Faba bean disease tolerance – Breeza 2016

KEY FINDINGS:To compare the performance of faba bean varieties and advanced breeding lines under different levels of rust pressure.To compare fungicides for their effectiveness to control diseases as well as improve yield and seed size in faba bean. Experiment one used a low frequency (LF) program, while experiment two involved a high frequency (HF) fungicide program.ConclusionsGenotypes differed in there susceptibility to rust, chocolate spot and Stemphylium blight, with one of the northern breeding lines (11NF001a-10) showing rust resistance equal to current commercial varieties and superior chocolate spot resistance. Fungicides were highly effective in reducing rust symptoms and improving leaf retention but in this trial had no effect on chocolate spot. Note that the permit for tebuconazole allows for only three applications of 145ml/ha in commercial crops.