Pre-breeding investments

Introduction

Through our investment, scientists working in ‘pre-breeding’ are assisting plant breeders in delivering crops that can better deal with variable farming environments and changing agronomic practices.

Pre-breeding research is diverse and seeks to:

  • develop ‘smarter’, better-adapted, more yield-stable germplasm with the potential to increase yields
  • improve grain quality
  • reduce risks for grain growers – such as drought, heat, frost and disease.

Innovative and targeted pre-breeding research is a significant focus for us, and currently, we have more than 100 pre-breeding investments across our portfolio of crops.

Filter by crop type:

Project list

Results found: 135
  • Project ID: UOM1107-001RTX (UM00045)

    Expanding the Brassica Germplasm Base through collaboration with China and India

    The overall aim of this trilateral GRDC project is to expand the canola (Brassica napus and Brassica juncea) germplasm base in Australia through strategic collaboration with India and China. The project will create and access new variation for key abiotic and biotic stress resistances that will improve productivity, reliability and sustainability of the canola industry in Australia, India and China.

    Project start date: 01 July 2011 - Project end date: 30 December 2017

    Organisation: The University of Melbourne
  • Project ID: UMU1207-002RTX (UMU00040)

    Maintenance of Rhizobial Germplasm Resources (National)

    The National Rhizobium Program (NRP) is currently custodian to thousands of different strains of legume root nodule bacteria (rhizobia) obtained from more than 50 years of research by Australian scientists. This project will ensure continuation of the national rhizobium collection of strains and provide essential support for national rhizobia and microbial inoculant projects. In addition it will provide support and training in rhizobia preservation for international agencies.

    Project start date: 01 July 2012 - Project end date: 30 June 2017

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Graham O'Hara
  • Project ID: CUR1306-001RTX (CUR00020)

    Managing on-farm biosecurity risk through pre-emptive breeding: the case of rust

    The aim of this project is to provide to the Australian lentil and field pea industries with tools to mount a rapid and effective response to the incursion of Uromyces viciae - fabae and U. pisi, two exotic plant pathogens causing rust. The expected outcome of this strategic investment is to provide growers with access to pulse varieties with genetic resistance/genes against exotic plant pathogens (EPPs) such as rusts, thereby mitigating against the potential economic impact of a high-risk EPP incursion and ensuring that pulses remain competitive rotational crops in Australian farming systems.

    Project start date: 01 June 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Curtin University
  • Project ID: CUR1306-002RTX (CUR00021)

    An international collaborative effort to sequence the genome of field pea

    The scope of this GRDC project is to enhance the genome sequencing activities and to provide a link between the activities of the international consortium and the Australia community of pulse breeders and researchers. The project facilitates the participation of Australian research groups in the international consortium, enabling current and future collaborations, academic exchange and the formation of postgraduate students.

    Project start date: 30 June 2013 - Project end date: 01 January 2017

    Organisation: Curtin University
  • Project ID: DAN1306-005RTX (DAN00172)

    Managing Crop Disease - Improving chickpea pathogen resistance (PRR)

    This project aims to mitigate the impact of Phytophthora root rot in eastern Australia by: Identifying, in wild relatives of chickpea, novel sources of resistance to Phytophthora that offer robust protection against the disease. Incorporating this resistance into new chickpea varieties using innovative breeding technology to speed up varietal development. Expanding our knowledge of the pathogen to ensure that the breeding process matches and/or surpasses pathogen variability. Constructing improved grower guides for managing PRR that incorporate the applied research outcomes from this project.

    Project start date: 01 June 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
  • Project ID: UOA1407-002RTX (UA00142)

    Application of the platform technology EzyCross to introduce Blackleg resistance from wild Brassica sp. into canola germplasm

    Wild relatives of crops such as canola, wheat or barley often contain superior traits such as resistance to pathogens or tolerance to extreme abiotic conditions such as frost, drought or heat stress that are attractive for inclusion in commercial crop varieties. Currently, when hybrid crosses are made between commercial cultivars and wild relatives the failure rate is very high. This work is also expensive, labour-intensive and technically challenging, as tissue culture techniques are often used to recover the hybrid seed. The Searle laboratory at the ANU has previously developed an innovative platform technology called EzyCross that is superior in that it increases the number of successful hybrid seed, does not require specialised tissue culture techniques or facilities and is not labour intensive. During this project we propose to apply the innovative EzyCross technology in canola for the purpose of enabling the introduction of new genes for blackleg resistance from wild relatives into future varieties of canola through crosses that previously could not be made or could be made only with great difficulty.

    Project start date: 01 July 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2017

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: UOM1306-002RMX (UM00050)

    Proof of concept' for approaches designed at increasing disease resistance to fungal pathogens of canola

    This project aims to identify novel fungal genes that can be used as transgenes to generate disease-resistant canola plants.

    Project start date: 30 June 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: The University of Melbourne
  • Project ID: DAN1207-004RTX (DAN00178)

    Curation of Mapping Populations - Barley/Wheat

    GRDC invested in the Australian Winter Cereals Molecular Marker Program (AWCMMP) over the period June 2002 to June 2007.This investment followed on from the Australian Winter Wheat Molecular Marker Program and the National Barley Molecular Marker Program. The populations produced from the AWCMMP and other projects represent a large investment in time and money. They cover many traits of economic importance to the Australian cereal industry. There has been a consistent use of these populations to date and this will continue into the future with the advent of new technologies in genotyping and phenotyping. It is vital that seed of all populations be available for additional marker development and refinement of phenotyping methodologies. Preservation of the populations has the potential to save costs and enable continued access by the whole pre-breeding community to populations with high genetic integrity. The integrity of populations will be checked using a molecular-based quality control system to document the current level of seed integrity. This system will also be used to upgrade and maintain the integrity of these populations. The mapping populations will be transferred and held by the Australian Grains Genebank (AGG) at Horsham.

    Project start date: 01 July 2012 - Project end date: 30 June 2018

    Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
  • Project ID: DAW1406-005RTX (DAW00238)

    Development of lupin molecular markers tagging yield QTL genes and yield-related

    This project aims to increase breeding efficiency for higher yield by developing molecular markers for yield and yield-promoting traits in narrow-leafed lupin and additionally to provide new yield, phenology, plant vigour and drought tolerance related traits to the core lupin breeding program.

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
  • Project ID: ICA1401-001RTX (ICA00011)

    Pre-emptive chickpea pre-breeding for biotic stresses and germplasm enhancement

    This project aims at employing Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS) using Geographical Information System (GIS) for improving the probability and frequency of predicting chickpea accessions relying on such useful bioitic and abiotic stress tolerance genes for their use in the Australian breeding program.

    Project start date: 01 January 2014 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: International Centre for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)
  • Project ID: ICA1401-002RTX (ICA00014)

    Application of Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS) in Australian environment

    The project proposed here is to further refine the FIGS algorithms so that their predictive power is improved and deploy them to identify relatively small best-bet subsets of germplasm for cereal and pulse crops that will increase the probability of capturing rare alleles for key traits.

    Project start date: 01 January 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: International Centre for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)
  • Project ID: CSP1404-012RTX (CSP00185)

    Collection, phenotyping and exploitation of wild Cicer genetic resources for chickpea improvement

    Chickpea is constrained by limited genetic and adaptive diversity, and therefore the recent GRDC-funded augmentation of the depauperate world collection of diverse wild relatives, that are interfertile with domestic material, has raised unprecedented opportunities for chickpea improvement. This project will strengthen chickpea breeding efforts and act as model for the exploitation of wild genetic resources by: Targeted collection to widen the habitat range and genetic diversity of existing collections. Extensive phenotyping of traits prioritized as limiting Mediterranean adaptation. Coordinating wild Cicer-based phenotyping and population development projects in Australia and Turkey, linking these with international collaborations involving the USA, Canada, Ethiopia and India.

    Project start date: 01 April 2014 - Project end date: 31 March 2021

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Jens Berger
  • Project ID: UMU1406-001RTX (UMU00044)

    Identifying low pH tolerance and effective rhizobia for wild Cicer to improve adaptation to acid sandy soils

    The objective of this research is to determine if there are wild relatives of chickpea (C. arietinum L.) that could grow on acid sandy soils. These accessions then have potential to be included in the chickpea breeding program specifically to target acid sands including the areas where lupins are currently grown in WA. In addition to searching for tolerance of strongly acid soils, there is an opportunity to broaden the present range of soils suitable for chickpea by improving tolerance to moderately acid soils.

