Australian horticulture growers in cooler climates are invited to participate in a $6.4M research trial program to help industry adapt to climate change.
Being delivered through Hort Innovation, the five-year project is led and co-funded by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), with support from national and international industry partners. The end aim is to increase cool climate horticulture production by 20%.
The program will investigate operational adjustments to achieve maximum productivity during unpredictable weather patterns. Researchers will look at fragile soil management, nutrient and water use, and early high-yield plants to maximise returns. Protected cropping environments that offer stable, pest and disease-controlled growing environments is a further priority.
TIA Horticulture Centre Leader Dr Nigel Swarts said primary producers across the horticultural sector are partnering to address the critical issues and risks associated with climatic variability and extremes in temperature and rainfall.
“With climate change, we can expect heat stress causing irregular yields for peas and potatoes. For fruit crops like cherries, there is the threat of premature ripening and projected increases in pest populations. Nutritional quality in terms of sugars, acids, or antioxidant capacity will also shift, impacting fruit quality outcomes,” he said.
“It is vital that we undertake this research now to give growers the knowledge, tools, and confidence to invest and sustainably expand into the future.”
Growers in cool climate regions are encouraged to get involved by contacting Dr Nigel Swarts at TIA at Nigel.Swarts@utas.edu.au or 03 6226 2174.
Trial sites are being set up in Tasmania and other cool climate regions such as south-west Western Australia, the Adelaide Hills, South-East Victoria and high-altitude areas of New South Wales and South-East Queensland. The sites will be accessible to growers through industry field demonstration days and workshops. All project findings will be made available to the industry through resources including fact sheets, webinars and case studies.
This project is being delivered through Hort Innovation’s Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative. Hort Frontiers facilitates collaborative, transformation research and development to support horticulture to 2030, and beyond. TIA is a joint venture of the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government.
