SOWING THE SEEDS OF INNOVATION

Two new agricultural innovations are set to shake up Australia's growing industry, improving efficiency and production.

words: Matilda Meikle

Not Just Another Berry

A new initiative hopes to breed strawberries for automated picking. Run by Hort Innovation, the program aims to develop strawberry varieties that can be harvested by robots, and integrate them into the national market. If successful, these plants could improve the efficiency of growth and production, enhancing the strawberry market for farmers and consumers alike.

In 2021/22, Australia’s strawberry industry had an estimated value of $417 million. The industry supplies around 11,000 jobs, with growth occurring most commonly in Queensland.

In fact, the country has an Australian Strawberry Breeding Program, which was developed by the Queensland Department of

Agriculture to test new varieties of strawberries created through natural breeding. Each year, experts sample all new varieties of strawberries to identify the best tasting and yielding crops for the upcoming season. This ensures farmers are growing varieties best suited to the Australian climate, and consumers are offered the best tasting fruit.

The Power Of Technology

Over the last three years, the size of Australia’s horticulture workforce has decreased by around 20 per cent. This has led to 40 per cent of growers turning to machinery to support their business.

According to Hort Innovation chief executive Brett Fifield, this highlights a need to move with the times and integrate technology into everyday farming practices.

“The development of a sweet, rich red and aromatic strawberry that is ideal for automation will prove a game changer for growers who want to apply new technologies on-farm,” he says.

“While harvesting strawberries using automation is not common practice yet in Australia, it will be before we know it.”

The focus of Hort Innovation’s program will be on growing strawberries with unbranched flower stems. Without these stems, the fruit can be picked faster and easier. Scientists also want to breed strawberries that are a consistent size, an aesthetic preferred by consumers.

Fruits Of Labour

The program received $11.5 million from the federal and Queensland governments, and will take place over four years. Run by Hort Innovation and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, the primary focus is on developing technological capacity within the industry.

Already, conversations have begun with tech companies and scientists to better understand how technology could play a role in the harvesting process. Tech has the capacity to reduce the time needed for picking, packing and shipping strawberries, resulting in increased financial outcomes for farmers. It will also increase the efficiency of their production.

Mark Furner, Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Queensland, says: “Queensland remains on the cutting edge of ag-tech, which will be vital to the future of agriculture and the thousands of good jobs it supports in our state.

“I commend the great work of Hort Innovation and my department and look forward to seeing the fruits of this investment benefitting the industry for years to come.”

With technology becoming an increasing part of mainstream farming, the research into its implications for strawberry picking has the opportunity to significantly improve this sector. It remains to be seen what the program will uncover, but experts are hopeful that the strawberry industry will thrive as a result.

Great Green Grass

Experts have successfully bred disease-resistant grass, and it’s set to result in major opportunities for commercial exports. What started as an accidental opportunity has led to the development of disease-resistant Kikuyu grass. This new seed has major benefits for dairy farmers across the country, as well as providing new trade opportunities for Aussies.

Kikuyu grass first came to Australia all the way from the Belgian Congo in 1919. Today, it is mostly used in agricultural regions in NSW and south-east Queensland. It has become popular as an inexpensive and relatively drought resistant crop, which grows and repairs itself quickly.

Kikuyu grass is commonly used as cattle feed on dairy farms.

However, it also had several initial setbacks. It was known to become diseased regularly, and was also sensitive to common herbicides. Plus, if black spots grew on its leaves, cattle would refuse to eat it.

Breaking New Ground

In 2014, retired agricultural research scientist Dr Bill Fulkerson was offered thousands of Kikuyu seeds that were heading straight for the dumpster. Realising a possible opportunity, he took the seeds and began a decadelong research program that sought to replace typical commercial grasses with a variant that could withstand harsh conditions and diseases.

Bill created a type of Kikuyu which was resistant to disease and black spots on its leaves, working out of his own backyard. This project was recently purchased by Nick Eykamp, a commercial seed producer, who obtained exclusive marketing rights to this plant variety. He could see the great potential of the plant, including the possibility for export and trade opportunities.

“Everyone’s been planting the same variety for 30 years and something that has disease resistance is a benefit for everyone,” he says.

To ensure the seed was marketready, many dairy farmers offered to plant seeds in their paddocks to test whether lab results would withstand real-world conditions. So far, they’ve discovered that this new Kikuyu variety has a yield increase of 24 per cent, while also being resistant to disease.

Impact On Home Soil

As well as opening up several opportunities in the international market, the plant has repercussions on home soil as well.

Almost all dairy farmers along the east coast of Queensland plant Kikuyu grass to feed their cattle. Therefore, this new strain of plant could have major benefits for the industry, removing fears of disease and fungus as well as increasing the reliability of the crop.

This means farmers can confidently invest in Kikuyu grass, without concerns over whether their cattle will eat the crop, or if it will be overrun by fungus. It is also a more economically viable solution.

With many farmers still recovering from recent floods, which eroded pastures and destroyed crops, the search for reliable and consistent seeds has only increased. This is just another way the new Kikuyu grass can support Aussie farmers.

There’s no telling what would have happened if Bill hadn’t rescued those Kikuyu seeds years ago. Thanks to his quick thinking and research, many doors have been opened for Australian farmers, and others around the world.

THIS PAGE: KIKUYU GRASS HAS MAJOR BENEFITS FOR THE AG INDUSTRY, INCLUDING REMOVING FEARS OF DISEASE AND FUNGUS, AND INCREASING THE RELIABILITY OF THE CROP.