Western Australia’s $125 million lupin export industry could deliver greater profits as research aims to drive grain protein levels to help growers leverage ‘HiPro’ lupin segregation price premiums offered by the Grain Pool of Western Australia.

Lupins are grown across 1.2 million Western Australia hectares and there is hope that tapping premium markets will build their profitability to supplement their agronomic strengths.

Western Australia lupin protein levels waiver between 28 and 36 per cent and when they climb above 34 per cent they qualify for HiPro classification.

That’s something we want to achieve consistently, according to research supervisor, Pierre Fievez of Pierre Fievez and Associates.

"However, at just $3 per tonne for each extra point of protein, growers have only a small margin through which to manipulate agronomic variables to push protein levels."

Supported by growers and the Federal Government through the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC), Mr Fievez, in collaboration with Department of Agriculture researchers, compared different nutrient inputs, varieties and seeding times to see which combination packed the most protein into lupin grain and at what cost.

Sites at Wongan Hills and Miling reacted only marginally to additional nutrition inputs. At Mingenew, where crops yielded above 3.0 t/ha, nutrition increases failed to lift protein levels or affect yield.

The GRDC project also investigated how protein levels rose and fell with variety choice and time of seeding at Wongan Hills and Mingenew. Belara came last in

head-to-head variety comparisons at both sites, with 31 – 32 per cent protein, while Kalya excelled at Wongan Hills (37 per cent). Myallie was best at Mingenew (33 per cent) and also grabbed an honorable mention at Wongan Hills.

Delaying sowing by three weeks at both sites improved protein by almost two per cent, however the grain value increase was eroded by the late sowing yield penalty, with yield falling 10 kg/ha at Wongan Hills and 38 kg/ha at Mingenew for each day sowing was delayed beyond the first sowing opportunity.

The project will again monitor the impact of agronomic variables on lupin protein in the 2003 and 2004 growing seasons.