trials

To assess the ground cover and legacies of pulses in rotation

To determine how productive and profitable high value pulse crops are on soils that have been ameliorated. Paddock scale demonstration. Possibly with small plot demonstrations of weed control options on ameliorated soils. 

Assess the response of lentil and lupin to nutrition across variable soil types within a paddock

To evaluate fertiliser input strategies for pulse crops growing on unripped and ripped soils

To understand the impact of differing wheat stubble loads on the establishment of canola under a range of locally relevant sowing practices.

Assess the response of faba bean and lentil to trace elements cross variable soil types within a paddock

Multiple trials around the theme of improving and quantifying the benefit of pulses to subsequent crops. This will include comparisons of crop types in 2022, followed by cereal crops in 2023, and techniques to increase biomass (early sowing) and increase N fixation (rhizobia studies) 

To determine benefits of various pulses compared to canola on plant available water content, mineral N content, and cereal yield. 

Improve canopy management and harvest index of Faba beans

Evaluate the response of cultivar, seeding density and canopy management (PGR and defoliation) to manipulate canopy architecture in a high yielding faba bean Amberley compared to current practice Samira and Bendoc.

To measure the affect of deep ripping on the Water Use and WUE of Chickpea

To measure the affect of deep ripping on the Water Use and WUE of Lentil

This field trial at Roseworthy was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of canola type (herbicide tolerance package), canola seed rate and herbicides on the management of annual ryegrass.

This field trial at Roseworthy was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of lentil seed rate and herbicides on the management of annual ryegrass.

This field trial at Gladstone was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of wheat seed rate and herbicides on the management of annual ryegrass.

This field trial at Roseworthy was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of field pea seed rate and herbicides on the management of annual ryegrass.

This field trial at Roseworthy was undertaken to investigate factorial combinations of wheat seed rate, and herbicides packages on wheat grain yield and the management of annual ryegrass.

To demonstrate new technologies to aassist with managing weeds in lentils.

To investigate how sowing date and variety interact to affect faba bean growth, development and yield

To assess the ground cover and legacies of pulses in rotation

To evalaute yield reponses of chickpea to deep ripping across the variable soil types encountered within Mallee paddocks

To explore what part of the faba bean needs protecting for yield and how nutrition can help a crop tolerate disease

To look at how a farmer's paddock relfects a season and the variability which is shown for faba bean growth and yield

Multiple trials around the theme of improving and quantifying the benefit of pulses to subsequent crops. This will include comparisons of crop types in 2022, followed by cereal crops in 2023, and techniques to increase biomass (early sowing) and increase N fixation (rhizobia studies) 

To determine benefits of various pulses (planted in 2021) compared to canola on plant available water content, mineral N content, and cereal yield. 

Variety Demonstration (Lentil, Vetch, Field Pea, Chickpea, Faba Beans)

To evaluate the impact of Septoria tritici blotch on wheat of different resistant ratings and determine yield loss in the MRZ and LRZ of the Southern Australia

Development of best management practices to increase the production of high-quality grade peanut kernels

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

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

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. 

To assess the ground cover and legacies of pulses in rotation

To demonstrate the potential of pulse crops on soil that was previously only capable of producing lupins.

To demostrate the the imidazolinone and residual sulfonyl urea tolerance of 2 new breedling lines. 

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

Everyone knows that Queensland grows the best chickpeas, but chickpeas leave the soil quite bare. This bare soil then reduces our fallow efficiency (amount of fallow rainfall captured for use by the next crop), which is a big problem in an area that relies on stored soilwater for yield.

Our team recently completed a study growing cover crops in the fallow to improve ground cover and soilwater available to the next crop, so we understand the value of ground cover and when we saw the opportunity to try growing the cover crop with our chickpeas we were keen to give it a go.

Companion crops are not new or novel, they are in every home vege garden; from marigolds to keep the pests out of tomatoes, or flowers to attract pollinators into the pumpkin patch. What is novel is doing this on a broadacre scale and with mechanically harvested crops.

A review by CSIRO (Fletcher et al 2016) showed potential to increase crop productivity with intercrops; particularly with ‘peaola’ (canola and fieldpea), which increase productivity by 50% in 24 of 34 studies reviewed. They also found cereal-legume intercrops to increase productivity in 64% of studies.

That review focused on temperate cropping areas of southern Australian and internationally, so the question remains whether these systems will perform in a sub-tropical environment and a farming system reliant on stored soilwater for yield stability.

Given our reliance on stored soilwater for maintaining grain yield and the fallow efficiency cost of low stubble cover following chickpea; we focused our efforts on wheat and chickpea, with the research questions of: Can we increase stubble cover after chickpea? and What is the yield impact of growing wheat and chickpea together as companion crops?

To demonstrate and quantify the benefits of growing pulses with alternative broadleaf break crops (canola) 

This investment aimed to locally validate previous R&D investment relating to spring sown crops (albeit include newer crop types and varieties where suitable), building local grower and adviser knowledge to inform decisions when managing excess soil moisture. It aimed to provide production and economic information from both farm-scale demonstrations and a small plot trial to inform good business decisions in regard to spring/summer sown crops.

The trials evaluated the crop performance on a range of metrics to provide a thorough assessment of summer crops, and the role they can play in agronomic systems, and the potential they have to reduce the waterlogging risk.

GRDC Outcome:

By February 2023, 20% of Western Region Growers who farm in areas with a medium to high-risk of regular waterlogging will have built the knowledge and confidence to profitably sow a crop in spring or summer on paddocks were winter crops/pastures have failed due to excessive waterlogging or where soil moisture levels permit in future years.

To achieve this outcome, Stirlings to Coast Farmers (SCF) worked with a number of other Grower Groups to ensure the key learnings of the trial were broadly and successfully extended to growers in the Great Southern Region of WA.

To evaluate the impact of Septoria tritici blotch on wheat of different resistant ratings and determine yield loss in the MRZ and LRZ of the Southern Australia

To investigate the potential improved tolerance of a faba bean breeding line to metribuzin in comparison with PBA Samira 

To evaluate the impact of header front adaptation on mungbean grain loss at harvest

This project aimed to quantify the level of grain loss under commercial conditions and also the impact of management changes to reduce thoselosses. This trial evaluated the impact of air assist on grain losses from an AWS air bar mounted on a John Deere 640D draper front.

This project aimed to quantify the level of grain loss under commercial conditions and also the impact of management changes to reduce thoselosses. This trial evaluated the impact of air assist on grain losses from an AWS air bar mounted on a John Deere 640D draper front.

To investigate the impact of standing stubble on disease progression and resulting yield loss in faba bean.

To investigate the impact of standing stubble on ascochyta blight infection and resulting yield loss in chickpeas.

To demonstate use patterns of the new pre emergent herbicide Reflex in a range pulse crops grown on a deep sandy soil.

To evaluate the relative response of pulse crops to deep ripping sand Mallee soils

Identify optimum seeding rate and variety selection depening on target crop end use

To demonstrate agronomic management strategies to reduce the risk of herbicide damage when applying Metribuzin to lentils and vetch on Mallee sandy soils.