Output Group 1 - Varieites

Jenabillup, released in September 2007, is a high-yielding narrow-leafed lupin variety for the south-east coastal zones of Western Australia. Jenabillup is the latest in a long line of lupin varieties from the breeding program that released Mandelup in 2004.

To measure genetic gain, the lupin-breeding program has measured the performance of the historical varieties in the same trial across years and across all breeding sites since 1997. The trial is also useful for understanding the types of stresses experienced at the site in a particular year and providing information about how different varieties react to those stresses.

The genetic gain from the first early-flowering variety, Unicrop (0.78 tonnes per hectare), to the highest yielding variety, Mandelup (1.41 tonnes per hectare), represents a yield gain of 81 percent over 31 years. The genetic gain from the first variety, Uniwhite (0.39 tonnes per hectare), is substantially more than this (259 percent).

With the early-flowering gene, lupin varieties were able to be grown over a wider range of environments, especially in low-rainfall areas. Later on these varieties were crossed with phomopsis-resistant wild material from Morocco and Spain. Some varieties did not increase yield as such, but were bred specifically for other traits—for example, brown spot resistance in Myallie and a restricted branching habit in Tallerack.

The latest phase of the breeding program has combined the best of previous breeding efforts to produce the new varieties Mandelup, Coromup and Jenabillup. Since its release, the adoption rate of the Mandelup lupin has skyrocketed. Mandelup is expected to account for 60 percent to 80 percent of lupin production in Western Australia over the next two years. The rate of genetic improvement is expected to continue to increase as the breeding cycles become shorter with the use of new breeding tools such as molecular markers and access to new and diverse germplasm.

However, Jenabillup was the top or equal top yielding variety at four of the six South Australian lupin evaluation sites in 2007, giving a cross-site average of 6 percent above Mandelup. Coromup was the top or equal top variety at the two sites, and equalled Mandelup for its cross-site average.

Boron toxicity is a major limitation to cereal production in southern Australia, where more than 30 percent of soils in grain-growing regions have boron levels above the generally accepted threshold of 15 milligrams per kilogram in the top 100 centimetres of soil. Yield penalties of up to 17 percent between adjacent areas of barley have been attributed to differences in shoot boron concentration, and similar figures (11 percent) have been reported for wheat.

Boron toxicity is also widespread globally. Soils high in boron tend to be associated with low-rainfall environments (250 millimetres to 450 millimetres per year) and derived from clay-rich sediments of marine origin. Increasingly, boron toxicity is becoming associated with irrigated environments, where groundwater application contributes to an excessive accumulation of boron in the soil.

Under adequate boron supply, uptake from the soil into plant roots is a passive process that occurs rapidly. In vascular plants, boron moves from the roots within the transpiration stream and accumulates at the tips of older leaves. A sharp concentration gradient is observed within the leaf, and toxicity symptoms are directly correlated with boron distribution. Symptoms appear first at the tips of older leaves, where a high boron concentration leads to chlorosis and necrosis, first extending down the leaf margins.

In 2006, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) identified the sequence of the major barley boron tolerance gene from the highly boron tolerant Algerian landrace Sahara 3771. The region known to contain this gene on chromosome 4H has been targeted extensively in breeding programs using marker-assisted selection. The gene was identified by combining a number of approaches that include positional cloning and gene expression profiling. The Sahara allele of the gene encodes a membrane-bound protein that accounts for approximately 65 percent of the reduction in boron accumulation in leaves of tolerant genotypes compared to intolerant genotypes.

A primary feature of boron tolerance in plants is the restriction of boron uptake into roots, and hence into shoots where it builds up and causes cellular damage. Functional analysis of the gene in yeast demonstrates it provides boron toxicity tolerance and functions as an efflux-type transporter by reducing cellular boron concentration. Interestingly, it appears that the 4H gene that is so important for boron tolerance in barley may not be present in wheat. This suggests that wheat and barley may have adopted different strategies for tolerating high boron concentrations.

The identification of the gene responsible for boron tolerance in barley has provided perfect molecular markers that can be used in breeding programs to select lines carrying the tolerance allele with 100 percent accuracy. Transformation experiments in barley commenced in 2007–08, and will undergo glasshouse testing in 2008–09. It is hoped that the first field trials of the material will be sown in 2010.

