Fiord, the variety that provided the foundation for Australia’s faba bean industry, was the most consistent yield performer in 2008 trials.
The current varieties Nura, Farah and Fiesta all produced similar yields on average, about 5 percent behind Fiord.
Near average rainfall in most districts of the State during April and May allowed nearly all trials in the SA NVT and PBA faba bean program to be sown during May, the majority of these in the second half of the month.
Early growth was rapid with the mild late autumn/early winter temperatures, but was then checked by the colder, frosty conditions of July and August. Near average rains through winter helped set the potential for good yields.
But yet again spring arrived with some very warm to hot days and a return to much drier conditions, so that a number of the trials ran into moisture stress by early October, with flowering cut short and pod fill restricted. Under these conditions, foliar diseases were not an issue at most sites, but early maturity was important in variety performance.
Site average yields in the SA bean trials ranged from 0.6 t/ha at Lameroo to 3.0 t/ha at Charlick (near Strathalbyn).
The old foundation variety Fiord was the overall top yielding bean variety across the SA trials. Fiord was top variety at 8 of 16 sites, with an average yield advantage of about 5 percent over the group of more recent variety releases, Fiesta, Farah and Nura. These three performed similarly on average, with each being top yielding variety at 2 or 3 trials.
In the absence of major disease problems, variety performance was largely dictated by local environmental conditions (rainfall, temperature and soil type) at each site. The one exception to this was at Tarlee, where the combination of early sowing (May 2) and good growing conditions resulted in tall, bulky crops, with a high level of Ascochyta blight favouring Nura and making it the top yielder.
Nura appeared to perform most poorly relative to Fiesta and Farah at the lower yielding sites, particularly where moisture stress was more severe during pod fill.
Fiord’s apparent ability to set pods earlier and have these mature faster than other varieties, along with smaller seed size, possibly accounts for its superior performance in 2008.
But the long-term yield of Fiord is about 7 percent down on Farah. Growers should also be aware of the higher disease risk with Fiord, and the limited demand for the smaller Fiord seed.
Severe necking (where the top part of the stem collapses and bends over sharply, but does not break completely) occurred in bean crops in parts of the State in 2008, particularly on Lower Eyre Peninsula and parts of Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North.
Much of this was caused by the combination of high temperatures and high winds over several days in mid-September, putting plants under severe moisture stress.
Six bean trials were scored for necking damage, and although there was some variation between damage to individual varieties/lines at different sites, the main varieties Farah, Fiesta, Nura and Fiord showed similar average damage levels across all sites.
Several lines appeared to be more consistently susceptible to necking damage, while others showed better resistance. We found no evidence that the level of necking damage to lines within a trial had any link to final grain yield – damaged plants still managed to fill the pods already set.
Results from Tarlee in 2007 showed that Nura had higher necking damage than Farah with early sowing, but necking was minimal in both varieties when late sown.
Final grain yields were similar in both varieties, despite the higher necking damage in the early sown Nura.
Nura is a medium-sized faba bean with moderate resistance to Ascochyta blight and rust, and intermediate resistance (MR-MS) to chocolate spot (better than Farah).
All three resistance levels are better than Fiesta. It is susceptible to Cercospora leaf spot, similar to Farah and Fiesta. Nura is generally shorter in height than Fiesta and Farah, making it less likely to lodge but more difficult to harvest in lower rainfall districts or with late sowing.
It has good seed appearance, light buff in colour, with minimal seed staining and discolouration. Nura flowers about 7 days later than Farah, but matures about the same time. Long-term yields have averaged about 6 percent below Farah, but Nura can take good advantage of early sowing, and highest relative yields are achieved when sown early.
Its major advantage to growers is a likely reduction in fungicide sprays, with Ascochyta blight and rust protection only required in high risk situations. Seed is available from AWB Seeds.
New varieties and potential releases
Doza is a small to medium sized faba bean released for the subtropical environments of northern NSW and southern Queensland.
Doza has superior rust resistance to all current varieties, reasonable resistance to chocolate spot, but it is susceptible to Ascochyta blight and therefore not likely to have a role in southern Australia.
Its combination of early flowering, high yield, disease resistance, uniformity of seed size and color is a significant improvement over current varieties recommended for the sub-tropical northern region.
Doza has good resistance to stem collapse from frost, an important trait in its target environment. It has been commercialised by ABB Seeds and has an End Point Royalty. Over two years of testing in SA NVT and PBA breeding trials, Doza’s yields have been well behind the local standards Nura, Farah and Fiesta. Seed size in the SA trials is also much smaller than local varieties, and only slightly larger than the small-seeded Fiord.
974*(611*974)/15-1 is a potential replacement for Manafest, with improved resistance to Ascochyta blight. Adaptation is similar to Manafest, with highest and most reliable yields in the South East, so its range is likely to be restricted to this region.
Yields there are generally similar to Fiesta and Farah in seasons of low to average rainfall and significantly higher in years of high rainfall when nutritional problems such as iron deficiency chlorosis occur. A final decision to commercialise has not yet been made.
The breeding line 1269*483/6-1 has shown promise, with very high yield potential in higher rainfall seasons. It has a good level of resistance to Cercospora leaf spot - the only advanced line in the breeding program with resistance to this disease. It is also resistant to Ascochyta blight and similar to Nura in resistance to chocolate spot. 1269*483/6-1 starts flowering at the same time as Fiesta and Farah, but is later maturing so is better suited to long season environments. Further testing is needed before a commercialisation decision is made.
A broad bean line selected from Aquadulce, Gilb/57/6-1, may be available for commercial sowings in 2010. Gilb/57/6-1 has similar adaptation to Aquadulce, but its seed is larger and more uniform in size, with no “evergreens”.
It has significantly improved resistance to Ascochyta blight (MR-R), better rust resistance (MR) and is slightly less susceptible to chocolate spot. The yield of Gilb/57/6-1 has been similar to, or slightly greater than, Aquadulce in trials in the Lower South East.
The contribution of data and information for this report from the Pulse Breeding Australia Faba Bean Breeding Program by Dr Jeff Paull, University of Adelaide, is gratefully acknowledged.
