The Australian and South Australian governments have invested $64.3 million to expand the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF), boosting plant science research.
The facility’s expansion, located at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus, will provide Australian growers access to the latest crop know-how.
The Federal Government’s $60 million National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy investment is matched by $4.3 million from the State Government and $5.6 million from the University of Adelaide, thereby increasing the total APPF funding pool to over $135 million.
The funds will expand APPF’s national network to nine partner nodes, offering a wider range of controlled growth environments and field phenotyping facilities, enabling researchers to study plant development across Australian growing conditions while also boosting capacity and job opportunities.
“The South Australian Government is proud to continue its longstanding partnership with the Australian Government to co-invest in South Australian based NCRIS facilities – including the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, headquartered in South Australia,” South Australian Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Susan Close said.
According to Minister Close, South Australia has six NCRIS-supported across 12 facilities, providing local researchers and industry with advanced research equipment and technical support.
Plant phenomics is a rapidly developing research field that merges traditional plant biology with robotics and advanced data analytics to rapidly test and evaluate new plant varieties under diverse growing conditions.
The APPF’s controlled growth environments enable quick assessment of crops’ climate tolerance, yield, and nutritional value under various growing conditions.
The facility significantly reduces the time and cost of developing new varieties and precision ag tools, enabling farmers to continue producing high-quality crops while addressing climate change.
The APPF’s expansion will broaden its opportunity for collaboration with a wide range of local and international crop research programs, including the recently inked MOU with the German-based European Infrastructure for Plant Phenotyping.
The investment is part of the Federal Government’s $650 million National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy investment to enhance Australia’s national scientific and research infrastructure.
“Our produce is in huge demand all over the world, but to stay ahead of the game we need to be investing in the latest know-how in emerging fields like phenomics,” Federal Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic said.
Minister Husic stated that the joint investment between Federal and State governments aims to elevate the country to global leadership and provide farmers with top-notch plant science expertise.
“This is just one example of how the Albanese government’s $650m NCRIS program is upgrading Australia’s critical national science and research infrastructure at dozens of facilities across the country,” he added.
