Profitable integration of pulses in farming systems

Background

Pulse production has had a chequered history. There have been monumental failures, great successes and everything in between. Failure beans have become faba beans, lentils have built wealth, chickpeas have come, gone and come again. Lupins have fattened a lot of livestock and frustrated a lot of growers. We’ve praised them, we’ve blamed them, we’ve eaten them and we’ve accidently killed them. 

What have growers done differently that has made pulse production a profitable and integral part of the farm business? How has this been achieved and what are the downside risks? What are the opportunities at the farm level and at the research level?

What is the contribution of pulses in the farming system? What are the benefits?

Profitable (what are the must haves?)

Choice can be made between chickpeas, peas, faba beans, lupins, lentils, vetch, etc. This paper provides the gross margin for lentils and faba beans as an example. In deciding what type of pulse to grow it is important that among other factors, the gross margin for the pulse type is determined.

Pulses can be highly profitable. The following gross margin analyses from a mid north South Australian (SA) grower indicate the financial performance of a range of crops. This case study is particularly interesting as the cost of production for canola and lentils is identical.

Table 1: Gross margin sensitivity analysis – lentils.

Table 2: Gross margin sensitivity analysis – canola.

Table 3: Gross margin sensitivity analysis – faba beans.

Table 4: Gross margin sensitivity analysis – wheat.

Pulse don’t have to be expensive to grow – the main contributors to yield are spring rainfall, insect control (helicoverpa and etiella) and disease control (for some). It can be pretty easy to limit expenditure prior to spring if risk is important. There is  phosphorus application and grain yield. Keeping fertiliser costs low makes sound sense to reduce risk. Application rate is a key component of cost.

I don’t believe that poor farm financial performance in dry years can be attributed to pulses. Since when did the performance of something which generally makes up 5-20 per cent of the cropping program be the cause of financial stress? In the very worst scenario, the pulse is contributing positively to the following year’s crop yields. 

In years of low cereal prices, late breaks or El Nino forecasts, we have increased the pulse growing area on some farms (pasture on others). It flies in the face of popular culture but has not let us down for 22 years! We make no less profit this year (and often more) and have lower costs and higher production in the subsequent year. Maybe two or three successive Decile 1 or 2 years might test this system but we have never received that.  

Grazing stubbles can be highly profitable given the value of grain, pods and straw and the current value of livestock.

Integration (what are the must haves?)

Growing pulses must provide the following benefits:

• Weed control
• Disease control
• Positive impacts on nitrogen status
• Residual water
• Fits in with other farm business practices and dual purpose use (in some circumstances).

Farming system (what are the must haves?)

• Must be able to sow at a time that enhances, or doesn’t detract from other crops. For example, dry sow faba beans and lupins, and sow peas and lentils at the end of the main sowing window (but lentils are profitable enough to work the rest of sowing around them).
  
• Must be able to be direct drilled or no till sown into cereal stubbles. There may be very large stubbles on occasions (viz. 6–12t/ha). In some cases, some stubble treatment may be warranted (e.g. second header pass, K Line Trashcutter, stubble chain, some straw removal)
• Must be compatible or easy to integrate with soil herbicide residues and herbicide regimes
• Must be able to be integrated at harvest with minimal risk
• Must be able to be sprayed for disease and insects in a way that fits the rest of the system
• Must have harvest and storage capacity
• Marketing must be complementary to storage and handling
• Must be able to be spray topped with paraquat.

Discussion

In nine of the past 10 years, there has been a positive yield response to the water left in the soil profile in the year after growing a pulse (2014 was the exception when extreme waterlogging events occurred in autumn and winter to be followed by a very poor spring). Our research program has indicated a net wheat yield gain of approximately 60kg/ha/mm of stored soil water from one season to the next, and it is stored below the reach of evaporation. If soil water is important then a pulse must be considered. For our grower base and soils, wheat uses the most soil water, and therefore soil after wheat has less residual water. Canola comes a close second. 

Sands may not store water from one year to the next, and, in fact, water left in the profile might contribute to ‘leakage’ and saline seep formation. In high rainfall regions, residual water may also be a problem leading to early waterlogging. Knowledge of soil water status is pivotal.

The downside of most pulse production is that there is relatively little stubble cover and evaporation is greater which may be important for conserving autumn rains and for successful seeding.

The soil type window for growing faba beans has been increased due to sowing into high stubble loads, early sowing and lime application.

Herbicide tolerance has been a boon to lentil and (to a lesser extent) lupin growers, and exciting developments are available to assist in the control of difficult to kill weeds in pulse crops. I hope the industry develops permits or registrations in conjunction with the tolerance traits. 

Questions that need to be asked are: 

• How much pulse should be grown? How much do the growers we work with have in their system? For most the answer is somewhere between 5-20 per cent but lentil growers are nudging 25-50 per cent. Generally the maximum proportion of pulses peaks at 200-350mm Growing Season Rainfall (GSR). As rainfall decreases/increases from the 200-350mm GSR livestock play a more important role and pastures tend to substitute pulses
• Are soil types suitable – pH, waterlogging, stones, texture, erosion risk?
• What is the frost risk? Pulses are frost sensitive during pod filling but there is variation due to pod wall thickness and pod position on the plant. We generally will not grow peas or vetch (sativa) in high frost risk locations. Faba beans are the most tolerant but it depends on canopy formation. Lupins show a degree of tolerance but young pods are susceptible. Because chickpeas flower later, they may avoid frost impacts but that comes at the risk of heat and dry damage. Lentils can be damaged during pod fill but as long as they are still flowering and there is soil water, their indeterminate behaviour can produce good recovery
• Are there opportunities for pulse production in lower frost risk parts of the landscape?
• Do I have the ability to store and market pulses? A recent quote from Jeff Braun: “People who want to make their system tick really market their pulses well.” Remember that if you are selling pulses when you are harvesting them you have diminished the level of control you have on price and increased the level of control that a buyer has
• What is the attitude to risk and reward? 
• Can I be bothered making adjustments to machinery – seeding, rolling, harvesting?
• Am I prepared to invest time in understanding insect and disease management?

Useful resources

GRDC and Pulse Australia publications

Contact details

Mick Faulkner
Horrocks Highway, Penwortham via Watervale SA
0428857378
mick.faulkner@bigpond.com