Summary

The Eyre Peninsula internship in applied grains research was based at the SARDI Minnipa Agricultural Centre in 2023. Zhaohan (Elijah) Luo was awarded the internship and the opportunity to improve his understanding of local grains research, development and extension (RD&E) issues and grower needs, while developing skills in planning, managing, measuring and analysing field experiments.

With the area sown to lentils rapidly increasing on Upper Eyre Peninsula, Elijah undertook a research project looking at management of foliar diseases in lentils.

Background

The EP internship provides opportunities for the next generation of grains RD&E professionals to gain hands-on experience in research and extension activities through practical field research projects. Interns also have the chance to build familiarity in working and communicating with growers and develop relationships with a range of grains research practitioners in the EP region.

Research Aims

The core objectives of the EP internship are to:

• Improve the capacity of grains research, development and extension on the EP.
• Further develop applied research skills of recent graduates so they will be able to make an improved contribution to the grains RD&E industry in South Australia.

In The Field

The area cropped to lentils is rapidly expanding on Upper Eyre Peninsula (UEP) and more information is needed on the efficacy and economics of fungicide applications and the varieties best suited to UEP conditions. For his internship, Elijah carried out a research project titled ‘Management of foliar diseases in lentils on the UEP’.

The aim of the trials was to:

1. Investigate if only one fungicide spray is sufficient for controlling Ascochyta blight (AB) and Botrytis grey mould (BGM) in a low rainfall region in a moderately disease resistant lentil variety (GIA Thunder IMI).
2. Determine the effectiveness of various fungicide strategies in only one spray application.
3. Determine which fungicide strategies result in the highest gross margin by the end of the season.
4. Determine which lentil variety can produce the highest yield in a low rainfall region.

Five field trials were established at three sites. Mount Cooper and Mount Damper had both a fungicide trial and a variety trial and Minnipa Agricultural Centre (MAC) had a variety trial only.  Plant emergence, early and late NDVI, late dry matter, percentage plot disease and weather data were recorded. Grain yield and grain quality were compared post-harvest.

Results

Fungicide trials

In 2023, the growing season was not conducive to lentil foliar fungal diseases such as AB or Botrytis BGM. Low disease scores in both fungicide trials reflected the dry conditions in late winter and spring. In this decile 1-2 season with low disease pressure, fungicide sprays were not necessary to maximise gross margin in lentils on UEP. The one-year study estimated that growers who did not put out a fungicide would have saved between $13-56/ha based on retail prices and cost of application.

Variety trials

No fungicide application was necessary in any of the lentil variety trials in 2023 due to low disease pressure. Grain yield and grain quality varied across the sites with no variety consistently outperforming any other in terms of yield or quality at any site. The low levels of foliar disease in 2023 did not influence lentil grain quality grades. The trials highlighted the need for more research into the profitability of different lentil varieties on UEP.