The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has partnered up with the Victorian state government on a $30 million upgrade of the Australian Grains Genebank.
Both parties will contribute $15 million to the project which will create a more accessible database for the Horsham, Victoria-based facility, Australia's national centre for grain crop genetics.
Traditionally plant breeders have found it challenging to identify desirable genes within national and international genebanks due to the vast amounts of samples and data available.
By streamlining the database and increasing compatibility with international gene banks the new investment will make the plant genetic resources stored at the AGG more accessible to the Australian grains industry.
John Woods, GRDC chair, said the new investment would be a boost for Australian plant breeders and researchers, allowing them to identify genetic material from across the globe that could be of use in Australian environments.
"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," he said.
"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."
Work has just finished on a $1.8 million seed multiplication facility at the AGG that uses cutting-edge technology to enable rapid production and distribution of seed for plant genetic resources stored in the AGG.
Victorian agriculture minister Gayle Tierney said the push into digital management would make the assets of the AGG more accessible.
"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," she said.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
