High-value Tropical Cropping
As the Australian cropping industry embraces the untapped potential of the Tropical North, it is also being challenged to adapt traditional practices to changing climatic conditions.
CQUniversity is working with industry to design viable farming systems that can survive the increasingly regular extreme weather events – be it drought, torrential rainfall or heatwaves – while meeting the community’s expectations to minimise impact on the land and water.
With campuses in wet and dry tropical cropping areas including Emerald, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns CQUni is perfectly placed to support industry produce more from less in both dryland and irrigated production systems, through selection of tropically adapted varieties, the inclusion of new high-value crops in traditional rotations, or the implementation of smart irrigation technologies.
Our team brings together a suite of research skills in crop drought tolerance, improved water use efficiency, abiotic stress management, and sustainable agronomic practices, with the goal of delivering ‘smarter farming systems’ that sustainably maximise productive output from every drop of available moisture and every gram of fertiliser.
CQUniversity has a proven track record in novel irrigation methodologies such as oxygation and fertigation, and a reputation as a leader in identifying new water-efficient crops, including dryland rice, black sesame and tropical pulses suitable for production in the variable conditions of northern Australia.
Specialist research skills in:
- Water use efficiency in irrigated and dryland systems
- Crop physiology and production agronomy
- Abiotic stress adaptation to tropical environments
- Smart irrigation technologies, including oxygation and fertigation
- Plant productive response to changes in atmospheric carbon
- Drought-tolerant tropical legumes production
- Broadacre production of high-value spices
- Rainfed rice production
- Alternative fertilizer technologies for sustainable soils
