News

Costly pig lung disease puzzle solved

Published on: 17 April 2020

Queensland researchers have discovered that a previously unrecognised bacterium is responsible for the signs of lung disease found in pig carcases, rather than a similar, internationally recognised infection that the animals had been vaccinated against.

Could Queensland be facing another devastating outbreak?

Published on: 14 April 2020

As African swine fever sits on Queensland’s doorstep in Papua New Guinea, what chance do our authorities have of stopping the pig-killing disease from entering the country and decimating our pork industry?

Residue blankets curb pre-emergents

Published on: 14 April 2020

Leaving crop residue on the soil’s surface might inhibit the effectiveness of some pre-emergent herbicides, according to new research from Queensland.

A Brisbane scientist was advised to wear a mask, so she made her own

Dr Parkinson, who researches pest and disease threats to avocados and is not a medical mask expert, said she was advised by her GP to begin wearing masks for her own safety during the pandemic.

New research finds Australian pork flavour signature

Published on: 1 April 2020

Native macadamia nuts could prove the key to developing a distinctively Australian pork flavour profile as a premium product in both domestic and international markets.

Genetic remix may deliver new all-climate wheat

Published on: 30 March 2020

Greater drought resilience is being bred into Australia’s wheat crops. A plant’s genetics can affect its susceptibility to environmental stresses, including to drought, which is becoming a major drag on the world’s food production systems, limiting yield increases and bringing food insecurity ever closer to a critical tipping point.

Jungle rice (Echinochloa colona) (C) Feedipedia

Weed resistance warning

Published on: 27 March 2020

A weed of Australia’s northern grain regions is displaying strong glyphosate resistance and could become a national headache, according to Queensland research.

UQ Australia’s top performer in agriculture and environmental science

Published on: 3 March 2020

The University of Queensland was ranked as Australia’s top university for Agriculture and Forestry, Environmental Sciences and Sports-Related subjects for the second consecutive year in the 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Nutritional strategies to support productive farming systems

Published on: 27 February 2020

Prof Mike Bell from UQ-QAAFI and DAF's David Lester and Doug Sands discuss if we have successful fertility management systems? Collectively, the findings from this research, backed by the underlying regional trends in soil fertility and the drivers for successful rainfed cropping in our region, provide some useful insights into what are likely to be the critical success factors for future fertiliser management programs.

Modern crop breeding for future food security

Farmers around the world have recently experienced significant crop losses due to severe heat and drought. Such extreme weather events and the need to feed a rapidly growing population have raised concerns for global food security. While plant breeding has been very successful and has delivered today’s highly productive crop varieties, the rate of genetic improvement must double to meet the projected future demands. Here we discuss basic principles and features of crop breeding and how modern technologies could efficiently be explored to boost crop improvement in the face of increasingly challenging production conditions.

Broome diaries: In Search of Bushfoods in the Kimberley region of Broome, Western Australia

Dr Smita Chaliha, is a Research Officer for the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences at QAAFI. She is originally from the North-eastern state of Assam in India, and has been living in Australia since 2006. She has been working on Australian native foods since 2010. She was also the first PhD student studying the nutritional and bioactive potential of Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana), a well know Australian native fruit. This blog documents her experience while on a fieldtrip to the Kimberley regions of Broome, Western Australia from 26 January to 2 February, 2020.

QLD research makes breakthrough in boosting sorghum protein content

Queensland research makes breakthrough in boosting sorghum protein content

Published on: 13 February 2020

Researchers from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation have announced a major breakthrough in lifting the protein content of sorghum using gene editing.

Avocado research trial targets high yields

Published on: 11 February 2020

Avocado farmers could start producing more fruit to keep up with demand once propagation technology, trialled in the Bundaberg Region, is commercialised.

Feathertop Rhodes (FTR) grass demands attention to stop seed set

Published on: 5 February 2020

Feathertop Rhodes grass is quickly becoming one of the biggest weed threats in Australian farming systems, demanding swift and decisive action. QAAFI's Dr Bhagirath Chauhan speaks here about the integrated approach is needed to tackle this weed.

Consider soil water storage before sowing a grain sorghum crop

Published on: 30 January 2020

With low crop water availability and high grain prices, growers and advisers are re-evaluating late sowing options for grain sorghum. To support this discussion, experts from the University of Queensland, the University of Southern Queensland and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries summarise the known effects of late sowing on sorghum productivity, production risks and crop management options.

Opinion: People say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

Opinion piece by Ian Godwin. Climate change has been on all our minds for most of the past two years as we deal with bushfires the size of several European countries, prolonged drought, more regular heatwaves, and lethal floods.

Research revealing how to select cattle for low-quality pastures

Published on: 29 January 2020

Identifying traits in cattle that allow them to thrive in challenging environments is the aim of new research to assist Australia’s northern cattle producers

Discovering bush foods in East Arnhem Land

QAAFI PhD student Selina Fyfe shares her experience visiting the Gove community in East Arnhem land as part of her involvement with the ARC Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods.

Juggling travel, work and a newborn

Blog post by Shannon Landmark on being awarded the Zanda McDonald Award, Less than 24 hours later she was driving to the hospital to give birth to her son Fred.

Our Indigenous foods' global mission

Published on: 8 January 2020

We sat, the three of us, by a small cooking fire on the edge of a shimmering wet tidal flat at Carnot Bay about a 90km walk north from Broome … or to be more precise, a 90km walk back to Broome. It was myself, a photographer and a Bardi elder named Richard and we were stuck; our broken-down Land Cruiser bogged to its chassis.