Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Victoria trials

• To evaluate Ascochyta blight (AB) response of new varieties and advanced breeding lines by comparing their susceptibility to known varieties

To assess the natural incidence of two BYD strains (PAV and RPV) in an insecticide treated field and to evaluate the effects of diseasse 'hot spots' (infected plots with BYD) and infection rate on neighbouring plants.

Demonstrate best practice phalaris establishment and management at the PPS/EverGraze site at Mooneys Gap which should provide information to producers to give them confidence to increase phalaris use.

• To assess the use of fungicides for the control of blackspot (ascochyta blight) and effect on yield in field pea.

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

• To determine the effect of various plant growth regulant (PGR) hormones, herbicides,  fungicides and agronomic practices on canopy architecture and grain yield of faba bean.

• To compare the growth, grain yield of potential new blue field varieties.

• To compare the growth, grain yield of potential new blue field varieties.

• To understand the required maturity timing in chickpea for successful crop-topping practice of rye grass in South Australia.

• To determine the correct maturity timing for successful crop-topping practice and to identify lines suitable for crop-topping, showing minimal yield loss in faba bean.

• To investigate the impact of crop-topping and harvest timing on the yield and quality on new green lentil lines.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of field pea varieties to varying disease management strategies.

• To investigate the effect of chocolate spot and rust management strategies across a range of faba bean varieties in standing and slashed stubble treatments.

• To investigate optimum disease management strategies across a range of chickpea varieties, differing in ascochyta blight susceptibility.

• To verify cereal crop production can be maintained with 0P rates when soil tests advise applying 0P on a range of soil types in a continuous cereal paddock.
• To test strategic management of N as a long-term approach, compared with the currently recommended 'tactical' method, on a rane of soil types in a continuous cereal paddock.

• To assess the agronomic practice of ‘crop topping’ at multiple application timings on grain yield and grain weight of field pea varieties varying in plant maturity.

• To assess the agronomic benefits of seeding pulses into standing cereal stubble and identify optimum standing stubble retention management strategies for maximising yields.

To evaluate a range of forage shrubs in the Victorian Mallee environment in terms of plant survival, canopy development, health, edible biomass, seedling recruitment and performance under grazing.

• To investigate the impact of crop-topping and harvest timing on the yield and quality on new green lentil varieties.

• To assess the effect of various residual group B chemistries on growth and yield of tolerant and susceptible lentil varieties, and
• To confirm in-crop tolerance of some group B chemistries applied post-emergence on Group B herbicide improved XT varieties and advanced lentil breeding lines compared with conventional standards.

• To understand the genetic control in lentils relating to tolerance to the range of sulfonyl urea herbicides.

• To understand the genetic control in lentils relating to tolerance to the range of sulfonyl urea herbicides.

• To compare the growth, grain yield and gross margins of recently released field pea varieties with historical varieties.

To test the viability of establishing lucerne pastures in areas where they have not been traditionally grown.

• To assess the agronomic practice of ‘crop topping’ at multiple application timings on grain yield and grain weight of lentil varieties varying in plant maturity.

To investigate the adaptability of a range of new lentil varieties and variety mixes to varying sowing dates, identify levels of tolerance to a range of group B herbicides in several breeding lines of lentils which have been selected from the Pulse Breeding Australia breeding program for improvements in tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides.

• To evaluate pulse options in the upper Eyre Peninsula region following recent increased interest in alternative pulse options to field peas from growers and agronomists.

To compare the tolerance of different cereal crops to crown rot, and therefore determine the most tolerant cereals for paddocks at risk of crown rot.

• Test the “triple pack pasture program™”, against the usual pasture establishment system of one year’s weed control and sowing of a perennial pasture.
• Assess the result by comparing the two systems with approximately one fifth of the paddock sown in a conventional way and the rest of the paddock established with the “triple pack pasture program™”.
• Try to ascertain whether the claimed benefits of the “triple pack pasture program™”, outweigh the extra costs of a three year establishment system.

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

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of faba bean varieties to varying row spacing.

• To investigate whether barley varieties vary in their tolerance to scald.
• To compare different management strategies for controlling scald in different barley varieties.

• To identify the optimal sowing date for current and potential new faba bean varieties.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of kabuli chickpea varieties to sowing date.

• To understand the agronomic performance of new lentil varieties under varying environments of early and delayed sowing times in South Australia.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of kabuli chickpea varieties to sowing date.

• To maximise chickpea production through the identification of optimum variety and sowing dates.

• To evaluate the optimum sowing density of new ‘high biomass’ lentil varieties alongside older varieties at two sowing dates.

• To test the yield response of six faba bean varieties across 4 different sowing times and two targeted plant populations in southern NSW.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of lentil varieties and variety mixes to varying sowing dates.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of field pea varieties to varying sowing dates.

• To investigate the adaptability of a range of lentil varieties to varying sowing dates.

• To investigate the potential of new chickpea varieties in the high rainfall zone of Victoria.

• To investigate the potential of new lentil varieties in the high rainfall zone of Victoria.

To evaluate new wheat varieties and thier suitability to the Mallee.

To evaluate new wheat varieties and assess their suitability to the Wimmera.