Better Crops, Faster
In 2010, an Australian farmer noticed a few barley plants surviving after a herbicide treatment in his pea crop. Fifteen years later, that observation has contributed to the development of new crop technology now being used across southern Australia.
Cereal grains are vital to global food security. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, wheat alone provides around 20% of the world’s daily calories and protein. Barley is also important, supporting livestock, feed and brewing industries worldwide. Together, wheat and barley are Australia’s two most dominant cereal crops, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting combined sales of around 50 million tonnes, worth $14 billion in 2024-2025.
As the United Nations projects the global population to approach 10 billion by 2050, demand for grain will continue to rise. Yet farmers are facing mounting challenges from climate change, pests, diseases and declining soil quality. Meeting future needs will require crops that are higher yielding, more resilient and faster growing.
At Adelaide University’s Waite Precinct, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest concentration of agricultural expertise, researchers work with farmers, industry and international partners to accelerate crop innovation, translating discoveries into improved crop varieties and developing practical tools that strengthen Australian agriculture and global food security.
Developing better crops
To increase crop yield, the plants must first survive. They need to endure harsh weather, out-compete weeds for resources and resist pests and diseases. Researchers at Adelaide University are tackling these challenges in various ways, including developing new, more resilient crop varieties.
One research project emerged when a local farmer came to Waite researchers with seeds from wild barley plants that had invaded his pea crop, claiming they were resistant to his herbicide spray.
Following gene sequencing experiments, Adelaide University researchers identified the mutation responsible for the herbicide tolerance and then used it to develop a new variety of crops – and an entirely new product. Together with Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), Australia’s largest plant breeding company, they created the CoAXium Barley Production System – an approach to barley farming which combines herbicide-resistant barley varieties with a complementary herbicide, linked to the resistant trait, to help control some of the industry’s toughest weeds.
All three CoAXium barley varieties on the market are high yield, with each being adapted for different growing conditions across Australia. The latest of these, AGT-Bunyip IA, released in 2025, is the world’s first barley variety to have dual herbicide tolerance. AGT reports that the market share of CoAXium varieties is steadily growing, with more farmers across the country benefitting from the innovative system.
Professor Stuart Roy, an expert in improving crop yield and stress tolerance, says the University’s industry collaborations are key to turning research into real-world impact.
“One of the things that attracted me to the University’s Waite Precinct more than 20 years ago was that you could see that clear translation pipeline,” he says.
“We provide the research and development, while partners such as AGT have the capacity to run large-scale breeding trials across multiple sites and environments, as well as the expertise and relationships to get the crop into market.”
Now, Professor Roy is working with AGT, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) on his own research aimed at increasing wheat yield. IWYP estimates that wheat demand is expected to increase by up to 70% by 2050, and that global annual yield must effectively double to keep up.
Working with collaborators from the University of Melbourne, Arizona State University and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre in Mexico City (CIMMYT), Professor Roy has created lines of genetically modified wheat by introducing two genes from different plant species, increasing yield by more than 50% in greenhouse trials and more than 20% in field trials.
Because genetically modified wheat is not currently commercialised in Australia, Professor Roy has also identified similar genes already present in native wheat and introduced them into elite Australian lines using conventional breeding techniques. Early trials suggest these non-GMO wheat lines can also improve yields, and AGT and other partners are now conducting additional field testing in Australia and overseas.
“If results remain positive, the new material could be incorporated into future commercial wheat varieties around the world, and help meet IWYP’s goals,” Professor Roy says.
The CoAXium range and IWYP are just two examples that demonstrate how Adelaide University and industry collaborators work together to move research into fields. Established in 2002 with the University as a founding shareholder, AGT remains a key partner in translating research into improved crop varieties.
Dr Tristan Coram, AGT’s Head of Science and Business Development, says the partnership is unique and accelerates innovation.
“Because we’re so close and share that history, it means that we can get better crops into our growers’ fields and at a faster rate,” he says.
Beyond research and development, the two organisations also collaborate on training the next generation of Australian plant breeders. In 2021, they formalised this work through the Australian Plant Breeding Academy, which supports PhD students and research projects in priority crops such as wheat and barley. AGT also contributes to University plant breeding courses, hosts interns and PhD students, and hires staff from the University’s talent pool, ensuring a continuous pipeline of breeding excellence in South Australia.
“We’re really proud of our relationship, and we want to keep growing it further,” Dr Coram says.
Collaborating to accelerate crop discovery
Developing better crops also depends on access to world-class research infrastructure.
Located at the Waite Precinct, The Plant Accelerator (TPA) is Australia’s most comprehensive plant phenotyping facility. Unlike genetics, which examines the genes influencing a plant’s physical traits, phenotyping focuses on the traits themselves and how they behave in various environments. TPA provides researchers with advanced technologies to accelerate the study of phenotypes and development of more productive and resilient crops.
Part of the Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN), a nation-wide network of strategically located plant phenotyping facilities supported through the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, TPA comprises a 4000m2, purpose-built site equipped with the world’s largest open-access smart greenhouses, advanced imaging systems, an X-ray CT scanner custom-built for plants, and both air- and ground-based field phenotyping capabilities. The facility has the capacity to image, water and weigh up to 2,400 plants on a daily basis under a range of controlled conditions to monitor their growth over time.
Since its establishment in 2010, TPA has also become a major centre of collaboration, with researchers working with industry and international partners on projects that advance crop development. Research at TPA has identified genetic regions associated with salt tolerance in multiple species, studied the impact of the soil microbiome on plant growth and advanced sensor-based approaches to detecting disease in plants.
Most recently, TPA has spearheaded OzBarley, an open-access resource helping to accelerate plant discovery by removing traditional barriers for barley researchers. Led by Associate Professor Bettina Berger, TPA’s Node Director, OzBarley contains the genetic information and physical traits of 221 elite varieties of barley which together represent the history of barley breeding in Australia.
Associate Professor Berger says compiling and providing this information significantly reduces the time and costs related to barley research.
“Obviously a lot of early career researchers simply can’t afford the initial costs of generating the foundational data themselves,” Associate Professor Berger says.
“OzBarley reduces those barriers by providing that foundational information, from which researchers can conduct their own specific experiments.”
The project was built through a major collaborative effort. Multiple plant breeders including AGT helped grow and provide genetically pure varieties for analysis. Later, TPA generated foundational phenotypic data for the project and Bioplatforms Australia and InterGrain provided the genetic information. Supported by the GRDC and the APPN, as well as the Australian Research Data Commons and other national and international partners from the public and private sectors, OzBarley has also established field trials around Australia, complementing the online data with real-world observations.
Ultimately, Associate Professor Berger hopes the project benefits both researchers and industry.
“Ideally, the project removes those access barriers and accelerates research but also produces more resilient and sustainable barley varieties in the future,” she says.
“By democratizing the research, I hope others will be encouraged to do the same when they collect their data, too.”
From breakthrough breeding programs to world-leading phenotyping infrastructure, Adelaide University is helping deliver better crops, faster. By connecting researchers, growers and industry partners, the University is accelerating the journey from discovery to impact, helping build a more productive, resilient and food-secure future.
This content was provided by Adelaide University. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.
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