• Chocolate spot levels were high in 2009, and accounted for 32% yield loss across varieties
  in untreated plots.
• Nura had higher disease levels and lower grain yield than Fiesta across all treatments in
  2009, but a triple chocolate spot spray strategy was effective in reducing yield loss by 25%
  in both varieties.

• In a year with high rust pressure, fungicide application provided beneficial to all genotypes, even those with a good level of rust resistance.
• Several advanced breeding lines from the northern breeding program show promise, with high yield and large seed size combined with rust and chocolate spot resistance equal to or better than the current northern varieties.

Conclusion:

The high rust pressure and frequent rainfall towards the end of the season was likely responsible for the poor fungicide response in the LF experiment in terms of reducing symptoms and improving yield and seed size. In the HF experiment, mancozeb and
tebuconozole were most effective overall in reducing symptoms and improving yield and seed size. Four of the five fungicides were effective in increasing yield in the HF experiment compared with only one in the LF experiment, indicating the need for repeated sprays when disease pressure is high.

Note that the permit for tebuconazole allows for only three applications of 145 mL/ha in commercial crops.

 

• Adding phosphorus (P) did not significantly increase yield or seed weight in the varieties PBA WardaA and PBA NasmaA.
• PBA NasmaA produced greater yield and seed size than PBA WardaA.

Conclusions:

In this experiment, additional P did not increase yield, however, on a lower P site, a positive response to P might occur. The reduction in yield caused by adding N might be due to reduced nodulation in N-treated plots, although nodulation was not measured in this trial. The greater yield and seed size of PBA NasmaA compared with PBA WardaA supports other experimental data.

• In a year of high disease pressure, most fungicides did not provide a yield and seed size benefit when used at low frequency.
• A high frequency fungicide strategy provided yield benefit using a number of products.
   

• Across four years of trials, PBA Samira and PBA Zahra appear to have consistently shown higher grain yields than older varieties in the Victorian HRZ.
• PBA Bendoc, a new faba bean variety with Group B imidazoline herbicide tolerance, has been released. It was bred from Nura and PBA Samira, has similar flowering time and maturity to these varieties and has yielded similarly to PBA Samira in 2015-2018.
• The breeding line AF11023 is a standout of the new breeding lines for the Victorian HRZ. It has yielded equal to or greater than PBA Samira and PBA Zahra and has a higher level of resistance to chocolate spot than either variety. 

• This study showed that the two herbicide treatments, 2,4-D Amine applied at 250ml/ha and Glyphosate applied at 1L/ha, produced the largest reduction in mature height, but also caused a large yield penalty.

• Visual observations of Spinnaker causing reduced bean growth were quite spectacular.
• The recommended maximum rate of Spinnaker (100 g/ha) suppressed growth and final grain yield in both Farah and Nura, and this was further exacerbated at higher rates and later sowing.
• The results do not show Nura to be more sensitive to Spinnaker than Farah overall, although Nura yields were reduced by Spinnaker at all sowing times, while Farah yields were only reduced at later sowings.

• Soil pH (6.8) at this site was ideal for bean growth, and attempted amelioration through application of lime had no effect on grain yield. In soils with higher acidity beans may still benefit from the application of lime.
• Inoculation of beans is considered to be “cheap insurance” in areas with low previous history or acidic soils prone to water logging. However the addition of inoculum may not always provide a significant yield response, but will generally improve nodulation and consequently N fixation.

Either moly treatments had any increase in yield or nodulation. Tisue tests aso showed increase moly levels but the control was above deficiency threshhold.

No product had significant effects on crop height.

• Trial not harvested due to drought conditions

• All three varieties responded similarly to plant density, with no significant variety by plant density for either curvature or slope between the different varieties.

• All three varieties responded similarly to plant density, with no significant variety by plant density for either curvature or slope between the different varieties.he two varieties when sown late.

• PBA Samira was damaged by Intercept, with damage including stunting, chlorosis and coupled leaves
• Double the rate of standard rhizobia and the new acid tolerant strain improved root nodulation compared to the recommended rate of the standard strain
• Fertiliser rate impacted on lodging only, with standard rate of P standing up  slightly more
• All treatments achieved excellent yields >2.5 t/ha
• PBA Bendoc looked better all year and out yielded PBA Samira for all herbicide treatments

• Plots were too short and not harvest because of the drought.

