Key messages
Expect to slow down in lodged faba beans and factor reduced harvest capacity into logistics and timing.
Front set-up and harvest direction are critical for getting underneath lodged plants and reducing losses at the cutter bar.
Harvest as soon as grain moisture allows, while monitoring green material, machine load and grain losses closely.
Lodged faba beans can make harvest challenging, particularly when plants are tangled, pods are close to the ground and crop material is difficult to feed into the header. While harvesting these crops will generally be slower, the right approach to harvest direction, front set-up and machine adjustments can make a significant difference to grain recovery
One of the biggest challenges when harvesting lodged faba beans is balancing harvesting efficiency against grain losses.
Keeping the header full generally improves machine efficiency, but pushing too quickly through a lodged crop can result in pods being missed, material feeding unevenly and increased losses at the front.
Slowing down is often unavoidable. The important thing is to recognise this early and factor reduced harvesting capacity into your planning, including machinery availability, grain transport and harvest scheduling.
It is also worth deciding how much grain loss is acceptable for your farming system. For example, growers planning to graze sheep on faba bean stubble may place a different value on grain remaining in the paddock compared with those relying entirely on grain sales.
Harvest direction is particularly important in lodged faba beans.
GRDC's Faba Bean GrowNotes recommends harvesting against the direction of lodging or at right angles to it. This can help the cutter bar get underneath fallen plants and improve feeding into the header.
The goal is to lift and capture the pods before the stems are cut. If plants are cut at the base before the reel can gather the lodged material, pods may fall in front of the knife rather than entering the machine.
Where possible, trial different harvesting angles over short distances and compare the results.
For growers not operating within a controlled traffic farming system, changing direction may be relatively straightforward. Where controlled traffic is used, the potential benefits need to be weighed against traffic and soil management considerations.
As described in GRDC's recent harvesting lodged crops webinar, available soon via GRDC past events page, recovering lodged faba beans starts at the cutter bar.
Several front configurations and accessories can help lift plants and improve feeding:
Crop lifters should clear the ground and not dig into the soil. This is especially important in paddocks with uneven surfaces or wet areas, where operating too low can cause mud and soil to accumulate beneath the front.
Sharp knives are another essential consideration. Check that knife guards are correctly aligned and maintain suitable clearance against the knife. Worn or poorly adjusted cutting components can cause blockages, increase cutting resistance and interrupt crop flow.
Lodged faba beans can retain green stems even when grain is ready to harvest. Waiting for stems to fully dry can increase pod loss and weather damage, but green material can also slow harvesting and increase the risk of rotor blockages.
Monitor grain moisture and machine load, reduce ground speed where needed, and take care when moving between standing and lodged areas where crop intake can change quickly.
Faba beans are relatively easy to thresh, but their large seeds are susceptible to cracking and mechanical damage.
GRDC's Faba Bean GrowNotes recommends relatively wide concave clearances and appropriate rotor or threshing speeds to minimise grain damage. The ideal settings depend on machine design, crop conditions and grain moisture.
Start with the manufacturer's recommendations and adjust according to the grain sample, losses and machine performance. Change one setting at a time.
Regularly checking tailings can help identify whether pods are being adequately threshed or whether excessive grain is being returned through the machine.
If tailings consist mainly of stalks and leaves, rather than unthreshed pods or grain, there may be an opportunity to adjust sieve settings to improve material flow. However, adjustments should always be checked against grain losses and sample cleanliness.
Avoid assuming that increasing rotor speed will solve poor threshing. Excessive speed may increase grain damage without addressing the underlying problem of uneven crop feeding.
Grain loss is inevitable to some extent, particularly in badly lodged crops. However, measuring losses provides a clearer basis for deciding whether further adjustments are worthwhile.
Check for grain and pods on the ground before harvesting, at the front and behind the machine. This helps distinguish pre-harvest losses from those caused by the cutter bar or threshing and separation systems.
Because faba beans have large seeds, even a relatively small number of beans on the ground can represent a meaningful yield loss.
For example, Agriculture Victoria's grain loss guide indicates that, for faba beans weighing approximately 50 g per 100 seeds, 20 beans per 0.1 m² represents around 1 t/ha of grain.
This highlights why a few simple checks during harvest can be valuable. The GRDC Harvester Set Up Guide provides more details on measuring and calculating losses.
While faba beans are sometimes considered more tolerant of delayed harvest than other pulses, extended delays can increase losses through lodging, pod drop, shattering and weathering. Reduction in quality is also a major risk.
GRDC research highlights that delayed harvesting can significantly reduce recoverable yield and grain quality. (GRDC Faba Bean GrowNotes - Southern Region)
Where lodged crops are already mature and conditions permit, consider prioritising them rather than automatically leaving them until other crops have been harvested.
Don’t forget, faba bean have a fine residue that powders easily and creates a higher risk of fire.
The best way to reduce harvester fire risk is through regular, thorough cleaning and inspection. When harvesting pulses, more frequent cleaning with a high-pressure air compressor is generally needed than when harvesting cereals.
Successful harvesting of lodged faba beans comes down to preparation, patience and regular adjustments.
Ultimately, the best harvester settings will depend on crop condition, machinery and paddock characteristics. Taking time to assess losses and make adjustments can help maximise the amount of grain recovered from a challenging crop.
The following resources provide more detailed information on faba bean harvesting, machinery set-up, grain loss assessment and harvest fire safety.
The Profitable Pulse Network project is a National Grower Network investment by Grains Research and Development Corporation.
GRDC's National Grower Network (NGN) refers to the community of growers and grains industry stakeholders across Australia’s growing regions who GRDC engages directly with to assist in developing locally relevant research development and extension (RD&E) investments.