SA Grain Legume Project improving pulse agronomy

High grain prices, improved varieties and agronomic benefits for farming systems have seen pulse production expand substantially across the southern region in recent years.

There is currently an estimated 40 per cent yield gap between average grain legume yields and water-limited yield potential.

The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), and Adelaide University are overseeing delivery of the GRDC investment ‘Development and extension to close the economic yield gap and maximise farming systems benefits from grain legume production in South Australia’.

Known as the SA Grain Legume Project, it aims to significantly improve growers’ understanding of pulse agronomy across a wide range of South Australian farming systems to address the yield gap using a ‘hub’ and ‘spoke’ model.

SARDI has collaborated with EPAG Research, Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia, Frontier Farming Systems and Trengove Consulting to conduct research trials across SA. SARDI also partnered with Agricultural Innovation and Research Eyre Peninsula (AIR EP), Upper North Farming Systems, Hart Field-Site Group, Mid North High Rainfall Zone Group, Mallee Sustainable Farming and AgCommunicators to manage communications and extension activities.

Since the project began in 2021, more than 155 trials have been run across SA’s cropping regions, including replicated trials as well as demonstration plots. The trials were designed to address issues local to each area and refine agronomic strategies for grain legumes in the different cropping regions.

SARDI Senior Research Scientist and Project Lead Dr Jamal Khan said trials across SA included larger hub sites at Tooligie/Lock, Hart and Loxton and smaller spoke sites at Millicent, Lameroo/Commandook, Melrose, Riverton, Kulpara/Bute, Maitland, Pinnaroo, Kimba, Cummins and Mt Hope.

“The multi-year, multi-location research program has investigated various agronomic management options for grain legume crops, including diseases and weeds,” Dr Khan said.

“Soil amelioration, including deep ripping and liming, have also been examined, as well as strategies to reduce pod loss.

“Lentil and field pea variety trials were also included to see how these pulses are adapting to expansion on medium to low-rainfall environments.”

Engagement with growers has been a priority throughout the project with events run by project partners providing great learning opportunities between growers, advisers, researchers and technical experts.

Project results have been shared at major field days, crop walks and sticky beak days at field sites across SA.

Findings and insights have also been shared via a range of other events and outputs including GRDC Updates, GRDC GroundCover, fact sheets and podcasts.

MSF Communication and Extension Manager Sarah Day, who manages communication and extension for the project said the hub and spoke sites have been valuable for introducing best-practice principles, as well as refining and demonstrating the benefits and limitations of grain legumes at the local level in each region.

“High rates of engagement is a sign of how keen growers are to see local research supporting adoption of grain legumes and learn about improved practices for closing the yield gap,” she said.

Monitoring the adoption of improved practices has also been integral to the project and was conducted by Meaningful Social Research.

In 2025, focus groups were run with growers to evaluate five of the most promising improved practices identified in the project. These included deep ripping, liming, early sowing, improved fungicides for beans, and metribuzin-tolerant lentils.

It also helped the project team understand why some practices have been adopted and why some have not.

“For example, even when the potential yield benefits of sowing lentils after deep ripping have been demonstrated, growers are still unsure about sowing lentils into soil disturbed by deep ripping, are concerned about high upfront costs of ripping and want more information on how to manage soil erosion risk,” Ms Day said.

“The research also demonstrated increases in yield and gross margin from early sowing of pulses, but growers still had concerns around frost risk at flowering for early sown faba beans and lentils, uncertainty around rainfall and lack of clarity around which varieties are suited to early sowing.”

“The focus groups help us understand where longer term or larger scale trials are needed to improve grower confidence in adopting improved practices.”

In 2026, the SA grain legume project was extended for a further year with 18 trials this season focusing on pulse nutrition and the legacy effects of soil amelioration and amendments. The project extension aims to develop improved nutrient management strategies for grain legume production in a range of challenging soil types.

Further project and pulse agronomy information can be found at SA Grain Legume project investment page and Grain Legume Production in South Australia - Mallee Sustainable Farming.