THE Newman government has announced a major refocus on genetics and disease resistance research to improve winter cereal varieties across the state.

Using the appropriate backdrop of the Toowoomba Ag Show, Premier Campbell Newman and Agriculture Minister John McVeigh announced, in a first for winter grains research in Queensland, a "genetic platform" for the research and development of cereal crops, which would see a renewed focus on genetics and pre-breeding at the Hermitage Research Station, Warwick.

Mr McVeigh said the refocus would boost barley breeding across the state through improved programs and a better product.

"It establishes a solid relationship between our researchers, who will concentrate on early stages of breeding, and InterGrain Pty Ltd, which will breed finished varieties for growers," he said.

"This new 'genetics platform' will have a strong disease-resistance focus.

"It's about delivering improved winter cereal varieties by the commercial sector to growers."

InterGrain is an Australian crop-breeding company with a highly successful barley-breeding program that targets the major cereal growing areas of Australia.

Mr Newman and Mr McVeigh were joined by the Grains Research and Development Corporation chairman Keith Perrett for the announcement, who said the organisation would co-invest in the platform with $1.4 million and a total of $11.2m over seven years, across all programs.

"This investment will support the transition of barley breeding to the commercial sector, underpin pre-breeding, and develop capacity in other key RD&E areas such as summer crop agronomy, genetics and pathology, farming systems research and production research," Mr Perrett said.

"This deal delivers 11 positions and this capacity will service high-priority areas identified by growers."

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Govt to focus on winter cereal research

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