Two new research topics completed by fourth year agricultural science students at The University of Western Australia (UWA) could play a key role in the development and adoption of grain varieties by WA growers.

Both topics come off the back of fourth year research project scholarships funded by Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH) and, according to UWA Institute of Agriculture Director, Winthrop Professor Kadambot Siddique, they can make immediate impacts on the WA grains industry.

“One reveals that the royalty system used to fund most plant breeding could profoundly affect innovation, while the other shows we’re in danger of prematurely discarding some canola varieties that can still provide good resistance to blackleg disease,” he said.  

The University of Western Australia is hosting 80 scientists from 13 countries whose skills will help revolutionise plant breeding – and vital food production.

It is the first time an OECD-sponsored conference has been held in WA.  UWA and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) are the event’s co-sponsors.

The University of Western Australia (UWA) and its Institute of Agriculture continue to play an important role expanding the capacity of Iraqi agriculture and reducing the country’s dependence on imported food by training Iraq’s brightest and best graduate agriculture students.

Ten graduate students joined UWA early this year to study for their Master of Science degrees in Animal Science, Plant Pathology, Genetics and Breeding and Agricultural and Resource Economics at UWA.

Kununurra born Christian Bloecker expects to return to his family’s 1100 hectare farm in the Ord River Irrigation Area at the end of the year, equipped with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Bachelor of Economics from The University of Western Australia (UWA).

At 24, he also expects to ‘hit the ground running’ and intends making an impact not only at the family farm level, but also with Stage Two of the Ord River Irrigation Area.

“I see the Ord becoming not just Australia’s food bowl, but South-East Asia’s food bowl and I want to play a role in helping it get there,” Mr Bloecker said.

Thirteen Deans from six agricultural universities around China will be at The University of Western Australia for a three-day workshop on agricultural research and education from tomorrow.

The workshop aims to develop plans for collaborative research in livestock agriculture and pastures; and plant biology and agriculture.

Recent research conducted at The University of Western Australia (UWA) School of Animal Biology and Institute of Agriculture (IOA) has shown that when it comes to getting sheep in the mood and those reproductive juices flowing, nothing beats a little novelty.

PhD student Trina Jorre de St Jorre has been examining the ‘ram effect’ on ewes where the sudden introduction of rams has merino ewes ovulating within two to three days.

Australia’s brightest and best agricultural research was recently on display at the ‘Frontiers in Agriculture Postgraduate Showcase 2009’ at The University of Western Australia (UWA), Institute of Agriculture (IOA).

Introducing the eight postgraduate students from the Agricultural and Resource Economics, Earth and Environment, Animal and Plant Biology schools within UWA’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Chair in Agriculture and IOA Director, Winthrop Professor Kadambot Siddique, described their work as extremely relevant to the future of WA and Australian agriculture and its sustainability.

A new centre that recognises the crucial role of research in bringing environmental, economic and social benefits to Australia will be opened tomorrow by The University of Western Australia Professorial Fellow and former WA Premier, Dr Carmen Lawrence.

The Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy, in UWA’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, aims to develop and apply models and decision frameworks that push forward the frontiers of environmental policy design, focusing on scientific outcomes within an economic framework.

Its vision is to improve the management of Australia’s environment through research that leads to more appropriate and cost-effective environmental public policy.

Research conducted by The University of Western Australia (UWA) School of Plant Biology and Institute of Agriculture has demonstrated that several herbaceous legumes may be viable alternatives to lucerne under low phosphorus conditions for West Australian farmers in areas where lucerne performs poorly.

The research compared the growth of 10 native and exotic herbaceous legumes to lucerne growing in glasshouses, supplied with different levels of phosphorus.

The study found that four species, Bituminaria bituminosa, Glycine canescens, Kennedia prostrata, and K. prorepens, grew better than lucerne in low phosphorus conditions and that two species, B. bituminosa and G. canescens, used phosphorus applied to soil more efficiently than other species where low phosphorus was a problem.