Growers compare new varieties at Kayanaba NVT and Legume Tour

By Simon Kruger & Kate Parker, WMG

A group of 42 growers, researchers and industry representatives joined the West Midlands Group for this year’s Kayanaba Road NVT and Legume Tour in Dandaragan. The afternoon provided an opportunity to walk through local wheat, barley, oat, canola, lupin and pulse trials, discuss performance under this season’s conditions and hear directly from plant breeders working across the region.

The tour began at Charles Roberts’ Kayanaba Farm, which hosted the GRDC National Variety Trial sites. Breeders walked attendees through canola and lupin lines before moving into wheat, barley and oat plots, providing context on how seasonal conditions had shaped flowering windows, grain fill and disease expression.

From there the group moved down the road to Erin Cahill’s GRDC legume trial and the adjacent paddock-scale lentil demonstration, before finishing at the AGT and RAGT breeding sites to look at commercial breeding programs taking place locally.

Canola and lupin highlights

At the canola and lupin NVT sites, growers compared traits such as pod shatter tolerance, harvest timing, disease packages and overall suitability to the West Midlands environment. There was strong interest in how new Nuseed and Pioneer canola lines were handling the season, particularly around flowering synchrony, standability and ease of harvest.

Questions around crop-topping timing, the use of pre-harvest glyphosate and market implications sparked clear discussion, with breeders providing clarity on label restrictions and management considerations for different delivery grades.

In the lupin plots, conversation focused on pod shatter resistance, harvest height clearance and how new lines may fit into mixed systems where sandplain soils, gravel rises and variable harvest conditions remain a reality for local growers.

Cereal variety comparisons

At the cereal NVT site, representatives from Intergrain, AGT and RAGT shared updates on wheat, barley and oat varieties currently under evaluation. They discussed how a patchy start to the season, followed by a softer finish, influenced disease pressure, grain quality and relative maturity.

Growers compared varieties on standability, frost sensitivity, head loss risk and potential fit within local rotations. Breeders outlined ongoing work to improve performance under key regional constraints, including acid soils, stripe rust and Septoria, and noted which lines were showing promising adaptability in the northern Midlands rainfall zone.

Legumes in focus

The tour’s final stops highlighted local pulse development. Erin Cahill’s GRDC-funded trials and the small paddock-scale lentil demonstration provided an in-depth look at varietal performance, seeding rates and management considerations for pulses grown outside traditional lupin areas.

While sclerotinia and budworm pressure remain challenges, several commercial lentil lines showed promising early pod set and canopy structure. Discussion covered fungicide timing, crop-topping strategies and inoculant management, following mixed nodulation results observed this year.

Growers explored broader rotational benefits too, including nematode control, nitrogen contribution and weed competition. With global demand for pulses remaining strong in developing markets—particularly India—several growers noted interest in expanding pulse options where soil type and herbicide history allow.

Takeaways from the day

Across all sites, growers engaged in practical discussion and shared local experience. Key themes included:

• Selecting cereal and pulse varieties suited to gravel rises and deep sands common in Dandaragan.
• Managing residual herbicides effectively when introducing new pulse species.
• Understanding nitrogen dynamics following legumes and how this influences fertiliser decisions in the following crop.
• Balancing current market volatility with long-term global demand signals for pulses and canola.
• Matching variety selection with local seasonal variability and harvest logistics.

Building knowledge through local collaboration

The tour was made possible thanks to the generosity of hosts Charles Roberts and Erin Cahill, and the contributions of breeders including Richie Marsland (Intergrain), Dion Bennett (AGT), Callum Pestell (Nuseed), Tony Munns and Chris Dzoma (Pioneer Seeds), Mackenzie McIntosh and Andrew Heinrich (Pacific Seeds), and David Peake (RAGT). Their insights throughout the afternoon added valuable context to the local trial results.

Thanks also to WMG Board Chair Alana Alexander for her support coordinating the day.

The event closed with an informal catch-up, giving growers, breeders and researchers the chance to continue discussions and reflect on a productive season of trials and WMG events.