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Murdoch University
  • Project ID: USQ1406-002RTX (USQ00017)

    Assessing collections of wild chickpea relatives for resistance to root-lesion nematodes

    This project aims to characterise a recently collected range of accessions of C.reticulatum and C.echinospermum from Turkey for resistance to Pratylenchus and P.neglectus, and identify the best sources for building resistant parents for chicken breeding

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Southern Queensland
    Contact: John Thompson
  • Project ID: CUR1406-001RTX (CUR00024)

    Genetics of wild germplasm, gene-pool expansion and integrated ASSD approach to enhance adaptive potential in chickpea

    This is an ambitious project that is aimed at pushing the limits in crop breeding in chickpea (with implications in pulse breeding in general) by: incorporating newly available and diverse germplasm with well-documented passport data, enhancing the number of genetic combinations, implementing accelerated single seed descendant techniques, establishing techniques that would substantially simplify and reduce the costs of genotyping and by integrating eco-geographic, genotype and phenotype data early on in the breeding process

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Curtin University
  • Project ID: UWA1607-006RTX (UWA00175)

    An integrated platform for rapid genetic gain in pulse crops

    The objectives of this project are : To help address the loss of $74 million per annum in pulse yield by developing biotic screening methodologies for two of the major pulse pathogens -- Ascochyta and Botrytis - that can be applied within the Accelerated Single Seed Descent (aSSD) platform. To assist in the rapid integration of new herbicide tolerance traits by developing and applying herbicide selection within the aSSD platform. To deliver the resulting comprehensive pulse aSSD platform with capacity for abiotic/ biotic and herbicide screening to the Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) pulse improvement community.

    Project start date: 01 July 2016 - Project end date: 30 December 2020

    Organisation: University of Western Australia
    Contact: Janine Croser
  • Project ID: DAN1504-009RMX (DAN00202)

    New tools and germplasm for Australian pulse and oil seeds breeding programs to respond to changing virus threats

    To lower yield losses caused by virus diseases in Australian pulse and oilseed crops through the development of control strategies that are economically and environmentally sustainable. Improving genetic resistance in new varieties is essential for long-term virus control. The project will evaluate germplasm collections to identify resistance and provide breeding programs with parental material to produce adapted varieties with superior resistance to a number of key viruses. As completely different viruses can cause similar symptoms and as some virus-induced symptoms are hard to distinguish from symptoms caused by abiotic stresses or herbicide applications, fast and reliable diagnostic tests are required and have been developed

    Project start date: 01 April 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
    Contact: Joop van Leur
  • Project ID: UOS1606-006OPX (US00083)

    ARC Research Hub for Legumes for Sustainable Agriculture

    Grain legumes are an integrative component of cereal production in Australia. They are grown often in rotations with cereals for their high nutritional seed value (protein, oil and or carbohydrate) and their unique ability to develop a self-sufficient nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with soil bacteria called rhizobia. Legume rotations provide nonfixing nitrogen-dependent plants with soil nitrogen, a break in disease and pest populations and growers an alternative weed management option. Maintaining legume productivity against the challenges of climate change is important to future agricultural management strategies in Australia. This program will deliver outcomes that enhance legume resilience to abiotic stress and nitrogen delivery capacity.

    Project start date: 30 June 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Brent Kaiser
  • Project ID: DAS1703-024OPX (DAS00148)

    Australian Pastures Genebank

    The APG will make acquisition, conservation, and distribution of genetic resources highly efficient and of a high standard.

    Project start date: 18 March 2017 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
  • Project ID: DAV1607-006BLX (DAV00158 DEPI BA-2)

    Quantifying the value of pulse grains

    The project will develop methodologies for distinguishing between, and quantifying pre- and post-harvest seed damage, seed discoloration arising from ascochyta, mosaic virus, weather damage or insect damage, all of which enhance the market value of the grain and potentially result in increased returns to

    Project start date: 01 July 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
  • Project ID: UNC1401-001RSX (GRS10783)

    Grains Industry Research Scholarship - Darren Cullerne (UNC) The Molecular Characterisation of Vernalisation in Safflower via the Development of Genomic and Transcriptomic Resources

    This Ph.D. project has identified accessions of safflower that may be suitable for areas of Australia that experience prolonged periods of cold, a short spring and a dry summer finish. Furthermore these newly identified "winter" accessions of safflower are well-suited to early sowing in late autumn and allow harvest in early summer. This project has used next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques to identify the likely genetic candidates responsible converting "spring" accessions into "winter" accessions. The project has generated genetic crossing populations ("winter" x "spring") that will map the regions of the genome responsible for winter safflower and allow the development of perfect molecular markers for future breeding developments.

    Project start date: 01 January 2014 - Project end date: 19 August 2017

    Organisation: The University of Newcastle
  • Project ID: DAS1708-010RTX (DAS00174)

    Improving chickpea adoption to environmental challenges in Australia and India

    Grain legumes are an important component of fanning systems in Australia and critical for food security in India. This project will deliver genetic improvements in chickpea that enhance growth and yield, improving profitability and resilience against the impact of climate change and disease. This project will link basic discovery science through to breeding applications where novel germplasm and molecular tools can be used to maximize production in challenging environments. The Project will be undertaken in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.

    Project start date: 12 August 2017 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
    Contact: Tim Sutton
  • Project ID: UWA1801-001RSX

    GRDC Research Scholarship Genome-wide identification of disease resistance genes in the Brassicaceae and characterisation of their DNA methylation status in Brassica napus

    Established a valuable resource for the identification and characterization of candidate resistance genes in the Brassicaceae family. Investigating underlying resistance mechanisms in canola against blackleg disease. Investigating a novel approaches for improving resistance in canola against blackleg disease

    Project start date: 01 January 2018 - Project end date: 14 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Western Australia
  • Project ID: DAV1607-010BLX (9176093)

    PulseBio Project 3: Stable grain yield in pulses through improved stress tolerance (P3)

    This project will validate high throughput phenotyping (HTP) technologies associated with agronomic traits to improve both selection intensity and accuracy, greatly increasing efficiencies of data collection. Controlled environment (CE) assays for ascochyta blight (AB), bacterial blight (BB) and botrytis grey mould (BGM) will be improved so that they better correlate with field scores. Germplasm with higher levels of resistance will be developed and tested in field situations. HTP image analysis tools will be developed to objectively quantify disease levels, thereby improving selection accuracy.

    Project start date: 01 July 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
    Contact: Garry Rosewarne
  • Project ID: DAV1707-001BLX (9176106)

    Australian Grains Genebank 2017-2022

    Project aims : 1. Conservation of temperate and tropical cereal, pulse and oilseed germplasm with activities of acquisition, quarantine, long term storage, seed regeneration/characterisation and distribution. 2. Implementation of a national seed management database with on-line client request website. 3. Development of best practice quality management system for all major activities within the AGG.

    Project start date: 01 July 2017 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
    Contact: Sally Norton
  • Project ID: DAV1607-011BLX (9176121)

    PulseBio Project 4: Biosecure pulse seeds

    The Pulsebio4 project was commissioned in 2016 to develop a new diagnostic tool that uses advanced sequencing and bioinformatics methods to identify microbes (including pathogens) associated with imported pulse germplasm, and genetic markers of significance. HTS, previously referred to as NGS is the technology that AVR scientists have been using to deliver this goal.

    Project start date: 01 July 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
    Contact: Solomon Maina
  • Project ID: UCD1804-001RTX

    Leveraging generic resources and associated data from Chickpea Feed the Future Innovation Lab in the US

    The goal of this project is to curate 8,000 lineages of wild x cultivated chickpea. The combined set of materials is derived from crosses between multiple, diverse wild accessions of the crop wild progenitor and cultivated lines from diverse agroclimatic zones, including Canada, Turkey, Ethiopia and India. A corresponding set of materials is under development by collaborating researchers in Australia.

    Project start date: 01 April 2018 - Project end date: 31 December 2020

    Organisation: UC Davis
    Contact: Douglas Cook
  • Project ID: DAN1707-003RTX

    Canola pre-breeding investment to continue some activities conducted under DAN00208

    Despite of the deployment of genes for race-specific resistance to manage blackleg disease, the pathogen continues to threaten the Australian canola industry. Therefore, identification of sources having durable (quantitative) resistance is crucial. We evaluated 78 accessions of canola, including the ancestral sources of resistance in Australian canola varieties (originated from Japan and Europe). We identified two accessions that had higher levels of resistance based on internal infection (canker lesions). These sources would be useful in canola breeding programs for incorporating resistance alleles into elite breeding lines.

    Project start date: 01 July 2017 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
  • Project ID: UOA1807-010BLX

    Development, characterisation and incorporation of novel herbicide tolerance traits in pulse crops.

