THE State's north west cropping industry has received a boost after the appointment of three industry experts to NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) offices in Tamworth and Narrabri.
Leading plant breeders, Dr Kristy Hobson and Dr Gururaj Kadkol, will be based at the Tamworth Agricultural Institute and research entomologist, Dr Lisa Bird, will work at the Australian Cotton Research Institute in Narrabri.
Dr Kadkol will move to Tamworth after stints with the CSIRO division of plant industry and Nuseed, while Dr Hobson will lead the chickpea component of the Pulse Breeding Australia initiative, after working on a similar scheme with the Victorian DPI.
An expert in insecticide resistance, Dr Bird will work on a number of cotton programs, returning to the Narrabri base she work at during the 1990s.
Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, said the expansion of the DPI's research teams is essential to the growth and sustainability of farming systems in NSW.
"Importantly, through our research and development work, we are determined to deliver tangible results and help the State's producers improve their operations and competitiveness," Ms Hodgkinson said.
