Faba Variety Trial

Objective:                   

To evaluate Faba for yield and agronomic performance in Northwestern Montana

Summary:

The nursery was planted under rainfed conditions with adequate subsurface moisture on silt loam soil. Weeds were controlled via pre-plant incorporated Triflurex and weeded manually during the season. Detailed agronomic management is shown in Table 1.

The tallest variety showed signs of green snapping on top after pod maturity. Some varieties had pre-shattered pods, though the estimated lost was less than 20%. The combine was clogged twice during harvest due to the green stems, which also lengthened the harvest process. Tabular data of this nursery is intentionally not presented.

Significant differences were observed for all measured traits, except for stand count and lodging. Average yield was 2931.3 lb/A with a range from 1172.2 to 3682.2 lb/A. Average protein was 25.5%, with the lowest at 21.6% and the highest at 27.1%. Thousand seed weight ranged from 262 to 581 grams. Average days to flowering after planting was 54 days with a range from 50 days to 59 days. Days to maturity after planting ranged from 100 days to 104 days. Plant height at flowering and at maturity ranged from 23.2 to 29.7 inches at flowering, and 33.2 to 45 inches at maturity.