AUSTRALIA—GERMANY WORKSHOP ON BIODIVERSITY

The Shine Dome, 13-17 March 2006

The Australian National Plant Phenomics Initiative: a powerful tool for improving crop performance under stress
by Dr Rana Munns, Chief Research Scietist, CSIRO Plant Industry

To sustain and increase world food production, crops will be grown in increasingly stressful conditions because of (i) loss of best cropping land to urbanisation, and enforced expansion into marginal areas, and (ii) global climate change. New technologies are needed to speed up the selection for natural genetic diversity and to accelerate its introduction into current crop cultivars. This will provide non-GMO options for farmers. The Australian Phenomics Initiative, jointly with Phytosphere, Jülich, provides the infrastructure for cutting-edge automated systems for non-destructive analysis. These systems include visual imaging, chlorophyll fluorescence and spectral reflectance to quantify photosynthetic capacity and water status.
Data can be fed into breeding programs for improved crop performance in areas that suffer drought or salinity stress.