Winter 2012 - GRDC · PBA WINTER 2012 NEWS Page 3 A busy PBA spring! PBA will be busy this spring...

PBA NEWS

A New PBA Partner- Welcome to the University of

Sydney

PBA is pleased to welcome the University of Sydney as a new PBA joint venture partner. The University has joined PBA after taking over the northern node of the PBA Faba Bean Breeding Program from NSW DPI. Breeding for the northern node will now be centred at the

University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute’s (PBI) IA Watson Grains Research Centre at Narrabri. Dr Kedar Adhikari, Project Leader Grain Legume Breeding (PBI) will head up the

northern breeding effort and will also join the PBA Coordination Group as the University’s representative. Professor Richard Trethowan, Director of the IA Watson Grains Research Centre, will represent the University on the PBA Board. The PBA partners are excited by the

University’s positive commitment to pulse breeding and are looking forward to developing strong working relationships with our new partner for the betterment of the northern pulse

industry.

Winter 2012

Contact: Fleur Winter, PBA Coordinator

[email protected] ph: 0417 926 033

this issue

Inaugural PBA National Pulse Conference – p 2

A busy PBA spring! – p 3

Hi I’m Kate– p 4

PBSeeds-PBA commercial partner for lentils – p 5

Tech Symposium soon – p 6

PBA Program Update – p 7

Pulse Research News - p 9

Pulse Travel – p20

mailto:[email protected]

PBA WINTER 2012 NEWS

Inaugural PBA National Pulse Conference

Phil Davies (SARDI)

To be held - Adelaide, 20 – 23 October 2013 PLEASE MARK THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARIES!

Planning is well underway for the Inaugural National Pulse Conference with the theme “Expanding horizons” which aims to focus attention on how we can meet the PBA vision of

expanding pulse production to more than 15% of the total cropping area. The conference will feature at least two international speakers who have made outstanding contributions to the

pulse industry. Following a welcome/networking function on Sunday evening, 20th October, the conference

will have the following structure and themes: Monday 21st: EXTENSION FOCUS. Field Day with emphasis on market expectations and

the challenges associated with meeting “premium product” objectives. Tuesday 22nd: DEVELOPMENT FOCUS. Implications of market imperatives for breeders;

trait development and bringing new traits to market; impact of agronomy on grain quality; farming systems perspectives on pulse production.

Wednesday Day 3: RESEARCH FOCUS. Genotype x environment interactions; wild species

germplasm; physiology; genomics and pathology. The conference will end with a session on realising the future for the Australian pulse

industry. The conference aims to attract Australian scientists, breeders, farmers, advisors, and

marketers and to include all components of the pulse value chain. Timed to accommodate both the southern and northern hemisphere seasons, the Committee hopes that many of our

international pulse colleagues will also join PBA in Adelaide (beautiful in the southern Spring) for the conference, either to present or simply participate in what will be a great pulse event.

To encourage student participation and foster the next generation of researchers there will be low-price student registration packages and a prize for excellence in student

presentations. A well informed and motivated organising committee has been established to develop the

conference program, encourage participation and collate the conference proceedings. With the support of GRDC funding, a conference organising company, YRD led by Kate Murphy,

has been contracted to assist with the practicalities of running the conference. The members of the conference organising committee are: Kedar Adhikari (Uni Sydney), Jens

Berger (CSIRO – WA), Jason Brand (DPI Vic), Jenny Davidson (SARDI), Phil Davies (SARDI), Col Douglas (DEEDI), Rebecca Ford (Uni Melb), Judith Lichtenzveig (Curtin Uni), Kate Light

(GRDC), Michael Materne(DPI Vic), Kate Murphy (YRD), Jeff Paull (UA), Tim Sutton (ACPFG), Joop van Leur (NSW DPI), Wayne Hawthorne (Pulse Australia) and Fleur Winter (PBA).

The organising committee will also seek the assistance of others to organise the field day and to seek sponsorship funds.

This conference will be an excellent opportunity to discuss issues of concern to the Australian Pulse industry and to seek innovative solutions. Please mark these dates in your diary and let

your colleagues know about this meeting. For further information, please contact Phil Davies: [email protected]



A busy PBA spring!

PBA will be busy this spring with PBA Board and Coordination Group (CG) meetings to be

held at Wagga Wagga and a number of proposed PBA variety releases.

The NSW DPI Pulse Agronomy team at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, headed by Dr Eric Armstrong, are hosting the next PBA meetings to be held from 24 to 26 October.

As well as showcasing the national PBA trials, pea bacterial blight screening nurseries and pulse agronomy trials to the PBA Board and CG during the meetings, a special “Breakfast

Meet and Greet - Pulse Breeding and Agronomy” is planned for Friday 26 October 7.30am – 11.30am, at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute.

This special breakfast field day event will provide a unique opportunity for central and southern NSW farmers, advisors and pulse industry representatives to interact and meet the

faces behind PBA (Pulse Breeding Australia), including chickpea, field pea, lupin, lentil and faba bean breeders and research agronomists.

