Screening Water-Efficient and Climate-Resilient Rice Parental Lines for the Australian Rice Industry

The Australian rice industry uses approximately 50% less water in rice production compared with other rice producing countries across the globe. However, due to the challenges imposed by climate change and variability in water availability, Australia needs to develop more water-efficient rice varieties to maintain global competitiveness and ensure environmental sustainability. Since its inception, all rice varieties developed by the Australian rice breeding team have been designed for irrigated farming because rice is a semi-aquatic plant that requires ponded water for growth. Fortunately, rice is a diverse plant that has adapted from semi-aquatic to semi-arid conditions during its long history of domestication. Moreover, Australia holds a genetically diverse collection of rice lines which can be a source of genes to improve water use efficiency (WUE). This project will screen for rice lines that can withstand dry farming practices during germination and plant growth. The genes and molecular fingerprints responsible for the WUE trait will then be identified and characterised. All information generated in this project will be provided to the Australian rice breeding team, who will then use this information to develop rice cultivars that consume less water on farm. This project is important in ensuring the competitiveness of rice production in Australia, as well as in ensuring local sustainability and global competitiveness of Australian rice.