FUTURE FARMING: Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment leader Glenn Fitzgerald is part of a team testing wheat varieties that will suit higher carbon dioxide levels predicted for the future.
Crop planning for 2050
V
ictorian scientists are working to develop food crops that will be suited to higher carbon dioxide levels of the future.
State Government and University of Melbourne scientists are testing wheats with different fertiliser needs and growth patterns in a bid to overcome future wheat quality problems linked to rising carbon dioxide levels. Today’s concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 405 parts per million in air, but is expected to jump to 550 ppm by 2050. The change will potentially result in lower protein wheat
with less baking qualities. In a bid to better understand the changes, scientists in Horsham are growing wheat in special outdoor laboratories exposed to likely 2050 levels. The project called Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment, AGFACE, has tested a range of different varieties of wheat under the elevated carbon dioxide in the past seven years. AGFACE leader Glenn Fitzgerald said scientists had identified that a transpiration efficiency trait implemented in one wheat variety – Drysdale – worked well under higher carbon dioxide levels. “A dry season’s line, Drys-
dale has good transpiration use efficiency, or needs less water to grow, and actually performed better under the 2050 levels,” he said. “Now this same principle is being applied using experimental wheat lines, which can make the most efficient use of nitrogen, a nutrient which influences both grain protein levels and bread quality. “Higher carbon dioxide reduces grain protein in wheat, so finding a wheat that can reverse this decline would allow us to grow quality grain in the future.” Dr Fitzgerald said another issue being examined was tillering – or the shoots that grow
from a plant stem – with the theory that cutting the number of tillers could provide better grain yield results at harvest. “Experimental lines with less tillering that might allow more soil water to be available later in the season for grain filling are being tested to see if they perform the same under future carbon dioxide conditions,” he said. “We don’t know whether the higher protein and reduced tillering test lines will actually perform better under higher carbon dioxide like Drysdale did, but we hope this work will help us unlock the secrets of adapting to the challenges of higher carbon dioxide levels.”
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Laharum Landcare Group will receive $48,300 for a project to improve habitats for threatened species and re-establish green corridors that were affected by fire.
Member for Mallee Andrew Broad announced Laharum Landcare Group as a successful candidate in round two of the 20 Million Trees Program. “This is great news for the Laharum region,” he said. “An important part of their project is to connect students, land-carers and traditional
owners both to the land and to each other, creating an ecological community. “I see great value in this because it is offering a long term, rather than band aid solution to environmental issues. “By connecting various interest groups, to work towards shared goals, the outcomes are sure to be more lasting than a simple tree planting exercise with no forward thinking or planning linked to it.” The 20 Million Trees Program aims to plant 20 million trees by 2020.
Highway travel delay Wimmera drivers travelling on the Western Highway have been warned to look out for traffic changes as work on the highway’s duplication continues. VicRoads acting project director Henry Lam said there would be multiple traffic changes on the highway between Beaufort and Buangor. He said some local roads would be closed permanently, while new roads were set to open. Mr Lam asked drivers for their patience as there would also be short-term closures to local roads and speed restrictions on the new section of highway while the changes take effect. “Electronic message boards and signs will be placed at key locations along the highway to alert motorists of changes,” he said. “Motorists should drive carefully and be aware of changed conditions including reduced speed limits, advisory signs and traffic management. “We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience during these ongoing, important works.”
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