Demonstrations of legumes crops for reliable profitability in the Western Region

OUTCOME

The majority of growers in the port zones will have access to agronomy packages for pulses/legumes and to whole farm modelling tools for their own farms to determine if particular legumes are profitable in their system. 20% of growers will be actively using these tools to assess the risks and rewards in growing a legume for a break crop on their property by 2021.

OUTPUTS

1. WA Crop Sequence Calculator workshops

Delivery of 3 workshops per port zone on how to run simulations of different break crops; and what the impact on profits are from the different options. It is expected that each workshop will be run for a half-day followed by presentations by relevant experts/growers with knowledge on break crops that would be suitable for the port zone (could include researchers, private industry, marketers etc.). The aim of the workshops is to up-skill growers and advisors on the economics of different legume options for the port zone. These workshops should include appropriate presenters and include an analysis (financial and risk) of all rotations with information pertinent for the port zone.

2. Legume demonstration sites

A total of 3 demonstration sites will be established across each port zone on varying suitable soil types (shallow clay soils, heavy soils, and duplex soil types) and across different management systems.

• Year 1 will be a combination of different legume break crops seeded into cereal stubble and canola stubble

• Year 2 of this rotation will be cereal seeded into the various break crops and legumes as noted above.

3. Crop Rotation modelling – validation of demonstration site outputs

The crop rotation model LUSO (developed by CSIRO’s Roger Lawes and others) will also be run alongside to ground-truth the applicability of this model to port zone conditions and upskill new users.

4. Annual Report

Delivered to GRDC by 28th February 2019, in the annual report it is expected that for each year and each crop type, there will be economic analysis as well as yield results. Other measurements to include (but are not limited to) are:

• weed species and densities

• disease monitoring (soil, crown and leaf)

• soil and plant tissue tests, including subsoil tests.

• soil moisture

• crop yield and quality (weigh trailer)

• rotation profitability

5. Final Report

Delivered to GRDC by 28th February 2020. The activity is for a duration of 2 years with regular updates being made available to the RCSN co-ordinator and Western Panel as directed. A final report will be delivered at the conclusion of this activity which will include reporting on the demonstration sites on a range of soil types (and include shallow clay soils, heavy soils, and duplex soil types); the delivery of Crop Sequence workshops; and the extension of agronomy packages with key messages for pulses/legumes that fit for growers in the Esperance port zone (particularly around disease and weed management).