• Trial not harvested due to drought conditions

A plant population of 25 plants/m2 yielded higher than 15 plants/m2.

7.5 inch rows yielded higher than 15 inch rows.

•Across all varieties tested, there was no significant response to sowing time, which validates the current sowing window recommendation. Therefore, the optimum time to sow faba bean at Lockhart in 2016 was late April–mid May.
• PBA Nasma and Fiesta VF were the two highest yielding commercial varieties.
• The advanced breeding lines AF10089 and AF09169, developed by Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) were significantly higher yielding than all other varieties.
• PBA Samira and Nura yielded significantly higher when sown on 18 May compared to 28 April.
• Crop lodging was significantly less for the 18 May sowing date.
• PBA Nasma flowered 17 and 14 days earlier than PBA Samira and PBA Zahra at 28 April, and eight and six days earlier at 18 May.

• The optimum time to sow faba beans in southern NSW was late April–mid May.
• Even in a favourable season such as 2016 there was a 10% yield penalty when sowing was delayed from 7 May to 2 June.
• Average seed size reduced by 8% when sown outside the recommended window.
• PBA Nasma, Fiesta VF, and PBA Zahra were the highest yielding commercial varieties.
• Advanced breeding lines AF10089 and AF09169 had significantly higher grain yields, particularly at the 28 April sowing date when compared to other sowing dates.
• Flowering duration for PBA Samira and PBA Zahra was stable across sowing dates, but reduced for PBA Nasma as sowing was delayed.

• Plant height was shorter than normal for the Tarlee area, likely due to the drier than average spring in 2012.
• A plant density x variety response showed that Fiord was the only variety to show decreased plant height with increasing plant density.

• Despite relatively low growing season rainfall in 2012, bean yields were still reasonably high at Bool Lagoon in 2012. It is likely that yields were buoyed by high December 2011 rainfall, lack of disease, and the relatively mild (although dry) finish to the 2012 season.

• Sowing early (April 26) produced the highest grain yields in 2018.
• In a drier than average year there was a yield benefit from very high sowing rates on narrow row spacings, with significant gains from 21 to 31 plants/m2, and from 31 to 45 plants/m2.
• 2018 was a low disease year and there was no disease penalty from higher sowing rates. Yield benefits from higher plant densities should be weighed against higher disease risks in wetter years. 

• The optimum timing to sow faba beans at Junee in 2015 was mid-April.
• PBA Zahra, PBS Samira and PBA Nasma were the highest yielding varieties.
• Commercial yields of 3t/ha are acheivable with appropriate variety and selection management. 

• Th optimum time to sow faba beans at Lockhart in 2015 was mid-Apri.
• PBA NAsma, PBA Samira and Fiesta VF were the highest yielding commercial varieties.
• The 23 April sowing had a mean bottom pod height of 42.3cm, 29% higher than the 13 May sowing.

• Sowing time has far greater consequences on growth, development, dry matter and grain yield of faba bean than variety choice.
• The dry spring combined with temperature constraints, imposed a common ceiling to yield despite large differences measured in dry matter (DM), height and reproductive number across all treatments.
• Early sown faba bean was primarily affected by severe frosts, while later sown was limited by flower node production and heat stress.
• Under these conditions, early April sowings resulted in greater biomass, taller plants, more flowering nodes, additional lodging, more disease and greater frost damage. Given a more favourable spring, disease and lodging could have been further exacerbated, inflicting even greater yield penalties to the first time of sowing (TOS).
•  Findings from this and previous experiments show the optimum sowing window for faba bean on acidic, red brown soils of southern NSW to be from 20 April to 15 May. The later sown crops within this window could still be disadvantaged under early unfavourable finishing conditons. 

