Crop improvement with a big focus on durum wheat and pulses a campaign to boost cropping in Australia's high rainfall zones and management of weed, pathogen and insect pests are highlights of the Grains Research and Development Corporation's 2004-05 Investment Plan launched today (Wednesday, October 1).

Reflecting the Australian Government's "National Research Priorities", the Investment Plan also has a strong environmental and social emphasis, with calls for research into water balances in "hot spot" catchments, nutrient management and optimising wheat yield and quality through high moisture harvesting and grain storage.

The GRDC is planning to invest some $25 million in new research in 2004-05 and is inviting existing and potential research partners to respond by tender individually or jointly by November 24.

The GRDC's acting executive manager for program operations, John Cullen, says the corporation's suggested investment of up to $4.5 million over three years in a new Nutrient Management Initiative aims to maximise the benefits and efficiency of fertiliser, the single greatest production expense for most of Australia's graingrowers.

"We want to see the Nutrient Management Initiative link fertiliser use to nutrient targets in catchments specified under the National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality and expect the initiative to support the ongoing development of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for the grains industry," Mr Cullen said..

"The GRDC also intends to invest up to $1.2 million over three years in catchment water balance research, of which around $350,000 will be invested in 2004-05.

"And we have similar investment targets for research that will look at the enormous opportunities to improve crop yield and quality in the high rainfall zones of southern and Western Australia.

"A doubling of crop yield in high rainfall areas is achievable in the next decade, with an additional 4 million hectares potentially suitable for cropping."

Mr Cullen said other significant investments for 2004-05 included:

• up to $600,000 a year for five years on development of the durum wheat industry, leading to substantial further expansion of production, particularly in southern states;
• up to $500,000 a year for five years for a national Germplasm Development Initiative, looking to coordinate and combine traits developed in individual, GRDC-supported germplasm development projects into elite backgrounds to be incorporated in Australia's competitive breeding programs;
• up to $500,000 a year for three years to develop and deliver information packages that will improve the confidence of growers in the southern and western regions in the production and market reliability of pulse crops;
• up to $720,000 a year $300,000 each for the northern and western regions, $120,000 for the southern region for sustainable weed management practices like rotations, application technology, herbicide mixtures, non-chemical control options; the target is effective control with reduced pressure for herbicide resistance, and
• up to $300,000 a year for three years in addition to $250,000 currently invested to expand an invertebrate pest initiative which will coordinate and optimise entomological research capability around Australia.

The full Investment Plan 2004-05, including guidelines for potential research applicants, is available on and can be downloaded from the GRDC website at http://www.grdc.com.au/researchers/res_prop.htm