❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks details on DPIRD's grains research expenditure, projects, co-investment, and benchmarking. The answer provides specific financial and project information, indicating transparency.
AnsweredQoN 1060Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the mention of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (DPIRD) "elevated role in R and D" in the 2024-25 annual report, and I ask: (a) what is the Department's total expenditure, excluding external funding, on grains research; (b) what are the specific projects undertaken; (c) what is the level of co-investment from the Grains Research and Development Corporation and other national partners; and (d) Is DPIRD's performance and impact on grains research benchmarked in any way?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
24 February 2026
Responded by
Minister for Agriculture and Food
Response time
5 days
(a) DPIRD expenditure on grains research in 2024-25 was $17,089,993.
(b) The specific projects focused on grain in 2024-25 were:
· Agri Analytics Hub - Food Agility CRC
· Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN 2)
· Building grain yield in milling oats and Composition quality in InterGrain breeding program
· Boosting Grains Crop Agronomy
· Boosting Grains Re-gen Agriculture
· Characterisation and development of mutant lupin lines carrying herbicide tolerance
· Crop Sowing Guide
· Determining source to sink relationships in canola and identifying exploitable genetic diversity
· Determining the effect of wheat morphological and anatomical traits on frost susceptibility of wheat
· Developing genetic tools to facilitate breeder use and deployment of high value acid soils tolerant chickpea germplasm
· Developing metabolite and lipid biomarkers to select for reduced frost sensitivity of wheat
· Development and testing of a sprayable biodegradable product for Australian broadacre crop production
· Development of genetic section tools for improved canola acid soils tolerance
· Disease epidemiology, modelling and delivery of management decision support tools
· Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola
· Effective control of brome grass in the southern and western cropping zones
· Effective Virus Management in Grain Crops
· Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilisers in the grains industry: an opportunity to reduce GHG emissions and increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency
· Enhancing frost tolerance and/or avoidance in wheat barley and canola crops through in season agronomic manipulation
· Enhancing Rhizobia resources to improve N fixation in pulse crops across Australia
· Enhancing the nutritional quality of narrow-leafed lupin by reducing anti-nutritional seed alkaloid levels
· Epidemiology and management of Rhizoctonia in low and medium rainfall zones
· Exploration of management strategies for pest scarab species of Australian grains
· Fast tracking the delivery of improved chilling tolerance chickpea for Australian growers
· Further discovery of improved sources of Septoria resistance
· Furthering grower knowledge and understanding of the scientifically unidentified 'Dongara weevil'
· Geospatial analytics to predict the impact of residual herbicides on establishment and yield
· Herbicide tolerance collaboration
· Improving yield potential on acid soils in Australia
· Increasing stable lupin productivity through enhanced disease resistances
· Increasing wheat nitrogen use efficiency through improved genetics
· Increasing wheat yield and yield stability through improved heat tolerance during grain filling
· Informed weed management strategies for emerging weeds based on biological and ecological knowledge of button grass, Indian hedge mustard, prickly lettuce, fleabane and wireweed
· Integrating long coleoptile wheat into Australian farming systems through an integrated understanding of genetics, management and environment.
· Leading Practice Management of the Redlegged Earth Mite
· Management of Spot form of net blotch in the low rainfall zones of Western Australia
· Mapping of Septoria isolates and oat genetic response to improve genetic solutions to Septoria management in oats in WA
· Matching Pulse crop designs to site and expected seasonal conditions to maximise yield and profit: a crop ecophysiology approach
· Minimising damage of invertebrate pests in canola through a better understanding
· Monitoring and screening: Monitoring of Net Bloch populations for new virulences of industry significance
· Predicting Nitrogen Cycling and Losses in Australian Cropping Systems - Augmenting Measurements to Enhance Modelling
· Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from the decomposition of crop residue
· Reducing risks to canola establishment through an integrated understanding of genetics, management, and environment
· Root structure and function traits: Overcoming the root phenotyping bottleneck in cereals
· Scaling commercial technology for disease spore trapping
· Sclerotinia management for narrow leaf lupin crops in Western Australian farming systems
· Seasonal status of pests and diseases delivered to growers
· Australian Plant Phenomics Network
· Soil Water and Nutrient (SWAN) Strategic Collaboration
· Sustainable systems for profit maximisation in the High Rainfall zone of WA
· Understanding and reducing weather induced fungal staining of oaten hay windrows
· Yield per se
· Western Australian Farming Systems
· Western Crop Genetics Alliance
Note: Other projects across the department may have a grains component.