• The optimum time to sow faba beans at Wagga Wagga in 2015 was mid-late April.
• PBA Nasma, PBA Samira, PBA Zahra, Farah and Fiesta VF were the highest yielding commercial varieties.
• Time of sowing had a far greater effect on growth, development and grain yield, of faba bean than variety in this experiment.
• PBA Nasma prduced a small grain size of 53g/100 seeds, which could have negative marketing implications. Further testing is required to determine if this was a seasonal effect.

• Winter and early spring seasonal conditions favoured faba bean production in 2009, and yields were more than double those in 2008.
• Yield was generally maximised at the early sowing date and at the narrow row spacing.
• Farah was the highest or equal highest yielding variety at both sowing dates in 2009.
• The taller varieties Farah and 974* showed the largest reduction in yield when row spacing
  was doubled from 9” to 18”.
• Chocolate spot levels were high in 2009, and accounted for 32% yield loss across varieties
  in untreated plots. Agronomic techniques that delayed canopy closure (ie later sowing, lower
  plant densities and wider row spacings) were important in reducing disease severity.
• Nura had higher disease levels and lower grain yield than Fiesta across all treatments in
  2009, but a triple chocolate spot spray strategy was effective in reducing yield loss by 25%
  in both varieties.
• Decreasing plant density was the most significant factor influencing disease levels after
  delayed sowing, and resulted in lower disease levels across all varieties, and increasing row
  spacing reduced disease infection in early sown Fiord only.
• Increasing row spacing reduced chocolate spot infection, but only in the susceptible variety
  Fiord when sown early.

• New varieties are likely to offer significant yield improvement in southern Victoria, along with improvements in disease resistance.
• Residual herbicide caused issues in 2013, most likely due to the dry summer of 2012/13.
• Similar to 2012, AF05095 was the highest yielding variety at 3.95 t/ha, 37% higher than Farah.
• Based on yields achieved (3.9 t/ha) beans could have achieved a gross profit of approximately $1300/ha based on management costs of $250/ha and grain price at $400/t.
   

• Grain yields of beans were lower in 2012 in than previous seasons, averaging 3.6t/ha at Bool Lagoon.
• All varieties showed higher yields sown early.
• Later maturing varieties PBA Rana and PBA Kareema performed similarly to other varieties in this trial in 2012, despite the low season rainfall.
• The three earlier maturing varieties (Farah, Fiord and Nura) showed increased yield from increasing plant density, while no yield response was seen in later maturing and larger seeded varieties (PBA Rana and PBA Kareema).
• Fiord showed the most response from varying plant density across the three seasons of trials.
• Crop-topping trials showed a 9% yield loss across all varieties from crop-topping at the milky dough stage of ryegrass in 2012 and caution is required with this practice in later maturing regions. No yield loss was generated from later treatments.

• Plant densities greater than 25 pl/m2 produced the highest grain yields in 2018.
• PBA Samira and PBA Zahra performed equally well, with average grain yield of 3.2 t/ha and 3.1 t/ha, respectively.
• 2018 was a low disease year and there was no disease penalty from higher sowing rates. Yield benefits from higher plant densities should be weighed against higher disease risks in wetter years. 

Fiesta VF is a reliable faba bean variety suitable for most areas of Victoria. Fiord, Barkool and Ascot are also good varieties for short season environments of Victoria. Ascot produces high quality grain but yields less than Fiesta VF. The later flowering variety Manafest, which is moderately resistant to chocolate spot but is susceptible to ascochyta blight, yields best in the high rainfall areas of south west Victoria.

Fiesta VF is a reliable faba bean variety suitable for most areas of Victoria. Fiord, Barkool and Ascot are also good varieties for short season environments of Victoria. Ascot produces high quality grain but yields less than Fiesta VF. The later flowering variety Manafest, which is moderately resistant to chocolate spot but is susceptible to ascochyta blight, yields best in the high rainfall areas of south west Victoria.

The faba bean evaluation in the Southern Mallee in 1999 included comemrcial varieties, experimental lines with dual resistance to Ascochyta and chocolate spot.

