Chickpeas are on a roll in Queensland and northern New South Wales, which, between them, now grow 95 per cent of the national crop.

According to Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (QDPI&F) pulse breeder Merrill Fordyce, it won't be long before chickpeas are planted in 20 per cent of the wheat cropping area in Central Queensland, with considerable rotational benefit to the following crops.

Dr Fordyce says Central Queensland growers planted about 12,000 hectares to the new chickpea cultivar Moti in 2004 but that figure could rise to 30,000 hectares in 2005, depending on the availability of seed and the season.

Moti was developed in Western Australia and has yielded 10 to 20 per cent more than Jimbour and Amethyst under Central Queensland's tropical conditions.

Because of vulnerability to Ascochyta blight (AB), plantings of Moti are limited to Central Queensland, where the disease hasn't appeared yet.

"Central Queensland is one of three areas specifically identified for chickpea improvement in the Northern Desi Chickpea Breeding Program supported by graingrowers and the Federal Government through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)," Dr Fordyce said.

"The program involves the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSWDPI) as well as the Queensland department (QDPI&F), and is led by NSWDPI's Tamworth chickpea breeder, Ted Knights.

"The project gives the highest priority to incorporating Ascochyta and phytophthora root rot resistance as well as increased yield in new chickpea varieties, with secondary objectives of improved seed quality and harvestability and resistances to root lesion nematode, botrytis grey mould and virus."

Dr Fordyce said while the project already had plans to release three new varieties ­ two for NSW and one for southern Queensland ­ in 2005, longer term the team had identified three areas of the northern grains region that required specific characteristics in chickpeas: o medium rainfall subtropical ­ the Darling Downs in Queensland and the northern and eastern slopes of NSW ­ with improvement to focus on resistance to Ascochyta as highest priority, followed by phytopthora, botrytis and nematodes; o low rainfall subtropical ­ the Western Downs of Queensland and the northern and central Western Plains of NSW ­ where phytopthora resistance had a higher priority than Ascochyta and nematodes, and growers wanted better harvestability and drought tolerance or avoidance, and o low rainfall tropical ­ the Central Highlands and Callide Dawson regions of Queensland, characterised by a short growing season of 110 to 130 days, high growing season temperatures, low winter rainfall and soils with low moisture holding capacity.

Trait improvement in Central Queensland would focus on early podding lines that optimised water use and avoided terminal moisture stress.

"While the project is working to breed chickpeas for these specific regional characteristics, growers in south Queensland can look forward to the official release and naming next year of the line we call 9437-3005," Dr Fordyce said.

"With a yield equal to Jimbour ­ and better at some sites ­ 9437-3005 is a bit taller and a bit earlier, with superior seed quality, evenness and size ­ slightly bigger than Jimbour."