Optimising performance and managing risk in faba beans

Author: | Date: 26 Aug 2014

Take home messages

  • New varieties have allowed Faba beans to be a profitable crop in their own right.
  • Get the inoculation and establishment right and it makes everything else easier.
  • Legume nitrogen appears to be more stable in our farming systems than artificial nitrogen.
  • Have a look at the GrowNotes (http://www.grdc.com.au/grownotes) on Faba beans on the GRDC website for much more information.
  • Grow only the latest varieties to ensure the best disease and grain package available.

Background

Historically fababeans have been un-affectionately known as “failure beans” and with good reason in many cases. The older varieties such as Fiord, Fiesta and Barkool had poor disease packages and in wet years would often be wiped out by chocolate spot and / or rust.

Since the release of the variety Cairo in 2003, fababeans have found their regular place in many paddocks in northern NSW.  Cairo became accepted in the market place due to its larger seed size and quality and it was the larger seed size that caused some grief at planting time for growers with seeds being crushed by the metering devices of air-seeders and sometimes causing blockages in the seed tubes of zero till planters.

The subsequent release of Doza in 2008 and PBA Warda in late 2012 has resulted in better disease packages and more consistent seed size. These two varieties are a big step forward from Cairo and are a credit to the efforts of the plant breeders involved.

Planning to grow faba beans

Faba beans are no different to any other legume in so far as correct selection of paddock is essential. Start preparing the paddock by ensuring good broadleaf weed control in the preceding crop and if possible leave the stubble standing after harvest. Faba beans are usually slotted into the rotation after a winter cereal, but have also been planted after sorghum and cotton.

Select paddocks with a longer cropping history which are more likely to have a lower nitrogen status. Growing faba beans in soils with low nitrogen will maximise the amount of nitrogen that is fixed by the plants. They are the same as any legume, if there is nitrogen available in the soil they will nodulate poorly and will use it before they start to fix any.

Know the phosphorus status of your soil as faba beans are responsive to phosphorus. As a guide, if your Colwell P is below 30 in a loam soil and 40 in a clay soil then you need to address it.

Ensure the process for inoculating the seed at planting is effective as failure here can result in poor nodulation on the plants and hence poor nitrogen fixation. So if you get this wrong you might as well be growing a non-leguminous crop as you will miss out on the nitrogen benefits that fababeans can offer. Be very wary of mixing rhizobium with liquid starter fertilisers.

Planting and growing faba beans

Planting rate is usually around 90-100 kg/ha to ensure a good even plant stand. Sowing rates as low as 60-70 kg/ha have been used on friable soils that allow easy establishment but a few patchy stands has seen growers move back up to the 90-100 kg/ha rate. Plant stands of 15-25 plants/m2 should be targeted, however don’t stress about lighter stands if planted early. Lower planting rates usually result in more branches per plant and more pods being set lower on the plant due to better light interception and photosynthesis. The new varieties have been bred on one metre row spacing so they will yield on the wide rows. However plants need to be close enough to allow them to lean on each other as the crop ripens because they are hollow stemmed and often collapse a bit. Row spacing commonly used varies from 30-50cm. It is essential to get the establishment right as it makes the management for the rest of the season a lot easier.

If sowing into surface moisture planting usually occurs in the latter half of April through to around the second week in May, using either disc or tyne planters. Often if planting shallow there is no need to level the block as suggested below. There are benefits in leaving the cereal stubble standing as it protects the seedlings and hides them from aphids (which often spread viruses)

If the soil moisture is starting to recede, it is possible to chase it using tyned machines and start planting in the last week of March (in NNSW). Faba beans have been successfully established from a sowing depth of 18-20cm. This is usually only necessary in fairly dry conditions and the success of such deep sowing is usually ensured by levelling the paddock immediately after planting (prior to application of residual herbicides) with something like Kelly harrows to stop the seed trench from drying out. Reducing the planting rate slightly when moisture seeking early can help slow the advancement of the crop and result in better light interception.

Once planting has been completed the soil residual herbicides are applied prior to the crop emerging. The most commonly used herbicides are Simazine® and Spinnaker®, with Terbyne® being trialled by some growers in the last couple of years.

Grass weeds such as wild oats and phalaris are usually controlled prior to canopy closure using a Group A herbicide such as Verdict®. A fungicide such as Dithane® is usually included with the grass herbicide to provide protection of the lower canopy from diseases such as chocolate spot and rust.

Canopy closure can happen fairly quickly so keep an eye on the crop to ensure the opportunity is not missed as you will not get another chance to target the lower leaves on the plant, which is where the diseases often start. Remember that the fungicides are protective, not curative, so need to be on the plant before the disease occurs.

Stand back and watch them grow and enjoy the smell of the flowers. Continually monitor for disease using both visual inspections and the weather forecasts.

Pod set and insects

Faba beans have a very poor flower to pod ratio with only 15-20% of flowers actually resulting in a pod being set on the plant. Flowering usually occurs around 16OC and pod set will follow. A good canopy will help protect the pods from frost damage.

Research has shown that the presence of bees in fababeans does increase yields. The data seems to suggest that one hive per hectare is sufficient to provide the benefits. Information on this can be found on the GRDC website.

The major insect pest in fababeans is Helicoverpa during the pod filling stage of the crop. The threshold used for Helicoverpa if targeting human consumption is around 1/m2. However experience suggests that if you wait to reach this threshold then often the damage level inflicted on the crop will exclude the harvested beans from human consumption. So in reality when there is sufficient pods filling on the crop and Helicoverpa grubs are found at any level then it’s time to do something.

Harvest

Windrowing has been popular over several seasons in the Walgett area, where the NSW DPI staff have been active in assessing its viability. Yield gains from 11-18% have been achieved by windrowing with the better gains occurring when the crop is slow to dry down. Several crops were windrowed in the Moree area a few years ago but growers experienced trouble picking up the windrows after some summer storms and have not continued the practice. The majority of fababeans grown in northern NSW are direct headed. Yield and quality will be maximised by harvesting as soon as the crop is ripe, with receival accepted at 14% moisture.

More information on harvesting can be found in the links below.

Marketing

Marketing of faba beans is fairly similar to chickpeas. Some forward selling on hectare contracts occurs when they are attractive but more and more growers now wait until they see what they produce before doing too much on the marketing side. This has resulted from difficulty guaranteeing the quality grade at harvest time. Growers have indicated it is difficult to meet the top grade for export and they find it much easier to sell into the feed market. The better deals usually occur where there is a packaging and marketing facility together (eg Australian Milling Group). The Pulse Australia website below gives a comprehensive list of marketers and traders.

Historically fababeans have been around the $200 / tonne mark but in recent years prices have consistently been above $300 / tonne and this has become the new benchmark for most growers. If the market slumps below this level then the fababeans are often stored until the price rises. They are very easy to store.

Prices last year reached around $400 / tonne which made them the best returning crop in many cases, however this is not usually the case.

References

Contact details

Garry Onus
Landmark, Moree
Ph: 0428 795512
Email: garry.onus@landmark.com.au

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