Investment

GRDC Code: UMU2303-005RTX

WAARC: Summer sown aerial seeded pasture legume development for Western Australia

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) has been identified as a priority theme in the Grains Transformation program of the Western Australian Agricultural Research Collaboration. The program aims to achieve an annual average of 25 million tonnes of grain by 2035 with a 50% decrease in fertiliser, crop protection and fuel input use than 2022.

The use of aerial-seeded pasture legumes in pasture/crop rotation systems is one of the ways in which this ambition can be achieved. The recently completed Dryland Pasture Legume Systems project developed three elite hard aerial-seeded legume (HSLs) cultivars, one that has been commercialised (French serradella cv. Fran2o) and the others which should follow. These provide growers with low-cost pasture options because seed can be produced "on farm" and "summer sown", to overcome several barriers to adoption of pasture legumes throughout southern Australia.

The nitrogen benefit to cereal crops following a aerial-seeded pasture legume crop was demonstrated but requires further research. There is a need to increase the number of aerial-seeded pasture legume varieties available to growers in low and medium rainfall zones in WA while developing cultivars suitable for pasture/crop rotation systems on heavier soils in the high rainfall zones of WA.

Project start date:

31/03/2023

Project end date:

30/04/2027

Crop type: