"We're thinking lupins might handle a sub-optimal environment PGW grain product development manager Nick Brooks told one of the groups as they took in a FAR and industry protein crop trial near Ashburton.
"Low pH, drought. Maybe we can grow them where beans won't?"
With both crops the goal is a home-grown alternative to soya, but with the latter's consistent 40% plus protein, and price of about $590/t at present, it's proving a challenge, says Brooks.
Beans have proven less consistent here than in the UK with yields across the 5000t grown for PGW last year averaging 4t/ha. Also protein slipped from the usual 25-28% to average 22%.
This year's crops are on contract at $470/t at 25% protein, but with soya prices at their present level, beans would have to be below $400/t to compete, he says.
"We don't want to go there but soya is very, very competitive."
Lupins have higher protein and in a good year have done 6-7t/ha in Australia.
"The protein level's 30-40%. It's closer to soya so if we could get 5 or 6t/ha at that sort of protein it's an option worth considering."
In one of PGW's wheat cultivar trials, part of the CPT series, growers had the chance to look at some of the first South American origin varieties ever grown in New Zealand.
"It's another germplasm source for us," milling wheat breeder Gerrard Pile told Rural News. "We'll see how they compare and whether they're worth trialling."
The spring sown plots also feature Swiss material – "from the same programme that produced Bakker Gold" – plus a range of other European and New Zealand origin varieties.
In barleys it's a similar story with UK and Danish material dominating, but Dutch and – for the first time – Czech lines also in the ground.
"They've got a new breeding system we thought we should have a look at."
But it was new cultivars Garner and Chronicle that PGW's John van den Bosch chose to highlight, presenting the barley CPT1 & 2 site.
"Garner's one of the most consistently high yielding in the south of the North Island as well as Canterbury," he said of the Syngenta, UK-bred variety developed here by Cropmark and PGW.
In this year's FAR cultivar evaluation booklet it was coded NFC406-112, showing high yields dryland and irrigated, with stiff, moderate to tall straw.
Disease data is limited: it appears moderately resistant to scald and mildew but moderately susceptible to leaf rust.
"Most of the seed will be for multiplication but we may have enough for a limited commercial release," he added.
Chronicle is a new malting-type from the UK, though Van den Bosch stressed "that doesn't mean it will meet the maltsters' spec here."
"It's only had two years' trials here."
On the UK's HGCA recommended list it's the second highest yielding variety. "It's only beaten by a variety from Limagrain which we discarded because the yield ranking was the reverse here."
In wheat PGW's focus was on Sensas, both as a cultivar and for plant growth regulator (pgr) and fungicide work (see panel).
"It's potentially a premium one milling wheat to compete with Conquest," said PGW agronomist Chris Nottingham. "It will really depend on the quality of this harvest as to the way it goes."
Bred in France, it's fast developing so shouldn't be drilled before July, with good disease resistance bar leaf rust.
