Industry & Investment NSW researchers are cementing Australias position as the worlds largest chickpea exporter with the official release of a new variety that will further protect the States crop against disease.

"The new variety is PBA HatTrick which was named following the cricket names convention for the crop," said John Sykes, I&I NSW Research Leader Farming Systems North.

"PBA HatTrick is one of the first new varieties to come from Pulse Breeding Australias (PBA) national breeding program, which is led by I&I NSW chickpea breeder Ted Knights, from the Tamworth Agricultural Institute.

"It has the triple benefits of resistance to Ascochyta blight and Phytophthora root rot and a high yield - and is suited to the northern cropping region of NSW where 90 per cent of the States chickpeas are grown.

"It is expected to bring significant savings to regional chickpea growers who currently spend up to $10 million each season on fungicide applications to prevent Ascochyta blight.

"Economic analyses have indicated an average increase of $35/ha in gross margins for HatTrick compared to Jimbour, the main variety currently grown."

Mr Sykes said the release of PBA HatTrick follows the launch earlier this week of a second chickpea variety for southern NSW - called PBA Slasher - which is also highly resistant to Ascochyta.

"Thanks to the efforts of the breeding team chickpeas are the most profitable break crop for cereal production, helping to reduce disease, weeds and nitrogen inputs," he said.

"NSW is also the major chickpea producing state with most chickpeas grown in NSW going to the Indian subcontinent for human consumption."

Mr Sykes said chickpea production had overcome major disease problems in 1998 when the Australian industry was threatened by an outbreak of the Ascochyta blight, the most important disease of chickpea worldwide.

"The chickpea industry in southern Australia collapsed following the Ascochyta epidemic, with crop area reduced from a maximum of 200,000 ha to less than 10,000 ha.

"The industry survived in north-eastern Australia, mainly as a result of a disease management package based on research undertaken by Dr Kevin Moore, I&I NSW plant pathologist at Tamworth, and the deployment of new varieties selected by Ted Knights."

I&I NSW continues to take a lead role in breeding chickpeas nationally in the Pulse Breeding Australia joint venture between DPIs in other States, GRDC, Pulse Australia and University of Adelaide. PBA HatTrick will be commercially available from AWB Seeds for the 2010 winter cropping season.

Other key chickpea facts

• Chickpea is the most important pulse (grain legume) crop in NSW - 239,000 ha in 2009.
• NSW is the major Australian chickpea producing state (64% of national crop area).
• Australia is now the worlds leading chickpea exporter.
• Chickpea is a vital part of crop rotations, fixing atmospheric nitrogen that reduces the fertiliser requirement of following cereal crops and helping to reduce the incidence of cereal diseases.
• Chickpea accounts for 23% and 19% of winter crop area in Moree and Narrabri districts, respectively.
• The chickpea industry commenced in 1979 (initially in northern NSW and southern Qld) and until 1998 expansion was underpinned by the deployment of varieties resistant to phytophthora root rot, the most important disease regionally.
• PBA HatTrick is a dual purpose (milling and direct consumption) desi variety that is well suited to the Indian sub-continent, our major export market.
• All pulse crop breeding programs are nationally coordinated (via Pulse Breeding Australia) and are public good projects funded by state agencies, universities and GRDC. Each breeding program -chickpea, faba bean, field pea, lentil and lupins is financially supported by GRDC to in excess of $1m a year.
• I&I NSW lead the national PBA chickpea breeding program from Tamworth. It is our role to increase yield and disease resistance while maintaining high quality grain that has a high acceptance for international markets in the Indian subcontinent.
• Mr. Ted Knights is an internationally recognised breeder who has been at the forefront of industry development since the mid 1970s.
• PBA HatTrick is the first variety developed in direct response to the 1998 acsochyta epidemic. It combines moderate to high levels of resistance to the key problems in north-eastern Australia (ascochyta blight and phytophthora root rot) with high yield potential and adaptation to northern farming systems.
• The release day recognises the dedication and experience needed to develop a breakthrough variety that will increase grower confidence and reduce high input costs (less fungicide applications).
• PBA HatTrick has been developed within a 10 year period in response to the incursion of an exotic disease where available germplasm did not provide adequate resistance and grower confidence needed to be re-built.

Media contact: Phil Bevan 0429 458 053