• The early maturing varieties Fiord, FiestaVF, Barkool and Deep Purple were the highest yielding varieties in 2000. Fiord, FiestaVF and Barkool are the best adapted varieties for low rainfall and short season environments of Victoria and have grain suitable for human consumption.
• FiestaVF has superior grain quality compared to the other varieties and attracts a premium (approximately $40 over Fiord in 2000).

• Fiesta VF is a reliable faba bean variety suitable for most areas of Victoria. Fiord, Barkool and Ascot are also good varieties for short season environments of Victoria. Ascot produces high quality grain but yields less than Fiesta VF.
• The later flowering variety Manafest, which is moderately resistant to chocolate spot but is susceptible to ascochyta blight, yields best in the high rainfall areas of southwest Victoria.

• PBA Samira and PBA Zahra have consistently been among the highest yielding commercial entries at teh Westmere site in 2015-17, out-yielding older faba bean varieties.
• There is a continued improvement in yield of faba bean linies with teh top breeding lines out-yielding current varieties at the Westmere site in 2015-17
• Seed wt was lower in 2017 than 2016 and this is most likely due to lower rainfall during the seed development phase in 2017.

• Very high yields achieved in faba bean breeding trial in South Western Victoria in 2016
• New PBA faba bean varieties have higher yields than older varieties
• A high level of fungal disease developed in 2016 and a proactive fungicide program is required to manage faba beans in high rainfall districts 

• Despite a dry season, yields for many of the varieties was extremely good, with Aquadulce and Fiesta VF both performing well. Manafest did not perform well in this trial, although in the intermediate trial at the same site, it yielded much better and was not significantly different in yield to Aquadulce. 
• Dry conditions at sowing limited the effectiveness of the post sowing pre-emergent herbicide sprays used. This is a major constraint with growing beans as there are no broadleaf herbicides registered for use post emergent in beans. Beans are best grown as a third or fourth crop in the rotation, after broadleaf weeds have been controlled in previous years. 

• The highest yielding faba bean variety was Manafest yielding 4.4 t/ha, followed by Farah with 4.14 t/ha. Fiesta VF and Nura yielded about 4.00 t/ha and were not significantlly different from Fiesta VF.
• For further take home messages please see the attached trial report.

• The faba bean varieties produced high yields (>4 t/ha) indicating their potential as a crop in the Western Districts.
• The three major faba bean varieties, Farah, Fiesta VF and Nura, produced comparable yields in both 2009 and 2010 while there was also little difference between the varieties for chocolate spot. Farah and Nura are both MR-R to Mscochyta blight whereas Fiesta VF is MS-MR, so Farah and Nura would be the preferred varieties for the district.
• The broad bean varieties Aquadulce and PBA Kareem yielded significantly less than the faba bean varieties in both years. Broad beans are very late to fill pods and mature, compared to faba beans, and require a long and cool pod filling period to achieve maximum yields.
• A significant level of chocolate spot developed in both seasons and is likely to have affected yields. Chocolate spot is favoured by a high humidity during the flowering and pod filling period and a preventative fungicide should be applied at the commencement of flowering with follow-up applications dependent on disease development and weather conditions.

Samira continues to be the best released variety.

• Inoculating faba beans prior to sowing improved nodulation on acid soil.
• New acid tolerant rhizobia (strain SRDI-969) increased nodulation but not grain yield, which was limited by low rainfall.
• The SRDI-969 is a promising strain, which is under evaluation as a future replacement for the current commercially available strain (WSM-1455).

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.

These results are only preliminary and should not be used on their own. The effects of the different fungicides will require greater investigation before significant interpretation can be made.

• In a season with very little disease pressure, small varietal differences in chocolate spot did occur throughout the season, but these differences did not manifest into yield differences. Seed rate was critical to maximise yield in 2020, where lower seeds rates produced significantly lower yields when compared to higher seed rates. Seed rates also had a major effect on crop architecture, with lower seed rate treatments podding over a longer portion of the stem and having a higher pod number but lower overall dry matter harvest than that of higher seed rates.

 

• In 2020 grin yields were high (3.36 and 2.96 t/ha) considering the dry finish to the season. As with the sowing rate trial, varieties that were slower to mature and held a green canopy for longer and could not convert the green leaf area into yield due to the very dry spring conditions Variety selection is the key to minimise diseases. However, in low disease pressure situations, less disease doesn’t mean higher yields.