It will facilitate valuable feedback and open discussion on the industry’s current needs and ensure future adoption and expansion of pulses across all regions of Australia, particularly

southern NSW. It is planed that each breeder/agronomist will guide visitors through their field plots of chickpea, field pea, lupin, faba bean and lentil and provide an overview of their

program, its objectives and vision for the future. For further information contact Fleur Winter, PBA Coordinator, mb: 0417 926 033, email [email protected]

Planning for the spring’s PBA variety releases is also underway, with a heads up as to “what when and where” as per the table below. Details will also appear on the PBA webpage

(www.grdc.com.au/pba) and in GroundCover.

Crop New

Release

Variety Description Proposed Launch

Chickpea CICA0603 Early flowering and early maturing desi

chickpea adapted to the short season

environments of southern Australia.

Mingenew WA,

6 September

Faba bean IX114/1-16 High yielding, early flowering faba bean

variety, resistant to rust and tolerant to

BLRV, to be released for cultivation in

northern NSW and southern Qld. Seed is

larger than Doza and more uniform than

Cairo so will improve the marketability of

faba bean produced in the Northern

Region.

Tulloona NSW,

27 September

Lentil CIPAL0803 Mid maturity, disease resistant Nugget

replacement

SA or Vic

PBA Field Day, TBC

Lentil CIPAL0801 Early maturing, erect Flash replacement

for the Mallee

Vic (Culgoa)

PBA Field Day, TBC

Field pea OZP0819 High yielding, broadly adapted, white

seeded field pea that is semi-leafless,

semi-dwarf and has an erect growth

habit. MR to bacterial blight and good

resistance to downy mildew and bean

leaf roll virus.

Wagga Wagga,

PBA Field Day,

26 October



Who’s that girl?

Hi, I’m Kate (Welcome to Kate Light, GRDC)

Kate Light, GRDC

PBA welcomes Kate Light, GRDC to the

PBA Coordination Group (CG). Kate will be assisting Brondwen MacLean with PBA activities and will replace Brondwen as the

GRDC CG member. Brondwen will remain the GRDC PBA Board Member. Following

is an intro which the editor forced Kate to write....

As I write this with gritted teeth and wonder what you would like to know about

me, I am reminded of a similar item written by an ex-colleague. If I use his

example for my own introduction it would go along the following lines “Hi, I’m Kate, a blue-eyed Leo with a mischievous

streak, who enjoys long walks or drives in the country, does not shy away from a good discussion and is built for strength not speed. I

have a tendency to tell the truth and use 10 words when 5 would probably do, am passionate about exploring new ideas and don’t play games (unless they involve licensed firearms) as I can get too competitive…...”. This all happens to be true however my ex-colleague has

refused to write the rest for me so the interesting part of this has now concluded.

I hail from Victoria and have worked in Australian canola breeding programs since I graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1996. The first 11+ years of my career were with the various iterations of the one canola breeding program now owned by Nuseed located

in Horsham Vic, initially as a research assistant in the specialty canola (now Monola branded varieties released by Nuseed) and Roundup Ready (GM) canola programs and then as the

canola breeder from late 2001. Whilst working as a plant breeder with Nuseed, I completed a Master by Research focused on

blackleg resistance breeding. In 2008 I joined Pacific Seeds as a canola breeder to gain experience in breeding hybrids and, after setting up the southern research facility in

Horsham, moved to their head office in Toowoomba in early 2009. I have been lucky enough to be involved in the release of a number of commercially successful open-pollinated and hybrid canola varieties that span all four currently available canola herbicide tolerances

(Conventional, Triazine tolerant, Imi tolerant and Roundup Ready). In late 2011 I started a small contracting company focused on providing agricultural research project management

services. My new role as Project Manager Breeding Program with the GRDC fills me with excitement.

I’m really excited about learning about pulse crops from the entire PBA team, being exposed to cutting edge research as it happens and seeing it’s application to breeding and also the

challenge of effectively contributing to the PBA effort by drawing on my commercial experience. Oh yeah…. I’m excited about working with Bron too!!!! (Sorry boss). I tend to ask a lot of questions when I’m new (so consider that a pre-warning) and hope you will help

to educate me (in a nice way). I’m also not backward in coming forward or in admitting when ‘I don’t know’ and expect the same in others so please feel free to correct me on the

basics when/if I get them wrong.


Janine Sounness and Peter Blair of PBSeeds with PBA Lentil Breeder, Michael Materne (Vic DPI) at the launch of

PBA Herald XT lentil at Rupanyup, Victoria in October 2011

“……. I hold a private pilot’s licence, am learning Spanish, have represented Australia in the international sporting arena in a ‘past life’ (hint to the sport contained above) and enjoy

collecting Australian art and travelling. I’m looking for a …..” That’s enough of that now. Seriously, I look forward to meeting you all soon and please don’t hesitate to contact me at

any time if you think I can help or you just want a chat. Bron’s P.S. Kate shoots straight and true …. Literally!

Ed note: Hope that is the last time we see Kate in THAT TYPE of crop.....

