Closing the Economic Yield Gap of Grain Legumes

The cultivation of grain legumes provides nutritious food, improves soil health and reduces nitrogen fertiliser in farming systems. Burgeoning global populations and incomes, improving market access, and our geographic advantage is forecast to significantly increase domestic and international demand for Western Australian grain legumes.

However, grain legumes currently contribute in a small and diminishing way to the profitability of Western Australian farming systems. GRDC analysis indicates farmers have a good awareness of the benefits of growing a legume in their rotation but have concerns about pulse reliability and profitability and lack confidence in their consistent production. Western Australian farmers have not exploited recent advances in grain legume genetics, acid-tolerant rhizobia, management strategies, weed and disease protection products. This situation requires an extensive technical and extension program to turn around grower sentiment.

This project engages government, agribusiness, researchers and end-users to work collaboratively to address the poor rate of adoption of grain legumes in WA farming systems. It will:

• demonstrate recent advances in the production of grain legumes across a range of environments and soil types through 30 user-defined farm-scale trials and, where appropriate small plot trials
• apply trial results, water use efficiency and yield gap analysis techniques to refine best-fit grain legume recommendations
• produce statistically rigorous economic analysis of grain legumes as a cash crop in the year they are grown and calculate the financial contribution of grain legumes to the cropping rotation
• develop key messages to market the improved performance of grain legumes.