Soft seeded sulla – a novel approach for lowering seed costs
Western Australian Agriculture Authority, a body corporate established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007
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Project code: PRJ-000479
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Project stage: Closed
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Project start date: Friday, July 1, 2005
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Project completion date: Friday, May 17, 2013
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National Priority: PSE-Supporting production systems and agronomic advancements
Summary
The outcome of this research will be a dramatic expansion of the use of sulla in mixed farming systems of southern Australia, enabled through substantially lower seed costs. Sulla is one of the few perennial legumes with commercial value for farmers, is ideally suited to phase pasture systems and will provide new opportunities for forage conservation. Additionally, we expect to develop and capture a highly lucrative export seed market based on a soft-seeded sulla. Furthermore, this project will provide greater understanding of the genetics of soft-seededness in sulla and this knowledge could be transferable to other species.
Program
Pasture Seeds
Research Organisation
Western Australian Agriculture Authority, a body corporate established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007
Objective Summary
This project has two key objectives: 1. Confirm genetic stability and validate field performance of the soft-seeded sulla (Hedsarum coronarium) selections identified in RIRDC UWA-65A. 2. Commercialise an elite soft-seeded genotype of sulla for domestic and export forage/seed markets.