GROWERS toasted the launch of two new Lupin varieties over a cold beer at the Henty Machinery Field Days.
The varieties Bateman and Murringo were launched at the inaugural Henty research forum, held on-site for growers and industry.
The forum is a collaboration between NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
The lupin varieties are a significant improvement on current varieties and are the output of research partnerships between the GRDC, NSW DPI, Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) and the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA).
GRDC chair, John Minogue said PBA Bateman and Seednet Murringo were the result of effective plant breeding programs supported by GRDC and their investment partners.
“New varieties with beneficial traits, including enhanced disease resistance and improved yield potential, are critical to the future of the industry and remain a key focus of GRDC investment,” Mr Minogue said.
“These new lupin varieties fill an important niche in the market and their higher yielding capabilities will appeal to growers who are taking advantage of and expanding the use of legumes in our southern farming systems.”
NSW DPI pulse research agronomist, Mark Richards said Murringo has the pure white, sweet seeds demanded by human consumption markets and no bitter seeds.
“Best suited to medium to high rainfall lupin growing areas of NSW, Murringo can be grown in Victoria and SA, with resistance to root rot and phomopsis stem blight, which causes lupinosis,” he said.
Mr Richards said Murringo and Bateman were the product of a breeding program conducted by DAFWA with regional development of the varieties conducted locally by NSW DPI in Wagga Wagga.
The new variety PBA Bateman is high yielding with good disease tolerance, said Mr Richards.
“PBA Bateman is a sweet, narrowleaf lupin with significant yield and virus resistance improvements on current varieties suited to the eastern states.”
“Protected under Plant Breeders’ Rights, PBA Bateman is resistant to anthracnose, phomopsis stem blight, grey spot, bean yellow mosaic virus, black pod syndrome and cucumber mosaic virus – it’s moderately susceptible to brown spot.
“PBA Bateman has a medium to large seed with similar agronomic characteristics, harvestability and herbicide tolerance to existing lupin varieties.”
Simon Crane, manager Seednet said as the commercial partner they were excited to see the new varieties launched and would have seed and further agronomic information available on their website.