WITH the recent rise in lentil prices, farmers will be keenly awaiting further trial data surrounding the prospects of two new lentil varieties, bred by Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA).
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PBA Blitz and PBA Jumbo will be marketed as high yielding red lentil varieties, with PBA confident the varieties will lead to an increase in lentil production in southern Australia.
The two lines will be available through PBA’s commercial partner PB Seeds in 2011.
PBA agronomist Larn McMurray (SA Research and Development Institute) says the attributes of the new varieties, such as improved disease resistance and yield reliability, are expected to lead to an expansion in the lentil sowing area.
PBA Seeds commercial manager Janine Sounness said PBA Jumbo was being targeted as a replacement for the high quality Aldinga variety.
“PBA Jumbo has been bred as an improved and direct replacement for Aldinga lentils, yielding up to 15 per cent higher,” she said.
“It will target high quality markets and is large in size with excellent milling quality.”
Mr McMurray said PBA Blitz is a medium sized red lentil which can be grown in all current lentil areas.
However, he said it would be particularly suited to shorter season areas where its combination of early to mid flowering, early maturity, high yield, and good disease resistance will improve crop reliability.
He said the short season nature of the variety also opened up opportunities in areas such as the South Australian and Victorian Mallee, previously thought unsuitable for lentils.
“PBA Blitz is the earliest maturing lentil variety and the best option where crop topping and/or delayed sowing are practised,” he said.
