The University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute Narrabri in Narrabri, New South Wales | Educational research centre

The University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute Narrabri

Locality: Narrabri, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 6799 2205

Address: 12656 Newell Hwy 2390 Narrabri, NSW, Australia

Website: www.sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-centres/plant-breeding-institute.html

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25.01.2022 Our virtual summer crop field day

25.01.2022 Crops well advanced and countryside looks great.

25.01.2022 Crop competition is an effective non-chemical control strategy that complements other weed management tactics. Crop competitiveness can be enhanced by selecting a more weed suppressive crop /cultivar, and by manipulation of agronomic practices that favour the crop. Linda Heuke from the Precision Weed Control Group explains further in today's Virtual Field Day video.

24.01.2022 We’re currently harvesting Australian Grain Technologies Sunmax and LRPB Lancer varieties of wheat. Both are yielding around 5t/ha with protein of 14%

24.01.2022 Installing tea bags to monitor soil health in cover crop planting this weekend. You can see two types of Lipton tea bags for different metrics.

24.01.2022 Heat tolerant wheat - using plant breeding to protect future food production in a changing climate, presented by researchers from the Plant Breeding Institute. Periods of extreme high-temperature, particularly short periods of heat shock, are a major threat to wheat yield and grain quality throughout much of the Australian wheat belt. It is vital that new wheat germplasm with improved high-temperature tolerance and molecular tags linked to this tolerance are developed and introduced into commercial breeding programs.

24.01.2022 Welcome to Narrabri on her first visit Professor Jennifer Potts, new Head of School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Dr Martin King School Manager. With Phil Davies explaining wheat genetic crown rot resistance and looking on Nicola Onus, Technical Officer Heat tolerance.

23.01.2022 We have a part time position vacant for 12 months for a new project related to natural sequence farming. As Project Officer, you will provide general project management advice and operational support to Llara Natural Sequence Farming project team, coordinate the implementation of necessary earthworks, fencing and eco-restoration by engaging external contractors and sub-contractors. The link is https://www.seek.com.au/job/50008578

23.01.2022 We have been monitoring parts of our farm with cameras 24/7 for seven months for our DigiFarm project. Here is the last seven months in 45 seconds. It is busier than Pitt Street. All sorts of wildlife and ferals. Makes you realise who else you share your farm with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBoTouxjqb8

23.01.2022 https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/hhoHCK1DvKTENWvNiMI7VF

23.01.2022 Get ready Anzac Day. We use australian grown oats, flour and sugar to make our ANZAC biscuits according to the Country Womens Association (CWA) of NSW recipe. We will be at the Llara farm driveway tomorrow. CANEGROWERS Grains Research and Development Corporation

23.01.2022 Local wheat. Home made hot cross buns. Happy Easter.

22.01.2022 Today's Virtual Field Day video features PhD student Erasmus Kirii who demonstrates field work being carried out in Faba bean plant breeding trials at the Plant Breeding Institute Narrabri.

21.01.2022 Kedar Adhikari is a senior plant breeder at the University of Sydney with more than 20 years experience in breeding crops in Australia. Today's Virtual Field Day video explains some of the aspects of faba bean breeding for northern NSW and southern Queensland. It highlights major constraints and how the breeding program is working to overcome these challenges for developing better varieties.

20.01.2022 After the drought came flooding rains, which meant our floodplain creek became invaded by unwanted weeds which were about to set seed. This video shows a swarm of two XAG Australia drones spraying the weeds, moving around trees and fencelines. It is flying 6m high, with a swath 4.5m and covers about 0.5 ha per drone every 6.5 minutes. It weighed 38 kg when full (16 kg payload, 3 kg batteries). We were hoping to demonstrate this on site as part of our DigiFarm project, but video is the next best thing, if not better.

20.01.2022 Our canola growing along the Newell Highway is looking picture perfect.

19.01.2022 Starting with a brainwave whilst selecting chickpeas for heat tolerance, the concept of growing chickpeas in the off-season (late January to late May) was tested in 2019. After yielding incredibly well despite the worst drought on record, the trial was repeated in 2020 under lush and mild growing conditions. The results are presented in today's Virtual Field Day. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfxp52z_eud0Jq5undxZew

17.01.2022 Getting ready for the GrainGrowers University Student Crops Competition Sept 7-9 at Narrabri. Expecting about 60 uni students from all over Australia and some from overseas. GrainGrowers

17.01.2022 100-year-old wheat seeds planted, to be used to make scones and bread later this year Fields of heritage wheat seed have been planted at the University of S...ydneys I.A Watson Grains Research Centre in Narrabri to celebrate its 60th year in operation. A different variety of seed will be planted for each decade, from the 1950s to today, to showcase the evolution of the grain throughout the years. The crop will be open to the public at the centres field day later in the year and also be harvested before summer to make scones, biscuits and bread.

