Vignette 81: Plant breeding

Plant breeding is an essential aspect of modern agriculture, developing new and improved crop varieties that can withstand environmental challenges and meet the ever-increasing global food demand. The University’s Waite campus can boast many successes in this field, including breeding crops with higher yields and resistance to pests, diseases, drought, and soil salinity. 

The Waite campus has developed over 40% of Australia’s wheat varieties, transforming wheat into the most adapted crop in 21st century Australia. In 2017, the almond breeding program introduced five new superior almond varieties, increasing Australian almond production, reducing the dependence on existing cultivars and enabling the industry to take advantage of this growing market.

Japan uses Waite barley in Tsingtao beer and Shōchū, and 80% of southern Australia’s cereal production is from varieties developed on our campus.

The Waite Plant Research Centre includes a sensory lab, a product development kitchen, and PC2-certified greenhouses with QC2-certified quarantine and refrigerated modules. The Plant Accelerator facility uses advanced technology, including the CoreDetector genome-sequencing tool, to aid researchers in understanding plant populations.

The campus is a global agricultural and bioscience research leader, promoting innovation and climate resilience.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Leading for the future. p.114