Plant Breeding
The Waite has a strong track record of delivering outcomes that directly impact both the Australian and global agricultural industries.
Success stories include new varieties of barley, durum wheat, oats, pulses, bread wheat and grapevine rootstocks with increased yields and increased resistance to pests, diseases, increasing drought events and soil salinity.
Cereal varieties developed here at Waite comprise approximately 80% of all those in production across southern Australia. Waite durum wheat varieties are the source of South Australia’s San Remo pasta. Five new varieties of almonds developed here at the Waite were released for Australian growers in 2017, the first since the 1970s. Barley varieties developed here at the Waite are key ingredients in Tsingtao beer and Shochu, Japan’s unique premium distilled spirit.
Relevant research groups
- Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Adelaide
- Viticulture and Horticulture, University of Adelaide
- Crop Improvement, SARDI
- Agronomy, SARDI
- Australian Grain Technologies
- CSIRO Division of Agriculture and Food
- ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Wheat in a Hot and Dry Climate
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Energy Biology
- Australian Plant Phenomics Facility