16.01.2022 The Precision Weed Control team have started a Facebook page. Check it out for cutting-edge, grower focused research and be sure to follow them on Twitter (@WeedControlLab) too!

16.01.2022 Todays rainbow. Another sign of the great seasonal conditions compared to our last facebook post of our nearby mountains when they were on fire six months ago.

16.01.2022 Scoring possible faba beans as part of the breeding program.

16.01.2022 We are underway with the 2020 wheat planting. Next week we are starting on the Faba Bean breeding program.

16.01.2022 The plains of NW NSW have been covered in grain crops for thousands of years, but under different species and production systems. Prior to growing wheat, barley, chickpeas and canola, millions of acres of native grains were used to make a type of bread (dhuwarr) by the Gamilaroi people. The grain of Mitchell grass, kangaroo grass and other native grasses are highly nutritious and have the potential to be used again in landscape renewal, and reconnect Aboriginal people and country to modern food production. Watch today's Virtual Field Day to find out more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ZzBuhDosc

15.01.2022 Last day of the school term. Dad did some home schooling. What tree is that and how to measure them. 1.3 m above the ground measure the diameter. You will see we found an aboriginal scar tree and others around the farm. Next term we are doing Crop and Food Science. How to grow wheat, process it and then make home grown scones and biscuits. If you want to join us let us know. ... Get Dad and Mum onto it. We can provide you some wheat if needed. There are some good school resources. Grains Research and Development Corporation #paddocktoplate

14.01.2022 Our fantastic Indigenous trainee, Callum with his reconciliation week pots. The pots are going into an installation to tell the story of grasses being grown for thousands of years, and now being researched. Its part of an artistic installation that tells a story. They plan to ask Aboriginal people to contribute art/photos/quotes, and we supply the plants. Then it will be woven together.

14.01.2022 Announcement by the Deputy Premier of NSW regarding multi-million dollar investment into new research centre at Narrabri.

13.01.2022 Spreading urea on LRPB Lancer and AGT Sunmax wheat today, before the rain predicted for this weekend. Farmers add Nitrogen to crops to increase the yield and protein, allowing more food to be grown on less land #growingmorewithless

12.01.2022 Harvested our summer millet crop today before the rain. 34 tonnes should feed a lot of budgies. Coincidentally we soil cored most of the farm today and this was the wettest block which is good news for the winter crop.

12.01.2022 As recently reported on the front page The Courier The Australian Bustard birds are now currently honing their plant breeding skills. Check out their wing span. More info about the species https://australianmuseum.net.au//animals/birds/australian/ #birds #Landcare

12.01.2022 We see a future for native grains and grasses

12.01.2022 Harvesting our summer grown chickpeas today and happy with the result.

11.01.2022 Young Professor Nathan helping out. Dangerous work when you need the bike helmet to take the notes.

11.01.2022 https://youtu.be/YrDWQQaRMq8 Some of our heat tolerance chickpea research is featured in the second half of this video of Ord River trials this winter.

10.01.2022 This research on covid 19 transmission in schools may interest some of our regional community colleagues. As an aside the lead author grew up in Narrabri on the farm we now use for our agriculture research and is now a Professor at Sydney University.We hope your children also blossom from their rural education. https://www.sydney.edu.au//covid-19-study-confirms-low-tra|staff-news-brnd|mc-staff|||

10.01.2022 The final video in our 2020 Virtual Field Day is from Isobella Revell at the Plant Breeding Institute Narrabri. The University of Sydney has developed a brand new, completely genetic, hybrid wheat seed production system that overcomes the limitation of self-pollination and enables the creation of wheat hybrids without the use of genetic modification technologies or harmful chemicals. We hope you have enjoyed this series of videos. Thank you for joining our Virtual Field Day.

09.01.2022 A crop of Australian Grain Technologies Sunmax Wheat on our Llara farm, planted 7 days ago (24th April). Looking great after 16mm of rain yesterday and 415mm since January 1st!