    The development of pulse varieties with new and or multiple herbicide tolerances will enable greater variation in herbicide usage patterns and will reduce the risk of developing herbicide resistant weeds. This in turn will lead to increased producer confidence, expansion of the pulse crop area and increases in overall farming system sustainability.

    Project start date: 01 July 2018 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Tim Sutton
  • Project ID: CSP1806-009RTX

    Lupin Breeders Toolbox -A Resource for Lupin Genetic Improvement

    This four-year project called the lupin breeders toolbox (Project Number 9176622), started in June 2018. It aims to expand the current genomic and genetic resources available in one of the major grain legumes grown in Australia, narrow-leafed lupin (NLL; Lupinus angustifolius L.). The project was developed through extensive consultations with GRDC program managers and AGT, which runs the only NLL breeding program in Australia. These genomic and genetic resources will significantly help accelerate the NLL breeding program at AGT, including the development of an NLL genotyping platform, and will help lead to the desired outcome whereby by 2025 locally adapted NLL germplasm with 20% higher yields are available to growers.

    Project start date: 15 June 2018 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Lars Kamphuis
  • Project ID: DAV1806-013AWX

    Australian Grains Gene Banks (AGG) Capacity and Capability Enhancement -Infrastructure

    Infrastructure constructed to enable two regeneration cycles per annum which will increase the capacity and capability of AGG to regenerate approximately 1,800 accession under controlled environments.

    Project start date: 19 June 2018 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
  • Project ID: CSP1901-002RTX

    Optimising Canola Production in Diverse Australian Growing Environments

    Canola growers in Australia need to be able to select varieties that will perform optimally in their local growing conditions. The timing of flowering is an important factor in determining sowing time and avoiding frost, heat and terminal drought. This project will generate genome marker, gene expression and phenotype datasets from a diverse panel of Australian and global canola varieties in both controlled environment and multi-site field trials. It will then use new ;big data; analysis methods to identify the genetic and environmental pathways that control the timing of flowering in Australian and global canola varieties.

    Project start date: 01 January 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UOM1905-003RTX

    Program 2 - Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola: Coordinating international blackleg research and development

    In summary, this project will provide leadership within the international community working on blackleg disease to create resources that will be used by Australian plant breeders and ensure a sustainable level of new resistance genes is introduced into the Australian cropping system.

    Project start date: 01 May 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: The University of Melbourne
    Contact: Angela Van de Wouw
  • Project ID: CSP1904-007RTX

    Program 4 - Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola: Phenotyping for Adult Plant Resistance (APR - Quantitative Resistance) in canola

    This program will identify how Quantitative Resistance (QR) functions within the plant to reduce blackleg disease, determine conditions under which QR is expressed, and develop methods to accurately quantify QR

    Project start date: 29 April 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UWA1905-006RTX

    Program 3 - Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola: Identification of novel sources of blackleg resistance genes

    This project will screen a diverse range of germplasm to identify new sources of resistance against blackleg disease that will be provided to Australian breeding companies for incorporation into breeding programs. Furthermore, molecular markers corresponding to existing and newly identified resistance genes will be developed to allow high-throughput screening and accurate tracking of resistance genes in both commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines.

    Project start date: 01 May 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: University of Western Australia
    Contact: Jacqueline Batley
  • Project ID: DAV1905-003RTX

    Multi-species DNA chip platform - A resource for pulse genetic improvement

    This project will develop and provide a low-cost DNA genotyping platform for chickpea, field pea, faba bean, lentil and lupin for use by the Australian pulse breeding and pre-breeding programs. In addition, it will ensure that data generated using this platform is seamlessly combined with legacy, current and future ‘omic datasets from GRDC projects and the public domain to generate a valuable resource that accelerates research outcomes and the translation of pre-breeding outputs into breeding programs, and therefore ongoing return on investment into the future.

    Project start date: 01 May 2019 - Project end date: 31 July 2023

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
    Contact: Matthew Hayden
  • Project ID: DAV1907-001RTX

    Program 5 - Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola : Canola infrastructure and FFS

    Industry access to a reliable, high-throughput phenotyping capacity is a critical component of an effective blackleg improvement effort. This program will support the development of high throughput and accurate blackleg phenotyping methods and facilities using standardised techniques, isolates, controls and well characterised testing environments. The establishment of this infrastructure will enable Australian canola breeders to accelerate and expand efforts to deploy new and durable blackleg resistance and accelerate the delivery of varieties with durable blackleg resistance (including minor APR genes) to Australian growers.

    Project start date: 01 June 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
    Contact: Matthew Hayden
  • Project ID: UWA1905-007RTX

    Improving canola heat tolerance - a coordinated multidisciplinary approach

    This project proposes a new program of canola genetic research which will build upon outputs from GRDC’s previous investment in the National Brassica Germplasm Improvement Program (NBGIP, contracted as DAN00208), the international collaboration in canola pre-breeding project (UM00045) and Grains Agronomy and Pathology Partnership (BLG-108). This project will address a major impediment to achieving improved rate of genetic gain for complex quantitative traits such as heat stress.

    Project start date: 21 May 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: University of Western Australia
    Contact: Sheng Chen
  • Project ID: CSP1907-001RTX

    Increasing return on investment from canola seed through improved establishment -Program 1

    The expected outputs of this project are to: (1) Understand factors underlying poor establishment to better target genetic studies; (2) develop robust, high-throughput controlled environment phenotyping methods for screening secondary (that is, acquired) dormancy, the rate of hypocotyl elongation and final hypocotyl length and width, and early seedling vigour, validating these methods and ranking varieties in the field; (3) in controlled environments, screen canola diversity panels to understand genetic architecture of these traits and identify alleles with potential for pyramiding in breeding of canola with improvement establishment-related traits; (4) provide diagnostic molecular markers to enable canola breeders to rapidly improve establishment related traits in their breeding programs; and, (5) benchmark germplasm with enhanced establishment against elite cultivars.

    Project start date: 01 July 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Matthew Nelson
  • Project ID: UOA1905-005OPX

    Accelerating Post-Entry Quarantine (PEQ) processing and delivery of 1st batch of wild-elite chickpea segregation population

    Growth of 2,000 chickpea lines for seed release. Chickpea lines will be a valuable addition to Australian pulse breeding efforts. The lines are crosses between wild chickpea progenitors and modern cultivars.

    Project start date: 15 May 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: UCD1908-001RTX

    Leveraging Existing International Germplasm to Deliver Improved Acid Soil Tolerance Chickpea for Australian Growers (GRDC/USA/Ethiopia Initiative)

    The program is a collaboration between scientists at the University of California-Davis in the United States, Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, and Murdoch University in Western Australia. This project uses genomics-assisted breeding to develop chickpea varieties with enhanced tolerance to acid soils. Development of novel chickpea varieties that continue to thrive under acidic soil conditions, where aluminium toxicity and phosphorous deficiency otherwise limit plant growth, would be a significant outcome for Australian farmers.

    Project start date: 30 August 2019 - Project end date: 30 September 2023

    Organisation: UC Davis
  • Project ID: UOT1909-002RTX

    Improving The Adaptation And Profitability Of High Value Pulses (Chickpea And Lentil) Across Australian Agroecological Zones

    This project will develop a national strategy to address these needs, generating new information and leveraging insights from world-leading research and breeding programs internationally. It will systematically characterize the genetic and physiological variation in phenology in Australia's two major high-value pulse crops; chickpea and lentil. Work will combine intensive research in controlled conditions with extensive field trials across Australian production environments, to identify existing and novel variation for phenology. It will document the contribution of this variation to yield in diverse locations, generating detailed performance data and developing genetic markers and models that will guide the development and deployment of new varieties.

    Project start date: 30 September 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2024

    Organisation: University of Tasmania
  • Project ID: UOT1909-001SAX

    National Workshop on Pulse Phenology

    National Workshop on Pulse Phenology Workshop aims to consider the importance of phenology for pulse adaptation and yield across Australian environments, to place this in the context of current physiological and genetic understanding of phenology control, to discuss approaches to its phenotypic, physiological, genetic and genomic analysis and how these can best be integrated and applied and to identify and highlight relevant resources, including germplasm diversity, populations and panels.

    Project start date: 01 September 2019 - Project end date: 15 October 2019

    Organisation: University of Tasmania
  • Project ID: UOM1701-004RSX (GRS11006)

    Adult plant resistance and pathogen virulence in blackleg disease of canola

    The project will focus on discovering the genetic basis of Leptosphaeria maculans to cause stem and branch cankering, using new state-of-the-art tools for gene manipulation. Understanding how the fungus is able to cause disease is essential to guide what traits need to be introgressed into commercial cultivars in the future to protect them from cankering, and likely provide biomarkers to provide surveillance of the L. maculans population. In addition to training future personnel to work in the grains industry, the information gained from this project will contribute to the sustainability of the canola industry.

