Background
In high yielding environments Faba beans grow too tall and this may limit there harvest index.
This trial will investigate novel treatments that look at Canopy management, such as Grazing, PGRs, and crop defoliants. Some of these are experimental and not currently registered and are transferable to Faba Beans and other tall high yielding crops.
A crop defoliant (weed control) at 3 times of the year to demonstrate the impact on yield loss from leaf green area loss. Defoliation will also be conducted mechanically to limit height.
Method
Samira Faba Beans were sown on 27 April 2022
The following canopy management strategies will be applied throughout the growing season
- Untreated control (UTC)
- Experimental PGR* (early vegetative)
- Experimental PGR* (first flowers)
- Mechanical Defoliation (early vegetative)
- Mechanical Defoliation (first flowers; apical pruning)
- Chemical Defoliation# (early vegetative)
- Chemical Defoliation# (first flowers; apical pruning)
- Chemical Defoliation# (first flowers + 14 – 21 days)
The early vegetative treatments were applied on the 7th of June