After a standout 2005 delivered two to three tonne per hectare faba bean yields, growers in Western Australia’s damper climates are again considering the $230-250 per tonne opportunity crop.

Western Australia planted 7000 ha in 2005, but much more would have been sown if seed supply had not run out after many growers made a late decision to sow.

With 05/06 summer rains providing good residual moisture to get faba beans started and troublesome paddocks crying out for the state’s most waterlogging-tolerant legume, another solid year is predicted for the sometimes maligned crop.

Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) supported Department of Agriculture Pulse Agronomy Project Manager, Mark Seymour said last year’s success meant many growers would consider going again in 2006.

“Early season moisture and a kind spring drove strong yields last year and although chocolate spot struck, it was late and growers still harvested up to 3t/ha.

“However, growers need to rotate to paddocks with little or no chocolate spot and ascochyta blight inoculum,” he said.

Although the popular Fiesta variety provides far greater disease resistance than the varieties being grown when chocolate spot devastated the industry in the late 1990s, Mr Seymour said that yield would still drop quickly if disease was not controlled.

This season will mark the Western Australian arrival of new varieties Farah and Cairo. Farah adds ascochyta tolerance to chocolate spot resistance and is a suggested replacement for Fiesta in the south. 

Cairo is thought to have potential in the northern agricultural region because it has the best resistance to the increasingly common disease cercospora.

“These sturdier varieties, combined with sensible rotations and two timely fungicide applications, will offer good defence against disease to maintain yield and all important seed quality. Human consumption markets are usually worth $50/t more than feed.”

Mr Seymour said that Dongara/Mingenew, the Great Southern and Esperance were all capable of turning out average yields of 1.5 – 2t/ha. Esperance is Western Australia’s most prolific faba bean region, with about 3-5000 ha. Very little is grown in the Great Southern, which Mr Seymour said had the potential to support a 60,000 ha crop.

Alan Meldrum of Pulse Australia said that although farmers would still need to apply fungicides, new varieties were performing strongly and offered less risk to production.

“Western Australian grower groups will this year test Farah, Cairo and the South Australia-developed Nura in GRDC supported trials. Faba bean is a great mixed enterprise crop because grain and stubbles have proved very good for finishing lamb,” he said.