Take Home Messages
- In the Mallee, GIA Lightning, ALB Terrier and GIA Thunder were the highest-yielding lentil varieties.
- In the Wimmera, GIA Lightning, GIA Thunder and PBA Hurricane XT were the highest yielding lentil varieties.
- PBA Samira, PBA Rana and PBA Zahra were the highest-yielding varieties of faba bean in the Wimmera.
- PBA Noosa, PBA Taylor and PBA Wharton had the highest field pea yields in the Mallee.
- In the Wimmera, PBA Pearl, PBA Taylor, and PBA Wharton were the best performing varieties of field pea.
Aim
To compare the performance of lentil, faba bean, and field pea varieties in the Wimmera and Mallee regions.
Background
Lentils, faba beans, and field peas are important pulse options used in rotations by Wimmera and Mallee farmers. Long-term regional comparison of varieties is important for helping growers assess the most suitable option for cropping systems.
The 2024 season began with much of the Wimmera and Mallee receiving high summer rainfall resulting in reasonable levels of subsoil moisture.
This led to growers starting off with an optimistic outlook for the year. However, the high rainfall did not continue and 2024 ended up providing many challenges for growers.
The first challenge started with a later than ideal break in late May, which was variable and came in small amounts, causing patchy germination.
Throughout the season there were long periods of insufficient rainfall, as well as severe frost events at critical periods of grain formation.
It should also be noted that October rainfall was generally ineffective at many of the sites as it occurred late in the month after crops had matured. Several trials were abandoned or quarantined in the 2024 NVT program because of these challenges.
This report presents results from the lentil, faba bean, and field pea National Variety Trials (NVT) in the Mallee and Wimmera for the 2024 season. NVT data provides a snapshot of the performance of different varieties in different years/seasons. Growers can then use this information to guide cropping decisions. It is important to consider these results in the context of the season experienced, as results are presented from a single year.
Trial Details
Crop type/s: Lentil, faba bean and field pea varieties
Target plant density: Lentils 120 plants/m², faba Beans 28 plants/m2, field Peas 55 plants/m²
Seeding equipment: Knife points, press wheels, 30cm row spacing
Replicates: Three
Paddock Details
Trial Inputs
Nutrition, weeds, insects and disease were managed as per best practice.
Method
This research was conducted through the NVT program delivered by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). A series of replicated field trials was established in the Wimmera and Mallee to compare varieties of lentils, faba beans and field peas. Grain yield and quality were assessed. The data displayed in this article is a combination of NVT results and multi-environment trial analysis (MET) long-term summaries; quality data was not available at the time of writing this report. Grain yield data is presented as a percentage of the site mean for the 2024 yield results and long‑term averages.
Growers should use the MET analysis when comparing varieties as this encompasses more data over multiple seasons and is therefore more reliable. MET analyses and single site summaries can be found at <https://nvt.grdc.com.au/trials/results>.
Results & Interpretation
As a result of the season experienced, and some trials being abandoned or quarantined, yield data was only obtained from certain sites in each region. Yield data for lentils was only obtained from two sites in the Mallee and one in the Wimmera. Data for faba beans in the Mallee was not available, and in the Wimmera, it was taken from two sites. Yield data for field peas was taken from one site in the Mallee and one in the Wimmera. Caution should be taken when comparing region averages in 2024 as rainfall and trial conditions varied between sites, and in some regions only include data from a single site. Tables 2, 3, and 4 display this information.
Lentils
A region average of 1.15t/ha was recorded across the two Mallee sites for which yield data was obtained (Table 2). The region average in the Wimmera (Donald) was 1.52t/ha. Rainbow, Ultima, and Kaniva were quarantined, and Horsham lentil results were not available at the time of writing
In the Mallee, GIA Lightning (122 per cent of the region mean), ALB Terrier (121 per cent), and GIA Thunder (119 per cent) were the highest yielding varieties in 2024 (Figure 1). Over the long-term GIA Thunder, ALB Terrier and GIA Lightning seem to be the best performers, however, these varieties have been in Mallee trials for less than six years, so the remaining years are predicted yields. PBA Jumbo2 is also a consistent high performer in the long-term data but has fewer broadleaf weed control options than GIA Thunder, ALB Terrier, and GIA Lightning, which have imidazolinone tolerance.
Lentils – individual Mallee sites
At both Mallee sites, GIA Lightning, GIA Thunder and ALB Terrier were the highest yielding varieties. Contrary to longer-term data, ALB Terrier was the highest yielding variety at Ouyen, (131 per cent) compared to Birchip, where it was the third highest yielding (113 per cent). Yields were similar for GIA Thunder and GIA Lightning at both Birchip and Ouyen. However, GIA Lightning yielded slightly higher at Birchip, whereas the inverse was true at the Ouyen trial.
In the Wimmera (Donald), GIA Lightning, GIA Thunder and PBA Hurricane XT were the highest yielding varieties in 2024 at 112, and 104 per cent of the region mean, respectively (Figure 4). GIA Thunder, ALB Terrier, and PBA Highlander XT have been the best performers over the longer-term, however, these varieties have been in Wimmera trials for less than 6 years, so the remaining years are predicted yields.
