Investment in science and industry development key to profitable agrifood sector 2

HIGHLIGHTS

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  Three separate research projects are investigating the biology and management of 16 species of summer and winter weeds
  
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  Weed surveys are mapping common weeds and identifying future threats in the grainbelt.
  
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  Some populations of summer weeds have already developed high levels of resistance to glyphosate.
  
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  Finding ways to germinate weed seeds is a key to the performance of further research into the biology of these species.
  

Funding and collaborators

GRDC, UA, CSIRO, DPI, UQ

Image 1 Chloris-virgata on roadside

Genetic Improvement Portfolio

Darshan Sharma

Portfolio Manager

The genetic improvement portfolio aims to improve the inherent potential in grains to protect and improve locally grown crops so the WA grains industry can consistently meet their quantity and quality targets.

We identify and analyse genetic variations that are useful for WA grain crops and develop protocols, molecular markers and elite germplasm that breeders can use to produce commercial varieties.

In 2015/16, $9.5 million was invested in R&D through the portfolio by engaging 45 staff on 35 projects delivering across the WA grainbelt.

Our R&D focuses on plant characterisation (phenotyping), advancing crop improvement (pre-breeding), implementing marker assisted selection (MAS) and supporting breeding activities on wheat, barley, oats, lupins, field pea, canola and quinoa.

We are targeting traits for tolerance to abiotic stresses (frost, drought, heat, soil acidity, soil sodicity and salinity), disease resistance, grain quality, herbicide tolerance, yield stability and crop adaptation to WA growing conditions.

Our projects link to the grains industry through breeding companies, universities, CSIRO and grower groups. Strategic alliances including the Australian Frost Initiative and the Western Barley Genetic Alliance (Murdoch University and DAFWA) have been formed to spur synergies of co-location and collaboration.

Historically, crop genetics in DAFWA has delivered enormous industry outcomes directly through new varieties of cereals and pulses. Our latest release ‘PBA Jurien’ is an example of this.

The most popular wheat variety in WA Mace, has a DAFWA variety (Wyalkatchem) as its major parent. Despite privatisation of crop breeding, industry outcomes from our newer innovations are immense.

Our frost and drought benchmarking projects have developed standardised protocols that breeding companies can use, and variety rankings that enable growers to match varieties to locations and landscapes to manage frost.

White aleurone acid-tolerant barley lines recently identified through the Western Barley Genetic Alliance and the GMO grain crops currently being tested at our NGNE facilities are generating exciting developments that can be delivered through genetic improvements.

We have created lines with disease-resistance genes that enable new resistance genes and gene combinations to be readily moved into commercial varieties. These are being used by breeding companies to meet growers’ demand for more resistant varieties. Newly developed resistant varieties will greatly reduce the estimated annual losses caused by crop diseases in WA and nationally.

Our future focus is on phenotypic evaluation, germplasm screening, genetic analysis, association mapping, production of doubled haploids, and development of improved germplasm for use by breeding companies.

Stubble strategies mitigate frost damage

Science team: Dr Ben Biddulph (project leader), Dr Sarah Jackson, Dr Dion Nicol, Brenton Leske, Mike Baker, Nathan Height

In 2014 GRDC established the National Frost Initiative to address three key areas in mitigating the effects of frost damage to crops – genetics, management and the environment.

The ‘Farming systems to improve crop susceptibility to frost’ project was a key part of the initiative. Led by DAFWA’s Ben Biddulph, this project established trials of farming practices that may have a potential to reduce frost damage by manipulating the soil heat bank, including canopy and stubble management, grazing and sowing direction.

Most of the trials were assessed in collaboration with partner organisations using large-scale precision agriculture in medium and low production environments.

One of the achievements has been to develop protocols for assessing and standardising frost damage that are now applied across the country. This has produced consistent datasets, allowing trials to be compared.

Research shows that by retaining stubble, crop canopy can be up to 0.5°C colder (and colder for longer) than areas with removed stubble. Results from the past four years indicate that stubble loads above 1.5t/ha in low production environments (2–3t/ha grain yield) generally increases the severity and duration of frost events and has a detrimental effect on yield under frost.

We observed that frost has a cumulative effect, that is, after successive frost events the level of damage increases. Also, with higher amounts of stubble retained, the duration the canopy experiences lower temperatures is longer.

In other findings, grazing trials indicated that two weeks of moderate and heavy grazing will delay flowering time of wheat and barley by up to a week, potentially reducing the risk of frost in a grain growers cropping program.

Future work includes investigating canopy management by altering the seeding and nutrition rates. Results from these trials are expected to be finalised over the next three years.