PBSeeds – PBA commercial

partner for lentils

Janine Sounness, Commercial Manager, PBSeeds

The historic release of PBA’s first herbicide tolerant lentil variety, PBA Herald XT, in 2011 was a real testament to the benefits of the PBA partnerships. Development of this variety by the

PBA Lentil Breeding Program at DPI Victoria, combined with the work of the Southern Pose Agronomy project teams and PBSeeds trials, resulted in a permit to be approved for use of

Imazethapyr in this variety this year. PBSeeds led and co-ordinated the submission of the permit with expertise from the GRDC project “Pesticides for minor uses in grain” and Pulse

Australia collaboration. All partners played a vital role to ensure this successful outcome

and are continuing to work towards label registration. PBSeeds is proud to work in synergy with PBA to ensure commercialisation

of the PBA lentil varieties does occur “better and faster”.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) approved use

of Imazethapyr by permit for PBA Herald

XTA in May 2012 up until 31 August 2013;

immediately giving lentil growers of this new variety increased options for

managing weeds in this crop. PBA Herald

XTA also has improved tolerance to flumetsulam and less sensitivity to some sulfonylurea and

imidazolinone residues. Flumetsulam can reduce yields up to 20 per cent in other lentil varieties.

PBA lentil variety success

With five PBA lentil varieties released by PBSeeds in the last three years, growers are reaping

the rewards of variety improvements of herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, harvestability, yield and earlier maturity. PBSeeds has received many reports from growers

about the benefits of PBA lentil varieties. Many growers said that PBA BlitzA yielded 25 -

30% higher than NuggetA in South Australia last year. One of PBSeeds seed growers of PBA

JumboA

mentioned he was “astounded” by its yield of 4 t/ha; a yield he said he had never

achieved before in growing lentils. In Victoria reports on the performance of the PBA FlashA

variety are also positive; with yields typically 10% to 30% above the old standard variety,


Nugget. Not only that, the improved plant type the PBA Lentil Program aimed for in PBA

FlashA is proving a better fit in the farming systems. It is a variety that is well suited to no-

till, inter-row sowing. PBSeeds have heard many reports that harvesting is quicker in this variety due to its better crop and pod height; which overall will help improve grain quality

and harvest efficiency on farm.

Marketing of new PBA lentils

The PBSeeds model, which enables the PBA Lentil Program to fast track varieties out to

growers, also enables product to be exported to markets early in the release of a variety. PBSeeds vertically intergrated business which includes seed production, high quality seed and

grain processing and niche domestic and export marketing is well suited to making this happen. PBSeeds has invested in managing seed increase of the PBA Lentil Program’s advanced breeding lines while the breeders are still evaluating them. This means that once

lines are approved for release the quantities of seed are ready to supply a lot of growers quickly through our large network of resellers in each state. At the same time PBSeeds can

containerise and export test market quantities of any new release. Right now the first

containerised shipment of PBA Herald XTA lentils is on route to Bangladesh; well in advance

of the first harvest of this variety by growers in four months time.

With the combined expertise of PBSeeds, PBA and Pulse Australia in grain quality and marketing we have recently addressed grain receival issues for some of the new varieties.

The PBA varieties PBA BlitzA and PBA Herald XT

A have low levels of seed coat variations, like

the Aldinga lentil variety, but unlike varieties most growers are used to such as Nugget. To

address these variations and ensure clear identification and classification for the market the National Pulse Standards has implemented an updated standard for the 2012/13 harvest. PBSeeds, PBA and Pulse Australia are currently working together on a photographic chart to

support the standard.

Tech Symposium soon

William Martin, DAFF Qld

The 3rd PBA Technicians symposium will be held at Warwick from the 21st-23rd August.

Technicians from all states will be attending to discuss and share new technologies being used in pulse programs and to look at innovative equipment and techniques used in cereal

breeding programs based at Hermitage. Mr Brent Barlow, Research Specialist Professional from the Department of Plant Sciences,

University of Saskatchewan will be attending and providing an insight into the Pulse Breeding Programs based at the University. Following on from the workshop Brent will travel to

Horsham to look at the breeding programs based there. Contact William Martin, DAFF Qld for further details: mailto:[email protected]



PBA PROGRAM UPDATES

Chickpea

Kristy Hobson

The PBA Chickpea team is preparing to launch a new desi variety, CICA0603, in Western

Australia this Spring. CICA0603 yields are very high in WA and southern Australia, particularly in short season environments. This is due to its improved early vigour and earlier

flowering and maturity compared to PBA SlasherA.

The program is continuing to strengthen its collaborations with other chickpea research projects. Dr Tim Sutton, from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG), is leading an Australia India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) project titled ‘Genomic

approaches for stress tolerant chickpea’. The chickpea team met with Dr Tim Sutton during our annual review meeting in March to discuss possible linkages with the project in the

future. This season the program is utilising the Department of Agriculture and Food WA’s Kununurra

research station to multiply about 300 Stage 2 kabuli lines. This material is recovering from being severely weathered during the wet 2010 harvest at Horsham resulting in seed with very

low germination. However, following a successful 2011 row evaluation and seed multiplication conducted by the SARDI team from Clare, good seed quality was available for plot evaluation in SA and NSW, and the Kununurra multiplication in 2012. The expected seed

return from 300 seeds sent to Kununurra should allow fully replicated national Stage 3 evaluation of this material in 2013 as originally planned. Ian Pritchard and his team from

South Perth will head up to Kununurra to assist with the harvest in early September. We just hope we can get to harvest before the geese and Brolgas acquire a taste for our kabuli

chickpeas!

