New South Wales, Australia
June, 2009
Funding through the Australian
Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects scheme was recently
announced by Senator Kim Carr, the Minister for Innovation,
Industry, Science and Research.
The Centre for
Plant Conservation Genetics received $300,000 for a project
to look at the development of cutting edge molecular tools to
dissect the molecular control of hybrid vigour in cereal crops.
CPCG Scientist Dr Dan Waters said hybrid cereals have much
higher yields, higher levels of adaptation to different
environments and require less water and produce more grain from
less land. However, identifying the best parent combinations for
hybrid breeding is hit and miss.
By developing a better molecular understanding of hybrid vigour,
some of the guess work will be taken out of hybrid cereal
breeding and we will develop better hybrid cereals sooner. |
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