Making Room for Legumes

Legumes can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and reduce the need for synthetic fertiliser inputs. An important question across many of the Spring Field Days last year was how to know the amount and type of nitrogen different species of legume crops might leave behind, in different soil types, for how long.
Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Making Room for Legumes

A recent study has confirmed fertiliser is by far the biggest contributor to total greenhouse gas emissions in grain farming systems. For farmers on a journey to reduce their carbon emissions to meet the increasing demands from the supply chain, reducing the need for synthetic fertiliser is essential. This is where legumes can be a good fit.

Legumes can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and reduce the need for synthetic fertiliser inputs. An important question across many of the Spring Field Days last year was how to know the amount and type of nitrogen different species of legume crops might leave behind, in different soil types, for how long.

Legumes are also important for disrupting common disease and pest cycles that tend to increase if the same crop is grown for too many years in the same paddock, which can reduce the need for chemicals for weed and disease control. But at the same time, some legumes can be challenging to grow and market and there are good reasons why farmers may have opted out of them; harvestability challenges, difficulty managing disease risks in legume crops, difficulty with weed control, and restrictions in some paddocks due to pH challenges, can all add up to result in variable crop yields.

Faba Beans
Faba Beans
Field Peas
Field Peas
Lentils
Lentils
Chickpeas
Chickpeas

Market access and low or fluctuating commodity prices can also be a significant challenge, with legumes’ profitability identified as the biggest risk in GGA’s 2023 grower survey for the Closing the Economic Yield Gap of Grain Legumes in WA project. The survey tells us more than 95 per cent of respondents had grown legumes at some point, with the majority of those still doing so, and lupins being the most common crop. A high percentage of growers had tried growing other legume crops such as field peas, chickpeas and faba beans – and had discarded them.

Part of the reason for this is the rapid growth in the canola industry and the fact that canola is a very profitable crop that provides the benefits of excellent weed control and a disease break for wheat. However, its productivity is dependent on high rates of fertiliser containing nitrogen.

So, many growers – in particular the new generation of farmers – are very tuned in to the developing legume story and want to get back in, particularly keen on the potential of high value lentils in the north. For most of the legume crops and pastures there have been substantial improvements in agronomy, with stronger weed and disease management options and there are newer varieties that outcompete redundant varieties that had performed poorly.

The great news is that there is a whole raft of research and trials taking place that can help with your decision making about incorporating more legumes. So here’s an overview of current and recent projects to keep an eye out for, with a focus on activity in the Northern Ag Region. Upcoming harvest review events across the region should shed some more light on outcomes from these projects. There’s also links to relevant articles, publications and podcast episodes at the end for your interest.

Make 2026 the year that you join the growing band of farmers using legumes to improve the soil, the environment and the future sustainability of farming.

If you know of a project/trial location that isn’t in the list below, please get in touch with NACC NRM’s Sustainable Agriculture Team.

Western Australia Farming Systems Project | GRDC/DPIRD
NAR locations: Northampton, Chapman Valley
A 5-year co-investment undertaking farming systems research and development in the medium and low rainfall regions of WA, with one of the three main systems trial sites situated in Northampton (the other two are at Merredin and Lake Grace). One of the research aims is to see if we can use legumes more effectively within our rotations, to identify rotations that are profitable with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Using a multi-disciplinary farming systems research approach, this project will address 4 main farming systems considerations, which includes system break options that deliver improved profit and acceptable risk – e.g. high-value legumes. Other NAR trials under this project explored vetch variety and end use legacy effects, species x time of sowing (in Chapman Valley) and pulse species legacy effects (in Ogilvie).

Read the latest results from the Northampton trial site here: Economic analysis points to profitable legumes, GRDC Groundcover, 28 Aug 2025.

Closing the Economic Yield Gap of Grain Legumes | GRDC/GGA
NAR locations: Dalwallinu, Wubin, Latham, Bunjil, Maya, Dandaragan, Arrino, Three Springs, Northampton, Yuna
This comprehensive project will combine extension, trials, and technical and economic analysis to support growers to access the benefits of legumes in crop rotations. The aims include: demonstrating recent advances in the production of grain legumes, across a range of environments and soil types, through 25 user-defined farm-scale trials and, where appropriate small plot trials; and producing a 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 longer-term cropping sequence. Visit GGA’s project page for a comprehensive rundown on all sites and trials across WA.

Participating grower groups in the NAR, with information on their trials:

  • Liebe Group – trial sites in Dalwallinu, Wubin, Latham, Bunjil. Maya
  • West Midlands Group – trial site at Dandaragan
  • Mingenew Irwin Group – trial sites in Northampton, Arrino and Three Springs
  • There is also another trial at Yuna, involving Yuna Farm Improvement Group.

