The lure of record prices is proving too much for some chickpea growers sparking warnings from agronomists about the risk of disease outbreak.
The start of the southern Queensland chickpea planting period is still about a month away but seed sales are already pointing to a 20 per cent increase on the 2015 record chickpea crop.
Agronomists like Dalby’s Andrew Johnstone and Goondiwindi’s Lindsay Ward say that’s concerning.
“The enthusiasm of growers is nearly beyond reason”, Mr Ward said.
“It’s a great worry for many agronomists and Pulse Australia. Some people want to plant chickpeas back to back three years in a row. It’s not good policy at all.
The biggest risk faced by growers, particularly those double cropping back into chickpeas, is Ascochyta blight caused by the fungal pathogen Ascochyta rabiei.
Dalby Rural Supplies director and senior agronomist, Andrew Johnstone, said there had already been some cases of Ascochyta in “green bridge” or volunteer chickpea crops over summer.
“We don’t want to alarm people but these crops carry the disease so we know that it is there,” he said.
“We fully understand why growers want to plant chickpeas because nothing comes near it in terms of price.
“But they need to be aware that if we get a wet winter or an above average wet winter then we’ll all need to be very vigilant.”
Mr Johnston said that if there was an outbreak of Ascochyta blight, supply of fungicides would be a major issue.
“There is already a shortage. If you look at the areas that will potentially be planted to chickpeas then the demand is already high.”
Chickpeas are currently selling for upwards of $850/tonne while barley is trading about $230/tonne and wheat $270/tonne.
Mr Johnstone said current chickpea prices, and the memory of last year’s perfect growing conditions, was proving to be a strong lure for many growers.
“The planets really lined up for a fantastic winter last year,” he said.
“We had good prices, a great start with good moisture and then a traditional dry period through June, July and August before getting the back-up rain right at pod filling time.”
Mr Ward said everyone was hoping for another great season but he cautioned growers against “breaking the rules”.
“It’s not even a good idea to plant two legumes back to back – so mungbeans following chickpeas,” he said.
“The risks are just too great.”
Mr Ward also said recent research from the Darling Downs had suggested that narrow row spacings of 30cm could be beneficial for chickpeas.
“I’d just like to make the point that certainly in the west, experienced people think that is far too close,” he said.
“They would rather rows at 70 to 75cm for better water and soil management.”
