GRDC and Partners Target to Boost Wheat's Heat Tolerance

Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) aims to enhance the heat tolerance of wheat varieties and maximize yield potential in a warmer climate.

Through a $4 million project in partnership with the University of Sydney, InterGrain, Agriculture Victoria, and the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, GRDC targets to deliver at least five adapted wheat pre-breeding lines with a minimum 10% higher yield than the current highest yielding cultivars under heat stress during grain filling by 2026.

“We've made it a priority to work on breeding better heat tolerance lines now, while we still have time to do it, because if we leave it too long, the industry will get stuck,” said University of Sydney Agricultural Scientist, Dr. Rebecca Thistlethwaite.

GRDC Genetic Technologies Officer Prameela Vanambathina said that GRDC prioritizes helping growers manage a changing climate and investing in research projects that help boost grain production on farms. “Increase in temperature is a significant constraint with predicted modeling, indicating an average of 14% of yield losses to Australian grain growers each year,” she added.

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