Australian Plant Breeding Academy

Breaking new ground in plant breeding

The Australian Plant Breeding Academy lifts the capability of the agrifood sector across Australia and maximises future profits for growers, through new education and breeding research.

It is joint strategic partnership between the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food & Wine and Australian Grain Technologies (AGT).

Jason Able with students faba bean — Professor Jason Able mentoring current undergraduate students (L-R) Darien Olson (Bachelor of Information Technology), Darcy Lapidge (Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology), and Thomas Follett (Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences) in the art of faba bean crossing and plant breeding selection decisions.

The University and AGT both have a proud and successful history of commercial plant breeding programs including bread wheat, durum wheat, barley, canola, lupins, triticale and faba beans. The new academy will build on this enduring legacy of achievement.

Both the University and AGT are committed to producing the next generation of plant breeders and plant scientists to secure the industry’s ongoing success. The academy will lead a new era of agrifood education in Australia through the appointment of a Breeding Research Fellow responsible for the Academy’s breeding research portfolio, and the establishment of multiple PhD scholars in plant breeding from 2022.

The academy is the first of its kind for plant breeding in Australia. It aims to deliver significant benefits to the industry in the medium to long-term.