UWA researchers launch new ‘Franklin and Edison’ legume varieties

Researchers from the University of Western Australia have developed two new annual pasture legumes, naming them after two scientific legends — ‘Mother of DNA’ Rosalind Franklin and scientist Thomas Edison. WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis launched the new varieties, Edison and Franklin, at the UWA Shenton Park Field Station 2024 Open Day. UWA’s Annual Legume Breeding Australia researchers developed the new varieties with the aim of breeding a more productive and persistent annual pastoral legume for south Australian farmers and international markets. Associate professor Phillip Nichols said it was “very exciting” to see Edison and Franklin come to commercial reality. “I was confident they had outstanding ability, and the ALBA program has enabled us to test them in the field and bring them to commerce,” he said. “We are also excited at the pipeline of new material coming through the program, with several new releases likely over the next few years.” ALBA is a joint venture between UWA and DLF Seeds, the world’s largest forage breeding company. The program was formed in 2018 after the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development transferred its annual legume breeding program to private industry. Edison and Franklin varieties are resistant to certain leaf diseases and have very low levels of phyto-oestrogens that can cause sheep infertility. Franklin is a midseason flowering sub clover belonging to the waterlogging-tolerant yanninicum subspecies and is best suited to medium-high rainfall areas in soils prone to winter waterlogging. Edison, whose parent varieties are Denmark and Woogenellup, is a late flowering sub clover suited to permanent or semi-permanent pastures on well-drained soils in high rainfall areas with long growing seasons. ALBA is also currently evaluating sub clovers bred for medium and low rainfall areas. “Our main focus is on subterranean (sub) clover, which is the key annual pasture legume across southern Australia,” professor Nichols said. “Annual pasture legumes are important because they are a source of high-quality feed and can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and put it back into the soil for use by other plants in the pasture – improving overall pasture productivity.” Certified seed of both Edison and Franklin will be available to farmers in 2025.