Posted on August, 6, 2024 at 10:03 am
THE GRAINS Research and Development Corporation will invest $3 million in a new five-year soybean breeding program that will be led by the University of Adelaide and aims to deliver new elite soybean varieties to Australian growers.
Since 2012, GRDC has invested over $5M in soybean breeding that has developed new varieties and advanced breeding material.
Worth $6M in total, the new breeding program will accelerate the delivery of new varieties to growers by ‘speed breeding’ using new technology to improve germplasm evaluation and other key breeding processes.
GRDC genetic technologies, biosecurity and regulation general manager Juan Juttner said GRDC and the University of Adelaide had joined forces in a quest to deliver higher yielding soybean varieties suitable for a broader range of growing environments.
“The important new, national soybean breeding program will build on previous investments GRDC has made in this area that have delivered significant gains for Australia’s soybean growers,” Dr Juttner said.
“This program will focus on delivering improved varieties for the existing soybean growing regions in Queensland and New South Wales and work towards expansion for new regions such as Central Queensland and Southern Australia.”
GRDC oilseeds and genetic technologies manager Allison Pearson said the investment would evaluate breeding material with the goal of improving yield potential and ensuring that new varieties meet the quality parameters of domestic and international end users.
Australian soybean production is around 40,000 tonnes per year.
Its expansion has been limited due to inconsistent and unreliable production, exacerbated by environmental factors, crop price and variety choice.
Within 10 years, Soy Australia wants to increase annual production to 150,000t per year by improving production in existing areas and expanding soybean into new regions.
Te national soybean breeding program will focus on improved varieties for the existing soybean growing regions in Qld and NSW and work towards expansion for new regions such as Central Qld and South Australia.
“This significant joint investment of approximately $6M from GRDC and the University of Adelaide will draw on the state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure at the Waite campus,” University of Adelaide Professor Jason Able said.
“Spearheaded by lead breeder, Dr Anh Pham, as well as several scientific experts in product development, business development and commercialisation, we are committed to heralding a new dawn for soybean variety development to meet the needs of Australian growers and industry stakeholders.
“Over the next five years, a combination of approaches will be deployed to develop new varieties, including germplasm evaluation, candidate gene sequencing and association mapping for marker-assisted selection, and speed breeding.
“These techniques will be applied to accelerate the breeding cycle and aid in the selection of superior phenotypes.
“We recognise that engagement with key stakeholders in the soybean industry is vital, and to that end we will work closely to understand their needs.”
Soy Australia has welcomed the announcement.
“This renewed commitment to specialised breeding of this important legume crop is a critical component to the industry’s plan to grow the area and volume of soybeans in Australia,” Soy Australia chair Paul Fleming said.
“Australian grown soybeans are sought after in Australia and overseas due to being non-genetically modified, high in protein and high quality.
“It’s vitally important for the future of the industry that we have access to varieties bred specifically for our tough Aussie climate.”
“Soy Australia looks forward to working closely with the new breeding partner to ensure high-yielding, high-protein and well-adapted varieties are being bred in Australia.”
Source: Grain Central