The trial is looking at different N strategies that may impact the crop’s growth and development. The range of treatments include a ‘minimal inputs’ strategy that assumes the worst based on a poor seasonal outlook, early N strategies that assume that early N will favour vegetative growth and thus improve fodder production rather than for grain and strategies that match inputs to ensure maximum grain yield. Soil N has been measured to allow for an N budget to be calculated. Irrigation management will be uniform across the trial and based on SMM. In the 2024 growing season trials will include irrigation strategies.

Similar strategies to wheat are in place for the barley trial. Fodder, grain yield and N timing on grain protein treatments are in place.

The 2023 trial will focus on the salvage aspect of a faba crop. Given little grain pricing is available until close to harvest, there is a degree of risk in faba beans when the seasonal forecast is poor and allocations are reduced. Come spring, it might not be the most profitable strategy to irrigate faba beans, and so alternative markets may be an option. Fabas do have the potential to grow considerable biomass and assuming drought and high prices for quality fodder, turning faba beans into fodder may be a profitable strategy. However, conserving faba beans is not without its problems e.g. high moisture content and slow drying, and market acceptability is also an issue. The trial will look at the biomass produced during the grain fill period (up to 20 t DM/ha has been measured at the Trial Block) and beyond physical maturity as the crop starts to dry down.

Nitrogen strategies have been put in place to see the effects of both timing and rate on crop biomass (fodder production, and nitrate content) and grain yield and oil content.