Plant breeding services

Two plant breeding services have been continued from the Valued Added Wheat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC): Doubled Haploid Production and Crown Rot Resistance Screening.

Cereal Doubled Haploids

Cereal Breeding companies and research groups can pay for double haploids to be produced. This approach enables a breeding program to cut down their generation time and to reduce the time taken to produce a variety from approx 10 years to 7 years. Dr Nizam Ahmed is running this service and can be contacted on 02 9351 8812.

Crown Rot Resistance Screening

The Plant Breeding Institute is conducting pot- and field-based crown rot resistance screening. The pot testing results correlate with those of the field. It provides benefits of being able to be conducted at anytime of the year and to have reliable results that are not affected by seasonal variation of rainfall which influence the development of symptoms of the disease in field situations. This procedure was developed by Dr Raju Tokachichu and is a useful tool for those cereal breeders breeding for crown rot susceptible areas. Dr Tokachichu's contact details are 02 9351 8825.