CCFI | SABC

CCFI’s latest issue of the Lab and Land Newsletter is now live! In this issue: • CCFI researchers contribute to a groundbreaking international oat study in Nature (Nature Portfolio) • New project updates following a month of presentations and strategic meetings for key horticultural and broadacre crops • CCFI researchers hit the road as field trials ramp up • We highlight Conservation Agriculture insights from Bangladesh • CCFI to participate in a new Grains Research and Development Corporation recombination project Plus plenty of news, views and new research to peruse! Read the latest issue of Lab and Land here: https://lnkd.in/dG7gNaxg

Today, Centre Director Rajeev Varshney and Senior Science Manager Anu Chitikineni attended a working lunch at The University of Western Australia with the High Commissioner of India to Australia, His Excellency Mr Gopal Baglay, and the Consul General of India, Ms Kajari Biswas.   The event provided an opportunity for senior academics and key tertiary education stakeholders to discuss potential collaboration between WA Higher Education Institutes and India. Also in attendance was the all-women crew of the Indian Army Sailing Vessel Triveni, who are currently on a nine-month circumnavigation of the globe.   It was a privilege to meet His Excellency Mr Baglay, reconnect with Ms Biswas, and discuss our research focus. It was also fantastic to meet the inspiring crew of the Triveni, and wish them the very best on the rest of their historic journey. 

Last week, CCFI attended the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration's 2025 Showcase – an event dedicated to highlighting research and connecting people across Western Australia’s agricultural research landscape. CCFI | SABC Director Rajeev Varshney presented our research progress on the WAARC and Grains Research and Development Corporation-backed Wheat Nitrogen Use Efficiency project, a five-year, multi-partner initiative led by CCFI that aims to deliver high-performing cultivars that maximise yield and grain quality while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact and input costs for growers.  It was great to catch up with our collaborators and hear about the multidisciplinary research that is advancing agriculture in WA! 

Delighted to share that CCFI | SABC researchers have played a key role in the development of a new pangenome for oats, which marks a significant breakthrough in understanding one of the world’s most genetically complex cereals. Led by researchers at IPK Leibniz-Institut, the international research team, comprising over 70 scientists from 33 research institutions in 10 countries, sequenced and analysed 33 oat lines that included both cultivated varieties and their wild relatives. The study, published in Nature (Nature Portfolio), offers unprecedented insights into oat genetic diversity in Australia and abroad, and identifies key traits responsible for oat yield, plant health, and environmental adaptability. Co-corresponding author of the study and CCFI Research Theme Leader Prof Li Chengdao, led the Australian arm of the study under his role as Director of the Western Crop Genetics Alliance - a partnership between Murdoch University and the Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development. In a statement, Prof Li said, "This research, which sees the international oat research community come together to crack a particularly challenging genetic puzzle, transforms oats from a genetic ‘black box’ into a blueprint that will enable precision breeding for a healthier, more sustainable food future." In total, 11 CCFI and CCFI-affiliated researchers (including Manuel Spannagl from Helmholtz Munich and Prof Martin Mascher from IPK Leibniz) participated in this ground-breaking research endeavour, and we're excited to see the impact that this new resource will have on future oat production. Congratulations to all the authors for this fantastic piece of research! Read more about this research here: https://lnkd.in/gfFt7zY5

Another day on the road for CCFI researchers! This week our team travelled to Mingenew to check on one of our pulse field trials for the CCFI-led Grains Research and Development Corporation project that leverages genetic diversity to improve yield in chickpea, faba bean and lentil.   Yield improvements in pulses have slowed in Australia, and our soil profile in WA has proven challenging for pulse productivity. But through the “Pulses Genetic Gains” project supported by the GRDC, our researchers are working hard to develop high-yielding pulse varieties that are adapted to Australia’s unique growing conditions.   On this field trip, Centre Director Rajeev Varshney joined ECRs Rutwik Barmukh and Oluwaseun Akinlade, Ph.D, as well as PhD student Bhargava Kotte to collect data for analysis.   We also have field trials for this project happening in Merredin in Western Australia, which our researchers visited earlier this month to monitor the progress of our chickpea field trial.   In addition to WA, the project is running field trials of three pulse crops in the Eastern States. Altogether the project has:   • Chickpea field trials in Mingenew (WA), Merredin (WA), Narrabri (NSW), Wagga Wagga (NSW) and Emerald (QLD) • Lentil field trials in Hopetoun (VIC), Merredin (WA), Wagga Wagga (NSW) • Faba bean trials in Freeling (SA), Horsham (VIC), Hamilton (VIC), Narrabri (NSW), and Kojonup (WA) Our Genomics, Pre-Breeding and Bioinformatics team is also contributing to the following pulses projects: •Symbiotic Nitrogen fixation (Led by Prof Michael Udavadri at The University of Queensland) • Heat tolerance in chickpea (led by Millicent Smith at UQ) • Acid soil-tolerant chickpea (led by WCGA Director and CCFI Theme Leader Prof Li Chengdao)    Through these three projects, we’re developing new pulse varieties that can withstand higher temperatures and unpredictable rainfall, flourish in soils with high acidity, resist pests or disease, and open pathways to a more sustainable agricultural sector that doesn’t have to rely on as many fertilisers or chemicals.   It’s a privilege to be spearheading efforts aimed at enhancing and future-proofing pulse production in Australia – our thanks to the GRDC and all our project collaborators for their continued support.    Read more about the genetic diversity project here: https://lnkd.in/gKKDfvke   Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development, Sharath Sriram, University of Adelaide, University of Sydney, ICARDA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Centre for Crop and Disease Management ,Living Farm, Stephen Dawson, Hon. Jackie Jarvis MLC

