Abstract. The barley improvement program based at Hermitage Research Station in Queensland serves the northern barley growing area, one of the three major agro-ecological zones of the Australian grain growing area. It is part of a nationally coordinated approach to all aspects of barley improvement, with the primary aim of increasing Australia's ability to reliably supply barley to meet the quality requirements of both domestic and export malting quality markets as well as the growing stockfeed industry.

Increased investment in research by growers and industry has encouraged adoption of recent advances in technology. The direct participation of growers, processors and marketers has ensured that research objectives are targeted at appropriate objectives.

Introduction. Barley is the second most important cereal crop grown in Australia with average annual production of approximately 5 million tonnes. Although this comprises only some 4% of the total world production, Australian exports of barley are of much greater significance and usually exceed 3 million tonnes or almost 20% of total world exports. Of these exports approximately 50% is either malting barley or malt.

Production is based almost entirely on two-row spring varieties which are grown in all states covering a climatic range from the semitropical grain growing areas of Queensland to the Mediterranean climates of southern Australia. Although grown in all states, production is concentrated in the southern region of Australia.

Barley Research and Funding. The majority of research directed towards improvement of Australian barley is conducted by public research organisations including the six State government Departments of Agriculture, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisations (CSIRO) and universities, particularly the Waite Agricultural Research Institute (Adelaide University), University of Western Australia, and Southern Cross University. The research effort is now coordinated on a national basis with the major research projects coming under umbrella programs addressing production, and development and adoption of new technologies.

Most of the funding for these research programs is provided by direct support from the state governments and from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), a statutory body funded by a levy on growers and matched by the Commonwealth Government. These funds receive some further support from the maltsters, brewers and the barley exporting groups.

GRDC has played a leading role in encouraging and supporting collaborative research efforts across Australia. Its annual investment of more than A$ 7m has lead to development of research programs with a national perspective. Examples include:

A national approach to breeding with three subprograms developed to address the specific needs of the major agro-ecological zones. These subprograms are all designed to increase yield and improve quality but the specific objectives differ.

The Northern region produces only 15% of the national crop but is the region where the highest yields are achieved. Much of the crop growth is based on stored subsoil moisture and rainfall during the growing season is quite variable. Breeding objectives include resistance to leaf rust, net blotch, spot blotch and root rots. Diseases such as scald, cereal cyst nematode (CCN) and barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), are seldom recorded.

The South region produces approximately 60% of Australian production and is the most reliable malting quality producing region. Most of the region is favoured by a typical mediterranean climate with scald, powdery mildew and cereal cyst nematode being the major diseases. Breeding objectives include tolerance to boron toxicity and to manganese deficiency.

The West region is the most rapidly expanding barley production area in Australia and is also favoured by a mediterranean climate. Its geographical separation from the other Australian barley growing regions has allowed different pathotypes of scald, net blotch and powdery mildew to develop and the main breeding objectives are resistance to scald, net blotch, powdery mildew and BYDV. Tolerance to boron toxicity is also a prime objective of the breeding program.

The National Barley Molecular Marker Program (NBMMP) designed to accelerate the development and implementation of molecular markers

In 1997 GRDC made a major investment to capitalise on advances in the use of molecular markers. The project is coordinated by Dr Langridge and Prof Barr at the Waite Agricultural Institute in Adelaide and includes the following components:

Markers are now used to screen breeding populations for resistance to diseases including scald, net blotch, the spot form of net blotch, powdery mildew, BYDV, CCN and Russian wheat aphid. Of the malting quality traits a marker for  amylase is being used and markers for tolerance to boron toxicity and manganese deficiency are also used at the screening stage. QTLs for various quality traits are being developed and will probably be used in the near future.

The Australian Malting Barley Centre established at Toowoomba in Queensland with the responsibility of assessing elite lines emerging from the breeding programs before they proceed to pilot brewing evaluation and commercialisation.The AMBC is funded by GRDC, Australian maltsters and brewers, and marketing bodies. It conducts uniform testing of elite lines using large scale EBC protocols and micromalting conditions as defined by the Malting and Brewing Industry Barley Technical Committee (MBIBTC). This provides a reliable basis for comparative evaluation of lines for both domestic and export markets. It is hoped that the AMBC will develop along similar lines to those of BMBRI and AMBA.

Barley Improvement in Northern Australia. The northern Australian barley improvement program is responsible for development of improved varieties adapted to the grain growing areas of northern New South Wales and Queensland, an area approximately 600 miles from south to north and 200 miles wide. The main objectives of the program include in priority order:

The program is based at Hermitage Research Station and receives support from a barley quality laboratory in Toowoomba and field technicians at Tamworth and Biloela. The field program involves a total of more than 20,000 plots and trials are sown at approximately 20 sites throughout the region.

Initial selection concentrates on selection between crosses and is based on the mean and genetic variance of 30 random F2-derived F4 lines from interesting crosses. Sites include at least one site where disease is controlled with fungicides.

Doubled haploids are used to accelerate crosses of particular interest and to develop mapping populations. Screening for seedling resistance to spot blotch and net blotch is conducted using a sample of prevalent pathotypes, and marker assisted selection will be used to pyramid desirable genes for resistance.

Samples from suitable sites are assessed for grain size, seed dormancy and Falling Number before micromalting using Phoenix micromalters and measurement of extract, -amylase and diastatic power. Projects are now in place to develop calibrations for a Pacific 6500 NIRS to predict quality parameters on whole grain samples in the early generations.

Progress:

Yield. Since it commenced in 1972 the program has released 7 varieties the highest yielding being approximately 26% higher yielding than the original variety. Lines, which will be released next year, have a further 8% yield advantage.

Quality. The commercial malting quality varieties, Tallon and Lindwall, are well suited to the domestic market and the sophisticated Japanese market.

Disease resistance: Existing commercial varieties are moderately resistant to leaf and stem rust, and powdery mildew but are susceptible to the blotch diseases which have become prevalent with the widespread adoption of stubble retention as a management technique in the last few years.Barley improvement in Northern Australia and its part in Australian research.