THE AUSTRALIAN lupin industry has received a vote of confidence with the news one of the country's major grain breeders have appointed a dedicated lupin breeder.
Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) took over the former Western Australian Department of Primary Industries lupin breeding program in 2016.
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The WA DPI program was believed to have been the largest lupin breeding program in the world.
The pulse crop holds particular importance to growers in WA as a legume crop with a relatively high tolerance of the acidic, sandy soils commonplace in the west.
Matthew Aubert, who has just completed a PhD at the University of Adelaide, will be based at Northam, in WA's Avon Valley, east of Perth.
"I moved to WA to take on the position of lupin breeder and feel excited to have the opportunity to focus on a crop that is so important to the state's farmers," Dr Aubert said.
"Lupins are well suited to sandy soils found in the Western Australian wheatbelt and play an important role in providing nitrogen to cropping systems.
"WA is the world's largest producer and exporter of lupins, making up more than 80 per cent of lupin exports."
In further good news for the lupin industry, AGT is set to name and release its first new lupin line since taking over the DPI breeding program.
Dr Aubert said the aims of the breeding program would be to continue to develop high protein cultivars while improving yield.
He said the future was bright for the lupin industry which is becoming increasingly well recognised for its health benefits in human consumption markets.
"It also has the potential to be used as a high value export in aquaculture and potentially human consumption into the future."
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is Fairfax Ag Media's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his ten years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector. Away from work, he is a keen traveller, having spent his long service leave last year in Spain learning the language.
Gregor Heard is Fairfax Ag Media's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his ten years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector. Away from work, he is a keen traveller, having spent his long service leave last year in Spain learning the language.