    Project start date: 01 January 2017 - Project end date: 27 July 2019

    Organisation: The University of Melbourne
  • Project ID: UA00143

    Australian Wheat and Barley Molecular Marker Program

    The objectives of this national project are to investigate the genetic control of important traits of wheat and barley and provide genetic knowledge and DNA markers that can be used in germplasm development and breeding. The key research activities in this project are development and genotyping of mapping populations, evaluation of predefined target traits (mostly biotic stress traits), statistical analyses to map genes and the design and testing of new DNA marker assays.

    Project start date: 30 June 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Diane Mather
  • Project ID: CSP00168

    Photosynthesis Traits for Raising Wheat Yield Potential

    Identifying genetic variation in photosynthesis and biomass production using new phenotyping tools such as hyperspectral reflectance, fluorescence, canopy temperature or ground-based LiDAR.

    Project start date: 15 June 2013 - Project end date: 30 September 2019

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: DAV00127

    Using next-generation genetics to accelerate variety improvement in bread wheat, durum and barley

    Providing the pre-breeding sectors for bread wheat, durum and barley with direct and supported access to next-generation DNA technologies that can be used to rapidly genotype plants. This will enable faster development of improved bread wheat, durum and barley varieties for Australian farmers, now and into the future.

    Project start date: 30 June 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria
    Contact: Matthew Hayden
  • Project ID: ANU00020

    The generation of wheat cultivars with improved drought tolerance

    This project aims at enhancing wheat drought tolerance by translating findings from the model plant Arabidopsis (a relative of canola). In Arabidopsis, mutant plants lacking a functional copy of SAL1 gene are more drought tolerant. By identifying and combining mutations in wheat SAL1 genes, this study will provide the growers with access to wheat varieties with higher drought tolerance.

    Project start date: 30 June 2013 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: Australian National University
  • Project ID: UA00152

    Genomic Selection: Development and utilisation in a commercial wheat breeding program

    A collaborations between University of Adelaide and Australian Grains Technologies (AGT) to apply and utilize Genomic Selection within a wheat breeding programme.

    Project start date: 01 June 2014 - Project end date: 31 March 2019

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: DAW00247

    Improved genetic solutions for management of yellow spot in wheat

    Appraise the effectiveness of yellow spot resistance genes by intensive multi-location and multi-year evaluation and ensure broad effectiveness with lines characterised for yield and quality attributes. Produce optimal combinations of resistance genes in adapted elite backgrounds that are relevant to northern, southern and western region.

    Project start date: 01 June 2015 - Project end date: 31 December 2020

    Organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
    Contact: Manisha Shankar
  • Project ID: DAW00248

    Effective genetic control of Stagonospora nodorum blotch

    Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) is a significant fungal disease of Western Australia and is becoming an increasing problem in the Southern regions of Australia. This project will develop new germplasm with enhanced SNB resistance in Australian wheat backgrounds, markers and simpler, robust and efficient phenotypic screening.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
    Contact: Michael Francki
  • Project ID: DAN00203

    Effective genetic control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB)

    The project will identify new resistance genes to Septoria tritici blotch (STB) and carry those genes into adapted backgrounds compatible with those being used by Australian breeders. The project will also identify and characterise pathogen effectors and use them to accelerate breeding programs.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
    Contact: Andrew Milgate
  • Project ID: UA00159

    Improving wheat yields on sodic, magnesic, and dispersive soils

    The purpose of the work is to develop strains of wheat with improved tolerance to a number of stresses associated with sodic soils. It will involve a network of national trials to evaluate performance of different varieties of wheat on sodic soils. A crossing and screening program among the superior lines identified will then be conducted.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: CFF00009

    Molecular markers for root hair traits and enhanced phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) in wheat

    The overall aims of this project are: to identify genetic markers for Phosporous Use Efficiency (PUE) in wheat in acid and neutral soils with a focus on long root hair traits, and assess the benefit that PUE quantitative trait locus (QTL) have on grain yields of wheat.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Anton Wasson
  • Project ID: UMU00048

    Genetic approaches to reduce the nitrogen dilution effect and increase nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) in wheat

    The project aims at identifying genetic resources for high NUE and GPC, untangled from the negative association with high yield potential. Key outputs include knowledge, genetic resources, and molecular markers that breeders can then utilise to overcome the nitrogen dilution effect and allow increasing GPC while maintaining yield.

    Project start date: 01 June 2015 - Project end date: 25 December 2020

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Wujun Ma
  • Project ID: ANU00025

    Using next generation approaches to exploit phenotypic variation in photosynthetic efficiency to increase wheat yield

    In this project, phenotyping photosynthetic characters from diverse lines of wheat will be combined with next generation genetic approaches to enable the identification of markers and genes associated with higher photosynthetic efficiency. The project builds upon high throughput methods and knowledge developed by the wheat yield consortium and utilises novel genomic technology capturing expressed genes to discover the relevant genetic information in a cost effective manner.

    Project start date: 01 January 2016 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: Australian National University
  • Project ID: ANU00027

    Improving yield by optimising energy use efficiency

    This project will combine genetics, gene expression and growth studies with the high throughput analysis of photosynthesis and respiration in order to screen elite wheat germplasm from field trials in Australia and Mexico to identify diversity in energy use efficiency (EUE), and identify genetic lines to enable breeding of efficient, optimised levels of respiration and photosynthesis, sugars, organic and amino acids for increased growth and biomass with the potential for increased grain yield.

    Project start date: 01 January 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Australian National University
  • Project ID: ACP00009

    AVP1, PSTOL1 and NAS - Three high-value genes for higher wheat yield - International Wheat Yield Partnership

    Manipulating in wheat genes with proven beneficial effect on plant performance in rice and other species. Within this project, the corresponding wheat genes will be identified, characterized and manipulated through different strategies to deliver superior alleles into current and future wheat cultivars in Australia and beyond.

    Project start date: 01 January 2016 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Stuart Roy
  • Project ID: CSP00202

    Identification of wheat frost tolerance loci using a combination of genetics, biochemistry and molecular approaches

    This approach will lead to the development of alternative screening methods to support field-based germplasm screening efforts of the National Frost Initiative. The project will also continue to provide testing capacity of interesting new varieties to validate field observations. The outcome of the project will be phenotyping know-how, DNA and metabolite markers, as well as wheat lines with improved frost tolerance.

    Project start date: 30 June 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Rudy Dolferus
  • Project ID: GRS11003

    Roles of dual water: ion aquaporins in cereal osmotic stress response

    Drought and salinity tolerance have been associated with the function of aquaporins. Aquaporins are primarily water channels selectively permeable to a range of other solutes. As a model plant for cereal crops, Setaria viridis will be used to test cereal aquaporins for capacity to transport water and salt and investigate the roles of aquaporins in roots during drought and salt stress in cereals.

    Project start date: 01 January 2017 - Project end date: 27 May 2019

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: GRS11009

    Application of Precision Ag Tools to a Wheat Breeding Program

    This project aims to 1) implement high-throughput phenotyping in a large scale wheat breeding programme, 2) investigate data extraction methods and statistical analysis methods of the phenotypic data collected, and 3) ultimately use this data to improve genetic gain within the breeding programme. This will be combined with environmental characterisation data to better understand variation within, and between field sites.

    Project start date: 01 January 2017 - Project end date: 08 July 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: James Walter
  • Project ID: GRS11005

    F. graminearum cell wall

    The aim of this project is to identify the enzymes that are essential for biosynthesis of the cell wall of the cereal pathogen F. graminearum and to use this knowledge to produce new and potent fungal inhibitors that can be used in crop protection.

    Project start date: 01 July 2017 - Project end date: 05 February 2020

    Organisation: La Trobe University
    Contact: Marilyin Anderson
  • Project ID: GRS10929

    Grains Industry Research Scholarship - Tahnee Manning (RMIT) Modification of photosynthesis by gene replacement in crop plants.

    This collaboration between RMIT and ANU will be the first demonstration of photosynthesis improvement by replacement of a rubisco gene in a crop (canola and potato). Potentially, progress towards demonstration of bentgrass as a model to perform a similar study in monocot crops such as wheat.

    Project start date: 01 March 2015 - Project end date: 30 March 2019

    Organisation: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
    Contact: Tahnee Manning
  • Project ID: GRS10932

    Grains Industry Research Scholarship - Joseph Barry (USQ) A comparison of the growth patterns of three root pathogens in wheat.