(c) The total co-contributions in 2024-25 were $75,597,246 noting that this figure includes financial contributions from other research partners associated with each project.
(d) While DPIRD does not undertake specific benchmarking, it regularly reports on research outcomes.
(b) The specific projects focused on grain in 2024-25 were:
· Agri Analytics Hub - Food Agility CRC
· Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN 2)
· Building grain yield in milling oats and Composition quality in InterGrain breeding program
· Boosting Grains Crop Agronomy
· Boosting Grains Re-gen Agriculture
· Characterisation and development of mutant lupin lines carrying herbicide tolerance
· Crop Sowing Guide
· Determining source to sink relationships in canola and identifying exploitable genetic diversity
· Determining the effect of wheat morphological and anatomical traits on frost susceptibility of wheat
· Developing genetic tools to facilitate breeder use and deployment of high value acid soils tolerant chickpea germplasm
· Developing metabolite and lipid biomarkers to select for reduced frost sensitivity of wheat
· Development and testing of a sprayable biodegradable product for Australian broadacre crop production
· Development of genetic section tools for improved canola acid soils tolerance
· Disease epidemiology, modelling and delivery of management decision support tools
· Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola
· Effective control of brome grass in the southern and western cropping zones
· Effective Virus Management in Grain Crops
· Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilisers in the grains industry: an opportunity to reduce GHG emissions and increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency
· Enhancing frost tolerance and/or avoidance in wheat barley and canola crops through in season agronomic manipulation
· Enhancing Rhizobia resources to improve N fixation in pulse crops across Australia
· Enhancing the nutritional quality of narrow-leafed lupin by reducing anti-nutritional seed alkaloid levels
· Epidemiology and management of Rhizoctonia in low and medium rainfall zones
· Exploration of management strategies for pest scarab species of Australian grains
· Fast tracking the delivery of improved chilling tolerance chickpea for Australian growers
· Further discovery of improved sources of Septoria resistance
· Furthering grower knowledge and understanding of the scientifically unidentified 'Dongara weevil'
· Geospatial analytics to predict the impact of residual herbicides on establishment and yield
· Herbicide tolerance collaboration
· Improving yield potential on acid soils in Australia
· Increasing stable lupin productivity through enhanced disease resistances
· Increasing wheat nitrogen use efficiency through improved genetics
· Increasing wheat yield and yield stability through improved heat tolerance during grain filling
· Informed weed management strategies for emerging weeds based on biological and ecological knowledge of button grass, Indian hedge mustard, prickly lettuce, fleabane and wireweed
· Integrating long coleoptile wheat into Australian farming systems through an integrated understanding of genetics, management and environment.
· Leading Practice Management of the Redlegged Earth Mite
· Management of Spot form of net blotch in the low rainfall zones of Western Australia
· Mapping of Septoria isolates and oat genetic response to improve genetic solutions to Septoria management in oats in WA
· Matching Pulse crop designs to site and expected seasonal conditions to maximise yield and profit: a crop ecophysiology approach
· Minimising damage of invertebrate pests in canola through a better understanding
· Monitoring and screening: Monitoring of Net Bloch populations for new virulences of industry significance
· Predicting Nitrogen Cycling and Losses in Australian Cropping Systems - Augmenting Measurements to Enhance Modelling
· Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from the decomposition of crop residue
· Reducing risks to canola establishment through an integrated understanding of genetics, management, and environment
· Root structure and function traits: Overcoming the root phenotyping bottleneck in cereals
· Scaling commercial technology for disease spore trapping
· Sclerotinia management for narrow leaf lupin crops in Western Australian farming systems
· Seasonal status of pests and diseases delivered to growers
· Australian Plant Phenomics Network
· Soil Water and Nutrient (SWAN) Strategic Collaboration
· Sustainable systems for profit maximisation in the High Rainfall zone of WA
· Understanding and reducing weather induced fungal staining of oaten hay windrows
· Yield per se
· Western Australian Farming Systems
· Western Crop Genetics Alliance
Note: Other projects across the department may have a grains component.
(c) The total co-contributions in 2024-25 were $75,597,246 noting that this figure includes financial contributions from other research partners associated with each project.
(d) While DPIRD does not undertake specific benchmarking, it regularly reports on research outcomes.
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