The 16th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference (APBC) held at the Gold Coast was the first event of its kind in nearly a decade. Over three days the conference featured 200 speakers and 450 delegates from around the globe who discussed the future of plant breeding in 2050.
A crop of half a million genetically diverse sorghum plants growing at The University of Queensland’s Gatton campus will help future-proof cereal production in a changing climate.
From ancient, ‘gassy’ legume to low-carbon, nutritional powerhouse, mungbeans are being given a global makeover, led by researchers at The University of Queensland.
A new $11.6 million, five-and-a-half-year joint investment is aiming to address lodging in sorghum – an issue that is consistently rated as the most significant concern facing Australian sorghum growers and costing on average $12 million worth in yield loss annually.
Damian Hine plans to build a bridge – a crossing that joins the experience, capacity and potential of Australian agriculture with the national and global investment needed to take Australian farming to new levels of productivity, sustainability, diversity and value.
A massive international research effort has led to development of a genetic model for the ‘ultimate’ chickpea, with the potential to lift crop yields by up to 12 per cent.
The tropical root vegetable taro, known as the ‘food of the gods’ in the Pacific, is under threat from rising sea levels but wild Australian plants being cultivated by The University of Queensland may help boost food security in the region.
The hot and dry desert environment has led to big genetic differences between male and female jojoba plants, a discovery which could boost jojoba production and shed light on how plants adapt to environmental stress.