PBA Samira, PBA Zahra, and PBA Amberley, varieties with improved resistance to chocolate spot had less symptoms and better grain yields than PBA Marne and PBA Bendoc. At Tarrington, where there was very high disease pressure, the new chemistry fungicide strategy increased grain yield by 33% (to 4 t/ha) compared to the control where fungicides were not applied (3 t/ha).

• Despite very low disease pressure in 2018, there was a significant and profitable grain yield increase of between 40 and 55% with the use of fungicide strategies. 

• Disease was not an issue in 2018 due to very dry seasonal conditions. There was no difference in grain yield between the disease management strategies, and the varieties and breeding lines.  

Despite some early infection, disease was not a significant issue in 2019 due to dry spring conditions. There was no difference in the grain yield response of varieties to disease management strategy. At the higher rainfall zone site, Gymbowen, a complete fungicide spray treatment (7 applications) increased grain yield by 5-8% compared with other strategies, which was not profitable. An early flowering line, AF12025, was the highest yielding line, similar to Curyo and consistent with previous observations.

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.

• AF11023 and AF12025 had significantly higher grain yield than other breeding lines, and equivalent grain yield to varieties such as PBA Samira, PBA Farah, PBA Marne and PBA Bendoc.
• This highlights the potential for reliable and profitable faba bean production in low rainfall environments.
• In addition to the rotational benefit of faba bean to the farming system, the high yielding varieties and breeding lines had an estimated net return of $24-89/ha.
• However, it is worth noting that the price of faba bean at harvest was exceptionally high in 2018/19, reaching more than $1100/t. 

Similar, to previous seasons and consistent with other sites in 2019, the early flowering and maturing breeding line, AF12025, produced the highest grain yields (17% - 53%) higher than all other varieties. Faba beans had the highest net return ($1410-2310/ha) of all pulse crops in 2019 at Curyo, ranging from $1410-2310/ha.

PBA Bendoc, PBA Amberley and PBA Samira showed similar relative tolerance to GpC in terms of crop damage, but slightly higher biomass reduction in PBA Bendoc, could indicate greater sensitivity. PBA Bendoc showed excellent tolerance to ‘imazamox & imazapyr’, even with GpC applied PSPE. Results also highlighted the base level tolerance that many conventional faba bean varieties have against imidazolinone products with PBA Amberley and PBA Samira showing almost no damage with the PSPE application of ‘imazamox & imazapyr’.

•  Group B herbicide application timing significantly influenced herbicide damage of faba bean varieties. Herbicide damage scores generally increased with delaying herbicide application timing from PSPE to 4 node, 8 node and flowering stages. Although the level of damage in PBA Bendoc was significantly less than PBA Samira, both varieties showed the highest sensitivity to in-crop application of sulfonylurea herbicides (see Table 1 in attached trial report summary). Grain yield results are not presented due to soil variability and poor root nodulation caused by soil acidity. 

• Group B herbicide application timing significantly influenced herbicide damage, biomass and grain yield loss of faba bean varieties. Herbicide damage and subsequent yield losses were more severe in the conventional variety PBA Samira than in the group B tolerant variety PBA Bendoc, and generally increased with delaying herbicide application timing from PSPE to 4 node, 8 node and flowering stages. PBA Samira incurred significant yield loss from all the herbicide treatments except PSPE and in crop application of ‘Imi2’, and application of ‘Imi1’ up to 8 node stages. In contrast, PBA Bendoc showed improved tolerance and did not have significant yield loss from the herbicide treatments except in-crop application of ‘SU1’ and ‘SU2’ at 8 node and flowering stages. The results should be treated with caution due to the confounding effect of dry seasonal conditions and repeated frost events. 
   

PBA Amberley and PBA Bendoc showed little to no signs of herbicide damage at x0.25 and x0.5. At higher rates PBA Bendoc showed lower herbicide damage and higher grain yields than PBA Amberely.