Faba Bean

Jeff Paull

The Faba bean breeding trials were all sown on time, with moisture and are generally

progressing well. There have been several additions to the trial program this year. A new site has been established at Cryon, near Walgett, in northern NSW to enable more extensive evaluation of breeding material under rainfed conditions in the region. There has also been

an expansion of trials in the Southern Region with an S1 trial added to the program at Pinery, SA, to increase the selection pressure for performance under low rainfall, short growing

season conditions. The contrast in environments and development of plants between the Southern and Northern Regions is already apparent, with flower scoring completed in the north, but the first flower buds just appearing in the south.

The transfer of operations from ACRI to Sydney University’s Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) at

Narrabri has also progressed and this has been assisted by the purchase of new screen-houses, with joint funding from GRDC and SU. These new facilities will replace the old bee-proof enclosure at ACRI which have been decommissioned. An old glasshouse at PBI Narrabri

has been refurbished to suit the needs of faba bean crossing program. There have also been upgrades to facilities at the University of Adelaide with improvements to the disease

screening glasshouse, which has had a good workout over the past 6 months with very good


results. Screen-house facilities at both Waite Campus and Charlick Experimental Farm are also being expanded and upgraded.

The pipeline of faba bean varieties is flowing. PBA RanaA was released in late 2011 and there

was very good demand for sowing seed in 2012. It is still too early to report on how it is performing in farmers fields, but crops will be monitored over the next few months, when the improved disease resistance should become apparent.

Plans are underway for release of the next variety, IX114/1-16, a high yielding, rust resistant

variety for the Northern Region. The launch is scheduled for 27th September at a field day at Tulloona, NSW. A number of lines are at earlier stages of multiplication this year, either by PBA’s Faba Bean Commercial Partner, Viterra, or within the breeding program. The next

likely candidate for release is AF05069-2, an Ascochyta blight resistant line with about 8-10% higher yield than all current varieties grown in the Southern Region.

PBA Program Leader Contacts

Lentils

Dr Michael Materne

DPI Victoria

03 5362 2312

[email protected]

Field peas

Mr Tony Leonforte

DPI Victoria

03 5362 2155

[email protected]

Chickpeas

Dr Kristy Hobson

NSW DPI

02 6763 1179

[email protected]

Faba Beans

Dr Jeff Paull

University of Adelaide

08 8303 6564

[email protected]

Lupins

Dr Bevan Buirchell

DAFWA

08 9368 3653

[email protected]

Pulse Germplasm Enhancement Program

Dr Phil Davies

SARDI

08 8303 9494

[email protected]

REMEMBER FOR YOUR DIARY!

PBA National Pulse Conference

21-23 October 2013

Adelaide, Australia


PULSE RESEARCH NEWS

Getting the measure of pulses

Joe Panozzo, DPI Vic

Department of Primary Industries scientists, Linda LeMasurier, Cassandra Walker and Dr Joe Panozzo are developing rapid non-destructive testing technologies that will improve the efficiency of the PBA pulse breeding programs and provide a greater suite of tests at an

earlier stage within the breeding programs.

The project, Improving food quality and end-use acceptance of Australian pulses (DAV00114), funded by the GRDC and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, is

using a newly developed digital imager analyser; pulse seeds travel along a fast moving conveyor belt and through a camera unit where a digital image is taken of each individual seed and height contours are measured by laser. The camera has the capacity to capture

around a thousand seeds per minute.

The project combines expertise in areas of chemistry, mathematics and programming to develop a high through-put system to identify desirable traits in the development of a new cultivar, but the implications of this technology go well beyond that. It could potentially be

used by the pulse industry for the measurement of quality characteristics.

The project aims to develop algorithms based on the digital images which accurately characterise seeds according to their visual traits. This can be quite problematic as pulse seeds can vary widely in shape and colour even within a species, which means that absolute

thresholds cannot be set. The algorithms therefore have to be adaptable through all the variations in seed characteristics which may be genetic or due to environmental effects.

The algorithms being developed are based largely on geometric and statistical modelling of the information captured in each pixel, and by combining the height contour information from

the laser readings, it has been possible to mathematically reconstruct the surface of individual seeds as three-dimensional digital colour images. The next stage is to incorporate

artificial neural networks in the processing methods, particularly for analysing some of the more complex traits.

To date, the team have developed software to analyse seed size distribution as well as seed volume and mass predictions which give accuracies well above 96% for seed size distribution

and seed size index measurements. The figure below shows a comparison of the seed size distribution of a lentil sample. The blue bars correspond is the seed size distribution based on image analysis, while the red bars is the seed size distribution determined by sieving through

the industry standard nested sieves.


The project team is applying this technology to investigate seed coat colour which may be

due to disease and weather damage and variations in seed coat appearance such as smooth or wrinkled, round or dimpled which may affect de-hulling efficiency.

The project team believe that image analysis will be a powerful tool for non-destructive assessment of quality traits. It has proven to be rapid, objective, and give accurate results. It

can give information on single seeds or bulk-seed samples. Successful trials for seed size distribution were conducted on lentils from the 2010-11 harvest.

Australian pulses all puffed out?

Jenny Wood, NSW DPI

NSW DPI and Charles Sturt University researchers have been working hard to unravel the scientific basis of what makes seed of a specific pulse variety good to cook and taste good.

