A chickpea entry from Andrew Heath’s property at Murdinga has been named the winner of Australia’s first ever Nodulation Challenge.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
The GRDC, FREE Eyre and Clear Grain Exchange launched the “Show us your nods” challenge in July, aimed at finding the best nodulating legume or pasture crop in SA.
Mr Heath, who took home a GRDC-sponsored drone prize pack valued at $2500, said it was their first year growing Monarch chickpeas (kabuli type), after seeing them perform well in local legume trials. “The seed was treated with a dry inoculant prior to planting at 100kg/ha, although next year we think we’ll plant at 120kg/ha. We applied 45kg/ha of 9/13 at seeding time,” he said.
There were also individual category winners, who received an annual Profarmer Australia subscription, including Brian Dzoma, Minnipa (medic); Mark and Kelly Dolling, Kielpa (lupins); Meridee Groves, Booleroo Centre (vetch); Michael ‘Jock’ North, Wudinna (peas); and Tom Henderson, Elliston (faba beans).
![Challenge winner Andrew Heath with challenge coordinator Matt Lewis. Challenge winner Andrew Heath with challenge coordinator Matt Lewis.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/3AVQXXVxehY6aUCkmGUt6Z2/89d874e3-0320-41bb-bfab-ca3e3f349416.jpg/r101_44_462_539_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)