Objective

Growers have access to superior varieties that enable them to effectively compete in global grain markets

Strategies

Build and sustain world-leading breeding programs
Focus pre-breeding research on key traits
Develop a path to market for genetically modified crops
Facilitate faster adoption of superior varieties

Investment budget for 2007–08

$41.4 million

Performance for 2007–08

Average annual increase in yield (as measured in NVT trials) of

• 1.0 percent for wheat
• 1.0 percent for barley
• 1.5 percent for canola
• 1.5 percent for sorghum
• 2.0 percent for pulses

The release of improved varieties of wheat, barley, canola, pulse crops and summer coarse grain crops that benefit the Australian grains industry

Sixteen new wheat varieties were released, some of which have yields up to 15 percent higher (in NVT trials) than commonly grown varieties.

Two new barley varieties, Lockyer and Roe, were released.

Four new triticale varieties were released, with wide adaptation and yields up to 30 percent higher than previous varieties.

A new oat variety, Yallara,with yields 2 percent higher than its predecessor Euro, was released.

Fourteen new canola varieties were released, some of which have yields up to 10 percent higher (in NVT trials) than commonly grown varieties.

Three new varieties of chickpeas were released.

One new soybean variety, Fraser, which provides a valuable rotation option for cane growers and is suitable for culinary purposes, was released.

Research organisations that are responsible for at least 80 percent of the pre-breeding research having agreed to focus 50 percent or more of their resources on an agreed set of key national and regional traits

Evidence that genes, germplasm and enabling technologies developed in GRDC-supported pre-breeding research are being used in breeding programs

Evidence of excellent scientific pre-breeding research and effective collaboration both nationally and internationally

New advanced germplasm, with associated molecular markers, developed and used by relevant Australian breeding programs

New genes with potential importance to the Australian grains industry discovered and made available for proof-of-concept testing and further development

New breeding technologies developed and made available to researchers and crop breeders

In partnership with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), researchers at the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program (ACRCP) screened Australian varieties for resistance against the exotic Ug99 stem rust pathogen, in Kenya.

More than 100 exotic pearl lupin (Lupin mutabilis) germplasm accessions were passed through quarantine and characterised for anthracnose, brown spot and herbicide tolerance.

The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) identified a boron tolerance gene in barley, providing several diagnostic markers for boron tolerance to barley breeders.

The University of Adelaide screened advanced lines from all Australian wheat-breeding companies for their genetic predisposition to produce certain grain defects.

Multiplexed microsatellite technology developed at the Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPB CRC) was routinely used in wheat and barley breeding.

The major wheat-breeding programs used Cross Predictor software from the MPB CRC for the design of their crosses.

Plant Breeding Australia’s germplasm enhancement program identified two frosttolerant field pea selections.

The genotyping service operations of the incorporated joint venture Triticarte Pty Ltd became self-funding, only four years after the company’s foundation.

Useful genetic variation was identified for ergot resistance in sorghum.

CSIRO successfully combined resistance to barley yellow dwarf virus and leaf rust resistance Lr19 in wheat.

Researchers at the University of Sydney, CSIRO, University of Adelaide and CIMMYT collaborated with other research organisations around the world to slow the progress of the stem rust strain Ug99.

An analysis of the delivery pathways for genetically modified (GM) crops in Australia

A business case was developed to investigate the commercialisation of GM herbicide-tolerant narrow-leafed lupins.

Progress towards market entry for GM canola in 2008.

Availability of responsible stewardship protocols for GM crops (canola).

GM moratoria were lifted in New South Wales and Victoria. The GRDC made written submissions to the GM moratoria reviews undertaken in NSW, Victoria and South Australia and participated in industry-wide discussions on how to manage the introduction of GM canola into the Australian grains supply chain.

Stewardship protocols were defined in an industry report Delivering Market Choice with GM Canola. This report was prepared under the GRDC-supported Single Vision Grains Australia (SVGA) process and launched at the Australian Grains Industry Conference in 2007.

More than 300 growers and agronomists attended the first of the Roundup Ready® canola accreditation courses held across rural New South Wales and Victoria in early 2008.

Increased rate of adoption of new varieties (measured by consolidating breeding program data)

Crop variety yield and performance data made available to Australian grain growers through the National Variety Trials (NVT) program

Yield results from 395 trials across ten crops were published www@nvtonline.com.au.

The GRDC established, within the NVT framework, a national uniform disease rating for all crops.

NVT results being used by 50 per cent of paid advisers to assist growers to make informed variety selections

A survey of retail agronomists and paid advisers indicated that 72 percent were aware of NVT; 44 percent had visited an NVT trial site; and 49 percent had visited the NVT website.

Participation in NVT by 90 percent of relevant breeding programs

All Australian breeders of wheat, barley, oats, triticale, canola (excluding GM canola) and pulses were participating in NVT.