Australia
January 9, 2008
Source:
GRDC's The Crop Doctor
Pulses are currently grown on less
than 120,000 hectares in Western Australia and researchers in a
GRDC-resourced study
indicate that this is well below their potential.
Independent market surveys commissioned by DAFWA, as well as
direct contact with growers, indicated several barriers to the
greater adoption of pulse cropping.
The barriers are partly technical, as in poor disease resistance
or non-suitability to acid soils and partly perceptional, as in
a negative attitude, coupled with a poor experience of pulses.
DAFWA commissioned Market Equity to survey grower attitudes and
experiences with field peas and found they had greater recall
and understanding of the barriers than the benefits.
They understood the benefits of field peas on their farm, such
as good adaptation to climate and soil types, better than
average weed control and consequently their excellent break crop
value following cereal crops.
However, new and lapsed growers continually cited harvesting as
a key barrier. Consequently, DAFWA and GRDC partnered a project
that tackled harvesting.
Mark Seymour, DAFWA project manager, said the project aimed to
overcome this barrier.
By promoting the role and value of semi-leafless varieties, in
combination with appropriate management, it was hoped growers
and their advisers would modify their attitudes.
In conjunction with experienced growers, DAFWA identified
problems inherent in harvesting semi-leafless field peas and
developed solutions to these problems.
These were documented in Farmnotes 109 and 14/2005 (available
from www.agric.wa.gov.au) and a DVD which was well received by
industry.
The main outcome of all this activity was changed adviser and
farmer attitudes to field pea, followed by unprecedented seed
sales.
It remains to be seen if a large sustainable field pea industry
develops in WA, but at least growers and advisers now have good
technical information about growing and harvesting if they
choose to do so.
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The Crop Doctor is
GRDC Managing Director,
Peter Reading |
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