The new chickpea variety could help to
protect against common crop diseases and
save farmers money.
Image: iStockphoto 

Industry & Investment NSW researchers are cementing Australia's position as the world's largest chickpea exporter with the official release of a new variety that will further protect the State's 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.