Australia
October 27, 2015
Crop varieties with improved heat tolerance could be considered a `holy grail’ for the Australian grain industry with heat stress costing growers around $1.1 billion annually in yield loss.
Heat damage is arguably one of the most common and limiting production constraint in Australian grain crops with losses arising primarily from heat shock – occasional hot (>32 degrees Celsius) and very hot (>36 degrees Celsius) days during flowering and grain fill.
Across all the Australian grain growing regions, the highest estimated cost per hectare is in north west New South Wales/south west Queensland where costs are estimated to be $165/ha. This is 27% higher than in any other Australian production zone.
In recognition of the issue’s significance to farm profitability, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) will step-up its quest to understand heat tolerance in crops in a bid to generate improved varieties with higher yield potential.
The additional investment in heat tolerance understanding and germplasm development was outlined in the recently released GRDC External Investment Plan 2016-17 and is one of a series of innovative projects earmarked for funding.
GRDC northern panel chair James Clark (pictured) said while drought and heat tolerance had been a key investment priority for GRDC for a number of years, industry had called for additional resources to help deliver cereal, pulse and oilseed varieties with significant, sustained and stable improvements in water limited yield potential over current elite varieties.
“Although the actual on-farm yields on are impacted by a grower’s management practices, water limited yield potential is genetically determined,” Mr Clark said.
"Plant breeders continually aim to improve the water limited yield potential of crops through new varieties but for many crops, continued improvement in genetic yield potential and stability are becoming harder to realise.
“That’s why it’s critical for GRDC to continue investing in areas like this. It gives us a strategic path forward for the future viability of grain production in northern Australia.”
Other areas attracting funding in the External Investment Plan include nutrient response research to help growers fine-tune their fertiliser decisions and improving growers’ ability to predict time of flowering cultivars to reduce the impact of heat on grain yield.
Funding priorities in the External Investment Plan 2016-17 were developed in response to feedback from industry over future research needs.
The funding outlined in the External Investment Plan compliments nearly $180 million of existing GRDC funding for 2016-17 in research, development and extension (RD&E) projects.
Applications for project funding are being sought under six key theme areas – meeting market requirements, improving crop yields, protecting your crop, advancing profitable farming systems, improving your farm resource base and building skills and capacity.
Tenders close at 2pm AEDT on Thursday, November 5. More information about the Investment Plan is available via www.grdc.com.au/investment-plan.
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