Rajeev Varshney

Hort Innovation joined the team at CQUniversity to announce a new research initiative that’s designed to transform the quality and marketability of Australian-grown capsicums and chillis 🌶️🧬 The project will tackle common fruit defects like internal rot, silvering and pitting – helping reduce post-harvest losses and improve profitability for Australian growers. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gfTm4Y2Q Brett Fifield Anthony Kachenko CQUni Agriculture #HortInnovation #Horticlture #Vegetables #AustraianFarmers #SupplyChain 

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Australian oat breeders are targeting the development of new low-oil oats to help growers access new and emerging value-added markets. Through the Oat Grain Quality Consortium, researchers Dr Janine Croser and Dr John Harris from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI, the research division of SA's Department of Primary Industries and Regions) are on the case. Oats have lots of nutritional benefits but high oil content can lower the efficiency of milling and processing. Lowering oil content could open the door to new product streams such as oat rice, noodles and alternative plant-based proteins. To fast-track progress, SARDI researchers are working with novel oat lines made available through a global partnership between GRDC and TRAITOMIC®, a crop trait development company based in Denmark. The SARDI project team has taken delivery of novel oat seed with targeted mutations that have the potential to significantly accelerate the breeding of low oil oat varieties in Australia. We look forward to their progress! 👉 Read more https://bit.ly/4foC18S

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Heat-damaged legumes are costing Australia’s food industry New research from Monash University reveals that poor postharvest storage conditions are quietly degrading the quality of legumes like faba and adzuki beans, making them harder to cook, less nutritious, and less suitable for processing. The research team led by PhD candidate Dilini Perera and Associate Professor Sushil Dhital of Monash Chemical and Biological Engineering, the study highlights how high temperatures and humidity trigger internal changes in bean structure—impacting their final quality, even if they were grown and harvested perfectly. The findings call for urgent investment in temperature- and humidity-controlled storage systems to protect Australia’s reputation as a global legume exporter. “Millions are invested in breeding better beans and improving agronomy. But without proper storage, much of that value is lost. We need a shift in focus from paddock to postharvest,” Associate Professor Dhital said. “Postharvest quality preservation is the missing piece in the value chain. If we want to deliver consistent legume-based products and support farmer profitability, this is where we need to act.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g_ADNRME #ThisIsMonashEngineering #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture #LegumeResearch #PostharvestTechnology #FoodEngineering #Nutrition #AustralianGrainGrowers Grains Research and Development Corporation

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LETTERS FROM DOWN UNDER: Investment and innovation are critical for SA's agricultural progress We spent the day in Wagga Wagga in south-eastern Australia, visiting experimental farms at Charles Sturt University's AGRIPARK. They are doing industry-focused research on various value chains, including livestock, wine, grains, and horticulture. The focus of their work primarily responds to the needs of the industry, which helps with the application of the results. The research's funding model has some similarities with that of South Africa. The farmers pay a certain amount of levies (as a percentage of the value or volume of their production). We see this in some commodities in South Africa. However, in Australia, the government ensures that every dollar raised by farmers matches the amount raised by farmers. The objective is to continuously boost Australia's agricultural productivity and strengthen the country's standing in global food production and trade. Once the funds are raised, the government and industry share ideas on the research areas and build a common understanding of priorities. In South Africa, we see agriculture as a sector that could drive our rural economic growth and job creation. This approach of research co-funding and permitting the industry to have a notable say on research priorities would benefit our objectives. Indeed, unlike Australia, we remain "A Country of Two Agricultures"; therefore, some consideration must be given to issues of inclusivity. Still, the co-funded research would be of benefit to both of these Two Agricultures. Beyond funding matters, there is considerable scope for South Africa and Australia's agriculture to collaborate, particularly on issues of digitalisation, biosecurity, and climate-smart agricultural practices. There are advancements in these areas in South Africa that Australian farmers can learn from, and equally for us. Our countries have similar climate and agricultural production conditions, and face roughly the same issues in global agriculture. This means that, through commodity associations in South Africa and the Department of Agriculture, we may need to explore additional ways to facilitate regular engagement. 9 September 2025 Wagga Wagga, Australia 

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Our new cohort for the 2025 AgriEmerging Markets Program is ready to commence! 👏 Participants in the 2025 AgriEmerging Markets Program include: ·      AgriShed ·      Bunya Range Lamb ·      Camm Agricultural Group ·      Graincott Farming Co ·      Guluguba Pastures ·      MG & TJ Wales ·      PastYour Lips ·      Rocking Chair Ranch ·      U8J Cattle Co ·      Wunda Park Grazing. AgriEmerging Markets Program provides participants with guidance on how to meet market demands involving sustainability targets and learn how to capitalise on obligations while also identifying supply chain value add opportunities. The program aims to assist Western Downs agribusinesses identify business development goals as well as grasp evolving domestic and global supply chain obligations and recognise openings. The AgriEmerging Markets Program is delivered by TSBE and supported by Shell QGC.

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#DidYouKnow | The Pacific Community (SPC) hosts the region’s largest genebank at the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) in Fiji, managed by our Land Resources Division. CePaCT plays a crucial role in conserving and distributing plant genetic diversity to safeguard the Pacific’s agricultural future. Through the Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network #PAPGREN, SPC collaborates with national partners to protect and manage crop diversity across the Pacific. In July, PAPGREN members convened under the theme ‘Nurturing Pacific Seeds, Sustaining Pacific Futures’ and developed strategic action plans, including the election of a new Steering Committee co-chaired by Dr Birte Komolong (Papua New Guinea National Agriculture Research Institute) and William Wigmore (Ministry of Agriculture, Cook Islands). 💡Learn more about PAPGREN through the link: https://bit.ly/46389eg Supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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