Chickpea production should  be even more attractive to Central Queensland growers when an early maturing, high yielding desi chickpea cultivar becomes commercially available in 2004.

Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI) pulse crop agronomist Kevin McCosker told the 150 Central Queensland growers attending GRDC Grains Research Update seminars at Capella and Biloela the new cultivar Moti was bred by New South Wales Agriculture's Tamworth plant breeder Ted Knights.

Dr Tanveer Khan of the Western Australia Department of Agriculture carried out subsequent selection and evaluation, before QDPI testing began in 1997 under the GRDC's Crop Improvement Program. 

Mr McCosker said Moti would not be available for planting outside Central Queensland because it offered no improvement in resistance to ascochyta blight and phytopthora root rot.

"Moti's attractive agronomic traits are that it is a tall, lodging resistant plant that generally reaches flowering and harvest one to two weeks earlier than the industry benchmark variety, Amethyst. It has a similar seed size to the popular Jimbour variety and above all, it has consistently recorded a yield average 10 percent greater than Amethyst," Mr McCosker said.