Syngenta acquires seeds business
GLOBAL agricultural giant Syngenta has acquired a Latin American seeds business from fellow behemoth Cofco.
Nidera Seeds has switched hands. The Nidera business has a strong footprint through South America and will complement existing Syngenta businesses.
Russian wheat advances
WHEAT breeders in Russia have boosted national production through the development of hardier winter wheat varieties which have enabled growers to switch from autumn rye crops to more profitable wheat.
The breeding advances include better tolerance to snow, excessive rain or disease.
Quality and yield have also been good, playing a key role in pushing Russia towards record production.
APVMA appointment
THE AUSTRALIAN Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has appointed Chris Parker as its chief executive officer.
Dr Parker had previously been serving in the role in an interim capacity since June following the resignation of previous incumbent Kareena Arthy.
His appointment was welcomed by the plant protection sector, with Matthew Cossey, CropLife Australia chief executive, saying having a permanent boss was a step in the right direction for the APVMA, which has struggled in the wake of its relocation from Canberra to Armidale.
Russian wheat aphid breakthrough
Australian scientists have confirmed that the Russian Wheat Aphid (RWA) now established throughout parts of the nation’s south-eastern cropping regions is a single biotype.
This new knowledge, achieved through research investments by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), will underpin ongoing and future research efforts aimed at combating the cereal crop pest which was first detected in South Australia in 2016.
Now present in areas of SA, Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales, RWA has the potential to cause large scale damage, particularly in cereal crops.
Experiments to identify the biotype/biotypes of the aphid present in Australia and possible origin of the incursion have been led by entomologists Maarten van Helden and Greg Baker from the SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI), a division of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA).
Their work found all RWA had the same genetic make-up.
Durum to Chile
AN AUSTRALIAN bred durum wheat is being grown commercially in Chile.
The Yawa variety, bred by the University of Adelaide has been licensed to Chilean seed business Isopro.
The variety was released in Australia on September 4, 2012 but had issues with high screenings in dry years, meaning it was not widely adopted here.
The crop, however, thrives under irrigation in Chile, outperforming local varieties by up to 40 per cent in trials.
The first harvest of commercial Chilean-grown Yawa will take place in February.
Mice warning
AUSTRALIAN grain growers are being warned to keep grain hygiene in mind during the busy harvest period in order to minimise the risk of a serious mouse infestation next year.
Recent reports show while numbers are relatively stable, there is concern about the potential for a large increase in autumn.
CSIRO researcher Steve Henry, who has been surveying mouse activity as part of a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) project, said that growers can limit the amount of feed available to the pests by ensuring that all grain gets into the header, not onto the ground, which in turn limits the chance of numbers building up.
“Spilt grain at harvest can provide perfect conditions for mouse breeding, it is critical that farmers are proactive about spraying out summer germinations to reduce the amount of food and habitat available for mice,” Mr Henry said.