Improving physiological understanding and crop yield of early sown wheat genotypes under constrained environments

Investment

GRDC Code: UOM2312-001RTX

Improving physiological understanding and crop yield of early sown wheat genotypes under constrained environments

Winter wheat varieties allow growers in southern Australia to start sowing earlier, which can help get more farm area sown on time and increases average farm yield. Winter wheat can also be grazed by livestock and harvested for grain without reducing grain yield. However, whilst winter wheat sown early produces more biomass than spring wheat sown later, winter wheat has a lower harvest index (proportion of biomass that is grain) than spring wheat, meaning that winter and spring wheat yields are equivalent. Increasing the harvest index of winter wheat whilst maintaining higher biomass production is an opportunity for transformative yield increases.
The reason why winter wheat has lower harvest index is not currently known. This project will determine why winter wheat has lower harvest index compared to spring wheat. It will do this using a network of field experiments across the low and medium rainfall zones of southern NSW, Victoria, South Australian and Western Australia. This knowledge can then be used by breeders to select cultivars that have higher harvest index, or by agronomists to develop management packages that can improve harvest index. The project will also collect data on crop growth and use data from previous experiments to improve the simulation accuracy of the crop production model APSIM Next Gen, and simulations will be used to estimate the value to the Australian grains industry of improving winter wheat harvest index.

Project start date:

15/12/2023

Project end date:

30/06/2027

Crop type: