Five new improved crop varieties released to meet international market requirements

11/8/99
Primary Industry Minister Monty House today released five new and improved crop varieties specifically for Western Australian conditions to meet international market requirements.
Mr House said the new varieties, developed by Agriculture Western Australia with funding support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, would provide greater choice for WA growers and help boost export opportunities.
The release included one high yielding wheat (Karlgarin), a feed oat (Wandering), the highest yielding narrow-leafed lupin (Quilinock) and two field peas (Cooke and Helena).
Mr House said the development of improved crop varieties and the willingness of grain producers to adopt new production technology would ensure a profitable and sustainable future for the State's $2 billion grains sector.
"Quality has become increasingly important, with markets demanding more specific products. The challenge for industry is to fulfill these requirements to maintain and increase our market share," he said.
Mr House said today's release was a major achievement for Agriculture Western Australia's research scientists whose work at the leading edge of technological development was highly respected nationally and internationally.
"Plant breeding is a long term research and development exercise requiring dedication and vision. Some of these new varieties have taken more than 10 years to develop, with the agency's plant breeders always keeping in focus the need to anticipate future quality and market requirements."
Mr House said the new wheat variety Karlgarin was developed with this as a priority.
"Karlgarin is an important new high yielding wheat with potential for Australian Hard classification," he said.
"The variety had good tolerance to boron and aluminum toxicities which were present throughout much of the wheatbelt and contributed to reduced yields."
He said growers would also have access to a new feed oat, Wandering, which had superior feed quality to Dalyup and Potoroo and out-yielded both of these varieties in most regions of WA.
"Wandering is a tall dwarf feed oat with good grain quality and improved grain size and oil content compared with Dalyup," the Minister said.
Mr House said the release of the new narrow-leafed lupin, Quilinock, would be particularly welcomed by growers.
"This new lupin is the highest yielding line ever tested across Southern Australia. Quilinock is a good option for growers in the eastern and central wheatbelt of Western Australia. It is early flowering and is best adapted to low and medium rainfall areas," the Minister said.
"However, Quilinock should not be grown in areas which have problems with anthracnose as the variety is susceptible to the disease. It has similar resistance to anthracnose as Myallie and Tallerack."
The release of two new field pea varieties Cooke and Helena were expected to help further encourage industry to expand pulse production into high rainfall areas.
"Cooke has achieved remarkable yields in all high rainfall areas where tested, boosting potential production in these areas. It also produced high yields in a number of areas in all other rainfall zones," Mr House said.
He said Helena was an excellent quality field pea expected to replace Dundale in most regions.
He said the purple-flowered variety with conventional leaf type was the highest yielding field pea among all the breeding lines at advanced stages of testing.
"Helena appears to be generally adapted in all regions, out-yielding both Laura and Dundale everywhere except in low rainfall areas where its yields were comparable to Dundale."
Mr House said Agriculture Western Australia was committed to developing new technologies to help achieve high quality crops, improved yields and expanded markets for WA agricultural products.
"The crop breeding program is moving further forward with developments in biotechnology which will lead to molecular marker-assisted selection for starch quality in wheat, disease resistance in field peas, and improved malting quality in barley," he said.
"Fast-tracking breeding processes are also being used to produce new varieties for growers in the shortest possible time."
Media contact: Julie Cole 9481 2044