February 24, 2015

Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), one of Australia’s largest wheat breeders, is expanding its operations and venturing into barley breeding.

Barley is the second most widely grown crop in Australia and the country has seen good returns from barley this season according to AGT chief executive, Dr. Steve Jefferies.  And although barley plantings in other countries such as Canada are under pressure from other crops such as canola, Dr. Jefferies states that Australia will likely see planting remaining steady as climatically there are no other pressing crop options.

The AGT barley breeding program will be supported by its international shareholder, the French grower-owner cooperative, Limagrain, which is the second biggest global commercial barley breeder. AGT has exclusive access to Limagrain’s barley germplasm, which will be combined with the germplasm available to Australian breeders, with the goal of barley consisting of the best traits of both.

There is hope of AGT getting initial lines into the 2016 National Variety Trials. If accomplished, a best case scenario would mean the first varieties would reach the market in 2018 at the earliest. However, Dr. Jefferies warns that the project is one with a long view of between 20 and 50 years total.

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