Crop resilience, agronomy, capacity building and sustainable farming systems are among the focus areas of $3.5 million in new research funding from the South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT) and its co-investment partners.
This year, SAGIT has funded 28 new grains research projects, with a total investment of $2.9 million. Co-funding partnerships with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the South Australian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SA Drought Hub) lift the total value of projects to $3.5 million.
Five projects have been co-funded with GRDC, and three internship projects co-funded with the SA Drought Hub, reflecting a continued focus on collaboration to maximise the impact of grower investment.
SAGIT Chair Dr Andrew Barr said the co-investment model continued to strengthen SAGIT’s ability to deliver high-value outcomes for South Australian grain growers.
“The co-investment approach allows SAGIT to expand its research scope and support a broader range of projects that deliver practical outcomes for growers,” he said.
“By working closely with partners such as GRDC and the SA Drought Hub, we can align priorities, reduce duplication and ensure research investment is both efficient and impactful.
“Collaboration across the grains industry is critical to making the most of available funding and ensuring the adoption of research outcomes on-farm.”
Dr Barr said the level of investment this year demonstrated SAGIT’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and productivity in the grains sector, as well as continued investment in building industry capability.
“We are pleased to continue delivering strong investment into research that addresses key challenges for growers, while also supporting emerging opportunities across the industry,” he said.
“This includes continued investment in capacity building, with SAGIT supporting three internship programs and the Lead Agriculture Teacher initiative to help develop the next generation of researchers, advisors and educators.
“These programs play a critical role in strengthening industry capability and ensuring skills and knowledge are transferred to the next generation.”
Dr Barr said several projects this year also target emerging challenges facing grain growers.
“A number of projects will address serious and evolving issues, including the rapid evolution of net blotch toward fungicide resistance, as well as improving our ability to predict the risk of herbicide residues in crop rotations,” he said.
“We are grateful to South Australian grain growers for their ongoing support, which enables SAGIT to fund independent, locally relevant research that directly benefits their businesses.”
The projects vary across a wide range of priority areas including crop protection and disease management, soil health, input efficiency, climate resilience, and farming systems innovation.
The successful projects are:
| Adelaide University | Optimising a DGT to predict the risk of IMI herbicide residues (co-funded with GRDC) |
| Adelaide University | Next-generation rhizobial inoculation systems to improve nitrogen fixation in lentil |
| Adelaide University | Novel plant growth-promoting bacteria increase wheat productivity and NUE |
| Ag Excellence Alliance | Ag Excellence forum & awards |
| AgCommunicators | Lead Agriculture Teacher of South Australia |
| AgCommunicators | Using crop rotations to reduce fungicide and herbicide resistance risk: extension |
| Agsave Merchandise | Machine-learning VRN: Fusing protein, satellites, soil sensing and weather |
| AgXtra | Benefitting Mallee growers by optimising summer weed control applications |
| AgXtra | Rethinking K: Site-specific strategies for southern cropping areas |
| AgXtra | Maximising nitrogen efficiencies in wheat and canola – Fleurieu Peninsula/Murraylands |
| AIR EP | Eyre Peninsula internship in applied grains research 2027 (co-funded with SA Drought Hub) |
| Astute Ag | Sowing Guide for SA |
| Brougham Ag Consulting | Capeweed control and weed management strategies in lentils |
| Central Ag Solutions | Appropriate fertiliser strategies with sowing position for lentils on Yorke Peninsula (co-funded with GRDC) |
| Flinders University | Generate disease resistance data for SA Sowing Guide |
| Hart Field-Site Group | Hart ‘Getting The Crop In’ seminar, speaker support |
| Hart Field-Site Group | Regional internship in applied grains research (co-funded with SA Drought Hub) |
| MacKillop Farm Management Group | MacKillop Farm Management Group annual trial results book 2026-2028 |
| Mallee Sustainable Farming | SA Mallee regional internship in applied grains research and extension (co-funded with SA Drought Hub) |
| SARDI | Monitoring and delivery of management practices for fungicide resistance in SA grain crops |
| SARDI | Barley net form net blotch fungicide resistance management in the South-East (co-funded with GRDC) |
| SARDI | Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems Summary 2027-2029 |
| SARDI | Soil carbon measurement and validation of practices which increase soil carbon |
| SARDI | Pests and beneficial invertebrates at crop establishment: supporting SA growers after the loss of chlorpyrifos (co-funded with GRDC) |
| SARDI | Identifying and managing potassium deficiency on Lower Eyre Peninsula (co-funded with GRDC) |
| SARDI | Tackling herbicide residues and lentil root disease |
| The Agronomist Pty Ltd | Optimising profitability in non-GM canola with novel ryegrass control methods |
| Trengove Consulting | Improving nutrient management on highly calcareous soils of southern Yorke Peninsula |
