Life Sciences Commons^™

Developing Improved Varieties Of Subterranean Clover, Phil Nichols, Bill Collins, Dennis Gillespie, Martin Barbetti

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Subterranean clover is widely recognised as the most important pasture legume species in southern Australia, having been sown over about 20 million hectares.

Together with superphosphate and trace elements, it has been a key factor in improving and maintaining soil fertility, and has resulted in dramatic increases in crop, livestock and wool production.

While the value of subterranean clover is well established, it does have some shortcomings.

Many varieties grown today are not sufficiently adapted to the environments and management systems in use. Others lack sufficient pest and disease resistance.

Improved subterranean clovers are being bred with better adaptation and …

Fast Tracking Barley Varieties Using Anther Culture, Sue Broughton, Penny Priest

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Breeding new varieties of barley or other cereal crops usually takes between 12 and 15 years. five years of that time may be needed to stabalise the new varieties so that they breed trueto type, but anther culture can reduce this delay to only eight months. This technology will allow the Department of Agriculture's barley breeding programme to respond more rapidly to changes in goals set by industry and to meet market demands.