Faba beans
A region average of 1.68t/ha was recorded across the two Wimmera sites for which yield data was obtained (Table 3). There was only one trial site in the Mallee for faba beans at Rainbow, however this trial was abandoned. The site at Kaniva was also quarantined. PBA Samira, PBA Rana, and PBA Zahra were the highest yielding varieties at 111 per cent or more of the Wimmera region mean in 2024 (Figure 5). PBA Samira and PBA Zahra have been consistently high yielding varieties since 2019. PBA Bendoc is close behind and has the added benefit of imidazolinone tolerance, providing an attractive choice if additional weed control is needed
Faba beans – individual Wimmera sites
Field peas
The average yield in the Mallee was 1.72t/ha, obtained from the average yield at the Birchip trial site. The average yield for field peas in the Wimmera was 1.63t/ha, obtained from one site at Horsham (Table 4).
In the Mallee, PBA Noosa had the highest yields in 2024 with 119 per cent of the region mean, followed by PBA Taylor (115 per cent), and PBA Wharton (113 per cent) (Figure 8). APB Bondi, while not one of the highest in 2024, still performed well and has been consistently high yielding over the longer-term. Data for this variety is only available for five years, so remaining data is predicted yield. PBA Butler and PBA Pearl have been higher yielding varieties in the past, but their performance was well below average in 2024. Caution should be taken when looking at the results for these two varieties as these results are unexpected, and the reason for lower yields has not been determined.
In the Wimmera, PBA Pearl was the best performer at 125 per cent of the region mean, followed by PBA Taylor (109 per cent), and PBA Wharton (106 per cent) (Figure 9). PBA Pearl has been a consistent high yielding variety for the past six years. PBA Butler has shown high yields over the past four previous years, however, it performed well below the region average in 2024, coming in as the second lowest‑yielding variety in the trials. The low yields for PBA Butler in both the Wimmera and Mallee were unexpected and contrary to results from previous years. Growers should be cautious when evaluating these results.
Commercial Practice and On Farm Profitability
The NVT is conducted primarily to compare variety performance in terms of yield potential under the same regional growing conditions, and this needs to be repeated over several seasons to ensure findings are robust. As such, growers should consider how many years of data is available when considering a variety.
Furthermore, growers should assess the variables of their own farming systems, such as rainfall, nutrition, disease, and soil constraints, and consider this information in conjunction with NVT data.
All three pulse types are good break crops for cereal-based farming systems. Deciding which break crop to grow will depend on each grower’s individual circumstances. For example, faba beans will be a better option for paddocks prone to waterlogging, but not be the best option on sandy soils (Hawthorne, Pritchard, and Knights, 2011). Deciding what crop type to grow and which variety should be discussed with an experienced advisor.
Several factors should be considered when choosing a lentil, faba bean or field pea variety. Aside from yield, the main attributes to consider are flowering time, maturing time, seed size, herbicide tolerance, and disease resistance ratings. It is important to match the characteristics of a variety to the environment in which it is to be grown for mitigating risk, whilst maximising the benefits.
Lentils
Herbicide tolerance options in lentils can be very useful tools depending on circumstances. For example, if there is known high weed pressure in a paddock, growers should consider if it would be beneficial to select a lower yielding dual-herbicide tolerant variety such as GIA Metro or GIA Sire. Rather than focusing on higher yielding varieties, this would help get weeds under control, as a wider range of herbicide options can be used. However, this should be discussed with an experienced advisor. Another scenario might be if a paddock has herbicide residue from the previous year; GIA Thunder has imidazolinone tolerance.
Faba beans
Imidazolinone tolerant varieties of faba bean are available and can be a useful tool for managing weeds in farming systems. However, the tolerance is not always necessary, and variety decisions will depend on the state of the paddock they are intended for. Field peas As well as the regular characteristics listed above, field peas have other attributes to consider such as grain type (kaspa, dun, white pea, or blue pea), whether they are conventional height or a semi‑dwarf, and whether they are semi-leafless or not. The right variety will differ between individual circumstances and should be discussed with an experienced advisor.
Site results unavailable at the time of writing this report will be published within the ‘Quarantined trials reports’ section of the NVT website <https://nvt.grdc.com.au/trials/quarantined-trial-reports>.
References
GRDC, 2024, 2024 Victorian and Tasmanian Crop Sowing Data Summary, <https://nvt.grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/595221/240318-2024-Vic-and-Tas-crop-sowing-data-summary-1.pdf>, accessed 16/01/25.
GRDC, 2024, NVT Disease Ratings, <https://nvt.grdc.com.au/nvt-disease-ratings>, accessed 16/01/2025.
GRDC, 2024, National Variety Trials yield data, <https://nvt.grdc.com.au/>, accessed 16/01/2025.
Hawthorne A., Pritchard F., and Knights S., 2011, GRDC Choosing Break Crops Fact Sheet, <https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/100649/grdcfsbreakcropssouthpdf.pdf.pdf>, accessed 16/01/25.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the GRDC as part of the National Variety Trials program (BWD2401‑002SAX).
This project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
Thank you to Dr Yolanda Plowman, BCG, and Dr Jason Brand, Frontier Farming Systems, for providing a technical review of this article.
BCG sincerely thanks the Watts family (Nullawil), Brett Fisher (Rainbow), Tim Weir (Ouyen), Baden and Warrick Grey (Ultima), Jason Pymer (Horsham), Ben Crouch (Kaniva), Warakirri Cropping farm manager Jono Robinson (Donald), and Ollie Gabbe (Minimay) for generously hosting the trial sites and for their support throughout the project.
