A new $3.6 million project will plant research strip trials next to grower-sown mungbeans, allowing growers and advisers to see how the crop performs in different environments.

Majella Bathurst, who is managing director of Censeo Field and Lab and
leader of the research, says mungbeans’ unique characteristics can make them a challenging crop to manage.

“They can look lush, bushy and green, but might not yield well,” she says. “All that work from the grower and they don’t convert that biomass into yield.

“Being a very quick crop, we understand that a good start is critical, but management through flower-set seems just as important. We want to help growers crack the code of reliably growing this often-profitable crop.”

Project duration

Over four years, more than 150 on-farm  strip and paddock-scale trials at sites from  the Burdekin in north Queensland to the  New South Wales–Victorian border will be used to explore optimal soil nutrition, irrigation scheduling and crop management.

Censeo will lead the GRDC-initiated project in collaboration with the Australian Mungbean Association (AMA), the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and CSIRO.

The new side-by-side approach will allow a comparison of grower best practices and recommended best practices, Ms Bathurst says.

“Essentially, we thought, ‘let’s put our trials right next to growers’ crops and compare some of the key growing practices’.

“With 40 to 50 comparisons each year in various environments, we should be able to nail down some of the finer details of how  to treat mungbeans.”

On-farm trials

The extensive network of on-farm trials  is a key part of the project and is in  response to grower and adviser needs,  GRDC grower relations manager – north – Rebecca Raymond says.

“Trials will be designed in collaboration and with the support of more than 30 growers and agronomists involved directly in the project.

“Using their intel and experience, we aim to address region-specific mungbean challenges in a way that gives growers the confidence to increase production across Queensland and NSW.”

Ms Bathurst says that while mungbeans’ short growth cycle means they can fit well into crop sequences, this can also mean precise management is required.

“There’s not the time necessary to rectify issues if something goes wrong early on,” she says. “This project aims to quantify the farming system benefits of the crop in terms of economic returns, so it offers genuine and meaningful data for growers when it comes to decision-making.”

Skills development

Ms Raymond says extensive engagement with growers and advisers has shown that not everybody understands the agronomic management practices needed to grow mungbeans confidently. “The project is about supporting skills development and knowledge.”

AMA executive officer David Pietsch says it is encouraging to see growers increasingly using mungbeans as a profitable, short-rotation crop, but the project will fill a critical need when it comes to implementing best practice management.

“We believe there is significant potential for mungbean industry expansion and anticipate up to 200,000 tonnes of the summer pulse crop could be grown annually in Queensland and NSW this decade,” he says.

More information: Majella Bathurst, m.bathurst@censeofieldandlab.com

Useful resources: GroundCover^TM story – On-farm trials key to growing mungbean production