Closing the Economic Yield Gap for Grain Legumes in WA

⁠⁠⁠Grower Network members have ranked the inability and inconsistency of growing profitable grain legumes as their second highest issue impacting on their whole farm business profitability. This has been echoed by the majority of the growers who have attended the Grower Network Open Forums. At these meetings, growers noted that they are very keen to use farm-scale trials under grower conditions/situations to determine how particular legumes be can profitable and demonstration of the optimum agronomy practices for pulses/legumes (particularly around disease and weed management) within the sub region.

This project will highlight the optimum agronomy required for maximise yields of grain legumes across a range of environments and soil types, and to determine which grain legumes have the best economic fit in each sub-region, under grower conditions and situations. The agronomic information to be used as the trial treatments, will be drawn from current research projects being conducted in the Western region including: High Value Pulses project (DAW1903-004RTX), Maintenance of Rhizobial Germplasm project (UMU1207-006RTX), the Nitrogen Fixation project (UMU1901-002RTX), the Dryland Legume Pastures Systems project (UMU1805-001RTX) and the Pulse Adaptation investment once it has been contracted. Best fit information produced from these research projects will be used to guide the larger scale on-farm trials.

The successful applicant or applicants will establish groups of growers where none currently exist or involve existing grower groups in the project, linking to influential advisors (both agronomic and farm business management advisors) to encourage participatory learning and adoption of best grain legume practices. The groups will come together to discuss the agronomy of the grain legume crops grown, variety selection and the profitability and other benefits of including them within the cropping rotation.