Leading research that’s unlocking productive potential for Australian farmers
Wine, dairy and seaweed – these game-changing projects listed with AgriFutures growAG. show the benefits of R&D for both emerging industries and established farming systems.
Innovation is one of the key pillars of Australian agriculture’s 2030 Roadmap to become a $100 billion industry, highlighting the role of research and development to drive productivity and sustainability in the sector.
A new ABARES reports shows almost $3 billion was invested in agricultural research and development in the past financial year, most of it from the private sector. Privately funded R&D has been growing at an average of more than 6% a year and there’s increasing investment from the university sector too. What’s more, that investment is paying off with ABARES analysis showing that for every dollar invested, the return to farmers is more than $8 over a ten-year period.
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AgriFutures growAG. is home to a library of more than 3300 past, present and current research projects from RDCs, universities and private entities.
We’ve crunched the numbers and found this year’s three most visited research pages.
Quick and simple test makes a big difference for wine grape growers
The grey mould caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea is a costly problem for wine grape growers, reducing the yield and quality of the grapes – not to mention the impact it has on the flavours, colour and aroma of the wine we drink!
Early detection and management can make all the difference, but the grey mould can be difficult to spot in the vineyard, hidden from view inside the grape bunch.
A Charles Sturt University project funded by Wine Australia has found that a commercially-available, Botrytis test kit not only works in Australian conditions but it’s quick and easy to use.
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The Global Access Diagnostics Botrytis Alert is an antigen detection kit using a hand-held reader – like a Rapid Antigen Test you might use to detect COVID, but this one specifically identifies Botrytis.
The research project tested the kit in the laboratory and in vineyards, finding that its ability to detect and quantify Botrytis was comparable with more complex, time consuming and costly methods.
The real game-changer though, is that this test can be done by grape growers with minimal training delivering results in under 10 minutes.
Biosecurity research to protect Australia’s growing seaweed industry
There’s growing interest in seaweed aquaculture in Australia – from growing Asparagopsis for ruminant methane reduction, and kelps (Ecklonia, Macrocystis, Undaria), sea lettuce (Ulva) and other species for food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, bioplastics and fabrics.
The Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance forecasts the industry could grow to be worth $100 million, creating 1200 direct jobs in regional and coastal communities in the coming years. It has a target of being a $1.5 billion industry with more than 9,000 jobs by 2040.
Protecting this emerging industry from pest and disease is a high priority and that’s where a
University of Adelaide research comes in.
The project is building on work from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation to develop biosecurity management frameworks and guidelines for the seaweed farmers.
It’s focusing on risks for the spread of disease and pests, such as invasive seaweed species and helping farms tailor their own biosecurity plans.
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There’ll also be guidelines for sampling of seaweeds, checklists for mortality events and details for how to access help from experts.
Taking the guesswork out of picking the most productive dairy pastures
Australian dairy farmers spend more than $100 million dollars in improving pastures each year – so they want to ensure they’re planting the right cultivars.
The Forage Value Index (FVI) is a rating system that provides an independent and reliable assessment on the potential economic value of Perennial, Italian and Annual ryegrass cultivars.
The 2024 FVI has been developed by Dairy Australia in collaboration with DataGene, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Pasture Trials Network.
The aim is to help Australian dairy farmers, and their advisors, make informed decisions about what pastures to plant.
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For the first time a Forage Quality Rating was introduced, which showed there was considerable difference between the metabolisable energy (ME) concentration in different ryegrass cultivars – something which can influence milk production potential. There are plans for this to be incorporated into the total FVI ranking of different ryegrass cultivars in 2015.
Dairy Australia is supporting the ongoing development of the FVI to improve Australian dairy farmers productivity through accelerated genetic gain in pastures and increased adoption of modern, superior varieties.