Chickpea was chosen as the model pulse for investigations within the project Improved food quality and end use market acceptance of Australian pulses – cooking and sensory, due to the availability of breeding lines with diverse genetic backgrounds and a few hard-to-cook

(HTC) samples specially kept in cold storage since 1997. These samples display wide cooking differences due to genetic and trial influences, confirming that cooking time is

genetically controlled and could be a suitable target trait in the PBA Chickpea Breeding Program. Faba bean and field pea samples will be examined subsequently using the knowledge gained from the chickpea research.

Measuring cooking time has proven challenging, as no robust objective reference method is

available. Current methods of assessing cooking time have been examined with rigorous statistical analyses and have proved to be less than ideal. Hence, the project team has been developing several new cooking time methodologies. Characterisation of the differences in

desi chickpea thermal behaviour and starch pasting, and gelatinisation properties of raw, partially cooked and cooked samples has been completed. As a sample becomes more

cooked the peak viscosity decreases because there is less ungelatinised amylose available to cause thickening of the slurry (Fig 1a.). The team is using attributes such as this, to investigate possible new methodologies that could evolve into a method suitable for the


Figure 1: Rapid visco analysis (RVA) measures viscosity changes with temperature and shear. (a) Change in RVA curves of a raw chickpea to hydrated seed to cooked seed (time cooked from 30-120 minutes); (b) Six main RVA patterns displayed by desi chickpea genotypes with diverse backgrounds.

evaluation of breeding program material. Such a method will also enable accurate GxE comparisons and analysis of differing agronomic practices on cooking times.

There appear to be 6 different rapid visco analysis (RVA) viscosity patterns in which desi chickpea genotypes can be grouped (Fig. 1b). Both genetic and environmental factors have

been shown to influence these viscosity patterns. Preliminary results suggest that the time and temperature of the peak viscosity and the breakdown of raw flours may be correlated with cooking times. Compositional differences between these groups are being examined

currently.

Preliminary instrumental flavour analyses using a z-nose have shown differences in the types of aromatic compounds detected in different genotypes as well as their intensities (Fig. 2).

Our international collaborator, the Central Food and Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore, India is currently performing sensory evaluation of eight Indian and four

Australian desi chickpeas, and consumer preference studies. These results will be used to train an Australian sensory panel to enable testing of a larger number of samples locally.

The sensory results will be paired with physiochemical analyses to develop a rapid screening method suitable for the evaluation of breeding program material.

(a)

(b)


Figure 2: Instrumental flavour profile of several desi chickpea genotypes using z-nose.

Unexpectedly, all four genotypes of Australian desi chickpea sent to India failed to puff.

Puffed chickpeas and other pulses are a popular snack food in the Indian sub-continent and the snack food industry is growing rapidly as this region of the world becomes more affluent. The realisation that Australian chickpeas (and possibly our other pulses) have poor puffing

abilities will require further investigation. Puffing is a key trait that needs to be examined to determine whether the failures are due to our differing environments or genetics and to

ensure future cultivars of Australian pulses are market ready. The Australian snack food market is also expanding rapidly and there is demand for healthy snack foods globally, which puffed pulses could fill. Future research could include market segmentation analysis for

puffed pulse snacks in both India and Australia and compositional/physiochemical analysis to determine what makes a pulse good to puff.

Our research community is mourning the loss of our friend and colleague A/Prof Samson Agboola who passed away suddenly earlier this year. Samson was a key member of our

research group and contributed a great deal to this pulse quality project through his expert food chemistry knowledge, his dedication to student supervision as well as his dry sense of

humour. We will miss his smiling face and intellectual contributions. We are very pleased to have Dr Paul Prenzler join the team to assist us with chemical analysis aspects of the project. Paul has worked for many years in food and wine chemistry and we are fortunate that he has

agreed to turn his skills to pulses.


Improving yield and reliability of field peas under

water deficit - 2012 update

Lachlan Lake, Victor Sadras, Larn McMurray, Michael Lines, Leigh Davis (SARDI); Tony Leonforte (Vic DPI); Glenn McDonald, Jeff Paull (Uni Adelaide)

Background

Field pea is a very important pulse crop for southern Australia. In the growing season of 2010 there were 277,000 ha harvested and from the period 2006-2010 the average was over 300,000 ha (FAOSTAT). Field pea production in recent seasons has been displaced in the

higher rainfall areas by higher value crops such as lentil (142,000 ha in 2010) and chickpea (500,000 ha in 2010) and increased production is occurring in the lower rainfall regions

where field pea is considered the most reliable break crop option.

Field pea remains the major pulse crop grown across southern Australia. The PBA Field Pea Program aims to improve the reliability and adaptation of the crop in medium and low rainfall areas of Australia. These regions are dominated by large areas prone to periods of water

deficit and hence a major breeding priority of the PBA program is drought tolerance. By increasing the yield and reliability of field peas under water deficit we can increase their

market share and improve their value in dryland farming systems. To address this breeding priority of drought tolerance we are conducting a multi environment

genotype project which aims to identify secondary traits associated with drought adaptation.

Over the first two years of this project, we have (a) completed the first nation-wide environmental characterisation for field peas with emphasis on temperature and water stress and (b) established a network of phenotyping trials. Trials in 2010 and 2011 spanned 11

environments with contrasting patterns of water availability, see Figures 5 and 6, with 30 genotypes that are highly variable for traits of interest. We have undertaken intensive

monitoring of these trials and have narrowed down a list of secondary traits that were correlated with yield under water deficit conditions. In 2012, we are focusing on measurement and validation of these traits.

