Faba beans trials

Native budworm actively feeding on cereals has not been an issue for growers or industry in the past, and considering the recent detections, growers and western region industry networks have voiced that they would like support on this issue, especially regarding sampling techniques and spray thresholds. To achieve this, we investigated this new behavioural trend and the population numbers required to cause economic yield losses to determine if and when management is required in non-traditional cereal hosts.

Through pheromone-based moth trapping, crop inspections, glasshouse trials and a field cage trial, we investigated the behaviour of H. punctigera moths and larvae on, and potential economic damage to, wheat in the northern grainbelt of Western Australia. 

This project set out to contribute to an understanding of legume agronomic and financial management in the Esperance Port Zone in an effort to support the decision-making process undertaken by growers in deciding the best crop sequence for their farms, including which break crop best suits their needs.

This project aims to:

1. Contribute to the agronomic understanding of best practice pulse agronomy in the EPZ.
2. Contribute to the financial decision-making process undertaken by growers in deciding the best crop sequence for their farms, including which break crop is the best option to suit their needs.

Demonstrate the effectiveness of different fungicide timing options on chocolate spot management and evaluate a new spray decision support tool.

To compare three legume crops in farmer scale seeding strip trials at three locations in the Albany Port Zone. Demonstrations will compare several legume crops in different soil types in different micro-environments. The same trial sites will be monitored in 2019 to determine the effects (positive or negative) of the legume break crop on the subsequent barley/wheat crop and soil nitrogen status. The legume demonstration trials will provide growers with current agronomic information for pulses/legumes as a break crop in farming systems for the Albany Port Zone. Information from both the legume demonstration and effect on the subsequent crop will complement the Crop Sequence Calculator Workshops to be run concurrently by Farmanco.  

A case study to demonstrate that faba beans can serve as a much needed break crop in the dominant canola-barley rotation on the South Coast sandplain

To compare the effectiveness of fungicide regimes on disease management in faba beans, including a regime based on an IoT sensor that uses canopy microclimate data.

To investigate the fit of high value pulse crops (faba bean, lentil, and chickpea) in the sowing program and their rotational (agronomic and economic) benefits to the following cereal crop.

To better understand the efficacy and crop safety of broadleaf herbicide options for faba bean crops grown on sandy soils in Western Australia, focusing on new varieties; PBA Amberley and PBA Bendoc.

To determine if faba bean responds to applied nitrogen.

The aim of this project was to work with growers to maximise harvester throughput capacity with acceptable losses in the Western region and compare data to that collected in 2022.

The goal of the project was for grain growers in the Western Region to understand the current level of grain losses (tonnes and cost) from harvesters, for all of the major grain crops in Western Australia and understand where these losses occur. Growers will be able to calculate acceptable losses irrespective of varying yield levels.

We aim to determine if faba beans in the high rainfall zone respond to high rates of phosphorus, in-crop nitrogen and/or a complete/intensive nutritional and disease management package.

We aim to compare the current recommended WA fungicide spray strategy with the more regular fungicide applications common in other states, and with a spray timing based on canopy humidity and temperature to determine if this could be a useful decision support tool by West Australian growers.

For newly released faba bean varieties: demonstrate production packages, including herbicide, fertiliser

and rhizobia options that are the ‘best bet’ to maximise yield.

To determine the effect of different cropping sequences to continuous cropping.

These trials evaluated the effects sowing time and sowing rate on grain yield of field pea, faba bean, lupin and chickpea at Yalla-Y-Poora.

Our aim was to test different manufacturers’ products to see how granules preform against the traditional peat product in different soil types and climatic zones, and to find an optimal rate of product application for effective nodulation.

To investigate factorial combinations of sowing time, seed rate and herbicides on the management of annual ryegrass in faba beans.

Aimed at identifying factors limiting the production and nitrogen fixation of pulse crops grown on acidic soils in the high rainfall zone (HRZ) grain production regions of south eastern Australia with a long-term average annual rainfall above 500 mm.

• To determine the effect of agronomic practices, various herbicides and a plant growth regulant canopy architecture and grain yield of faba bean.

• To investigate the effect of chocolate spot and rust management strategies across a range of faba bean varieties.

To investigate the effect of chocolate spot and rust management strategies across a range of faba bean varieties.

To investigate a range of management options across the latest varieties and potential new releases in faba bean at Westmere, and investigate the effect of chocolate spot and rust management strategies across a range of faba bean varieties.

Developing new varieties that are high yielding with a manageable level of resistance to the major fungal diseases and with quality suited to the major markets, particularly the Middle East.

To test the differences between faba bean varieties.

• To investigate the optimum row spacing for range of faba bean varieties and the interaction withg sowing rate for one variety..

To help understand the yield penalties we can expect if good pH levels are not maintained and how
frequently lime needs to be applied.

To raise the awareness of the carry-over or residual effect in alkaline soils of some herbicides on the following crop and show the visual phyto-toxic effects of these herbicides.

• To observe the control of legumes and oilseeds of treatments normally used in cerealy crops applied pre-sowing and early post emergent.
• To observe the crop effect of a range of products over a range of crops applied post sowing pre-emergent and applied early post emergent.

• To compare a number of herbicides and herbicide mixes to control broadleaf weeds in a variety of legume and canola crops.
• To compare a number of herbicides and herbicide mixes to control broadleaf weeds in a variety of legume and canola crops before sowing another crop.

To determine whether crop growth and yield responses are likely from inoculating legumes on alkaline clay-loams in the Southern Mallee.

To look at the carry-over effects and symptoms of Group B and C herbicides on different crop types.

To investigate the response of new faba bean varieties and genotypes to sowing dates.

To conduct a faba bean variety evaluation.

To investigate the impact of seed size in faba beans on the growth, grain yield and seed quality.

To provide farmers with more information on the productivity of legume break crops and varieties in the northern Mallee region.

Two separate trials were implemented in 2014 with one trial aim to compare the productivity of pulse crops with the intention of grain yield and the other trial to compare the productivity of pulse crops with the intention of using as a brown manure

To report on variety descriptions and characteristics.

To investigate the effect of variety and sowing rate on grain yield in spring-sown faba beans

To assess the impact of waterlogging damage on faba bean growth and grain yield.

To explore the economic response to fungicide inputs in faba beans with contrasting genetic resistance and differing canopy sizes.

To investigate the effect of sowing date on current commercial varieties of faba beans, and to identify alternative phenological traits to improve yield and seasonal risk management.

To investigate the relative contributions of biomass and phenology to faba bean grain yield

To investigate the effect of light penetration and canopy structure on pod-set and grain yield.

• To investigate if optimum disease management strategies change in different row spacings across a range of faba bean genotypes, differing in ascochyta blight and chocolate spot susceptibility.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of faba bean varieties and breeding lines to wider row spacing’s sown inter-row in to standing stubble compared with conventional cropping systems (narrow row spacing with slashed stubble).
• The interaction sowing times is also compared

To evaluate potential foliar fungicide spray strategies, new breeding lines and varieties for management of fungal diseases in faba bean. 

To investigate the tolerance of a newly released faba bean variety PBA Bendoc to residual (simulated) and in-crop application timings of Group B herbicides in comparison with the commercial variety PBA Samira. 

To investigate the response of faba bean to application of macro and micro-nutrients.