    Assessing the effectiveness of identified disease resistance sources in Turkish and Australian wheat lines against multiple Fusarium species and common root rot in two quite different global cropping systems. Patterns of pathogen infection of the host, the preferred niche within the plant and an understanding of the interactions and potential competition between pathogens to aid disease management and reduce disease risk for Australian growers.

    Project start date: 01 January 2015 - Project end date: 22 February 2019

    Organisation: University of Southern Queensland
  • Project ID: UA00157

    Development of tools to accelerate nematode resistance gene deployment

    This project will isolate a causal gene for nematode susceptibility or resistance in wheat. This will enable development of diagnostic markers and potentially provide a basis for designing novel control strategies.

    Project start date: 18 March 2017 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Diane Mather
  • Project ID: USQ00019

    Genetic control of nematode species affecting major crops - Germplasm enhancement for nematode control in cereals and pulses

    The objectives of this project are: to develop methods to assess genotypes of wheat, barley, chickpea, mungbean and field pea for resistance to root-lesion nematodes; to improve rating systems for growers; to discover resistant germplasm for use in pre-breeding; help develop molecular markers collaboratively with molecular biologists (AWBMMP and other consortia), and develop and select adapted resistant and tolerant lines of wheat, barley, chickpea, mungbean and field pea for use as parents by plant breeders.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Southern Queensland
    Contact: John Thompson
  • Project ID: UT00030

    Effective control of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) in wheat

    The objectives of this project are: to establish one or two sites where infection can be consistent (naturally or through some type of spreader technique); to test current varieties adapted to high rainfall wheat production zones and breeding lines supplied by breeders for YDV resistance/tolerance; to test the impact of the current source of resistance gene Bdv2 derived from Thinopyrum intermedium on yield and grain quality; to provide breeders with useful YDV tolerance or resistance.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: University of Tasmania
    Contact: Meixue Zhou
  • Project ID: UA00168

    The 10 Genome Wheat Sequencing Consortium

    To develop deep sequence profiles and assemblies for ten diverse wheat genotypes that can be used as a base of subsequent genome assembles. At least two Australian varieties will be included in this international effort.

    Project start date: 01 January 2016 - Project end date: 30 January 2021

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Ken Chalmers
  • Project ID: CSP00205

    A genetic diversity toolkit to maximise harvest index by controlling the duration of developmental phase: IWYP CSIRO

    Provide the platform technology for breeding programs to exploit and recombine phenological diversity to increase yield.

    Project start date: 26 May 2017 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UOA1806-012RTX

    Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Improving root growth in dispersive soils

    This postdoctoral fellowship will contribute towards wheat genetic adaptation to sodic soils, with a focus on the constraints associated with the physical properties of sodic subsoils that influence water extraction.

    Project start date: 01 June 2018 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: UOA1806-013AWX

    Accelerating wheat genetic gain by establishing a high-throughput spike phenotyping platform

    Develop a platform that enables Australian wheat growers in frost-affected cropping regions to have access to wheat cultivars with increased yield stability leading to increased overall farm profitability.

    Project start date: 30 June 2018 - Project end date: 31 December 2021

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Bettina Berger
  • Project ID: UOQ1810-002RTX

    Rooty: A root ideotype toolbox to support improved wheat yields

    To assemble elite wheat materials with distinct root ideotypes and determine the value of the improved root systems.

    Project start date: 01 October 2018 - Project end date: 30 December 2021

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Lee Hickey
  • Project ID: CSP1903-004RTX

    Post-doctoral Fellowship: Alternative phenotyping for reproductive stage frost tolerance using metabolite markers and identification of frost tolerance QTL in wheat - aligned to CSP00202

    The aim of the project is to establish metabolomics and lipidomics as phenotyping tools for cold acclimation and to use this technology to map associated QTL and genetic loci for marker development and future breeding for chilling and frost-tolerant wheat.

    Project start date: 31 March 2019 - Project end date: 30 September 2021

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Rudy Dolferus
  • Project ID: UOQ1903-007RTX

    Post-doctoral Fellowship: Designing roots to enhance durum wheat yield aligned with GRDC Project UOQ1801-002RTX-Rooty

    This project seeks to improve the productivity of Australian durum wheat cultivars by: 1) Identify key genomic regions influencing root biomass and linked DNA markers to facilitate selection in breeding programs; 2) produce elite durum lines with distinct ideotype root systems by combining QTLs for root angle and root biomass; 3) evaluate introgression lines will be evaluated in diverse environments.

    Project start date: 16 March 2019 - Project end date: 01 June 2022

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Lee Hickey
  • Project ID: UOA1910-002RTX

    Manipulation of stomata to increase yield potential in wheat (IWYP collaboration)

    Target different genes in stomatal development and functional pathways using transgenic/mutagenic approaches to improve photosynthesis and yield potential in wheat, as part of a germplasm development initiative and to better characterise these pathways in cereals.

    Project start date: 01 October 2019 - Project end date: 30 April 2023

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Stuart Roy
  • Project ID: DAQ1306-002RMX

    DAQ00187 - National Barley Foliar Pathogen Variety Improvement Program (NBFPVIP)

    Understand disease epidemiology, pathogen biology and identify durable or long-lasting genetic resistance to major barley foliar pathogens net form net blotch (NFNB), spot form net blotch (SFNB), spot blotch (SB), scald, powdery mildew (PM) and barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV).

    Project start date: 30 June 2013 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
    Contact: Andrew Milgate
  • Project ID: UOQ1307-002RTX

    UQ00070 - Sorghum Core Pre-breeding Program

    Sorghum is one of the most diverse crop species with great potential for improvement in yield, drought resistance, insect resistance and grain quality. The UQ/DAFF/GRDC Core Sorghum Breeding project produces adapted genetic lines with desirable traits such as midge resistance, stay-green, seed set under cold and hot extremes for use by breeders to develop superior hybrids for growers.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: David Jordan
  • Project ID: DAQ1307-002RTX

    DAQ00190 - Maintaining a barley pre-breeding capability in Queensland

    This project aims to identify novel resistance to key barley folair pathogens and provide germplasm to barley breeding companies and other researchers to aid them in the evaluation and deployment of improved resistance to foliar diseases in new varieties for Australian barley growers.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
  • Project ID: UOA1406-003RTX

    UA00148 - Trait discovery in wild barley using the nested-association mapping population HEB-25

    Access to new sources of genetic diversity is vital for Australian barley breeders to develop new varieties with improved traits. This project has evaluated a population of 25 wild barley accessions crossed to a modern barley variety for improved genetic variation for phenology, abiotic & biotic stress tolerance, and end-use quality.

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Jason Able
  • Project ID: UMU1406-002RTX

    UMU00050-DAW00240 - Manipulating barley phenology to maximise yield potential

    The time of flowering is the most important trait that determines the adaptation and yield of barley to variable climates and diverse growing regions of Australia. This project aims to identify key phenology genes underlying adaptation to Australian environments.

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Chengdao Li
  • Project ID: CSP1606-005RTX

    CFF00010 - Genetic solution to crown rot in barley

    Crown rot limits barley production in Australia. This project aims to identify and evaluate novel sources of genetic resistance to crown rot.

    Project start date: 30 June 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Chunji Liu
  • Project ID: ANU1704-002RSX

    GRS11010 - Investigating the potential for improving grain yield through enhanced stress recovery

    Improving yield by reducing the yield gap in part requires better stress tolerance, but an unexplored area is stress recovery: the rate at which the crop returns to optimal growth post-stress. This project will investigate the potential for improving grain yields by enhancing stress recovery.

    Project start date: 01 April 2017 - Project end date: 31 March 2020

    Organisation: Australian National University
  • Project ID: DAS1703-021BLX

    DAS00133-BA - Improved Resistance to oat pathogens and abiotic stress management

    To develop better adapted and improved oat varieties pre-breeding research has focussed on improving genetic resistance to cereal cyst nematodes, stem and crown rust, red leather leaf disease, and septoria blotch and increasing tolerance to drought.

    Project start date: 10 March 2017 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
    Contact: Tim Sutton
  • Project ID: UOQ1504-003RSX

    GRS10941 Belinda Worland (UQ) Identification of nitrate transporters and corresponding regulatory and metabolic genes under variable conditions of nitrate supply in diverse Sorghum bicolor genotypes for improved nitrogen use

    To identify key genes controlling nitrogen regulation and transport in sorghum to improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE).

