Centre for Crop Science (QAAFI CPS)

Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation

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The Centre delivers research to target improved crops, crop protection systems, and sustainable production systems in tropical and sub-tropical environments for enhanced economic and environmental outcomes. The Centre provides innovative plant-focused research by the pursuit of excellence in plant science at molecular, whole plant, and production system levels. The centre harnesses the plant science development capabilities of QAAFI, and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and our national and international partners.

Website https://qaafi.uq.edu.au/centre-for-crop-science

Key science sectors

• Biotechnology
• Environment and nature
• Food and agriculture
• Health and medical
• ICT and multimedia
• Life sciences
• Social sciences
• Tropical

Strengths and capabilities

• Plant breeding and genetics
• Plant health
• Crop physiology and modelling
• Farming systems science
• Crop improvement
• Crop nutrition/agronomy
• Ag-Nano, Anti fungal silver nanoparticles

Facilities and major equipment

• Hermitage Research Station, Warwick
• J. Bjelke Petersen Research Station, Kingaroy
• Maroochy Research Station, Nambour
• Centre of Tropical Agriculture, Mareeba
• Physical Containment Class 2 (PC2) laboratory
• Quarantine laboratory
• Cropping and animal farming facilities
• Cropping research facilities at Hermitage, Toowoomba and Gatton

Number of research staff

20-100 research staff

Address

Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd, The University of Queensland, 4072

Lead researchers

• Professor Ian Godwin—Pioneer in the use of GM and gene edited techniques in sorghum and author of "Good enough to eat?: Next generation GM crops" with over 30 years experience in plant biotechnology for crop improvement
• Professor David Jordan—Leader of Australia's public sorghum pre-breeding program resulting in genetic in 100% of the commercial sorghum grown in Australia.
• Professor Andre Drenth—Leader in research on the biology and management of plant diseases caused by fungi in Horticulture

Achievements of the centre

• Leading the most successful public sorghum breeding program in the world with sorghum now Queensland’s most important cereal crop
• Identified the antimicrobial properties of the Kakadu plum powerful enough to extend the storage the shelf-life of food, particularly prawns

Organisation type

• University Research Centre
• Queensland Government – Partner