AGT pulse co-ordinator Dr Adam Norman and AGT glasshouse pulse technician Kendall Berrett with lentils at AGT’s Roseworthy, SA facility. Photo: AGT

THE GRAINS Research and Development Corporation has announced Australian Grain Technologies will lead the national lentil-breeding program following a competitive process.

The announcement follows AGT securing the national chickpea breeding program and further expands the company’s pulse-breeding portfolio.

Lentils are a cornerstone pulse crop in southern Australian farming systems and have experienced strong growth in recent years, driven by export demand and the agronomic benefits they bring to crop rotations.

Continued genetic improvement is critical to supporting productivity, resilience and adaptation across both established and emerging growing regions.

The National Lentil Breeding Program has been built through more than two decades of co-investment and collaboration between GRDC, Agriculture Victoria and industry partners.

Based at Horsham SmartFarm in Vic, the program has delivered lentil varieties and breeding innovations that have helped establish Australia as a globally competitive lentil producer and exporter.

Recent investment has expanded the program’s breeding infrastructure, phenotyping and genotyping capability, and accelerated breeding technologies that enable faster development and selection of improved germplasm.

GRDC managing director Nigel Hart said partnering with a commercial breeder in lentils was expected to accelerate breeding, introducing new technologies, providing specialised expertise and improving cost efficiency through economies of scale.

“GRDC are confident that having a commercial partner will also support the expansion of high-value pulses, such as lentils into non-traditional production regions that have historically had limited options,” Mr Hart said.

AGT chief executive officer and head of breeding Haydn Kuchel said the company was well positioned to build on this strong foundation.

“AGT exists to improve the livelihoods of farming families and the regional communities they live in,” Dr Kuchel said.

“Following the recent integration of chickpea breeding, securing the lentil program reflects both the strength of the existing platforms and our capacity to deliver across multiple pulse crops.

“We recognise the significant contribution Agriculture Victoria and GRDC have made to developing the germplasm, breeding capability, infrastructure and scientific expertise that underpin the program today. Our focus is to build on that foundation and continue delivering improved varieties for Australian growers.”

AGT is Australia’s largest wheat breeder and has well established breeding programs in durum, lupin, barley and canola.

The company will leverage its national breeding network and systems to support the continued development and commercialisation of improved lentil varieties.

The lentil program will focus on traits including yield, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and grain quality, while also supporting expansion into new production regions such as Western Australia and northern environments.

Agriculture Victoria head of science and technology Simone Warner said the program builds on decades of co-investment by Agriculture Victoria and Australian grain growers through GRDC.

“Agriculture Victoria has led delivery of the National Lentil Breeding Program from the Horsham SmartFarm for more than 20 years, and we are proud that our long-term investment has helped create germplasm, breeding capability, partnerships and commercial pathways that enabled the industry to grow,” Professor Warner said.

“Awarding the lentil breeding program to AGT is an important milestone and we are looking forward to seeing this program continue to go from strength-to-strength and deliver ongoing benefits to growers.”

AGT pulse co-ordinator Adam Norman said the program reinforced AGT’s long term commitment to pulse breeding.

“Together with chickpeas, lentils represent a significant part of Australian pulse production,” Dr Norman said.

“Lentils are a major focus given their scale and continued growth.

We’re committed to delivering ongoing genetic improvement to support growers across a range of environments.”

GRDC senior manager, genetic technologies – pulses and oilcrops Francis Ogbonnaya said the partnership would also speed up the delivery of new lentil varieties to Australian growers, offering higher and more stable yields, better tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and grain-quality traits suited to current and emerging production regions.

AGT will work closely with Agriculture Victoria, GRDC and industry partners to ensure breeding activities continue seamlessly as the program transitions with a focus on delivering tangible outcomes for Australian growers.

“The success of the Australian lentil industry is the result of long-term commitment from researchers, breeders, growers and funding partners.

“We look forward to continuing the great work undertaken by Agriculture Victoria and GRDC and to deliver innovation and value for growers,” Dr Kuchel said.

Source: GRDC

AGT was established in 2002 by GRDC, the South Australian Government and the University of Adelaide. In 2008, France-based co-operative Limagrain became a stakeholder. AGT’s board of directors comprises three GRDC representatives, two Limagrain representatives, and one each from the South Australian Government’s Primary Industries and Resources SA and the University of Adelaide.