Presenter: Dr Garry Rosewarne, General Manager – Variety Development
About the Variety webinar:
The variety development program has a long history of releasing varieties for different regions in Australia and been particularly successful in addressing major pathology issues such as incorporating resistance to orange rust, pachymetra and smut. There is also strong evidence that moderate, consistent yield gains have also been achieved, however these are not always reflected in growers’ fields. This provides a backdrop for reviewing current breeding strategies and processes to ensure we are maximising opportunities for new varieties to support grower outcomes.
Advanced statistical methods have the ability to facilitate a greater understanding of Genotype x Environment x Management interactions, a strategy that has only occasionally been deployed in the breeding program. Routine deployment of these methods will allow a much clearer picture of target populations of environments, which, in turn, allows an improved definition of product profiles. Specific breeding strategies can then be devised to better deliver varieties that are fit for purpose.
Recent research investments in remote sensing and genomic selection indicates that these technologies are now ready for deployment in the variety development program. They provide unprecedented opportunities to increase the rates of genetic gain and increase efficiencies within the program. To maximise these opportunities, a digital twin of the breeding program has been developed and will be interrogated to outline a bespoke breeding model that optimally incorporates new technologies to best deliver genetic gain in line with product profiles. However, it is critical that all new potential releases are tested in the field under grower conditions. To this end, the Variety Development program will look to work closer with industry to gain real world input on product performance. As part to the variety development review, we will develop systems to leverage insights from all industry participants to reduce risks and improve the agronomic packages that are delivered along with new varieties.
About presenter:
As the SRA General Manager of Variety Development, Dr Garry Rosewarne leads the Variety Development team. Garry is a highly experienced plant breeder who has worked both in Australia and internationally throughout his career. With a long list of R&D projects to his name, Garry has lead numerous successful plant breeding programs, such as the National Lentil Breeding and Lentil Breeding Infrastructure programs, jointly funded by GRDC and Agriculture Victoria. Garry has held senior research positions at CSIRO in Canberra, for CIMMYT in Mexico (and China), and is the President of the Pulse Grains Society of Australia.
When: Thursday 11 June
Time: 2pm – 3pm (includes Q & A session)
Where: online
Register: SRA webinar registration