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Drought resistant grain crops provide hope for farmers
2 Jan 2007
Farmers may soon be able to increase grain profitability with the recent discovery of drought-resistant genes in crops by scientists at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. DPI&F scientists, Dr Andrew Borrell and Dr David Jordan, based at the DPI&F Hermitage Research Station near Warwick, are working in partnership with Dr John Mullet, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M University, on the project. They are aiming to clone drought-resistant genes in sorghum and introduce them into crops with a similar genetic makeup within the next 12 months. Tim Mulherin, Queensland Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries, says sorghum provides more than $200 million worth of feed for cattle, poultry and pigs in Queensland and is the state’s most drought-resistant grain crop. “Because of the genetic similarity among the world's major cereals, discovering key genes for drought resistance in sorghum holds hope for other crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice,” Mr Mulherin said. “The drought-resistant genes will allow sorghum crop plants to save water early on in the season, then use the water during grain filling.”
Queensland Country Life, 29/12/2006
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