Developing a robust soybean industry for tropical

Developing a robust soybean industry in Central and Northern Queensland

Objectives:

• Evaluate new soybean varieties that will provide benefits and alternative options for Central and North Queensland cane growers.
• Develop a process that will import non GMO soybean varieties from Zambia and other overseas sources for field assessment.
• Select soybean varieties that will cater for various marketing options such as human consumption, oil extraction, and fodder production.
• Evaluate soybean varieties that will handle different climatic conditions ie. wet dry down periods, wet and dry growing conditions and high insect pressures.
• Develop and improve soybean agronomy for the Central and North Queensland cane growing areas.

Project Activities:

• Develop a program that will screen soybean varieties in Ingham, Burdekin and Mackay regions. This program will access soybean varieties from the CSIRO breeding program, the John Rose breeding program and commercially available varieties from Zambia and elsewhere. These varieties will be screened for general adaptability, biomass production, seed production, crop agronomy and marketing potential.
• As a part of this project the genotype x variety interactions will also be assessed to enable decisions to be based upon in relation to the location of plant breeding and selection programs in the future.
• Financial analysis undertaken to investigate the viability of different soybean markets available to growers in the region.

Contact Person: Greg Miller 0418727425