A NSW State government grant of some $9.4 million, plus $1m each from Sydney University and GRDC, together with $0.5 million from the Wheat Research Foundation paves the way for major research expansion at the Narrabri IA Watson Grains Research Centre.
Big dollars are critical for maintaining world class agriculture research at the centre, home of major wheat breeding research for more than 60 years. Research at this centre leased by the University of Sydney and owned by the Wheat Research Foundation (WRF), is estimated to contribute in excess of $100m in extra farm income per annum. Since 1958 Sydney University has been world leader in developing rust resistant wheats, once the biggest threat to the industry.
Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), a crop breeding company subleasing from Sydney University, at Narrabri, has released for 2021 four new APH quality wheat varieties. Like other breeding companies, AGT closely cooperates with Sydney University for upgraded germplasm. Senior AGT breeder Meiqin Lu reports these four new releases are upgrades on current varieties offering higher yield combined with strong agronomy and excellent quality for today's world markets.
Sunmaster is an upgrade on main season variety Suntop, but with around eight per cent higher yield across NSW and Queensland regions. Sunblade CL Plus is an upgrade in the Clearfield group varieties (additional herbicide options), the first with APH quality and better yield than Suntop and Elmore. Sunflex is a high yielding slower maturing APH variety and Suncentral is a high yielding quick maturing variety.
Director of the research centre, Professor Richard Trethowan stresses that research at Narrabri is diverse across many crops, cooperates with many private and public research bodies, and has several major research projects with potentially big future gain for Australian farmers. One of the University's most ambitious projects with potential for wide adoption involving further big yield gains is developing hybrid wheat varieties.
Richard Trethowan said developing hybrid wheats had been a long term dream for many research organisations. But their wheat program for the first time, indicates that it is now feasible and economical to develop hybrid wheat with yield potential well above current varieties. The research involves the combination of worldwide and commercial partners.
While the university is not a wheat breeding organisation as such,its has a big role in developing and delivering to breeding companies material with features required in future varieties. Its ability to provide such material is enhanced by the new funding allowing upgrading of facilities, additional staff and PhD training for future scientists to deliver improved traits like additional heat and drought tolerance into existing high yielding varieties.
Crown rot has for decades been a major cause of yield loss in wheat. Research, led by Narrabri based University of Sydney's Dr Phil Davies, is another example of current research developing more resistant varieties. Upgraded facilities will include digital technologies, lift scale and accuracy of genetic improvement. Far faster future progress in developing more tolerant lines is expected.
Rob Long, chairman of WRF (owner of the Narrabri centre) said new genetic aids would improve ability to develop crop upgrades and help mitigate effects of an increasingly hostile production environment. New researchers and more students, will provide capacity to integrate this knowledge with advances in genomics and gene technologies
Other research underway at Narrabri to benefit from the grant include greater capacity to incorporate new disease resistance genes into varieties of various crops and adding capacity to the University's faba bean breeding program. Developing chickpea with improved drought and heat tolerance, digital agriculture embracing drones, soil moisture and nutrient probes, automatic recording devices and robotics, all relating to crop pasture and livestock systems, as well as soil health. Weed research includes studies into more competitive crops.
Next week: Pasture legumes drive soil nitrogen fertility plus quality feed. Choose carefully.
- Bob Freebairn is an agricultural consultant based at Coonabarabran. Email robert.freebairn@bigpond.com or contact 0428 752 149.
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