News

Queensland researchers bring sorghum gene genie out of the box

Minister Media Release from the Honourable Mark Furner. Queensland scientists have developed the world’s first pan-genome for sorghum in a breakthrough for crop improvement and gene discovery.

'Digital twin' concept boosts food production

Published on: 30 July 2021

Using technology familiar to computer gamers, University of Queensland scientists are creating ‘digital twins’ of mango and macadamia orchards to help boost food production.

Tackling cattle ticks through DNA

Published on: 29 July 2021

A ground-breaking multi-nation study has shown that breeding strong tick resistance into all cattle breeds is feasible, indicating that cattle tick may be much more effectively managed, or even eradicated.

Portable chemistry kit sweetens native bush fruit production

Indigenous communities can now assess the quality and sweetness of their wild-harvested native bush fruits in the field, rather than sending samples off to food science laboratories.

Radical rethink of sorghum cold tolerance

Limited water and extreme heat at flowering are common constraints on sorghum production. However, in recent seasons lack of spring sowing opportunities has reduced sown areas and grain yields, and eliminated double-cropping opportunities, as most sorghum crops have been sown too late in summer.

Statistics help decipher ‘noisy’ agronomic trials

A new statistical methodology that ‘untangles’ the effects that different environmental conditions have on field trials could be a game-changer.
When agronomic trials are conducted, trials are repeated across multiple sites or seasons to determine environmental influences on results.

Boosting barley production, from the ground up

Published on: 5 July 2021

Researchers are taking to the skies to help see what is happening underground in a new project that aims to improve one of Australia’s largest grain crops - barley.

Shape-changing bacteria evade fowl cholera vaccines

Published on: 30 June 2021

The access to open air and outdoor lifestyle that is a feature of free-range chicken farming may well be putting birds at a higher risk of an untimely death.

New tools for drought tolerant wheat

Published on: 29 June 2021

Wheat breeders can now improve the drought tolerance of their wheat cultivars thanks to a gene breakthrough from a joint QAAFI and DAF team of researchers.

Getting the right goat genetics

Published on: 21 June 2021

A South African study is shining a light on the potential for research into the performance and genetics of Australian rangeland goats. The study found Research in South Africa found large frame Indigenous Veld goats performed just as well as Boer goats across a range of carcase performance indicators.

Leader in sorghum research wins Award

Published on: 17 June 2021

Professor David Jordan’s outstanding dedication to the Australian grains industry and the advancement of sorghum as a versatile and profitable crop has been recognised this year with his win of the Kondinin Group and ABC Rural 2020-21 Award for Excellence in Agricultural Research.

Associate Professor Daniel Cozzolino from the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences

Digital signature technology authenticates food

Published on: 16 June 2021

Efforts to ensure that consumers are actually getting what they pay for have taken another step forward with advances in food forensics verifying that techniques already used in agriculture can also identify food fraud in fisheries.

Queensland science makes the avocado production bottleneck toast

Published on: 7 June 2021

The world’s first Hass avocados produced by trees grafted on tissue culture plants are tasty, healthy, and disease-free, say University of Queensland scientists, who pioneered the break-through technology.

QAAFI in 2020 - report out now

Published on: 3 June 2021

QAAFI in 2020 looks back at the last year highlighting QAAFI's research and achievements as one of the world’s leading research providers in tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and food production.

Prof Ian Godwin wins Medal of Agriculture

Published on: 31 May 2021

The Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (AIAST) has awarded Prof Ian Godwin the Medal of Agriculture 2021.

The world’s favourite fruit needs a genetic boost

The world’s most popular banana variety “Cavendish” is not the result of a breeding program but a banana variety found by a prehistoric farmer in a rainforest in Asia.

Plant Breeding: One of the cool sciences behind our food

Janice Person from the podcast Connecting Food and Farm spoke with Associate Professor Lee Hickey about some of the cool science that helps advance the seeds farmers plant and the foods on our plates.

Genomics drives discovery of low-emission sheep

Published on: 27 May 2021

New research explores a genetic link for high methane-producing sheep by analysing data on gut microbial populations with the animal’s genomic information, and measurements of the amount of methane it produces through burping.

Weed biology provides control pointers

Weed seedbank persistence can be less than 12 months for some species and more than 42 months for others, and some weed species can still be holding more than half of their seeds at crop maturity.
This new information on weed biology, presented at GRDC Updates by Professor Bhagirath Chauhan, may provide new insights into how weeds are controlled and managed in the northern region.

Pectin, another reason to love mangoes

Published on: 24 May 2021

The dietary fibre pectin found in fruit and vegetables plays a crucial role in digesting fats and improving gut and heart health. New research uncovers a link between soluble fibre and fat metabolism, through previously unsuspected impacts on bile acids.