The Plant Breeding Institute attends the International Wheat Congress

In the last week of September, academics from the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) participated in the International Wheat Congress held in Perth.

Several faculty members presented their research, with Professor Richard Trethowan co-chairing Plenary Session 6: "Developing Climate-Smart Wheat in the Context of Abiotic Stresses."

Dr Rebecca Thistlethwaite delivered a presentation titled “A national approach to mitigating the impacts of extreme heat on wheat productivity”.

Dr Julie Nicol discussed The CAIGE Program – A Valuable Source of Genetic Resistance to Several Wheat Diseases, and Emeritus Professor Bob McIntosh provided a brief summary of the 3rd International Wheat Congress.

A/Prof Peng Zhang participated in a workshop on Floral Biology Traits for hybrid wheat, discussing an efficient and effective system for hybrid wheat production.

Dr Laura Ziems also gave a talk in the trait mapping workshop, discussing "Optimizing QTL Mapping Strategies: Leveraging Prior Germplasm and Genotypic Assets for Adult Plant Rust Resistance.

Yi Ding had a poster display as well, which was showcased by A/Prof Peng Zhang in his absence.

In addition to giving talks, PBI representatives actively engaged in the week-long event, sharing their contributions to wheat research. 

Notable attendees included Dr Mumta Chetri, one of the leaders of the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program (ACRCP), Dr Davinder Singh, a leader of ACRCP Phase 5: Optimising Genetic Control of Wheat Rusts through High-Value Resistance Gene Combinations, as well as Dr Amit Singh and Dr Jianbo Li, key contributors to the hybrid wheat research led by Professor Richard Trethowan.

The Congress provided an excellent platform for PBI academics to showcase their research and collaborative efforts in advancing wheat science, with a particular focus on improving disease resistance, climate resilience, and the development of hybrid wheat technologies.