09.01.2022 Tens of thousands of research plots of wheat, barley, chickpea and faba beans are looking fantastic after recent rain and a promising start to the year

09.01.2022 Screening faba bean lines for heat tolerance as part of Erasmus Kirii Phd project. #nationalscienceweek

09.01.2022 Instead of watching the news tonight, tune into The Farrer Medal presentation live from Narrabri at 6 pm. This is a very prestigious award and the medal is being awarded to Dr Lindsay O’Brien, The University of Sydney, Narrabri (retired). His talk is Wheat Farmers make it happen. We were going to do this at our field day tomorrow, but that has been cancelled so now you can attend from your lounge. ... Please find below the Zoom link for the presentation of the 2020 Farrer Medal. Please note the Zoom meeting opens at 5.30pm, however the presentation commences at 6pm. Join Zoom Meeting Meeting URL: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/99521321782 Meeting ID: 995 2132 1782

07.01.2022 The Virtual Field Day today looks at the soils of Llara farm at the Plant Breeding Institute Narrabri, revealing the impacts of droughts and land uses on soil microbial diversity and activity during decomposition. Vanessa Pino will explain how the Digifarm project has monitored activities including the assessment of soil biological parameters and their relations to site-specific properties (soil pH, texture, soil aggregates, etc), land uses (forest, pastures, croplands) and seasons.

07.01.2022 The University of Sydney Precision Weed Control Lab have made some exciting developments in their site-specific weed control efforts for ginger! Check out their post below and pop over and like their page

07.01.2022 Caper white butterfly. They are flying around everywhere in our region at the moment.

05.01.2022 Balancing productivity and environmental management in beef cattle production. Juan Molfino (University of Sydney) and Kate McCarthy (North West Local Land Services) explain how information from the walk-over weight station may benefit producers in today's Virtual Field Day video.

05.01.2022 Australian Grains Technologies (AGT) has released four new wheat varieties that are tailored to suit the distinctive growing conditions of NSW and Queensland. Developed at AGT’s field crop breeding centre at Narrabri, the four new APH quality varieties Sunblade CL Plus, Suncentral, Sunmaster and Sunflex have been released to offer improvements in productivity across a range of environments and planting dates. AGT’s Northern Region Marketing and Seed Production Manager Douglas Lush will explain further in today's video which continues our Virtual Field Day.

04.01.2022 University invests in agriculture with multimillion-dollar research centre Digital agriculture, heat-tolerant crops and robotic farming are to be given a big boost with the announcement today of the multimillion-dollar International Centre of Crop and Digital Farming. The new $12 million centre will be based at the 2000-hectare University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute, just north of Narrabri in central-west NSW.... University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence said: Global food security and the future of agriculture in NSW and Australia rely on the sort of research done by our scientists in Narrabri. This investment from the NSW Government and industry will ensure our 60-year tradition of world-class research will continue through the century. NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro announced $9.45 million in state government funding to support the new centre on site in Narrabri. The University of Sydney with the Wheat Research Foundation is investing $1.5 million and the Grains Research Development Corporation will contribute $1 million. Weve seen the devastating impacts that this record drought has had on farmers and communities across regional NSW and the research that will be undertaken at this new centre will help boost our resilience to future dry spells, Mr Barilaro said. This research will centre around adapting crops for drought tolerance, providing food security solutions and boosting productivity of farmers. The new complex will include genetic and agronomy laboratories alongside digital and robotic workplaces and meeting space to support research and industry engagement. The investment will also support doubling employment on site to 80 staff and attract post-graduate students and researchers from around the world. The centre will: - Produce improved and adapted crop varieties and traits for NSW farmers, the national grains industry and international collaborators. - Develop farming systems with enhanced resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change and agronomic challenges such as drought and heat extremes. - Promote digital and robotic technologies for use by farmers and agribusiness to make their businesses more productive and profitable. https://www.sydney.edu.au//University-invests-agriculture-

03.01.2022 In today's Virtual Field Day, we hear from PhD student Cara Jeffrey, as she explains her project breeding heat tolerant germplasm of chickpea.

03.01.2022 38 million scones!? With our Broadacre harvest finishing up this week, we took a look at what we actually produced https://youtu.be/1yv-QkhXRik

02.01.2022 Indian Mustard breeding crops in all their goldern glory this week. https://narrabricourier.com.au//multimillion-dollar-must/

02.01.2022 A couple of big days planting Faba Beans on our Llara farm. These are a variety called Wada and are planted at 100kg/ha with 60kg/ha of starter fertiliser.