    Project start date: 01 April 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Ian Godwin
  • Project ID: UMU1507-001RTX

    UMU00047 - Barley grain defects

    This project aims to address key barley quality issues of pre-harvest sprouting, kernel staining and black point. The project will identify molecular markers and develop germplasm for use by barley breeders to address these quality constraints.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Chengdao Li
  • Project ID: UMU1606-002RMX

    UMU00049 - Maintenance of grain plumpness and transfer of heat tolerance into Australian barley germplasm

    Heat stress dramatically reduces barley yield and grain plumpness, (% of grain remaining on a 2.5 mm slotted sieve) and reduction in grain plumpness leads to a downgrading of malting barley to feed barley. This project aims to identify new sources of barley that maintain grain plumpness under heat stress.

    Project start date: 30 June 2016 - Project end date: 29 June 2021

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Chengdao Li
  • Project ID: UOS1507-005RMX

    US00074 - Development of genetic tools for Australian barley crops against leaf rust

    This project will characterise and isolate three major leaf rust resistance genes (Rph7, Rph13, Rph15), that have not yet been used by barley breeders in Australia and which are effective against all known Australian pathotypes , and five new durable minor Adult Plant Resistance (APR) genes.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Robert Park
  • Project ID: UCS1607-003RTX

    UCS00025 - Expanding options for sorghum- Food and Distilling

    This investment will evaluate market opportunities for Australian produced sorghum varieties for Baijiu production and food, to establish the basis of new high value export markets.

    Project start date: 01 July 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: Charles Sturt University
  • Project ID: UMU1501-002RTX

    UMU00046 Improved Adaption of Barley to Acid Soils

    Soil acidity with high levels of toxic aluminium is a significant soil constraint limiting barley production in Australia. This investment aims to develop acid soil tolerant germplasm and diagnostic molecular markers that are not associated with the negative blue aleuorone locus.

    Project start date: 01 January 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Chengdao Li
  • Project ID: UMU1806-002RTX

    Improved Genetic Gain through GRDC Participation in Barley Pan-genome Consortium

    Develop a foundational genetic resource for barley breeders and pre-breeders

    Project start date: 30 June 2018 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Adelaide
    Contact: Ken Chalmers
  • Project ID: UOA1806-011RTX

    Improving Australian malt barley flavour to address Chinese brewing requirements

    This project aims to identify key malt barley flavour requirements of key export markets

    Project start date: 30 June 2018 - Project end date: 30 October 2021

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Jason Able
  • Project ID: UMU1903-003RSX

    GRS (Calum Watt) - Determining the genetic control of grain size and heat stress tolerance during flowering in barley

    Identifying and characterising genes that regulate grain size under heat stress

    Project start date: 01 March 2019 - Project end date: 01 March 2021

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Chengdao Li
  • Project ID: UOA1903-003RSX

    GRS (Ghazwan Karem) - Identification and Characterisation of Barley (1,3;1,4)-β-Glucan Mutants

    Manipulate B-glucan levels in barley for different end uses, brewing, food and animal feed.

    Project start date: 01 March 2019 - Project end date: 01 March 2021

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Rachel Burton
  • Project ID: UOQ1901-004RTX

    Next generation plant breeding: integrating genomic selection and high throughput phenotyping to enhance genetic gain in sorghum and mungbeans

    Developing optimal methods and software to integrate genomic selection based methodologies into sorghum breeding programs

    Project start date: 01 January 2019 - Project end date: 31 December 2021

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: David Jordan
  • Project ID: UOQ1903-005RSX

    Valorisation of sorghum biomass into sustainable, high-performance nanomaterials

    Investigate the opportunity of growers to realise value from sorghum biomass after grain harvest.

    Project start date: 01 March 2019 - Project end date: 01 March 2022

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
  • Project ID: UOQ1903-008RTX

    Post-doctoral Fellowship - Enhancing Genomic Prediction for Sorghum to deal with genotype-by-environment interactions for yield

    This investment aims to optimise genomic selection based breeding methodologies for sorghum to enhance their ability to predict which hybrids have better yield potential and yield stability across variable environments.

    Project start date: 01 March 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2024

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Mark Cooper
  • Project ID: UMU1903-004RTX

    Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Minimising the impact of high temperature at flowering on spikelet fertility aligned to Project UMU00049

    This project aims to minimise the impact of heat stress at flowering in barley to maintain grain number and yield.

    Project start date: 15 March 2019 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: Murdoch University
    Contact: Chengdao Li
  • Project ID: CSP1207-001RTX

    CSA00041 - Better Irrigated Wheat Germplasm

    Lodging has been a limiting factor in Australian wheats reaching yield potential under irrigation or in high rainfall seasons. This project is developing adapted wheat germplasm with lodging resistance, as well as developing new phenotyping methods and markers for tracking lodging resistance in breeding programs.

    Project start date: 01 July 2012 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Fernanda Dreccer
  • Project ID: CSP1307-005RTX

    CSP00175 - Maintaining wheat grain number under reproductive-stage drought conditions

    Drought can reduce wheat yields by causing pollen sterility. This project builds on previous projects that identified genetic sources with reduced pollen sterility when exposed to water stress. This project aimed to test the effectiveness of these genetic loci in maintaining grain number under water stress in the field.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Rudy Dolferus
  • Project ID: UOQ1307-003RTX

    UQ00068 - Delivery of wheat root traits that contribute to water limited yield stability

    Stay green and narrow deep roots have been modelled to be beneficial in improving water productivity in all Australian cropping regions. This project aims to evaluate the value of these two traits in the field as well as provide germplasm and molecular markers for use in breeding programs.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: John (Jack) Christopher
  • Project ID: CSP1307-006RTX

    CSP00179 - Raising water productivity: Trait assessment for Australian rainfed wheat

    This project aims to determine the potential value of increasing transpiration efficiency (TE), early vigour (EV) and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), as well as the combination of these traits, using crop models. To achieve this new APSIM modules have been developed and validated using field data.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: CSP1307-006RTX

    CSP00182 - Genetically improving wheat's ability to outcompete weeds

    This project has developed pre-breeding wheat germplasm with increased weed competitiveness. The high vigour trait has been put into a number of different adapted backgrounds which have been tested in the field for the ability to compete with weeds. Methods to screen for weed competitiveness have also been developed.

    Project start date: 01 July 2013 - Project end date: 30 September 2020

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UOA1406-004RTX

    UA00147 - Genetic analysis of heat tolerance in wheat

    This project has identified new sources and markers for heat tolerance during flowering and grain filling in durum and bread wheats through controlled conditions and field trials. This includes the effect of different glutenin variants of heat stability of grain protein quality.

    Project start date: 30 June 2014 - Project end date: 31 March 2019

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Nicholas Collins
  • Project ID: ICA1401-004RTX

    ICA00012 - Focused improvement of ICARDA/Australian durum germplasm for abiotic tolerance

    This project, based at ICARDA, focused on the genetic improvement of durum for a range of abiotic stresses including drought, heat and mineral toxicity using diverse sources of germplasm. Novel sources of tolerance were introgressed into Australian elite backgrounds and imported through the CAIGE program.

    Project start date: 01 January 2014 - Project end date: 30 October 2019

    Organisation: International Centre for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)
    Contact: Filippo Maria Bassi
  • Project ID: CSP1507-006RTX

    CSP00192 - Development of gene deployment strategies: using evolutionary principles to optimise the development of genetic resistance in crops

    This project aimed to model the optimal spatial and temporal deployment of disease resistance genes to minimise the breakdown of resistance as well as minimise disease impact. The project used rust in wheat and blackleg in canola as test cases with models validated through greenhouse and field trials.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 31 December 2021

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Peter Thrall
  • Project ID: CSP1506-007RTX

    CSP00193 - 2015.01.09B - Novel approaches against LMA - Knockout

    This project aims to reduce wheat’s susceptibility to Late Maturity alpha-Amylase (LMA) by the removal of the main enzymes involve in the LMA response. The generated germplasm will be tested for the induction of LMA as well as for any associated detrimental effects on growth and development.

    Project start date: 30 June 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: CSP1506-005RTX

    CSP00199 - Validation trials for dwarfing genes, vigour x management interactions, and preliminary assessment of rate of grain-filling

    A number of traits predicted to have value in water limited environments were evaluated in the Managed Environment Facilities through this project. These included the alternate dwarfing alleles, increased rate of grain filling, increased early vigour and leaf rolling.

    Project start date: 30 June 2015 - Project end date: 31 December 2020

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UOS1606-001RTX

    US00080 - 2016.02.01G A national approach to improving heat tolerance in wheat through more efficient carbon allocation

    This project consists of three PhD projects focusing on gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms behind heat tolerance. The three projects build fundamental understanding of the processes that truncate grain filling after heat events, processes underlying heat-induced changes in respiration and morphological and physiological traits that ameliorate heat damage.

