Two new lentil varieties will be commercialised this year through the GRDC-funded Co-ordinated Improvement Program for Australian Lentils.

CIPAL402, a green lentil, is suitable for medium rainfall regions in Western Australia as a replacement for Matilda and will be available to growers in 2007.

The new variety has a yield advantage over existing red lentil varieties in Western Australia and has improved ascochyta blight and botrytis grey mould resistance, vigour and larger seed size compared to green lentil variety Matilda.

CIPAL402’s seed is about 30 per cent larger than Matilda’s, improving opportunities for the new variety in markets which value larger seed.