Charles Sturt University is helping future-proof Australian grain growers against frost
Several Australian universities are conducting national research projects to help future proof grain growers against frost.
Charles Sturt University is leading the NSW nodes of the overarching research projects and will evaluate novel germplasm to better understand the genetic links to frost damage in paddock conditions and in specialised growth chambers capable of simulating field frost conditions.
Frost alone costs growers in southern Australia more than $360 million per year in lost production, Charles Sturt says.
This is a 30 per cent increase in frost-related production losses since 2000, Charles Sturt adds, with future climate predictions hinting at an increased number and severity of frost events to come.
Plants naturally align their growth and flowering with seasonal patterns in temperature, light and moisture, however, frost events can disrupt these processes, damaging plant tissues at both the cellular and canopy level and significantly impacting development.
“This presents a challenge to breeders to improve crop tolerance to stress and for industry to integrate new genetic potential into farming systems to continually adapt to climate change, thus increasing productivity,” Charles Sturt senior lecturer in crop science Felicity Harris says.
“This research is being conducted in the field, complementing laboratory and controlled-environment studies on the Wagga Wagga campus aimed at identifying new genetic solutions to mitigate frost.
“We’ve seen significant frosts and the subsequent damage they cause right across the Riverina last spring and in previous years, so this research is very relevant.”
The research aims to provide plant breeders varieties with improved frost tolerance and new tools for growers to mitigate future frost.
The projects are led by CSIRO with support from Charles Sturt, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Western Australia, La Trobe University, University of Western Australia and Australian Grains Technologies.