    Project start date: 30 June 2016 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Helen Bramley
  • Project ID: UOS1606-004RMX

    US00081 - 2016.02.01C - Introgression of heat-tolerant genes to broaden genetic variation in current wheat breeding populations

    This project aims to improve the heat tolerance of wheat germplasm using genomic selection and a three-phase phenotyping method for reproductive heat tolerance using a diverse range of sources of heat tolerance including international germplasm and synthetics.

    Project start date: 30 June 2016 - Project end date: 30 June 2021

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Richard Trethowan
  • Project ID: UOA1407-004RTX

    UA00150 - Late maturity alpha-amylase:A molecular marker-based, high-throughput, precise screening protocol

    This project aims to identify genetic loci that result in susceptibility to Late Maturity alpha-Amylase (LMA) and provide markers to breeding programs for key loci. The project also aims to better understand the environmental conditions that lead to LMA expression and their interaction with different LMA genetic loci.

    Project start date: 01 July 2014 - Project end date: 31 December 2019

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Daryl Mares
  • Project ID: UOS1507-008RMX

    US00075 - Integrated Genetic Solutions to Crown Rot in Wheat

    The Crown Rot Initiative aims to 1) combine multiple diverse sources of Crown Rot resistance and tolerance through marker assisted selection; 2) identify markers for key sources of resistance and validate these in the field; 3) develop robust methods for Crown Rot trials and phenotyping for Crown Rot resistance.

    Project start date: 01 July 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2020

    Organisation: University of Sydney
  • Project ID: UOS1801-001RTX

    Australian Cereal Rust Control Program -Wheat and barley breeding support

    This project undertakes rust resistance screens for a number of breeding programs. Fee for service screening is undertaken for the commercial wheat breeding companies for stripe, stem and leaf rusts; and for the commercial barley breeding programs for leaf rust. Subsidised screening is undertaken for crown and stem rust for the oat breeding program and pre-breeding programs.

    Project start date: 01 January 2018 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Robert Park
  • Project ID: UOA1801-010RTX

    Australian Cereal Rust Control Program - Novel sources of stem rust resistance from uncultivated wild relatives of wheat

    This project contributes to the discovery, characterisation and deployment of new genes conferring resistance to stripe, leaf and stem rust diseases in cereals. The focus is on identifying novel sources of resistance from wild wheat relatives and introgression of the alien chromosomes carrying the resistance into wheat.

    Project start date: 01 January 2018 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Ian Dundas
  • Project ID: CSP1801-013RTX

    Australian Cereal Rust Control Program (ACRCP) - CSIRO: Delivering genetic tools and knowledge required to breed wheat and barley with resistance to leaf rust, stripe rust and stem rust

    This project contributes to the discovery, characterisation and deployment of new genes conferring resistance to stripe, leaf and stem rust diseases in cereals. The focus is on the development of markers, determination of the best combination of resistance genes and introgression in adapted backgrounds.

    Project start date: 01 January 2018 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UOS1801-004RTX

    Australian Cereal Rust Control Program (ACRCP) - University of Sydney: Delivering genetic tools and knowledge required to breed wheat and barley with resistance to leaf rust, stripe rust and stem rust

    This project contributes to the discovery, characterisation and deployment of new genes conferring resistance to rust diseases in cereals. These include new adult plant resistance (APR) sources, as well as seedling resistance sources, for leaf, stem and stripe rust for bread wheat, and for stripe rust for barley.

    Project start date: 01 January 2018 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Robert Park
  • Project ID: UOS1901-002RTX

    Capturing global diversity and international genetic gains of wheat and barley

    The CIMMYT Australia ICARDA Germplasm Evaluation (CAIGE) program coordinates the importation, quarantine, multiplication, distribution and evaluation of wheat and barley lines from CIMMYT and ICARDA and the subsequent capture and dissemination of data and knowledge.

    Project start date: 01 January 2019 - Project end date: 31 December 2021

    Organisation: University of Sydney
    Contact: Richard Trethowan
  • Project ID: UOS1904-003RTX

    Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Photosynthetic acclimation to high temperature in wheat aligned with US00080

    This project investigates the extent by which photosynthesis is inhibited by heat in different wheat genotypes. High throughput methodologies to measure variation in photosynthesis in response to heat stress will be developed as well as a better understanding of the mechanisms involved.

    Project start date: 01 April 2019 - Project end date: 26 March 2021

    Organisation: University of Sydney
  • Project ID: USQ1904-002RTX

    Durum Crown Rot benchmarking for improved grower access to durum varieties with greater Crown Rot resistance

    A number of diverse sources of Crown Rot resistance have been identified and introgressed in adapted durum backgrounds by previous projects. This project aims to evaluate the tolerance and resistance of these lines under crown rot pressure in field trials in the Northern and Southern regions.

    Project start date: 20 April 2019 - Project end date: 31 March 2021

    Organisation: University of Southern Queensland
    Contact: Anke Martin
  • Project ID: UOQ1501-004RTX

    UQ00077 - A Genetic x Environment characterization of the risk for Late Maturity Alpha-amylase across the main wheat producing shires of Australia

    This project utilised the data from the LMA field risk model to build a predictive framework to simulate LMA incidence at regional scale and quantify LMA field risk within a genetic by environment domain.

    Project start date: 12 January 2015 - Project end date: 30 June 2019

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Andries Potgieter
  • Project ID: UOQ2008-002RTX

    Transition Investment to secure critical outputs from current UQ00070 and previous Sorghum core pre-breeding investments

    This investment supports the transition of sorghum pre-breeding to the same trait-based model used for all other mandated crops. The GRDC's investment in the historical core sorghum pre-breeding program ended when the most recent pre-breeding investment UQ00070, finished on the 30th June 2020. This investment will secure the resources and IP generated from the GRDC's co-investment in the core pre-breeding program and ensure they are readily available for use by commercial sorghum breeders and future pre-breeding investments

    Project start date: 06 August 2020 - Project end date: 31 August 2021

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
  • Project ID: CSP2007-002RTX

    Optimising genetic control of oat phenology for Australia

    To achieve maximum yield and optimal grain quality, the time of year when cereal crops flower and produce grain must coincide with optimal seasonal conditions. Variation of flowering time allows breeders to produce cereal varieties suited to specific regions, climates and management practices. Genes that underlie this variation have been identified in wheat and barley but less is known about the genetic control of phenology of oats (Avena sativa), although phenology underpins both adaptation and environmental impacts on milling quality. This investment aims to gain functional understanding of the gene-networks controlling flowering in oats and provide oat breeders with functional gene-marker information to facilitate development of new high yielding oat varieities adapted to specific growing regions.

    Project start date: 01 July 2020 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: CSIRO
  • Project ID: UOA2007-001RTX

    Program 1: Identification of novel sources of resistance to Septoria Leaf Blotch and understanding of evolution and virulence of the pathogen

    Septoria avenae blotch is a significant oat disease especially in Western Australia where almost all oat crops have some level of Septoria infection. Average yield losses from Septoria in the high rainfall zone are approximately 15% and result in significant economic loss. The Septoria pathogen population is diverse, making breeding for durable resistance difficult and to date little work has been undertaken to identify and characterise genetic sources of resistance to Septoria avenae blotch. The aim of this program of work is to investigate the evolution and virulence of the pathogen population, establish Septoria avenae blotch differential sets and identify novel sources of resistance to enable breeders to develop new oat varieties with durable resistance to Septoria.

    Project start date: 01 July 2020 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: UMU2003-002RTX

    Oat genomic resources for breeders and pre-breeders

    Yield gains in oats are currently limited by the lack of availability of modern genomic and genotyping resources. Recently an international consortium consisting of members from the UK, Germany, Sweden, Finland, China, Canada, USA and Australia resolved to sequence multiple oat genotypes, develop modern oat genomic resources and construct an oat pan-genome. This investment will sequence and assemble three oat genomes, including two Australian varieties which cover the diversity of Australian oat breeding germplasm and one wild oat genotype, as part of the international consortium efforts. This will provide oat researchers and breeders with high quality genetic information to fast track the delivery of high performance oat varieites to Australian growers.

    Project start date: 02 March 2020 - Project end date: 30 June 2022

    Organisation: Murdoch University
  • Project ID: DAQ2005-004RTX

    Program 4: Minimising the impact of major barley foliar pathogens on yield and profit: Screening of elite breeder material transitioning to a fee for service model.

    Industry access to a reliable, high-throughput disease screening capacity is a critical component of any effort to breed effectively to counter the impact of the three barley pathogens, Pyrenophora teres f. maculata, the causal agent of the spot form of net blotch (SFNB), P. teres f. teres, that produces the net form of net blotch (NFNB), and Rhynchosporium secalis (scald). This project supports the development of high throughput and accurate NFNB, SFNB and Scald screening methods and facilities using standardised techniques, isolates, controls and well characterised testing environments. The establishment of this infrastructure will enable Australian breeders to accelerate and expand efforts to deploy new and durable NFNB, SFNB and Scald resistance in barley varieties.

