The lentil breeding program at the Grains Innovation Park in Horsham will receive a revamp thanks to a significant investment boost from Agriculture Victoria and the Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
The new investment adds to a longstanding commitment by the GRDC to support research, development and extension (RD&E) into lentils and their place in the farming system.
Over the past decade, the GRDC together with research partners has invested $16 million in the Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) lentil breeding program, which has delivered nine varieties with improved yield and better fit for southern farming systems.
Additional investment into lentil agronomy has seen lentil production in Australia increased from 196,000 tonnes in 2011 to over 500,000 tonnes in 2021, with an estimated annual farmgate value of $350 million.
Agriculture Victoria senior research scientist Dr Garry Rosewarne said the latest investment partnership with GRDC was welcomed by the research team as an opportunity to continue creating new and improved lentil varieties for growers.
“Over the next five years we will see a huge increase in capability, capacity and infrastructure for our lentil breeding program.
“Trials in our expansion zones will double, particularly interstate in WA and NSW, where our relatively small trial sites will develop into fully fledged advanced trial sites.
“Overall, it means we can operate a larger and more efficient lentil breeding program. For example, at the moment a variety will take eight to 12 years of research to develop, now we will be able to reduce that timeline by a few years,” he said.
Dr Rosewarne said the news was particularly welcomed as they looked forward to celebrating World Pulse Day on Thursday February 10.
“Victoria’s lentil industry contributes $200 million to the Victorian economy each year, with 95 per cent of lentils grown in Victorian exported to countries all around the world, including Bangladesh and India.”
He said the new infrastructure and equipment installed at the Horsham SmartFarm will include new glasshouses that can provide optimal year-round growing conditions to support both summer and winter trials.
GRDC Manager of Pulses and Breeding Platforms, Francis Ogbonnaya said the GRDC was committed to delivering for growers through improvements to the lentil breeding program.
“GRDC invests in pulses for the enduring profitability and sustainability of farming systems, particularly in regions that have not had the benefits of pulse crops,” he said.
“So importantly while this investment supports and optimises pulses for traditional growing regions, it is also focused on increasing the availability of adapted lentil varieties for new regions.”