Excited to have Prof Manoj Dora, Director of the Centre for Intelligent Supply Chains at Anglia Ruskin University, present at the 11th session of the CCFI | SABC Crop Biotech Seminar Series. Prof Dora is a globally recognised academic who specialises in sustainable production and ethical consumption. In this session, he will explore the root causes of the global food crisis, and discuss how businesses, policy makers and researchers can collaborate to build a more sustainable and equitable food system. If you’re in Perth and listening to Prof Dora’s presentation, send us a DM and secure your place! Event details can found below

More miles on the road for CCFI this week, with Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development Research Scientist and CCFI Adj A/Prof Sultan Mia joining two of our PhD students, Kunal Chaudhary and Luna Zhang, embarking on a 320km trip to DPIRD's Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute. The team are checking on the progress for two Hort Innovation-backed projects that aim to rapidly accelerate breeding program outcomes and enhance productivity and profitability in the next generation of Australian orchard systems.   Kunal collected flowering and phenotypic data from the apple germplasm collection, which will support his research on developing improved and tastier apple varieties, whilst Luna collected young leaf samples for PacBio and Hi-C sequencing, which will support her research on developing high-quality genome assemblies for the construction of a new apple pangenome.   Great to be joined by The University of Western Australia PhD students Abu Sayeed Md. Hasibuzzaman and Md Golam Azam who are working on apple genomics, and our thanks to DPIRD for ensuring that the field trial site is in such perfect condition! You can learn more about the Hort Innovation GNGO project here: https://lnkd.in/gTdXvf45 Learn more about the RACE project here: https://lnkd.in/g7KVQY_j

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of catching up with WA Agricultural Research Collaboration's new Strategic Research Manager, Dr John Statton, who dropped in to Murdoch University to check on the progress of our Wheat NUE project. Jointly funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation and WAARC, the five-year, multi-partner project is led by CCFI and is considered a key research focus for both RDCs, as it aims to deliver high-performing cultivars that maximise yield and grain quality whilst reducing environmental impact and input costs for growers. Dr Statton met with Centre Director Rajeev Varshney and A/Prof Reyazul Mir to discuss project progress and to see firsthand how the latest back crosses are performing in our speed breeding facilities. Happy to report that our progress has been extremely positive; we’re excited to get going on the next stage of the project and see how these new cultivars perform in the field! Our thanks to project partners Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development, Curtin University and Australian Grain Technologies, who have been incredibly supportive collaborators on this project. You can learn more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/g7Vrd7NB

Today we welcomed Dr Eduardo Venske, Wheat Breeding Manager at GDM to Murdoch University for a brief introduction of our work and a quick tour of our Advanced Genomics Platform. Dr Venske is responsible for the Wheat Breeding Programs in all GDM's New Territories, including Australia, and is also responsible for the New Projects sector, which includes Pre-breeding and Genomics. During his visit, Dr Venske caught up with Centre Director Rajeev Varshney and CCFI Research Theme Leader Ryan Whitford, where they discussed our research into hybrid wheat. We sincerely appreciate Dr Venske's time; it was great to learn how our respective research efforts align and to explore opportunities for future collaboration!

Last week, CCFI | SABC researchers took a 700km round trip to Lake Grace, which is a strategically important field trial site for evaluating wheat yield performance under low rainfall conditions. Led by Centre Director Rajeev Varshney, our researchers, Anu Chitikineni, Reyazul Mir, and Food Futures Institute Business Manager, Joy Gilsenan, checked on our latest trial and evaluated yield performance. Anu recorded key trait data as part of her PhD research, which focuses on phenotypic variation and environmental stress responses under rainfed conditions. For Prof Varshney and A/Prof Mir, the observations they recorded will be essential in understanding wheat genotype adaptability and resilience in water-limited environments, informing our pre-breeding and stress tolerance research at Murdoch University.