Nation-wide quantitative environmental characterisation for field pea breeding

There is a large gap between the refined approaches to characterise genotypes and the

common use of location-season as a coarse surrogate for environmental characterisation of breeding trials. As a framework for breeding, one aim is quantifying the spatial and temporal patterns of thermal and water stress for field pea in Australia. We compiled a data set for

yield of the cultivar KaspaA measured in 185 environments, and investigated the associations

between yield and seasonal patterns of actual temperature and modelled water stress.

Correlations between yield and temperature indicated two distinct stages. In the first stage, during crop establishment and canopy expansion before flowering, yield was positively

associated with minimum temperature. Mean minimum temperature below ~7 oC suggests that crops were under suboptimal temperature for both canopy expansion and radiation use

efficiency during a significant part of this early-growth period. In the second stage, during critical reproductive phases, grain yield was negatively associated with maximum temperature over 25oC.

Correlations between yield and modelled water supply/demand ratio showed a consistent

pattern with three phases: no correlation at early stages of the growth cycle, a progressive increase in the association that peaked as the crop approached the flowering window, and a

progressive decline at later reproductive stages (Fig. 1 below). Using long-term weather


records (1957-2010) and modelled water stress for 104 locations, we identified three major patterns of water deficit nationwide. Environment type 1 (ET1) represents the most favourable condition, with no stress during most of the pre-flowering phase and gradual

development of mild stress after flowering. Type 2 is characterised by increasing water deficit between 400 oCd before flowering and 200 oCd after flowering and rainfall that relieves

stress late in the season. Type 3 represents the more stressful condition with increasing water deficit between 400 oCd before flowering and maturity (see Figure 2a). Across Australia, the frequency of occurrence was 24% for ET1, 32% for ET2 and 43% for ET3,

highlighting the dominance of the most stressful condition (see Figure 2b). Actual yield averaged 2.2 t/ha for ET1, 1.9 t/ha for ET2 and 1.4 t/ha for ET3, and the frequency of each

pattern varied substantially among locations. Shifting from a nominal (i.e. location-season) to a quantitative (i.e. stress type) characterisation of environments could help improving breeding efficiency of field pea in Australia. The figures below illustrate the main aspects of

the characterisation of water regimes for field peas in Australia. Full details can be found in Crop and Pasture Science: 63: 33-44.

Fig. 1


Fig. 2

Fig. 3


Table 1: Mean, minimum and maximum yield (t//ha) of field peas in 2010 and 2011.

2010 and 2011 project trials

In 2010, locations and sowing dates were Minnipa (1 June), Mallala (8 and 22 June), Roseworthy (8 June) and Turretfield (15 June).

In 2011, locations and sowing dates included Turretfield (8 June), Roseworthy (3 June), Pinery (early sown 23 May and late sown 22 June), Minnipa (23 May) and

Willamulka (19 May). Measurements

o Plant development – timing of first flower, fifty percent flowering, and last flower

o Canopy traits – temperature, chlorophyll content (SPAD), NDVI (calibrated to derive shoot biomass)

o Yield and yield components – yield, harvest index, pods per plant, seed per plant, seed per pod, pods per peduncle, 100 seed weight, and pod weight proportion

APSIM was used to model crop water use and soil moisture stress (Figures 5 and 6).

Results

Over the 11 environments resulting from the combinations of seasons and locations, there were significant differences in patterns of water stress (Figs. 5 and 6) and yield (Table 1).

The lowest yielding environment was Minnipa in 2011 (1.5 t/ha) and the highest yielding environment was Turretfield in 2010 (3.1 t/ha). The effect of water stress on yield depends

on timing, intensity and duration of water stress (see Environmental characterisation above); stress in a window bracketing flowering is particularly negative for grain yield.

Yield was affected, as expected, by location, variety and variety x location interaction. Figure 1 illustrates the difference between the yield of genotypes in the best and the worst

environments. Our data indicate that traits associated with drought adaptation include;

A higher crop growth rate from the period 200 Cº days before flowering to flowering

Lower pod wall percentage More seeds per pod and a higher harvest index

Environment Mean

Standard

Error Minimum Maximum

Minnipa 2011 1.5

0.37 0.45 2.2

Minnipa 2010 2.5 0.43 1.8 3.2

Roseworthy 2011 2.3 0.46 0.76 3.1

Roseworthy 2010 2.9 0.52 1.8 4.0

Mallala early sowing

2010 3.1 0.46 2.1 3.9

Pinery early sowing

2011 2.5 0.46 0.95 3.4

Mallala late sowing 2010 3.0 0.44 1.8 3.8

Pinery late sowing 2011 1.9 0.39 0.86 2.6

Turretfield 2010 3.1 0.55 2.1 4.1

Turretfield 2011 2.5 0.52 0.93 3.2

Willamulka 2011 2.7 0.42 1.6 3.6

Total across all sites 2.5 0.21 0.45 4.1


Thermal Time (0=Flowering)

-1200 -1000 -800 -600 -400 -200 0 200 400 600 800 1000

Str

ess I

nd

ex (

1=

No s

tess)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

11_MIN_1

11_ROS_1

11_PIN_1

11_PIN_2

11_TRC_1

11_WIL_1

Thermal Time (0=Flowering)

-1200 -1000 -800 -600 -400 -200 0 200 400 600 800 1000

Str

ess I

nde

x (

1=

No s

tress)

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

10_MIN_1

10_ROS_1

10_MAL_1

10_MAL_2

10_TRC_1

Figure 4: Varietal yield in extreme environments.

