Australia
December 6, 2010
The combined contribution of plant breeding and agronomy to improved grain yield in low rainfall environments is currently being assessed by a South Australian Research and Development Institute-led research team.
Headed up by SARDI Associate Professor Victor Sadras and research officer Chris Lawson, the team is undertaking the assessment as part of a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) project, Improving Crop and Farm Water Use Efficiency in Australia.
Speaking at the recent Hart Field Day in South Australia, they explained that the research has a particular emphasis on the Mid North of SA but involves trials of wheat varieties representative of those that are well adapted to conditions in Western Australia (Mace), central New South Wales (Livingstone) and central Queensland (Kennedy), as well as SA’s Mid North (Gladius).
These four wheat varieties are being compared at Hart and at Buntine in WA (both winter dominant rainfall sites), at Gatton in Queensland (summer dominant rainfall) and at Condobolin in NSW (capturing the transition from winter to summer dominant rainfall).
When completed in 2011, the trials will enable the researchers to answer the question: what are the traits that contribute to local adaptation of wheat in environments with contrasting rainfall patterns, and how do these traits interact with cropping practices?
The research is also involving trials of 13 historic varieties of wheat released between 1951 and 2007 and which have been widely grown in SA.
Researchers are closely monitoring the phenology, growth, water use, capture of radiation and yield attributes of these varieties in three locations, including Hart.
When completed in 2012 these trials will provide answers to the question: what has been the rate of genetic improvement in yield in SA over the last five decades, and what are the traits that have contributed to the improvement in yield and water use efficiency.
Partly funded by GRDC, the trial work involves assistance from Hart Field-Site Group trials manager Peter Hooper, NSW Industry & Investment research agronomist Neil Fettell, CSIRO WA scientist Dr Steve Milroy, and Richard Routley from the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation in Queensland.
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