General News
15 August, 2023
Genebank to cash in multimillion deposit
A $30 million co-investment is heading to Horsham to help fast-tracking cereal, oilseed and pulse crop improvements by transforming the Australian Grains Genebank (AGG). The Victorian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation...
A $30 million co-investment is heading to Horsham to help fast-tracking cereal, oilseed and pulse crop improvements by transforming the Australian Grains Genebank (AGG).
The Victorian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) announced on Tuesday they would each contribute $15m to create a more efficient and accessible AGG database.
The project will have five priorities:
* to use DNA genotyping to characterise plant genetic resources warehoused within AGG
* to establish web-based data visualisation and analysis tools to make crop biodiversity within AGG highly accessible to researchers and breeders
* to participate in international initiatives to advance best-practice genebank management and contribute to data resource and platform establishment
* to drive a high level of awareness of the importance of plant genetic resource conservation and its role in sustaining national productivity targets into the future, and
* to attract infrastructure funding and develop intellectual capacity to future-proof AGG as a key national innovation asset for global food security and climate change adaptation.
The program of work will transform AGG from a traditional seedbank facility into a future-oriented bio-digital resource centre through digital and genomic innovation to accelerate cereal, oilseed and pulse crop improvement and the development of climate-change-resilient, high-yielding and high-value grain crop varieties for the benefit of Australian grain growers.
The project is due to be completed by 2027.
State Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney said the upgrade would give researchers "more access to a wider range of genes to boost productivity and profitability".
GRDC chair John Woods said: “This investment will connect 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.
“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.”
Located at Horsham SmartFarm on Natimuk Road, AGG is Australia's national centre for grain crop genetic resources.
Ms Tierney said that traditionally it had been challenging for researchers to identify desirable genes within national and international genebanks.
However, the new investment was designed to "better connect AGG to international genebanks and link plant genetic resources to research and breeding knowledge", she said.
Ms Tierney said the result for growers in the Wimmera and throughout Australia would be "better crop varieties in paddocks sooner".
Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora said AGG would "play an integral role (in ensuring) our crops remain consistent and strong” as increased climatic challenges brought higher temperatures and altered weather patterns.
This week's announcement coincided with the completion of a $1.8m seed multiplication facility that uses cutting-edge technology to enable rapid production and distribution of seed for plant genetic resources from AGG.
Soon to celebrate its first decade of operation, AGG stores native Australian and exotic grains germplasm at -20°C for periods of five, 10 or 50 years.