The Grain Legumes Project

Closing the Economic Yield Gap of Grain Legumes in WA.

The GGA Grain Legumes Project aims to help farmers access the benefits of legumes in crop rotations. The Grower Group Alliance will collaborate with a series of stakeholders to trial and highlight various grain legumes across a range of WA soil types and farming systems. 

West Midlands Group will host a replicated trial site, assessing the efficacy of herbicide options for three crop species – lupin, chickpea, and vetch. This trial will be located at the Spring Field Day site in Dandaragan. In 2024 a larger-scale demonstration site will be created, informed by the results of the 2023 site.

The adoption of grain legumes has been poor in some areas of Western Australia, despite their potential rotational and economic advantages. Recent GRDC analysis indicates that although WA farmers are aware of the benefits of grain legumes, there is apprehension about their reliability and profitability. 

This project aims to highlight the value of growing grain legumes and determine the best economic fit for each sub-region under varying grower conditions and situations. 

Commencement: 2023 | Completion: 2024

Funding body(s): Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
Project Lead Organisation: Grower Group Alliance (GGA)

Year 1 – 2023

The 2023 trial examines the efficacy of eight herbicide treatments on three legume crops: lupin, chickpea, and vetch.

This approach highlights the variation in herbicide tolerance and effectiveness among different grain legumes, emphasising the need for species-specific weed management strategies.

The trial provides insights into the complexities of legume weed control by applying the same treatments across these crops, some of which are known to be unsuitable for certain legumes.

The overall focus of the 2023 trial site is on understanding how different herbicide treatments impact plant growth and weed control of different legume species.

Results & Interactive Dashboard

Explore the results of the 2023 GGA Grain Legumes Project through our interactive dashboard.  Customise your view by selecting specific herbicide treatments and crop species from the dropdown menus, so you only see the information that is relevant to you.

Hover over the data to see more information (try the weed management section to find out which weeds persevered). 

Click on any of the treatments in the any graph to highlight across the whole dashboard. Click again to remove the highlight.

Latest Updates

• 
  Rowes Road Crop Nutrition Tour – Farmer Summary
  The WMG & CSBP Rowes Road Crop Nutrition Tour showcased trials across three different sites, exploring legumes, potassium cycling, and nitrogen inhibitors. Read on for a synthesised farmer summary of the key learnings and discussion points of the day.
• 
  Legumes in agricultural systems: A background
  Learn all about legumes and their role in agricultural systems in the first of a series of researched and collated articles being produced as part of the Grain Legumes Project.
• 
  Exploring Effective Herbicide Packages for Lupin, Chickpea & Vetch
  Explore the key findings and results of the Grain Legumes Project herbicide trial in 2023 in this in-depth technical article.
• 
  October sampling rush before harvest
  Every August and September at WMG there is a big focus for our big marquee events like the Spring Field Day and Student Crop Walk. Now that the events have wrapped up for the year, my focus moves over to final project sampling for 2023. Project site are spread across the region, ranging from Hill River and Badgingarra to Barberton and Gillingarra.

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Want to get involved?

Get in touch with our Project Officer, Kate Parker.

Mobile: 0459 353 840

Email: projects@wmgroup.org.au