    Project start date: 01 March 2020 - Project end date: 31 March 2023

    Organisation: Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
  • Project ID: UOA2003-008RTX

    Program 2: Minimising the impact of major barley foliar pathogens on yield and profit: Surveillance and monitoring of pathogen populations - SARDI

    If not managed properly, the barley foliar diseases, scald (Rhynchosporium secalis), the net form of net blotch (NFNB, Pyrenophora teres f. teres) and the spot form of net blotch (SFNB, P. teres f. maculata) can cause serious damage to infected crops and, if left uncontrolled, can develop into more serious problems over larger areas in subsequent years . This surveillance and monitoring investment aims to better understand the variation in the pathogen population and provide early warnings to barley breeders, growers and others of new pathogenic changes to allow prevenatative action to be taken and minimise the economic loss from these diseases.

    Project start date: 01 March 2020 - Project end date: 31 May 2023

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: DJP2003-011RTX

    Program 1: Minimising the impact of major barley foliar pathogens on yield and profit: Development of international host differential sets.

    The development and maintenance of international host differential sets is a key resource for identifying new virulent pathotypes in the field and identifying novel sources of genetic resistance. This program aims to work and collaborate internationally to develop host differential sets for the net form of net blotch (NFNB, caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres), the spot form of net blotch (SFNB, caused by P. teres f. maculata) and Scald (caused by Rhynchosporium secalis). The knowledge gained from this coordinated effort will reduce duplication and redundancy in these key barley foliar disease host-pathosystems and facilitate the optimal deployment of new genes by breeding programs.

    Project start date: 01 March 2020 - Project end date: 31 May 2023

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
  • Project ID: UOQ2005-012RTX

    Screening of diverse barley germplasm for rapid discovery and utilisation of novel disease resistance in barley novel using R-HapSelect: A haplotype-based toolkit.

    The three barley pathogens, Pyrenophora teres f. maculata, the causal agent of the spot form of net blotch (SFNB), P. teres f. teres, that produces the net form of net blotch (NFNB), and Rhynchosporium secalis (scald) are genetically and pathogenically diverse. Their ability to reproduce sexually and to rapidly develop new virulences and overcome genetic resistance means it is important to identify novel sources of resistance. The objective of this project is to use R-HapSelect, a haplotype-based toolkit, to rapidly identify novel resistances to these three pathogens in order to increase the diversity of NFNB, SFNB and Scald resistance genes available to breeders. The project also aims to determine the optimal combinations of resistant genes to enable greater durability of resistance in deployed cultivars.

    Project start date: 01 May 2020 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
  • Project ID: UOA2001-003RTX

    Utilising novel genetic diversity to increase Barley yields nationally

    This project aims to utilize an exotic barley population (HEB-25) to enhanced yield potential of future Australian barley varieties by identifying germplasm with improved biomass production under water-limiting environments, and higher grain number per ear or thousand grain weight than current yield-leading varieties. Incorporating beneficial alleles from HEB-25 into elite Australian barley varieties will lead to the development of a significant genetic resource. Field validation of the developed germplasm with the wild beneficial alleles in the background of Australian elite varieties, and across a range of environments in Australia will ensure that ensure that private breeding programs can move forward with confidence in utilising such materials.

    Project start date: 01 January 2020 - Project end date: 31 March 2023

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
  • Project ID: UOQ2101-003RSX

    GRS: New insight and tools to increase yield potential and reliability in mungbean

    This Graduate Research Scholarship, awarded to Shanice Van Haeften, aims to improve understanding of the physiological and genetic basis of mungbean canopy development, pod development and senescence using unmanned aerial vehicle phenotyping technology and genomics approaches.

    Project start date: 01 January 2021 - Project end date: 31 December 2023

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Lee Hickey
  • Project ID: CSP2110-001RTX

    Introducing a new major effect gene for crown rot resistance into Australian wheat

    Fusarium crown rot of wheat is a chronic problem in the Australian production zones and is primarily caused by the fungus Fusarium pseudograminearum. A locus was recently identified in tall wheat grass (a distant relative of wheat) that provides resistance to Fusarium pathogens via a mechanism that detoxifies a toxin that the pathogen produces to cause disease on cereals. This project will 1) use this internationally developed material to bring this locus into Australian germplasm; 2) assess the utility of this gene in protecting yield under crown rot disease pressure in Australian conditions; and 3) assess how this gene interacts with the existing resistance loci being progressed in breeders pipelines.

    Project start date: 01 October 2021 - Project end date: 28 February 2025

    Organisation: CSIRO
    Contact: Chunji Liu
  • Project ID: UWA1903-004RSX

    GRS (James Kelly) - The application of FTIR to predict dough making properties of wheat flour.

    Current methods for measuring the dough making qualities of different wheat varieties require the dough to be physically made from the grain and measured using a range of techniques involving machines such as a farinograph or extensigraph, both of which are costly and time consuming processes. This project will examine the use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy integrated with multivariate analysis as a method for predicting the dough making qualities of wheat flour at a low cost and high throughput level. This project will also examine the application of mass spectrometry to identify which genes are expressed in wheat lines with good dough making properties. The results from this project will have the potential to help provide a means to predict wheat protein content and dough making properties such as dough extensibility without the need to physically make the dough. The deployment of this technology for on farm quality testing will allow Australian grain growers and wheat breeders to select lines with good dough making qualities at a high throughput level and a reduced cost compared to tradition dough quality measurements.

    Project start date: 01 March 2019 - Project end date: 01 March 2022

    Organisation: University of Western Australia
    Contact: Nicolas Taylor
  • Project ID: DJP2001-008RTX

    LMA Project A – Improved Phenotyping For Late Maturity Alpha-Amylase (LMA) Susceptibility In Wheat

    Late maturity ?-amylase (LMA) is a grain defect causing a reduction in Hagberg falling number and results in potential failing to meet receival or market specifications. This project will develop an innovative LMA susceptibility screening method with increased throughput, scalability, repeatability and significantly reduced costs compared to the current benchmark assay.

    Project start date: 01 January 2020 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
    Contact: Matthew Hayden
  • Project ID: DJP2001-009RTX

    LMA Project B – A novel high-throughput, low-cost test to determine cause of starch damage in wheat grain

    Late maturity ?-amylase (LMA) is a grain defect causing a reduction in Hagberg falling number and results in potential failing to meet receival or market specifications. This project will develop a low cost test for starch degradation in wheat grains which can also assign the cause of starch damage as LMA or PHS.

    Project start date: 01 January 2020 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
    Contact: Matthew Hayden
  • Project ID: UOA2007-003RTX

    The development of an accurate, high throughput, affordable and relevant screen for LMA risk for the Australian wheat industry

    This project will build on and improve the current LMA screening procedure to increase throughput and accuracy and to reduce cost. The current screen requires the tagging of individual spikes at anthesis and removal of the spikes post anthesis for a cool shock treatment to induce LMA expression. This requires a significant amount of labour and poses the risk of confounding factors based on the maturity type of lines and environmental conditions. Our strategy is to focus on: (i) eliminating the necessity for the cool shock treatment through continuous low-temperature growth conditions before and after anthesis; (ii) reducing variability in growth conditions and shortening the growing cycle to minimise the time window of anthesis between the lines; and (iii) growing the same lines in field trials across Australia and duplicate seasons to correlate the LMA expression in the controlled environment with low falling number in the field.

    Project start date: 01 July 2020 - Project end date: 30 June 2023

    Organisation: The University of Adelaide
    Contact: Bettina Berger
  • Project ID: UOQ2001-005RTX

    LMA Project C – An improved model of Late Maturity alpha-Amylase (LMA) field risk in Australian wheat.

    The overarching aim of this project is to develop a LMA risk model from detailed research field trials linked directly with an LMA simulation modelling approach. This will allow (i) characterisation of the environmental conditions that may trigger LMA in a wide range of Australian germplasm under Australian field conditions, and (ii) development of a process based LMA risk model incorporating detailed phenology and environmental conditions to predict actual field risk at a shire level. Results of these developments will allow: (i) better quantification of the actual risk of LMA incidence at field scale, (ii) generation of seasonal diagnostic data to identify likely LMA hotspot regions, and (iii) better management of breeding systems to support genetic gain for yield while managing LMA risk.

    Project start date: 01 January 2020 - Project end date: 31 December 2022

    Organisation: The University of Queensland
    Contact: Andries Potgieter
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