FARM manager Wayne Melton says ongoing wet weather has presented plenty of challenges for this year’s chickpea crop on Culverthorpe, Pampas, but he is confident it will be a repeat of last year’s 3 tonne/hectare harvest.
Mr Melton said the PBA HatTrick variety chickpeas had been planted on irrigation hills at 1m centres and coped relatively well in persistent wet weather.
“The crop will certainly be late because of the wet weather,” Mr Melton said. “We’ll probably harvest in late November but its looking pretty good considering what we have been through. Even in the best season, chickpeas can be hard to manage but we’re on track to repeat last year’s 3t harvest.”
The 40ha crop, which is currently in flower, was planted following last year’s cotton crop. It has been sprayed three times to combat wet weather related diseases.
PBA HatTrick is an ascochyta resistant desi chickpea that is described as being well suited to the current chickpea growing areas in southern Queensland and northern NSW. HatTrick is the first variety to combine moderate to high levels of resistance to the two key diseases ascochyta blight and phytophthora root rot. According to Pulse Australia, more than 95pc of the chickpea crop is exported.
