June 9, 2006

BASF to develop drought-resistant wheat in Australia

BASF is launching a US$17 million research project to research drought-resistant wheat varieties, it said Thursday (Jun 8).

The news comes just after media coverage of a study done at Queensland University of Technology that suggests that wheat yields in Australia could fall by 15 percent in the next 30 years due to high temperatures and water shortages.

The study estimates that effects of climate change could cost the industry at least a billion dollars a year. Wheat is Australia's major crop.

Professor Peter Grace, research director of QUT's Institute for Sustainable Resources, also said that climate change would cause crops to grow quicker and lead to the introduction of new pests and diseases.

In Australia over the next 30 to 50 years, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are predicted to increase significantly, with temperatures rising up to three degrees and rainfall falling by around 20 percent or more, said Professor Grace adding that Australia should look at drought resistant crop varieties.

The new BASF research in collaboration with the Plant Science and Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPBCRC) aims to develop high yielding wheat varieties that are both more resistant to fungal diseases and adverse environmental conditions such as drought.

The seven-year project would involve 25 scientists based at MPBCRC, where it has previously carried out work in plant biotechnology.