Cereal, oilseed, and pulse crop improvements are set to be fast-tracked by a collaboraton that will transform the Australian Grains Genebank (AGG) into a more accessible database by 2027
A $30 million co-investment between the GRDC (Grains Research and Development Corporation) and Victorian government will give researchers access to a wider range of genes which aims to boost productivity and profitability in grain crops.
“Making sure that industry can easily get the seeds they need for plant genetic resources will be essential to tackle future challenges related to climate and food security,” Victorian agriculture minister Gayle Tierney says.
“The digital transformation of the Australian Grains Genebank will fast track research and production of more resilient and profitable crop varieties – benefiting Victorian and Australian grain growers.”
Located at Agriculture Victoria’s Horsham SmartFarm, the AGG is the national centre for grain crop genetic resources in Australia.
Traditionally it has been challenging for researchers to identify desirable genes within national and international genebanks. The new investment has the potential to make the plant genetic resources conserved within the AGG more accessible and valuable to the Australian grains industry.
This investment aims to better connect the AGG to international genebanks and link plant genetic resources to research and breeding knowledge – allowing better crop varieties in grower’s paddocks sooner.
“This new $15 million GRDC investment will connect the AGG with plant genetic resources around the world, allowing faster identification and location of genetic material, which will contribute to the faster development of new grain varieties in Australia,” GRDC chairman John Woods says.
“New and improved genetics are key to developing crop varieties that will cope with increased climatic challenges and deliver consistent, profitable yields for Australian grain growers.”
Research supported by the AGG should see high-yielding, adaptable and profitable grain crop varieties developed faster, ensuring Australia’s $40 billion grains industry is more climate change resilient and continues to thrive.
The announcement coincides with the completion of a $1.8 million seed multiplication facility that uses new technology to enable rapid production and distribution of seed for plant genetic resources stored in the AGG.