Read the latest results here: Profitable legumes becoming a reality, GRDC Groundcover, March-April 2025.

Exploring the Economics of Late Sowing (June) Options in the Geraldton Port Zone | GRDC/MIG/Liebe Group
NAR locations: Mingenew, Dalwallinu
This project aims to identify which crop species provide the best economic returns when seeding is delayed into June due to a late break or machinery breakdowns, a challenge that is becoming increasingly common across the northern wheatbelt. Across two soil types, heavy red loam (Mingenew) and light sandplain (Dalwallinu), the project is assessing short-season wheat and canola, along with lupins, lentils, field peas, and chickpeas, under two distinct times of sowing (TOS): TOS 1: seeded in early June; TOS 2: approximately two weeks later.

Pulse Back to Basics | GRDC NGN/Living Farms
NAR locations: Moora
Growers wanted to understand basic information on which pulse to grow from three pulse species (Field Pea, Chickpea and Lentis), as well as basic rules of thumb, including examining optimum seeding rate for Western Region environment. Trial sites in Moora and Piawaning.

Fertiliser recommendations for grain legumes in Western region with limited production area

GRDC/Living Farm

 

As adapted pulse crop species become available for growers in regions of Western Australia, associated fertiliser recommendations for the major elements (Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) and Sulphur (S)) are required to maximise profitability.

 

N-ABLE Project: Innovative management approaches to maximise the use of legume crops in reducing the reliance on fertiliser N in WA cropping systems

GRDC/WAARC/ Stirlings to Coast Farmers

The N-ABLE project will explore new ways to maximise legume crop use, aimed at increasing farm profit and reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser reliance in cropping systems.

Harvestable Annual Legumes Options (HALO) Project – GRDC/WA Agricultural Research Collaboration

 

The HALO project is focused on converting research insights into farming resilience, profitability and sustainability for WA growers. The project is exploring harvestable annual legumes cultivars that can be used in rotation to reduce synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. Recent articles/podcasts of interest:

·       Podcast Grow your own nitrogen: harvestable annual legume options

·       World-first legume cultivar developed to boost farm resilience WAARC 4 Feb 2025

·       HALO Steering Committee tour signals big step forward for annual legumes  WAARC 19 Sep 2025

Lupin Disease Resistance Project

GRDC/WA Agricultural Research Collaboration/ Australian Grain Technologies

 

The Lupin Disease Resistance project is focused on boosting lupin resistance to its four major diseases. It will help deliver future narrow-leafed lupin varieties with improved resistance to its major diseases: Phomopsis, Cucumber Mosaic Virus, Anthracnose and Sclerotinia.

Enhancing Rhizobia resources to improve N fixation in pulse crops across Australia

GRDC/Murdoch University

 

This investment will ensure that growers continue to have access to high quality rhizobia inoculant germplasm to support growth, profitability, innovation and sustainability of the Australian grains industry.

Genetic initiative to transform symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Australian pulse crops

GRDC/University of Queensland

 

This project will develop tools to measure nitrogen fixation and NDFA in pulses, screen diverse sets of the six pulses for superior NDFA, and develop and utilize AI-guided genomic-selection to breed novel plant genotypes with greater potential to capture atmospheric nitrogen for seed protein production and soil nitrogen stocks.

Improving the understanding and the effectiveness of N fixation in pulses in Australia

GRDC/Adelaide University

The intent of this investment is to continue the national effort to increase the effectiveness of N fixation in pulses in Australia. The expected project outcome is by 2027, with the Australian growers achieving and/or exceeding the N fixation frontier with access to superior Group N (chickpea) and I (mungbean) rhizobia strains and the adoption of improved management practices for pulse inoculation.

 

Boosting profit and reducing risk on mixed farms in low and medium rainfall areas with newly discovered legume pastures enabled by innovative management methods – Western region (Dryland pasture legume systems)

GRDC/Murdoch University

 

The Dryland Legume Pasture Systems project successfully achieved its goal of discovering and commercialising new legume pastures for mixed farms in low and medium rainfall areas that can be enabled by innovative management methods. The project has developed three elite hard seeded legume (HSLs) cultivars, one that has been commercialised (French serradella cv. Fran2o) and the others which should follow.

FURTHER READING AND LISTENING

Podcasts

Articles

GRDC Groundcover Supplements

Thanks to Marty Harries, Research Officer Crop Agronomy, DPIRD for his input on this article.

The Future Farm Foundations project is funded by the Australian Government through the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

Yvette Hollings, Sustainable Agriculture Project Officer

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.