Lupin triumph tastes sweet

By Tracy Gillam

The lupin industry in Western Australia is facing what some have described as a "rebirth" with the release of a new robust and high-yielding variety, Mandelup.

After 13 years of research, breeders have developed a variety that boasts a tolerance to the broadleaf herbicide Metribuzin and strong resistance to the fungal disease anthracnose.

Mandelup also continues a tradition set by Western Australia's "father of lupins", Dr John Gladstones, by taking a Nyoongar name.

Mandelup is the Nyoongar name for the brilliant orange-flowering tree that blooms in Western Australia's south-west around Christmas time, and is known as the Western Australia Christmas tree. Aboriginal people used to eat the tree's suckers, which are very sweet.

Fittingly, the Mandelup lupin is a timely sweetener for the state's graingrowers. Its tolerance to Metribuzin will allow lupins to be retained in the rotation, providing more sustainable agriculture. Also, the variety's improved resistance to aphids should reduce pesticide use.

Mandelup is being promoted as a revolution in lupin breeding. According to pre-release research, Mandelup is higher yielding than all current varieties in Western Australia's medium and low rainfall regions.

Mandelup is the work of three of Western Australia's most prominent lupin breeders - Dr Gladstones, Dr Wallace Cowling and Dr Bevan Buirchell.

Dr Gladstones has worked in the development of lupins since 1954, and Mandelup is already considered to be his ultimate variety from 50 years of research and breeding.

Grower Ray Fulwood has been bulking up Mandelup seed at his Meckering farm: "I sow lupins on wide-row spacings and have been impressed by the architecture of the plant," he says. "I am very encouraged by the height and am looking forward to harvest to see how it goes."

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia expects the new variety will eventually account for 40 percent of production in Western Australia and 20 percent in eastern states.

The road to Mandelup

By Tracy Gillam

As ceremonies go, it was a modest affair, beneath a pleasing rain-bearing sky, but when the new lupin variety WALAN2141 was unveiled at the Northern Sandplain Research Annexe Field Day and formally christened Mandelup, a new era opened for Western Australian graingrowers.

Mandelup is being hailed as a revolution in lupin breeding, answering the challenge of the devastating fungal disease anthracnose that almost brought Western Australia's sandplain farming system to its knees when it struck in 1996. It is also high-yielding, has improved seed protein, is resistant to aphids, has high harvest height, great early vigour, better metribuzin tolerance, and is suitable for crop topping.

The field day provided the opportunity to launch the new variety in front of 180 industry representatives, researchers and growers. Dr Bevan Buirchell, senior lupin breeder at the Western Australia Department of Agriculture, says that the outbreak of anthracnose changed the view of the whole lupin breeding program. It introduced a new demand - disease resistance - at a time breeders were concentrating mainly on higher yields.

The outcome, in Mandelup, is a robust and productive variety that Dr Buirchell believes will replace all other lupin varieties in cropping zones with annual rainfall of less than 400 millimetres. Forty tonnes of Mandelup, or WALAN2141, were given to growers this year and Dr Buirchell says 400 to 600 tonnes should be available to farmers next season.

One of the many growers at the launch, Meckering farmer Ray Fulwood (photo), says he expects Mandelup will replace Tanjil and Quilinock on his farm as the lupin variety of choice.

"During this year's bulk-up I have been keeping a close eye on my crop of Mandelup and it looks excellent... better than I had hoped for."

Mr Fulwood says he expects the crop to yield over two tonnes a hectare. "I think the release of Mandelup is almost a rebirth of lupins in Western Australia," he says. "Finally we have a variety with good anthracnose resistance, excellent yield potential and an improved agronomy package overall."

Lupin research in Western Australia is carried out in partnership between the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Department of Agriculture. The GRDC's western panel deputy chairwoman, Dr Juliann Lloyd-Smith, says Mandelup is the fruition of 13 years of research.

"It provides farmers with a replacement lupin variety for growers in the medium and low-rainfall zones of WA," she says.

"Its metribuzin tolerance is a big advantage, particularly for growers in the northern agricultural region, where metribuzin is widely used for broadleaf weed control."

The GRDC is also investing in a project with the Department of Agriculture to screen lupin varieties with tolerance to Balance® and Affinity®.

"The GRDC's research partnership with the Department of Agriculture is a long-term commitment by the GRDC to continue to improve the yield and the quality of the varieties available to Australian graingrowers," says Dr Lloyd-Smith.

One of the attractions for the GRDC of the Western Australian lupin breeding program, she says, is that it delivers varieties nationally. The new variety is expected to eventually account for 20 percent of production in eastern states.

For more information:
Dr Bevan Buirchell, Senior Plant Breeder, Department of Agriculture, Locked Bag 4, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia, 6983

GRDC Research Codes: DAW 708, DAW 00105, program 2