Western Australia
September 15, 2011
Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) has released the lupin variety PBA Gunyidi which is expected to deliver higher yields and profitability to Western Australian growers.
PBA Gunyidi was bred by the Department of Agriculture and Food’s (DAFWA) Bevan Buirchell and launched today by PBA chairman Mark Sweetingham at the Liebe Group field day.
It is the first lupin variety produced by PBA, a national research partnership delivering improved pulse varieties.
PBA is supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and government breeding programs throughout Australia, including DAFWA’s.
GRDC western panel chairman Peter Roberts welcomed the release of PBA Gunyidi , which yields up to 7 per cent higher than Mandelup in most lupin growing areas, and up to 19 per cent better than Tanjil .
“This is a quantum step forward in yield and provides a more profitable lupin to WA growers,” he said.
“Through PBA, the GRDC and its research partners invest heavily in legume breeding, in particular lupin breeding, to meet grower requirements for more profitable legumes to use in their farming systems,” he said.
“The GRDC invests almost $3 million annually in lupin research, including $1.2 million in the national PBA lupin breeding program based at DAFWA.
“A key aim of this investment is to increase the area of land planted to legumes, which provide a break crop opportunity and deliver nitrogen benefits to following crops.
“Cropping rotations incorporating more profitable legumes such as PBA
Gunyidi will lead to more sustainable farming systems.”
Mr Roberts said a key feature of PBA Gunyidi was its excellent pod shatter resistance, which was far superior to Mandelup’s .
“PBA Gunyidi’s improved shatter resistant pods mean growers now have the option of harvesting their lupins later without incurring significant yield losses,” he said.
“It is also tolerant to most herbicides commonly used on lupins, such as Metribuzin, giving growers another chemical mode of action to use against brome grass.”
Mr Roberts said other key features of PBA Gunyidi included:
• Broad regional adaption to most lupin growing areas of WA, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia;
• Moderately resistant to anthracnose, as good as Tanjil in the stems and Mandelup in the pods;
• Moderate resistance to phomopsis stem blight, equal or better than that of Tanjil ;
• Early flowering and maturity.
PBA Gunyidi is an abbreviation of a Nyoongar word relating to a well south of Coorow, and is also the name of an old railway siding between Coorow and Watheroo.
Mr Roberts said the delivery of PBA Gunyidi was supported by growers through their 1 per cent GRDC levy paid on grain production, and through partnerships between the GRDC and research organisations.
“By combining grower contributions with partner agency resources, PBA aims to deliver better pulse varieties, faster, for the benefit of all growers,” he said.
“PBA is a world class Australian breeding program for chickpeas, field peas, faba beans, lentils and lupins.
“PBA partners are the GRDC, DAFWA, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria (DPI Vic); the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI); Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPI&F) as part of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI); New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI); University of Adelaide; and Pulse Australia.
Certified seed of PBA Gunyidi will be available for the 2012 growing season through Seednet, the licensee for the variety.
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