Farmers to benefit from pulse breeding venture

Monday, 19 March 2007

Farmers and the Australian grains industry will be the winners from a new national pulse breeding collaboration involving University of Adelaide plant breeders.

Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA), launched at the University of Adelaide, will coordinate Australia's pulse breeding efforts and create a world-class breeding and germplasm enhancement program. Pulses are the dried edible seeds of legume plants such as lentils, beans and peas.

PBA is a collaborative venture between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Pulse Australia, the University of Adelaide, the SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and state departments of primary industries in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.

PBA board member and University of Adelaide Deputy Head of the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine Associate Professor Mike Keller said: "The University of Adelaide's position in this new venture underlines our role as the leading Australian university in the area of plant breeding.

"Our involvement in programs like Pulse Breeding Australia provides an avenue for us to deliver our plant science research to the farming community. It also adds great strength to our postgraduate training in plant breeding."

University of Adelaide Plant breeder and Research Fellow Dr Jeff Paull will lead the national faba bean breeding program. Under PBA the existing faba bean breeding programs in NSW and Waite will work together to meet national needs and avoid duplication.

Inaugural PBA Chairman Peter Reading, who is also managing director of the GRDC, said the creation of PBA would help to underpin the sustainability of the Australian grains industry.

"Pulses are an important part of Australian grain production, both as export crops in their own right and as part of crop rotations," he said. "The aim of PBA is to coordinate a cost-effective pulse breeding program that develops new, superior varieties more quickly for our farmers.

"Its focus will be on monitoring reliable market signals, accessing elite germplasm for breeding efforts and rapid adoption by Australian growers of new lentil, faba bean, chickpea and field pea varieties that have been developed for, and field-tested in, local conditions."

 

Contact Details

Professor Mike Keller
Email: michael.keller@adelaide.edu.au
Head of School
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 8149


Media Team
Email: media@adelaide.edu.au
Website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 0814