Scientists are giving Australian growers in cooler climates the opportunity to participate in a $6.4M research trial program to help the industry adapt to climate change. The program is delivered through Hort Innovation, and it is led and co-funded by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), with support from national and international industry partners. The five-year project aims to grow cool climate horticulture production by 20 percent.
Trial sites are being set up in Tasmania, and the research team will design experiments to be relevant across cool climate regions such as south-west Western Australia, the Adelaide Hills, South-East Victoria, and high-altitude areas of New South Wales and South-East Queensland.
The program will span various sectors, including peas, potato, pyrethrum, vegetable seed, cherry, and berry production. Co-investing industry partners are Bejo, Potatoes NZ, Simplot, Premium Fresh, Scottish Society for Crop Research, Botanical Resources Australia, Reid Fruits, Hansen Orchards, Costa Group, Driscoll’s Australia, South Pacific Seeds and Fruit Growers Tasmania, and contributions from the Australian government.
Source: horticulture.com.au