2012 and beyond

In the 2012 season we will maintain intense screening of the same 30 genotypes in six contrasting environments (Pinery, Roseworthy and Turretfield x early and late sowing at each

site). We will also validate our measuring techniques for our main traits of interest (growth rate, pod wall percentage, phenology and yield components). After validation of our

measuring techniques, we will evaluate the heritability of secondary traits to assess whether they can improve selection efficiency against the benchmark of selection for yield in target environments. Further avenues of research include (a) the in depth-genetic characterisation

of secondary traits in field peas using available mapping populations and (b) applying our phenotyping techniques to other major Australian pulse species.

Varietal Yield Difference Between the Highest and Lowest

Yielding Environment of 2010-11

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

PA

RA

FIE

LD

HE

LE

NA

Laura

PB

A T

WIL

IGH

T

YA

RR

UM

KA

SP

A

PB

A G

UN

YA

H

Yie

ld (

t/h

a)

MIN 2011

TRC 2010

Figure 6: Patterns of water stress in 2011. Figure 5: Patterns of water stress in 2010.


0 50 100

AF3109

Nura

Farah

1952/1

% herbicide damage

Results from the faba bean screen for metribuzin tolerance. AF3109 was used as the tolerant check, 1951/2 as the

intolerant check and NuraA

and FarahA

included as commercial line checks.

Development of Herbicide Tolerant Pulses – 2012

Update

Dili Mao, Larn McMurray, Phil Davies, Klaus Oldach (SARDI); Jeff Paull, Chris Preston (Uni Adelaide)

Effective and long-term weed management plays an integral role in cropping systems, and is a major concern for Australian farmers. With the continual evolution of herbicide resistance

in weeds, and the ever-diminishing options for in-crop weed control, the development of herbicide tolerant crops, in particular to multiple modes of action, is considered essential to maintain sustainable and diverse agricultural practices. This is especially important in the

pulse phase of the rotation, as herbicide options are limited and pulses are generally considered to be poor competitors.

A PBA initiated GRDC funded SARDI project in collaboration with the University of Adelaide was instigated in July 2010 with two main objectives; firstly to look at improving current

tolerances to two key registered herbicides across lentils, chickpeas, field peas and faba beans, and secondly to develop lentil and faba bean material tolerant to a novel herbicide

with improved weed control options.

Improved Tolerance to Registered Herbicides – Increasing the Safety

The project has so far developed techniques and screened for metribuzin tolerance in over

200 diverse accessions of lentil, faba bean and field pea. Initial screening methods were developed in the growth-room to be inexpensive, high throughput and repeatable, allowing

the rapid screening of large numbers of accessions. Material identified with improved tolerance was then progressed to validation using the more expensive and lower throughput spray chamber method.

The results of the growth-room screen identified 14 faba bean accessions with putative metribuzin

tolerance. These lines were then progressed to spray chamber validation, from which four lines were found

to have significantly improved tolerance over AF3109 (currently the most tolerant line).

The field pea growth-room screen showed 10 lines with significantly improved tolerance to metribuzin

over YarrumA. Interestingly, OZP0703, released as

PBA OuraA in 2011, had an improved level of

tolerance, which has also been recently noted in

unrelated yield studies. Selections from the lentil growth-room screen have

recently been validated in spray chamber studies, with preliminary results showing two lines with a significant

level of improved tolerance.


Dose response and field studies for all lines with putative tolerance are required, but are currently hindered by limited seed resources. These methods are currently being trialled

with other herbicide by crop combinations including isoxaflutole in chickpea, diflufenican in lentils and field peas, and simazine in faba bean and chickpeas.

Novel Herbicide Tolerant Pulses - Expanding Crop Options

EMS mutagenesis techniques were employed to create M1 populations using 30kg of PBA

FlashA lentils and 50kg of Nura

A faba beans. M1

populations were bulked to M2 populations, from which

representative portions were used for screening. Imazapyr (group B) was used to screen 750kg of M2

NuraA sown over 6Ha, and 1.2t of M2 Flash was

screened over two 14Ha blocks for tolerance to

metribuzin (group C) and carfentrazone-ethyl (group G).

With the aid of good walking shoes and the valued help of fellow co-workers, a number of putative tolerant

selections were identified in 2011. These selections were transplanted from the field and the majority of M3 seed harvested was multiplied over summer.

Weed chamber validation of M3 and M4 seed of

putative metribuzin tolerant lentil selections found three lines with a high level tolerance

(pictured above), and four to six lines with an improved level of tolerance.

A preliminary spray chamber validation of four faba bean selections showed a high level of

imazapyr tolerance (pictured left). No highly tolerant lines have yet been identified from the selections for carfentrazone-ethyl, but work is

still on-going.

