AGT awarded National Lentil Breeding Program
Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) has been awarded the national lentil breeding program following a competitive process led by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
The appointment follows AGT’s recent success in securing the national chickpea breeding program and further expands the company’s pulse breeding portfolio, strengthening its role in delivering improved genetics for Australian grain growers.
Lentils are a cornerstone pulse crop in southern Australian farming systems and have experienced strong growth in recent years, driven by export demand and the agronomic benefits they bring to crop rotations. Continued genetic improvement is critical to supporting productivity, resilience and adaptation across both established and emerging growing regions.
The National Lentil Breeding Program has been built through more than two decades of co-investment and collaboration between Agriculture Victoria, GRDC and industry partners. Based at Horsham SmartFarm, the program has delivered lentil varieties and breeding innovations that have helped establish Australia as a globally competitive lentil producer and exporter.
Recent investment has expanded the program’s breeding infrastructure, phenotyping and genotyping capability, and accelerated breeding technologies that enable faster development and selection of improved germplasm.
Image: Dr Adam Norman, AGT Pulse Co-ordinator and Kendall Berrett, AGT Glasshouse Pulse Technician in the AGT Glasshouse, Roseworthy.
AGT Chief Executive Officer and Head of Breeding Dr Haydn Kuchel said the company was well positioned to build on this strong foundation.
“AGT exists to improve the livelihoods of farming families and the regional communities they live in,” Dr Kuchel said.
“Following the recent integration of chickpea breeding, securing the lentil program reflects both the strength of the existing platforms and our capacity to deliver across multiple pulse crops.
“We recognise the significant contribution Agriculture Victoria and GRDC have made to developing the germplasm, breeding capability, infrastructure and scientific expertise that underpin the program today. Our focus is to build on that foundation and continue delivering improved varieties for Australian growers.”
AGT is Australia’s largest wheat breeder and a leading provider of elite wheat, durum and lupin genetics, with established breeding programs in barley and canola. More than 30 per cent of Australia’s field crop hectares are now sown each year to AGT bred varieties. The company will leverage its national breeding network and proven breeding systems to support the continued development and commercialisation of improved lentil varieties.
The lentil program will focus on traits including yield, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and grain quality, while also supporting expansion into new production regions such as Western Australia and northern environments.
Link to the full article GRDC announces AGT will lead national lentil breeding program
AGT Pulse Coordinator Dr Adam Norman said the program reinforced AGT’s long term commitment to pulse breeding.
