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Plant Breeding Institute
Plant breeding for profitable and sustainable agriculture
Plant breeding contributes to our food supply and the beauty of the world around us. The Plant Breeding Institute is committed to improving our crop and horticultural species using the best that technology has to offer.
Our aims
The Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) was established in 1973 to ensure a continuing University commitment to crop breeding and research. The grains and horticultural industries require a continuum of new cultivars that maximize profitability and sustainability in a dynamic production and market environment. This requires a continuous flow of new genetic materials, knowledge, technologies and trained people; the core business of the PBI.
PBI sits under the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and while research largely focuses on the genetic improvement of cereal, legume and horticultural crops, there are cross-cutting themes on food quality, farming systems and digital agriculture in recognition of the changing nature of Australian agriculture. PBI research also forms part of the Plant Breeding and Production theme of the Sydney Institute of Agriculture.
The PBI aims to (i) develop the new genetic materials required by industry and the technologies that allow these materials and genes to be easily adopted, (ii) generate knowledge that furthers our understanding of plant biology and farming systems, and (iii) train the next generation of plant breeders/geneticists and scientists in related disciplines.
Our facilities
The PBI comprises established and complementary research facilities at Cobbitty and Narrabri.
The Cobbitty facility is part of the Camden campus located in southwestern Sydney and features laboratory, greenhouse and field facilities. The greenhouses incorporate the latest technology in design and environment control. There are laboratories for molecular genetics, cytogenetics and tissue culture as well as long-term seed storage rooms. Read more about our Camden campus.
Our Narrabri campus, located 600km from Sydney on the northwestern plains of NSW, has fertile, irrigable land which is available for plant breeding research, including the conduct of yield and quality testing and pure seed production. The station is strategically positioned in the northern NSW cropping area and comprises 430 ha of land of which 300 ha are irrigable. This is complemented by laboratories, storage and workspace for the conduct of the routine operations of breeding programs. The station is owned by the farmers of NSW and governed by a board of trustees; the Wheat Research Foundation. The property has been leased to the University since 1960 to conduct grains research. Read more about the Narrabri campus and farm and the Wheat Research Foundation.
Our people
- Professor Richard Trethowan, Acting Director, Professor of Plant Breeding
Cobbitty
- Dr Urmil Bansal, Senior Research Fellow
- Professor Harbans Bariana, Cereal Rust Genetics
- Dr Tariq Chattha, Research Fellow
- Dr Yi Ding, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Dr Chong-mei Dong, Research Fellow
- Dr Peter Dracatos, Senior Research Fellow
- Dr Ruijin Li, Research Fellow
- Professor Robert Park, Director, Cereal Rust Research, Judith & David Coffey Chair in Sustainable Agriculture
- Dr Karanjeet Sandhu, Research Fellow
- Dr Davinder Singh, Senior Research Fellow
- Dr Jingqin Wu, Research Fellow
- Dr Peng Zhang, Senior Research Fellow
- Dr Laura Ziems, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Narrabri
- Dr Kedar Adhikari, Senior Lecturer/Senior Plant Breeder
- Dr Helen Bramley, Senior Lecturer
- Dr Guy Coleman, Precision Weed Control Scientist
- Dr Philip Davies, Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Dr David Gallacher, Research Associate
- Dr Mafruha Hasan, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Dr Julie Nicol, Senior Research Fellow
- Dr Angela Pattison, Research Fellow
- Associate Professor Guy Roth, Director, Northern Agriculture
- Dr Abdus Sadeque, Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Dr Asad Shabbir, Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Dr Caleb Squires, Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Dr Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Associate Professor Michael Walsh, Director, Weed Research
Cobbitty
- Dr Nizam Ahmed, Principal Wheat Breeder
- Jill Azmi, ACRCP Research Hub Coordinator
- James Bell, Manager Farm Operations (Faculty Technical Services)
- Markham Bishop, Farm Hand (Faculty Technical Services)
- Bethany Clark, Research Assistant
- Dorian Friendship, Technical Assistant
- Dr Muhammad Gill, Research Assistant
- Dr Sami Hoxha, Research Assistant
- Dr James Hull, Facilities and Resources Coordinator (PBI)
- Paul Lipscombe, Senior Technical Officer, Farms (Faculty Technical Services)
- Jeanette Lipscombe, Farm Hand (Faculty Technical Services)
- Dr Hanif Miah, Research Assistant
- Dr Sandra Micallef, Research Officer
- Margerita Pietilainen, Technical Officer
- Hasan Pradhan, Research Officer
- Jeremy Roake, Professional Officer (Oat Rust Research)
- Dr Akanksha (Shelley) Sharma, Research Assistant
- Gary Standen, Technical Officer
- Matthew Williams, Operations and Technical Officer
Narrabri
- John Bateman, Technical Officer
- Melissa Eather, Administration Officer
- Linda Heuke, Technical Officer
- Ellen Iramu, Technical Assistant
- Nichola Onus, Technical Assistant
- Isobella Revell, Technical Assistant
- Sonia Robillard, Technical Assistant
- Annette Tredrea, Technical Officer (Trials)
- Antony Vuragu, Technical Officer (Glasshouses)
- Emma Whitton, Technical Assistant
- Rebecca Wright, Technical Officer
- Sabina Yasmin, Technical Assistant
- Robert Freebairn, agricultural consultant and WRF member
- Ray Hare, plant breeding consultant and WRF member
- Rob Long, Delta Ag and Chair, Wheat Research Foundation (WRF)
- Mark McKay, grains industry expertise and WRF member
- John Sheppard, cereal rust and plant breeding consultant
- Adam Steel, Chairman Green Camel, horticultural industry expertise
- Jim Watson, grains industry expertise and WRF member
- Mr Charles Brett, Moree
- Mr Bob Freebairn, Coonanarabran
- Dr Ray Hare, Tamworth
- Mr Rob Long (Chairman), Pallamallawa
- Mr Mark McKay, Trangie
- Mr James Nalder, Coonamble
- Katrina Swift, Executive Assistant of the Foundation
- Mr Jim Watson, Parkes
Opportunities
Plant Breeding Institute offers postgraduate research and training opportunities across all of our research areas. Find out more about undertaking a SOLES postgraduate research degree.
Projects are available in the following areas:
Cereal rust research
Contact: Professor Robert Park
Wheat genetics and pre-breeding
Contact: Professor Harbans Bariana
Crop breeding and genetics
Contact: Professor Richard Trethowan
Horticulture
Contact: Professor Richard Trethowan
Farming systems research
Contact: Associate Professor Guy Roth
Plant physiology
Contact: Dr Helen Bramley
Weeds research
Contact: Associate Professor Michael Walsh
Molecular biology
Contact: Dr Urmil Bansal
Molecular cytogenetics
Contact: Dr Peng Zhang
Grassland based food ecosystems
Contact: Dr Angela Pattison
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