Further work including genetic studies, dose response and field trials are to be conducted for

all lines exhibiting high levels of putative tolerance, however this work is currently seed

dependant. The project is further expanding the search in 2012 to a number of other novel herbicides in both these crops, utilizing over 70ha of land (pictured below)! While there is still

much work to be done with these lines to bring them to fruition, these results can provide growers and researchers with optimism for the potential of commercially available herbicide tolerant pulse varieties in the future.

Preliminary validation of IMI tolerant bean selections compared to the commercial line, after the effects of herbicide!

Validation of putative metribuzin tolerant lentil selections compared to the commercial line, after the effects of herbicide!

2012 Sowing! Time to dust off those walking shoes!


PULSE TRAVEL

All about Ascochyta in Spain

Jenny Davidson (SARDI) and Rebecca Ford (Melbourne Uni)

The 3rd International

Ascochyta 2012 Conference, held in Cordoba, Spain was a bumper conference for

anyone working in the chickpea Ascochyta rabiei

sphere and with plenty of opportunity to build on

international collaborative ventures towards breeding more resistant cultivars a

definite strength. Of the 60 papers presented, 24

focussed on chickpea, 15 on field pea, 7 on faba beans, 4 on lentil and the remainder

had general application across the four crops. There

was a major focus on resistance breeding and molecular studies with only three presentations on disease management. The participants presented recent outcomes of their research work in the

following sessions;

Pathogen Biology and Epidemiology Genetics and Breeding for Resistance Disease Assessments and Management

Host-pathogen interactions Student oral competition

A special session on Food Legume (Pulse Crop) Research in North Africa. The workshop concluded with a field tour of IFAPA (Research and Training Institute for

Agriculture and Fisheries) and the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba.

Professor Trapero-Casas’ (Spain) opened the first session with the presentation “Biology of Didymella rabiei; new insights into an old pathogen”. His insightful presentation regarding the long-term control and selective pressure on the pathogen in other parts of the world

highlighted the easy time that the pathogen has had to date in Australia, where we are yet to see if the new resistant cultivars cause any substantial changes to the pathogenicity of the

fungal population. Earlier studies identified that the Australian isolates are very similar to those of Pakistan. Information was presented at the workshop that the second mating type is also detected at a very low frequency in Pakistan. This could imply that the second mating

type is present in Australia but at undetectable levels. Ongoing monitoring will be required to determine the true situation regarding the mating types in this country.


A gamut of molecular approaches was subsequently highlighted to aid in combating the pathogen

and improving resistance breeding. These included Dr

Chen’s (USA) approach of understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of the fungus

through sequencing of the transcribed genome (RNAseq)

when in contact with chickpea. Once the functional genes involved in the initial invasion are

known, they may be further characterized, together with the

whole genome sequence under preparation by Dr Lichtenzveig (Aus), with the view to identifying specific elicitor compounds as novel selective resistance breeding tools. Also, their associated effector compounds in the chickpea genome could be targeted for silencing

to stop recognition, and hence fungal invasion, using the RNAi techniques that were described by the guest speaker Dr Schweizer (Germany), as has been applied to cereals.

Studies on the importance of field pea architecture on epidemiology of ascochyta blight are being conducted by the Department of Agriculture at Rennes in France (Dr Le May).

Combined with partial resistance the correct architecture can significantly reduce disease and different infection models were developed for different canopies. QTL’s for architectural traits

and partial resistance have also been identified by this group. Ascochyta pisi, another causal pathogen of ascochyta blight in field pea, is becoming more

common in Canada, and in parts of Europe. Breeders are developing segregating populations to maintain resistance against this pathogen. The prevalence of A. pisi has been detected in

seed testing laboratories. There is no explanation as to why this shift has occurred but in Czech Republic it coincided with the introduction of semi-leafless field pea. Ongoing pathogen monitoring will be necessary in Australian field pea crops to determine if this shift

could also occur. Current data indicates that this pathogen is at a very low level in this country.


From Australian researchers there were three oral presentations and one poster as follows-–

‘Management of ascochyta blight in field pea related to spore release patterns’ by JA

Davidson, CJ Wilmshurst, ES Scott and MU Salam. ‘Characterisation of the chitin-binding PR4a gene from lentil and implications for

resistance to Ascochyta lentis’ by R Ford, J Selby and JA Davidson. ‘The Australian Ascochyta rabiei population structure and implications for resistance

durability’ by AE Leo, R Ford and CC Linde.

‘First insights into the genome of Didymellaceae species’ by J Lichtenzveig, F Kessie, R Mohd-Shah, AH Williams and RP Oliver.

The 4th International Ascochyta Workshop will be in Adelaide in 2015. This workshop will be aligned with the PBA National Pulse Conference planned for the same year and allow all pulse

researchers in Australia to interact with international researchers.

Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) is an unincorporated joint venture between:

Department of Primary Industries, Victoria (DPI Vic)

South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queensland (DAFF QLD)

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI)

Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA)

University of Adelaide

Pulse Australia

University of Sydney and

Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC).

Winter 2012 - GRDC · PBA WINTER 2012 NEWS Page 3 A busy PBA spring! PBA will be busy this spring...

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Transcript of Winter 2012 - GRDC · PBA WINTER 2012 NEWS Page 3 A busy PBA spring! PBA will be busy this spring...