An internationally recognised authority on grain sorghum breeding is about to change his career path.

Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries principal plant breeder Bob Henzell, of the Hermitage Research Station, will retire from his position on August 1 after 44 years.

Dr Henzell plans to retain his links with the grain sorghum industry through consultancy work.

Dr Henzell said he was leaving full-time involvement with the grain sorghum industry at a time when it was regarded as highly sophisticated, both in Australia and overseas.

“A combination of technology and grower management skills probably makes us the most advanced grain sorghum growing nation in the world,” he said.

Dr Henzell joined the DPI&F in 1962 and worked for eight months at the Hermitage Research Station with respected sorghum breeder the late Ron Moore, before moving to the Biloela Research Station to continue his work.

From there, he went to the United States to the Texas A&M University for three years to complete a doctoral degree.

“Texas A&M were clear leaders in sorghum breeding and research. The move provided an opportunity to establish close ties with researchers there, which has helped our work enormously,” Dr Henzell said.

He said the grain sorghum industry had gained a substantial competitive edge through the development and widespread national use of grain sorghum hybrids resistant to attack by sorghum midge.

“Virtually all Australian grain sorghum hybrids are now midge resistant, mostly from the use of our germplasm.

“No other country has midge resistant hybrids and a rating system like ours, where a grower can select seed of a hybrid with the known level of resistance,” he said.

“Midge resistance has cut production costs by $10M through insecticide savings, and another $20M through the integrated pest management benefits of almost eliminating insecticides at grain fill and flowering from grain sorghum production,” Dr Henzell said.

He said the development and acceptance of the sorghum midge resistance scheme was a tribute to the sorghum breeding team, seed companies and growers.

“Entomologist and now DPI&F Associate Dr Bernie Franzmann had a particularly important role in developing and promoting the rating system,” Dr Henzell said.

Dr Henzell said research of the stay-green characteristic was also another major advance for the industry.

“Stay-green is now used in many Australian sorghum hybrids to greatly improve their water use efficiency, which is now essential for successful cropping in the Queensland and NSW environments,” he said

“It has been so successful that  researchers such as Drs Andrew Borrell and David Jordan are working to incorporate stay-green into other crops.”

He said his successor was DPI&F principal plant breeder David Jordan, who was also based at the Hermitage Research Station, near Warwick.

“As well as the DPI&F sorghum breeding work, David will take over the leadership of the Crop Improvement of Grain Sorghum in Australia program.

“This over-arching body has an important role in facilitating information sharing by all groups with an interest in sorghum research and industry development.

“It provides an efficient way for funding bodies, industry, and grower representatives to influence the direction of grain sorghum research in this country,” Dr Henzell said.

He said his retirement from his current position would enable him to maintain his involvement with the industry and have time for recreational pursuits.