Responses of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) to sowing rate in south-western Australia I. Seed yield and economic optimum plant density

Sowing rate influences plant establishment, growth, seed yield, and the profitability of a crop. However, there is limited published information on the optimum sowing rate and plant density for faba bean in Australia. The response of the growth and seed yield of faba bean (cv. Fiord) to sowing rate (70-270 kg/ha) was examined in 19 field experiments conducted over 3 years in south-western Australia. The economic optimum plant density was estimated at each site by fitting an asymptotic model to the data and calculating the point where the cost of extra seed equalled the return from additional seed yield, allowing a 10% opportunity cost for the extra investment.

On average across all sites and seasons, only 71% of the seeds sown emerged. Increasing sowing rate resulted in more dry matter production at first flower and at maturity, and at about half of the sites there was a small trend of reduced harvest index. In general, the mean number of seeds per pod (1.8-2.6) and mean seed weight (32-45 g/100 seeds) were unaffected by sowing rate. As sowing rate increased, the number of pods per plant (5-35) generally decreased, but this was compensated by the large plant population and more pods per unit area. The asymptotic models fitted to the seed yield data accounted for 15-81% of the variance. In 8 experiments, the models indicated that yield was continuing to increase substantially as sowing rate increased at the largest sowing rate treatment. The estimated optimum plant densities in these experiments were beyond the range of the data or had large standard errors and, hence, were excluded from any further consideration. Among the remaining 11 experiments, the estimated optimum plant densities varied from 31 to 63 plants/m(2) with a mean of 45 plants/m(2). This study demonstrates that targeting sowing rates greater than the current commercial practice for faba bean in southern Australia of 15-30 plants/m(2) results in more yield and profit. Additional experiments are required with sowing rates in excess of 270 kg/ha to estimate accurately the optimum plant density for faba bean. Fungal diseases were either absent or controlled with fungicides in these experiments but the interactions between disease, time of sowing, and sowing rates also deserve further attention.