October 23, 2002

The man the northern Australian grains industry knows as "Slatts" ­ John Slatter ­ will continue his campaign to promote pulse crops ­ chickpeas, mung and faba beans ­ thanks to renewed support from the Grains Research & Development Corporation.

The corporation and Pulse Australia have agreed that Mr Slatter will continue for another year as PA¹s Crop Support Manager for Queensland and northern NSW.

The manager of the GRDC¹s crop improvement program, John Cullen, says the new project involving Mr Slatter is essential to bring together the broad range of pulse research carried out across the regions by the various agencies.

"Without the project, the results of all this scientific effort ­ much of it supported by growers and the Federal Government through the GRDC ­ might not be coordinated, and the full benefit of it not delivered to the region¹s growers," Mr Cullen said.

"The GRDC is still strongly committed to increased grower and agronomist awareness, understanding, confidence and ability in pulse production, leading to improved quality, reduced volatility and improved direct profitability from pulse production.

"Pulses also bring further gains to growers from subsequent cereal crops, providing a disease break as well as contributing to a reduced rate of fertility decline on grain farms.

"The GRDC is also keen to see the full benefits of in plant breeding flow through to growers, and believes it is important that they, and their agronomists, understand both the advantages and any shortcomings in new varieties.

"Pulse Australia continues to be, heavily involved in the development of general disease management strategies for pulse crops. This project takes that work to the next stage, capturing for growers the special benefits that individual varieties may bring and ensure that they understand, in laymen¹s terms, the real extent of those benefits."

Mr Cullen said the new Pulse Australia project would deliver:

• development and implementation of variety and region specific agronomy and harvest management packages for quality, yield and profitability,
• timely publication and extension of specific management packages for existing and new pulse varieties, including a rating system and listing comparing varieties,
• continuation of the popular and useful accreditation courses for farmers and agronomists in chickpeas and mungbeans and development of new ones for peas and faba beans, and
• coordination of pulse crop reference groups, bringing researchers, marketers, processors and other industry participants together to facilitate accurate, two way flow of market signals.