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

New acid-tolerant rhizobia strains can increase nodulation of faba beans on acid soil. However, sustained ability of faba beans to fix atmospheric nitrogen strongly depends on appropriate lime programs. Inoculating faba beans with peat inoculants significantly increased nodulation compared to the controls that were not inoculated.

The irrigated spring-sown faba beans produced higher yields with an average of 6.9 t/ha across the treatments (Table 3). High variability in the trial suggests these numbers may be exaggerated, but header data from the surrounding paddock indicate that up to 6 t/ha grain yields were achieved by the grower in some parts of the paddock.

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.

There was no grain yield response to application of lime, macro and micro-nutrients, indicating that none of the applied nutrients were yield limiting at the site. Grain yield ranged between 4.52 and 4.89 t/ha.

• Grain yields were low and variable in 2018 due to low soil pH at the site, and waterlogging that occurred during winter. The removal of molybdenum from the fertiliser significantly reduced plant vigor and grain yield. However, due to the high soil variability results should be treated with caution. 
   

• There was no grain yield response to the phosphorus fertilizer rates. These results may be due to very dry growing season conditions, which might have reduced movement and uptake of the applied nutrient by the crop. Hence, results should be interpreted with caution. Biomass yield however showed a significant increase from application of 20 kg/ha and higher rates of P2O5. 

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.

The grain yield of faba beans significantly increased at higher plant densities especially when the when the diseases were controlled. Despite a late autumn break, with adequate chemical disease control, PBA Samira grain yields more than tripled (from 1.5 t/ha to 5.4 t/ha) when plant densities increased from 5 plants/m2 to 45 plants/m2 at Tarrington in 2019.

In 2019 at Lake Bolac, faba bean grain yield was reduced by 15% when the crop emerged on June 12 compared to May 23. PBA Zahra and PBA Nasma had larger seed sizes than PBA Samira and PBA Marne.

AF12025 and PBA Nasma, which are varieties with shorter season length outperformed varieties with longer season lengths (PBA Samira and PBA Bendoc) when sown in spring.

• The optimum time to sowing faba bean at Junee in 2015 was mid-April.
• PBA Zahra, PBA Samira and PBA Nasma are the highest yielding varieties.
• Commercial yields of 3 t/ha are achievable with appropriate varieties and management.

• The optimum time to sowing faba bean at Wagga Wagga 2015 was mid-late April.
• PBA Nasma, PBA Samira, PBA Zahra, Farah and Fiesta VF were the highest yielding commercial varieties.
• Choice of sowing time had far greater consequences on growth, development and grain yield of faba bean than choice of variety in this experiment.
• PBA Nasma produced a small grain size of 53 gm/100 seeds which may have negative marketing implications

The practice of windrowing beans has become increasingly popular in the past two seasons for harvest management and perceived grain quality benefits. These benefits were not realised in this trial.

• Faba bean and its specific Group F rhizobia are sensitive to pHCa below about 5.0
• Faba bean rooting depth is limited by acid layers in the soil profile
• Unincorporated, surface-applied lime increases pH of the soil surface, but has limited effect on subsurface pH in the short to medium term
• Lime incorporation to 10cm is necessary to rapidly increase subsurface pH
• Check for pH stratification before using Group B SU herbicides – elevated surface pH slows the breakdown of herbicide residue and may extend re-cropping intervals for legume species on acid soils to 22 months – check herbicide labels

• Soil amelioration, particularly liming with incorporation to depth, increases break crop options.
• Faba beans can be successfully grown on light soil types if pH is managed.
• Subsequent nitrogen fertiliser programs should take account of residual N to optimise the benefits of pulse crops.

Group B herbicide application timing significantly influenced plant height, biomass and grain yield of faba bean varieties. The level of herbicide damage and subsequent yield losses from the herbicide treatments were generally more severe in PBA Samira than PBA Bendoc, and when applied incrop than PSPE. PBA Samira incurred significant yield loss from all the herbicide treatments except SU1 applied at PSPE and Imi2 applied at PSPE and flowering. In contrast, PBA Bendoc showed improved tolerance and did not have significant yield loss from most herbicide treatments except in-crop application of SU2 and SU1.