UNE PhD candidate Abdul Manan Khan presents at APC2023 in Toowoomba’s Armitage Centre on the economic value of grain yield in chickpea breeding.
RESEARCHERS, agronomists and value adders from across Australia and beyond are gathered in Toowoomba this week for the fourth Australian Pulse Conference, and the first ever to be held in Queensland.
In his opening address this morning, committee chair and Wilson International Trade principal Peter Wilson welcomed around 300 delegates to the Empire Theatres’ Armitage Centre to hear presentations, take part in discussions and find out where Australia’s vibrant pulse industry is heading.
Under the theme of Pulses for People, Profit and the Planet, Mr Wilson said the committee aimed for a program that could “meld science and markets”.
“I think that’s been the great hallmark of the pulse industry over the years; we are a special crop,” Mr Wilson said.
APC2023 delegates include pulse breeders, plant pathologists and agronomists, who Mr Wilson said have helped to make the industry successful through the spirit of collaboration with “openness of heart that you do get from scientists but you don’t get from traders”.
He said these scientists have enabled Australia to develop and grow pulse varieties suited to large-scale agriculture which have an unshakable base in export markets, and a variety of opportunities in the value-adding space.
“Having a plant that’s upright and that can be harvested by a modern harvester is quite an achievement.”
The forum has a wide range of speakers over the two-day program looking at everything from human dietary trends and where pulse-based foods sit in the consumer landscape to the breeding and development of Australia’s pulse crops.
The event is normally triennial, but because of COVID has not been held since the Horsham event in Victoria in 2019.
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- Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council nutrition manager Theresa Pham, Curtin University’s Dr Lars Kamphuis and Professor Doug Cook from the University of California-Davis.
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- Working on mungbean research on opposite sides of Australia are SP Singh, a technical officer with Qld DAF at Emerald, and UWA breeder Md. Shahin Iqbal pictured with his poster display at APC2023.
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- Sarah Wilson and Matt Kenny from Syngenta’s Toowoomba-based team with Emma Twine from Corteva’s Goondiwindi office.
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- Pulse Australia’s northern and southern agronomists Paul McIntosh (far left) and Phil Bowden (far right) with APC2023 committee chair Peter Wilson and Pulse Australia CEO Nick Goddard.
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- NSW DPI Wagga Wagga crop physiologist Neroli Graham (far left) and research agronomist Mark Richards with Tamworth-based Chickpea Breeding Australia researchers Judy Duncan and Glenn Lendon (far right).
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- Esperance-based DPIRD senior research officer Mark Seymour and SARDI vetch breeder Stuart Nagel, Adelaide.
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- UniSQ researchers Jason Sheedy, Dr Rebecca Zwart, Neil Robinson, Hannah Rostad and Dr Kirsty Owen.
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- Griffith University’s Dr Ido Bar and Professor Rebecca Ford with NSW DPI pulse and oilseed pathologist Dr Kurt Lindbeck, Wagga Wagga.
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- GRDC investment manager Dr Harriet Sangma and NSW DPI senior plant pathologist Joop van Leur.
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- University of New England researcher Dr David Herridge and University of Sydney Professor Brent Kaiser.
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- CSIRO’s Future Protein Mission leader Dr Crispin Howitt with Kraft Heinz’s Plant Innovation Hub head Juraj Durco and head of R&D Samuele Cianciosi.
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- Agriculture Victoria team leader Dr Garry Rosewarne addresses APC2023.
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